PRODUCTION BEGINS ON "THE 5TH WAVE"
First Novel in Franchise Series by Rick Yancey Stars Chloë Grace Moretz For Director J Blakeson
Moviegoers Follow the Action on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @5thWaveMovie
Principal photography has commenced on the highly anticipated motion picture The 5th Wave, Columbia Pictures’ adaptation of the bestselling young adult novel. The action-adventure film is directed by J Blakeson, with a screenplay by Susannah Grant, based on the book by Rick Yancey. The producers are Tobey Maguire, Graham King, Lynn Harris, and Matthew Plouffe. Denis O’Sullivan and Richard Middleton are the executive producers.
Slated for domestic release on January 29, 2016, The 5th Wave stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Cassie, Nick Robinson as Ben Parish aka "Zombie," Ron Livingston as Dad/Oliver, Maggie Siff as Mom/Lisa, Alex Roe as Evan Walker, Maika Monroe as Ringer, Zackary Arthur as Sam, and Liev Schreiber as Vosch.
In The 5th Wave, set in the present day, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, 16-year-old Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie meets a young man who may become her final hope.
Throughout photography, fans will have unrivaled access to the production, including a wealth of behind-the-scenes photos, interaction with cast and crew, and on-set updates via social media. "One of the ways Rick Yancey made The 5th Wave so special is that it feels like it’s happening right now – and the characters react as teenagers today would react,”"said Dwight Caines, president, Theatrical Marketing for Sony Pictures. "To stay faithful to that, we are making sure fans are on the inside from Day One."
Moviegoers can stay up-to-date on all things 5th Wave by following the movie and interacting on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @5thWaveMovie.
Blakeson’s production team includes Enrique Chediak as the Director of Photography, Jon Billington as the Production Designer, Paul Rubell as the Editor, and Sharen Davis as the Costume Designer.
The 5th Wave is a phenomenon in young adult literature, with 21 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list, nearly 300,000 hardcover units sold, and 80,000 e-books sold. The novel, which has also had tremendous crossover appeal with adults, was honored with the 2014 Red House Children’s Book Award in the UK. The second book in Yancey’s planned trilogy, The Infinite Sea, was published last month.
Hannah Minghella and Andrea Giannetti will oversee the project for the studio.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.
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Showing posts with label Columbia Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columbia Pictures. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Review: "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Entangled in Too Many Angles
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi/action and violence
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb
WRITERS: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and James Pinkner; from a story by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, James Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt (based upon the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dan Mindel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Pietro Scalia
COMPOSERS: Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six, Johnny Marr, and Pharrell Williams
SUPERHERO/DRAMA/ACTION/ROMANCE
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Dane DeHaan, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Marton Csokas, Max Charles, B.J. Novak, Kari Coleman, Michael Massee, and Stan Lee with Chris Cooper and Denis Leary
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a 2014 superhero film and drama from director Marc Webb and stars Andrew Garfield in the title role. It is the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, the 2012 film that was a reboot of Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man film franchise, and this movie is also the fifth Spider-Man film in the series. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finds Spider-Man facing a former admirer turned super-villain, while Peter Parker worries that being Spider-Man will endanger his loved ones.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins as Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), are about to graduate from high school. Peter is also loving his life as the costumed, crime-fighting superhero, Spider-Man. Peter, however, is currently haunted by the specter of police Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary), Gwen's deceased father. As Capt. Stacy lay dying (in the previous film), Peter promised him to keep Gwen out of his life because of Spider-Man. Peter reluctantly tries to break up with Gwen, but the two teenagers deeply love each other. Peter's attempts simply sow confusion.
Meanwhile, at OsCorp Industries, Peter's former friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns to New York City in time to take over the business of his recently deceased father, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper). OsCorp's past as a company on the cutting edge of controversial genetic research, however, threatens both Harry and Peter. Also, a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), appears.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lacks focus, and I think that there are two reasons for that. First, the screenplay wants to be a story of young romance, but the romance and character drama are overwrought. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone give good performances, but Peter and Gwen's relationship is like a car stuck in mud and pointlessly spinning its wheel. The car isn't going anywhere, and until the end, neither is Peter and Gwen's relationship, and then, that is only for tragic affect.
I think the second reason that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seems muddled is because it is more than just a superhero movie; it is the birth of an expanded universe. Sony, Columbia Pictures' parent, wants to take some of the characters that belong to Marvel Comics' line of Spider-Man comic books and use them to expand their Spider-Man film franchise into a Spider-Man universe. They want something like Marvel Studios' “Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Why have just Spider-Man movies when you can have movies starring Spider-Man adversaries like Venom and the Sinister Six.
Marvel essentially used the 2010 film, Iron Man 2, to expand its universe, and that movie tended to drift and lack focus, but in the end, Iron Man 2 was a good movie. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is meant to expand the Spider-Man universe, but in the end, it is not really a good movie. The character melodrama is at odds with the showy action-fantasy violence that is the Spider-Man vs. Electro subplot. Electro is probably the worse villain yet in the Spider-Man films.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has an engaging visual style, and it is probably at its best when it depicts Spider-Man swinging over New York City, through its canyons and around its buildings and skyscrapers. Even the fight scenes, which seem tacked on to the story, look good, when they focus on Spider-Man. Nothing about Electro looks good. Hopefully, the third installment of The Amazing Spider-Man can be itself, a stand-alone movie that does not have to carry the hopes of Sony's corporate board and accountants.
4 of 10
C
Monday, September 15, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Review: "RoboCop" Remake Has Lots of Ideas, but Lacks Focus
RoboCop (2014)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action including frenetic gun violence throughout, brief strong language, sensuality and some drug material
DIRECTOR: José Padilha
WRITERS: Joshua Zetumer and Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner (based upon the 1987 screenplay by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner)
PRODUCERS: Marc Abraham and Eric Newman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lula Carvalho (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Peter McNulty and Daniel Rezende
COMPOSER: Pedro Bromfman
SCI-FI/ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Marrianne Jean-Baptiste, Samuel L. Jackson, Aimee Garcia, Patrick Garrow, and John Paul Ruttan
RoboCop is a 2014 science fiction film from director José Padilha. The film is a remake of the Oscar-winning, 1987 film, Robocop. The 2014 RoboCop follows a police detective who is transformed into a part-man/part-robot police officer by a powerful corporation that wants to place robot police officers all over America.
The film opens in year 2028. Omnicorp, a division of the multinational conglomerate, OCP, specializes in “robot soldier” technology. Omnicorp supplies the robots and drones that the United States military uses to pacify populations around the world. Omnicorp wants to sell their product in the U.S. for civilian law enforcement, but is prohibited both by the federal Dreyfus Act and by public opinion.
Omnicorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) concocts the idea of creating a new law enforcement product that blends the human police officer with the robot. Sellars believes that this kind of police officer could really help Detroit, the crime-ravaged home city of Omnicorp. Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman), a scientist under contract to Omnicorp, believes that he can take a permanently injured police officer or solider and use him as the core of a robot policeman prototype. He wonders, however, if he will find the kind of police officer that is perfect for his experiment.
At the Detroit Police Department, Detective Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) and his partner, Sergeant Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams), are pursuing drug lord, Antoine Vallon (Patrick Garrow). However, Vallon has an unknown number of crooked cops on his payroll, and they keep him apprised of Murphy and Lewis’ investigations. Vallon orders Murphy killed, but Murphy survives the attempt, just barely. Suddenly, Murphy is the perfect subject for Dr. Norton’s bid to create a part man/part machine cop, and RoboCop is born. But how much of Alex Murphy is left inside of RoboCop, and how much of him does Omnicorp want to control?
The 1987 Robocop featured a number of thematic elements, and it contained black humor and satire, especially early in the film. It was also a quasi-Western with RoboCop/Alex Murphy as a kind of frontier lawman facing off against heavily-armed criminals and a corrupt government all on his own. RoboCop 2014 also includes themes about corporate manipulation of governments, the militarization of law enforcement, and the man-machine interface, among others. There is a gallows humor about the remake, and it also has elements of the Western film. That is where the comparisons end, for the most part.
RoboCop 2014 has a big problem in that it lacks focus. The screenplay for the 2014 film takes almost every subplot, setting, and character from the 1987 film and makes them so important – even the elements the original film largely passed over. For instance, Alex Murphy’s family was largely unseen, except for in flashbacks, in the 1987 film. In the 2014 film, however, Murphy’s wife and son are important to the point of being in the way of the story.
It is almost Shakespearean the way the screenplay for the new film wants to make every supporting character and two-bit character a major player in the plot and story. I could not help but think that more could have been done with Samuel Jackson’s Pat Novak, a Bill O’Reilly-like host of the pro-corporate, law and order television show, “The Novak Element.” But where would he fit in an already overstuffed story?
With so many ideas and characters, RoboCop 2014 ends up without an identity. In the original film, the title, Robocop, really meant that the movie was about Alex Murphy/RoboCop. In the remake, the title RoboCop is practically about the idea of the “robot cop” or RoboCop. The film is about weighing the good and the bad of having corporately-controlled robot cops patrolling the streets of America. RoboCop/Alex Murphy just happens to be the robot cop of the moment. Without an identity, what is RoboCop 2014? Is it about Alex Murphy? Is it about Omnicorp’s plans? Is it about military technology as law enforcement? Is this movie about corporate product as a means to uphold law and order? Is it about Dr. Dennett Norton’s questionably experimentation on humans?
There is so much stuff in the new RoboCop that it would work better as a television series than it works as a two-hour feature film. It is not a bad movie; it is simply packed with too many good ideas, characters, and plotlines. That is a shame, because RoboCop 2014 is a cautionary tale. It is a Frankenstein scenario that is relevant to our current times. RoboCop warns us to beware of profit-driven, multi-national corporations that want to sell us permanent war and also a police state because those are the means by which they make piles of corporate cash.
For that reason, RoboCop 2014 is worth seeing. It is a science fiction movie with a horror movie twist. It has the thrills of an action movie, but also the chill of a scary movie that has a ring of truth to it.
6 of 10
B
Monday, July 14, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Review: "Not Another Teen Movie" is Wacky (Happy B'day, Chris Evans)
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong crude sexual content and humor, language, and some drug content
DIRECTOR: Joel Gallen
WRITERS: Michael G. Bende, Adam Jay Epstein, and Andrew Jacobson and Phil Beauman and Buddy Johnson
PRODUCER: Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Reynaldo Villalobos (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Steve Welch
COMPOSER: Theodore Shapiro
COMEDY
Starring: Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jamie Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Eric Jungmann, Ron Lester, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Joanna Garcia, Lacey Chabert, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Beverly Polcyn, Ed Lauter, Paul Gleason, Mr. T, Molly Ringwald, Samaire Armstrong, Nectar Rose, and Randy Quaid with Nick Bakay, Melissa Joan Hart, and Sean Patrick Thomas
The subject of this movie review is Not Another Teen Movie, a 2001 comedy and parody film. Not Another Teen Movie is a send-up and spoof of the teen movies that came before it, especially those that appeared in the two decades proceeding Not Another Teen Movie’s release.
When a group of screenwriters is trying to write a movie script that parodies two decades of teen movies, the script could end up packed to the gills from too many film references, and that’s what happens to Not Another Teen Movie. This flick is a parody of teen movies going back to John Hughes’s Pretty in Pink (1986), but it especially focuses its satirical eye on the wave of the teen films that were released in the second half of the 1990’s.
That was a time when teenagers had so much disposable income because of a booming economy, and the entertainment, food, and apparel industries did everything they could to offer as many product choices as possible to these affluent and relatively affluent teenagers; there certainly was no shortage of films geared towards these youngsters.
In fact the high school that is central to the plot of Not Another Teen Movie, John Hughes High School, is named after filmmaker John Hughes, who came to prominence in the 1980’s with such popular teen flicks as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club (1985). Not Another Teen Movie is a tale of high school melodrama and sexual shenanigans. Jake Wyler (Chris Evans, who is also currently playing “Johnny Storm” in Fantastic Four), handsome senior, but disgraced former starting quarterback, takes a bet that he can turn a homely, nerdy girl into the prom queen.
His choice for the girl to transform is Janey Briggs (Chyler Leigh), a dirty poor, white trash girl, who (of course) is extraordinarily beautiful once she’s cleaned up, takes of her glasses, and loosens her hair out of a long ponytail. They gradually fall for one another; now, Jake and Janey must travel from their inauspicious beginnings and go through 20 years of accumulated teen movie refuse in order to get to their teen movie happy ending.
Not Another Teen Movie parodies or references several John Hughes films and such teen classics as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), The Goonies (1985), Can’t Hardly Wait (1998), She’s All That (1999), Varsity Blues (1999), plus Clueless, Never Been Kissed, Road Trip, and Ten Things I Hate About You. Like 2003’s Scary Movie 3 (and the entire Scary Movie franchise, for that matter), Not Another Teen Movie is full of hilarious scenes sprinkled generously over a piss-poor plot and a dead screenplay. Luckily some of the scenes are either super funny or so totally out of left field that they could blow minds: Chris Evans’ Jake Wyler singing Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun;” Deon Richmond’s Malik, the token black guy running into Sean Patrick Thomas’ unnamed black guy at a party where Malik is supposed to be the only black guy there; and the prom night musical number that is actually sung by the cast.
Moviegoers who have seen at least one teen movie (whether they were a teen at the time or not) going back to Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982 will find something they recognize from that sub-genre of films that chronicle the wacky misadventures of high school students. That makes Not Another Teen Movie a must-see in spite of its flaws.
5 of 10
C+
Updated: Friday, June 13, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Review: Special Effects Keeps "Evolution" Going (Happy B'day, Orlando Jones)
Evolution (2001)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, and for sci-fi action
DIRECTOR: Ivan Reitman
WRITERS: David Diamond and David Weissman, and Don Jakoby; story by Don Jakoby
PRODUCERS: Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck, and Ivan Reitman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Chapman (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Wendy Greene Bricmont and Sheldon Kahn
COMPOSER: John Powell
SCI-FI/COMEDY
Starring: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Ted Levine, Dan Aykroyd, Ethan Suplee, Ty Burrell, Sarah Silverman, and John Cho
The subject of this movie review is Evolution, a 2001 science fiction comedy from director Ivan Reitman. The film follows four people who are fighting an alien organism that has been rapidly evolving into outlandish creatures ever since its arrival on Earth inside a meteor.
Evolution makes me think of Ghostbusters (the former was released 17 years to the date of the latter’s release). Maybe, that’s because both films share the same director, Ivan Reitman, and maybe because both films seem to have the same ebb and flow. While the latter pretty much realized its promise of being a very funny and popular film, the former pretty much failed on both counts.
Dr. Ira Kane (David Duchovny), a biology teacher (and disgraced government employee), and his colleague Harry Block (Orlando Jones) see fame and fortune when firefighter cadet Wayne Grey (Seann William Scott) alerts them to a meteorite that recently crashed into a local cave. The meteorite emits a bluish fluid, and Dr Kane and Prof. Block are shocked to discover that the fluid contains many single-cell organisms that are evolving before their very eyes. The alien life forms evolve and adapt at such an incredible rate (into countless wonderful animal-like forms) that they threaten to prove Charles Darwin right – the strongest will survive and they will take over the world. When the military suddenly arrives, they only make matters worse. Of course, it’s up to Kane, Block, Grey, and sexy government scientist Dr. Allison Reed (Julianne Moore) to save the world from the fate of this alien evolution.
This film has two things going for it, the comedic performances of the actors and the special effects. Reitman, a veteran of many excellent funny movies, leans on the latter for his new film. Whereas Ghostbusters used SFX in service of a great cast of funnymen, Evolution seems enthralled by the CGI technology that didn’t exist at the time of Ghostbusters. Weird animal aliens fun amok in this film, some resembling dinosaurs and wild animals, others resembling slugs and worms. I was impressed by the visual finesse of the special effects, but I’d hoped that the movie would be funnier, but it only managed to be lukewarm.
The cast only manages to be really on their game for about half of the film’s running time. Seann William Scott and Orlando Jones are seemingly inspired, but Reitman doesn’t really let them reach the heights of which they are capable. Duchovny plays it a bit too cool, but at times he is bursting at the seams to really let his funny side loose. Ms. Moore is almost reduced to being the pretty female attachment, which is an utter waste when one considers are tremendous acting talent. Maybe, she isn’t a comedic actress, but she can do more than just be the female costar.
Occasionally intriguing, sometimes pleasant, and infrequently exciting, Evolution is sadly another mediocre film that only lazily aimed at being special. The filmmakers either didn’t put in the work required to make this film really good, or despite their best efforts, they assembled enough defective parts to ruin what could have been a good film.
5 of 10
B-
Updated: Thursday, April 10, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Oscar Nominee Review: "Captain Phillips"
Captain Phillips (2013)
Running time: 134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sustained intense sequences of menace, some violence with bloody images, and for substance use
DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
WRITER: Billy Ray (A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty)
PRODUCERS: Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, and Scott Rudin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Barry Ackroyd (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Christopher Rouse
COMPOSER: Henry Jackman
Academy Award nominee
THRILLER/DRAMA
Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Michael Chernus, David Warshofsky, Corey Johnson, Chris Mulkey, and Issak Farah Samatar
Captain Phillips is a 2013 thriller and drama from director Paul Greengrass. The film is an adaptation of A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty. The movie dramatizes the 2009 hijacking of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey is one of the film’s executive producers.
The film begins with Captain Richard “Rich” Phillips (Tom Hanks) taking command of the MV Maersk Alabama. This unarmed container ship is scheduled to sail from the Port of Salalah (in the city of Salalah, Oman) through the Gulf of Aden to Mombasa, Kenya. After an alert concerning pirate activity around the Horn of Africa, Captain Phillips orders strict security precautions on the vessel and carries out practice drills. In fact, during those drills, two skiffs containing Somali pirates chase the Alabama.
One group of pirates is eventually successful and actually boards and takes control of the Alabama. The skiff’s captain, Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), and his cohorts: Adan Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), Walid Elmi (Mahat M. Ali), and Nour Najee (Faysal Ahmed), plan to ransom the ship and its crew for millions of dollars. Captain Phillips has called for help, but can he stall the pirates before they start killing his crew?
Audiences can practically always count on director Paul Greengrass to deliver a riveting film and an edge-of-your-seat thriller with each of his movies. Greengrass’ films aren’t the average run-of-the-mill action thrillers; they’re smart and filled with strong characters facing real-world dilemmas. Captain Phillips is Greengrass’ best film since his Jason Bourne movies. Greengrass gets a championship effort from his editor Christopher Rouse, who delivers a film that gets better and better, more engaging, more entrancing with each minute.
Although, Tom Hanks is the star and Rich Phillips is the title character and focus, in some way, Captain Phillips is also about Abduwali Muse. First-time actor, Barkhad Abdi, delivers a superb performance. Abdi’s acting is especially impressive as the film only focuses on Muse’s personality in the context of what comes out of his actions. Since Muse does not get to show himself as a fully-developed human, Abdi has to sell him as a three-dimensional villain who only reveals his intentions (getting a ransom), and little beyond that. I can see why Abdi earned such acclaim and an Oscar nomination to go with a BAFTA win as best supporting actor.
This is pretty much the same with Captain Phillips. His motivation, conflicts, and dilemmas are seen only in the context of him being a captain of a ship and also a captain of a ship that is under duress. Tom Hanks is known for playing characters that are totally or mostly open to the audience. As Phillips, Hanks erects a wall that makes it only easy to feel sympathy, pity, and fear for Phillips. However, Hanks is so good that he still manages to deliver some fantastic acting – something that is more performance art than it is performance of a character.
All of Captain Phillips is good, but the last forty minutes are a doozy. The rescue operation makes a very good film a truly exceptional film. I wish more thrillers were like Captain Phillips.
9 of 10
A
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA: 6 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Barkhad Abdi), “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Billy Ray), “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Christopher Rouse), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Oliver Tarney), and “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, and Chris Munro)
2014 Golden Globes, USA: 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Tom Hanks), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Barkhad Abdi), and “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Paul Greengrass)
2014 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Supporting Actor” (Barkhad Abdi); 8 nominations: “Best Film” (Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca), “David Lean Award for Direction” (Paul Greengrass), “Best Leading Actor” (Tom Hanks), “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Henry Jackman), “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Billy Ray), “Best Cinematography” (Barry Ackroyd), “Best Editing” (Christopher Rouse), “Best Sound” (Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, and Oliver Tarney)
2014 Black Reel Awards: 2 wins: “Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture” (Barkhad Abdi) and “Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male” (Barkhad Abdi)
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Review: "Zero Dark Thirty" is History as a Great Story
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Running time: 157 minutes (2 hours, 37 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence including brutal disturbing images, and for language
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
WRITER: Mark Boal
PRODUCERS: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, and Megan Ellison
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Greg Fraser (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor
COMPOSER: Alexandre Desplat
Academy Award winner
WAR/DRAMA/ACTION
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Reda Kateb, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, Harold Perrineau, Jeremy Strong, J.J. Kandle, Lauren Shaw, Jessica Collins, Fredric Lehne, Joel Edgerton, Nash Edgerton, Edgar Ramirez, Mike Colter, Yoav Levi, Mark Strong, and James Gandolfini
Zero Dark Thirty is a 2012 war film and suspense thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal, the creators of The Hurt Locker. Zero Dark Thirty dramatizes the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, leading up to his death at the hands of Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6. In my estimation, it is one of the best films of 2012 and one of the few truly great films about war in the 21st century.
Zero Dark Thirty begins with a brief audio recount of the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The film moves to the year 2003 and introduces Maya (Jessica Chastain), a young officer in the CIA (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency). Since graduating high school, Maya has spent her entire career focused solely on gathering intelligence related to al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Assigned to Pakistan, Maya witnesses the torture (including water-boarding and humiliation) of detainee prisoners.
Eventually, Maya begins to focus on a mysterious figure known as Abu Ahmed, who is allegedly working as a personal courier for bin Laden. Maya sifts through masses of data and information, using a variety of technology and her own hunches and insights, but the years pass without her finding Ahmed or bin Laden. Back in the United States, the political climate changes; a new U.S. Presidential administration arrives, and Maya’s CIA superiors stop believing in her work. Now, this one agent has to battle the system if she is going to remain on the trail of clues that will lead her to bin Laden.
Fascinating, intriguing, thrilling, and suspenseful: I could go on, but I’ll simply say that Zero Dark Thirty is truly a gripping film narrative. It grabbed a hold of my imagination and my heart, and I was practically endlessly captivated by this truly unique film. It is a testament to the filmmaking and storytelling skills of director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal.
Boal has the ability to take a decade’s worth of intelligence activity: the good, the bad, the boring, the important, and the inconsequential and to summarize that into one story. He uses the most interesting and important information as subplots – all on the way to creating a riveting screen story.
Much has been made of the fact that Bigelow is a woman film director who makes action movies and other types of films that are usually aimed at men. The truth is that she is a highly skilled director whose films are like no one else’s. Her success is that she makes movies that absorb the viewer into the story by creating action scenes that not only matter to the drama, but are also sometimes the drama. Not all of Bigelow’s movies are great; it is simply that for most of the time in all of her movies, she occupies the viewer’s imagination. When watching a Bigelow flick, it is not often that I find myself thinking about what I will be doing after the movie.
In Maya, Jessica Chastain fashions a female character that is truly a heroine. Zero Dark Thirty turns on the idea that one woman fights the system to lead the hunt for Osama bin Laden. So Chastain has to not only create a female lead that can carry a CIA movie, but also create a female lead that the audience will believe is capable going into the dark places she goes and doing the contentious things she must do. In a world of exceedingly dangerous times, of deceitful men, and of alpha males, Maya has to be a stubborn mule, fierce lioness, and the smartest guy in the room, all at the same time. It seems as if she must also lose something of herself in certain situations and at certain times. There are scenes in Zero Dark Thirty in which Maya seems like nothing more than a wraith, a human turned into a shadowy leftover by her cause.
I believe that Jennifer Lawrence, as Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook, won the best actress Oscar over Chastain as Maya because Tiffany, complicated though she is, is girl-next-door likeable. Maya is a complicated personality and is morally comprised, and her dedication to her job hunting bin Laden is like an affliction. What’s to like about that? A lot actually, but it is easier to like wounded duckling Tiffany.
I am glad that Zero Dark Thirty had people questioning the filmmakers’ intentions. That means that people thought the movie was worth the mental effort to engage it. It is a great film, nearly perfect. I think the raid on bin Laden’s compound, which takes up the film’s last half hour is a little clumsy in its staging. Bigelow’s effort to “keep it real,” took something away from the drama and intensity of that raid. Still, Zero Dark Thirty will stand the test of time. It may occasionally be forgotten, but as soon as something causes people to remember Zero Dark Thirty, people will be ready to engage the issues it raises again.
9 of 10
A+
NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards, USA: 1 win: “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Paul N.J. Ottosson – tied with Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers for Skyfall); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, and Megan Ellison), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Jessica Chastain), “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Mark Boal) and “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor)
2013 BAFTA Awards: 5 nominations: “Best Film” (Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison, and Mark Boal), “Best Leading Actress” (Jessica Chastain), “Best Original Screenplay” (Mark Boal), “Best Editing” (Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Kathryn Bigelow)
2013 Golden Globes, USA: 1 win: “Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Jessica Chastain); 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” Best Director - Motion Picture” (Kathryn Bigelow), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Mark Boal)
Friday, January 31, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
2014 USC Scripter Award Nominees Revealed
USC Libraries Name Finalists for 26th-Annual Scripter Award
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries have named the authors and screenwriters of Captain Phillips, Philomena, The Spectacular Now, 12 Years a Slave, and What Maisie Knew as finalists for the 26th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. Scripter honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author or authors of the written work upon which the screenplay is based.
The finalists are, in alphabetical order by film title:
•Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, authors of A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, and screenwriter Billy Ray, for Captain Phillips
•For Philomena, author Martin Sixsmith, who wrote the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, and screenwriters Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
•Novelist Tim Tharp and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for The Spectacular Now
•Solomon Northup, author of Twelve Years a Slave, and screenwriter John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave
•Screenwriters Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne for What Maisie Knew, adapted from the novel by Henry James
The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988. Previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of Argo, The Descendants, No Country for Old Men, and The English Patient.
Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the 2014 Scripter selection committee selected the five finalists from a field of 86 eligible adaptations.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Michael Ondaatje and Mona Simpson; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Callie Khouri and Steve Zaillian; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.
The studios distributing the finalist films and the publishers of the original stories are:
•Captain Phillips—Columbia Pictures and Hyperion Books
•Philomena—Weinstein Company and Macmillan
•The Spectacular Now—A24 and Alfred A. Knopf
•12 Years a Slave—Fox Searchlight and Derby & Miller
•What Maisie Knew—Millennium Entertainment and Herbert S. Stone
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford will serve as honorary dinner chairs.
Current silent auction donors and other event sponsors include AOC, Arthur Murray Santa Monica, At Your Side Private Exercise, Bouchon Beverly Hills, The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Corvain Wine Access System, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Fess Parker Inn, Flight Deck, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, French Reflections, The Geffen Playhouse, Daryle Ann and Mark Giardino, The Grammy Museum, The Grill, The Kitchen For Exploring Foods, Knock, Knock, Montage Beverly Hills, The LA Opera, The Los Angeles Clippers, Lee Olvera, OPI, Pebble Beach Concors d' Elegance, Pica Peru, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Plumleigh, Porto Via Beverly Hills, Poseidon Stand Up Paddleboards, Rivera, SBE Restaurant Group, Total Wine and More, USC Athletics, and WEN Chaz Dean.
For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries have named the authors and screenwriters of Captain Phillips, Philomena, The Spectacular Now, 12 Years a Slave, and What Maisie Knew as finalists for the 26th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. Scripter honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author or authors of the written work upon which the screenplay is based.
The finalists are, in alphabetical order by film title:
•Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, authors of A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, and screenwriter Billy Ray, for Captain Phillips
•For Philomena, author Martin Sixsmith, who wrote the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, and screenwriters Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
•Novelist Tim Tharp and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for The Spectacular Now
•Solomon Northup, author of Twelve Years a Slave, and screenwriter John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave
•Screenwriters Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne for What Maisie Knew, adapted from the novel by Henry James
The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988. Previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of Argo, The Descendants, No Country for Old Men, and The English Patient.
Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the 2014 Scripter selection committee selected the five finalists from a field of 86 eligible adaptations.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Michael Ondaatje and Mona Simpson; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Callie Khouri and Steve Zaillian; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.
The studios distributing the finalist films and the publishers of the original stories are:
•Captain Phillips—Columbia Pictures and Hyperion Books
•Philomena—Weinstein Company and Macmillan
•The Spectacular Now—A24 and Alfred A. Knopf
•12 Years a Slave—Fox Searchlight and Derby & Miller
•What Maisie Knew—Millennium Entertainment and Herbert S. Stone
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford will serve as honorary dinner chairs.
Current silent auction donors and other event sponsors include AOC, Arthur Murray Santa Monica, At Your Side Private Exercise, Bouchon Beverly Hills, The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Corvain Wine Access System, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Fess Parker Inn, Flight Deck, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, French Reflections, The Geffen Playhouse, Daryle Ann and Mark Giardino, The Grammy Museum, The Grill, The Kitchen For Exploring Foods, Knock, Knock, Montage Beverly Hills, The LA Opera, The Los Angeles Clippers, Lee Olvera, OPI, Pebble Beach Concors d' Elegance, Pica Peru, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Plumleigh, Porto Via Beverly Hills, Poseidon Stand Up Paddleboards, Rivera, SBE Restaurant Group, Total Wine and More, USC Athletics, and WEN Chaz Dean.
For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Review: "Stealth" Has Plenty of Cool Moments (Happy B'day, Richard Roxburgh)
Stealth (2005)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense action, some violence, brief strong language, and innuendo
DIRECTOR: Rob Cohen
WRITER: W.D. Richter
PRODUCERS: Mike Medavoy, Laura Ziskin, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Semler
EDITOR: Stephen Rivkin
COMPOSER: BT
SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER with elements of war
Starring: Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepard, Joe Morton, Richard Roxburgh, David Miller, and Wentworth Miller (voice)
The subject of this movie review is Stealth, a 2005 science fiction and action thriller from director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx). The film follows three pilots, who are part of a top-secret military program, and their struggle to control an artificial intelligence used to operate a robotic stealth aircraft.
Lt. Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas), Kara Wade (Jessica Biel), and Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx) are three Navy pilots deeply ensconced in a top-secret military program that tests the next generation in fighter jets, the Talon. The trio tests their Talons in preparation for strategic air strikes against terrorists and their leaders, and the strikes have to be dead perfect in order to absolutely minimize collateral damage, i.e. civilian deaths. However, the pilots are saddled with a fourth jet; called EDI (voice of Wentworth Miller), the jet is unmanned, and is instead run by an artificially intelligent computer. After being struck by lightning, EDI really develops a mind of its own and begins choosing its own targets. Gannon, Wade, and Purcell must stop EDI before he/it starts a world war.
Rob Cohen, the man who directed The Fast and the Furious and xXx, brings us Stealth, and if The Fast and The Furious and Top Gun had a sci-fi baby, Stealth would be it. Although the script by W.D. Richter borrows heavily from films such as the aforementioned Top Gun and also 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stealth is pure fun, packing all the eye-popping, adrenaline-rush, video game style action movie thrills of Cohen’s earlier films. The dialogue is lame, and the acting is suspect, very much so at the beginning (don’t look for Jamie Foxx to come anywhere near the magic of his Oscar-winning performance in Ray); however, by the time we reach the middle of the film the cast is deep into action movie mode, spouting lines of intense dialogue and emoting just the way they should for a military thriller.
Stealth may be a throwaway summer action blockbuster, but like films such as Con Air, Face/Off, and Cohen’s other hit action flicks, this movie delivers, and it looks great on the big screen. The jet flight sequences and battle scenes are thrilling; if you really dig such movies, this is a must see on the big screen. Some may say that Stealth plays lightly with the consequences of dropping bombs on civilian populations and jets shooting missiles down from the sky, but this vicarious thrill is some of the best fun one can have at war games with nothing more than your eyes and neck strained or hurt. Think of this as The Fast and the Furious of near future air combat, and sit back and enjoy the ride because Stealth can cure most any need for speed.
7 of 10
B+
Updated: Wednesday, January 01, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sony Pictures to Expand "Spider-Man" Film Franchise
SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT TO EXPAND THE SPIDER-MAN UNIVERSE ON SCREEN WITH ALL-STAR WRITING TEAM
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to Collaborate with Marc Webb and Producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach on Developing the Universe and Expanding the Story in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, Venom, and The Sinister Six
CULVER CITY, Calif., December 12, 2013 - In a move to forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen, Sony Pictures Entertainment, in association with Marvel Entertainment, is developing several new projects in the Spider-Man franchise, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to collaborate on overseeing the developing story over several films that will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio.
The five writers, along with the two producers and Marc Webb, have formed a franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films. Under the deals, the studio announced that Kurtzman & Orci & Pinkner are writing the screenplay for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which the studio hopes Webb will return to direct; the film will go into production next fall for release on June 10, 2016. In addition, the team will build on the cinematic foundation laid by Webb, Arad, and Tolmach in the first two movies. They will expand the franchise as Kurtzman & Orci & Solomon will write the screenplay for Venom, which Kurtzman will direct; also, Goddard will write, with an eye to direct, The Sinister Six, focusing on the villains in the franchise. Hannah Minghella and Rachel O’Connor will oversee the development and production of these films for the studio.
In tapping these five writers, the studio and the producers are guiding the future of the franchise with the writer/producers who have each played significant and key roles in developing such highly successful franchises, films, and series as Star Trek, Transformers, Alias, Fringe, Men in Black, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, World War Z, Lost, Cloverfield, The Cabin in the Woods, and Marvel's upcoming Daredevil series.
Commenting on the announcement, Belgrad said, "The Spider-Man film franchise is one of our studio’s greatest assets. We are thrilled with the creative team we have assembled to delve more deeply into the world that Marc, Avi and Matt have begun to explore in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. We believe that Marc, Alex, and Drew have uniquely exciting visions for how to expand the Spider-Man universe in each of these upcoming films."
Arad and Tolmach added, "This collaboration was born out of the great experience we and Marc had working with Alex, Bob, and Jeff on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With more than fifty years' wealth of stories in the comic books to draw upon for inspiration, the Spider-Man universe is truly boundless; in addition, the Spider-Man comics have the greatest rogues gallery of any series, and to have the chance to explore that on film is truly thrilling. Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the opportunity to grow the franchise by looking to the future as we develop a continuous arc for the story. That is what Alex, Bob, Jeff, Ed, and Drew will do in this unprecedented collaboration, and we’re excited about the directions they are taking the character and the world."
The most successful franchise in the history of Columbia Pictures, Spider-Man is embraced all over the world. The four Spider-Man films to date have taken in over $3.2 billion worldwide. Spider-Man, Venom, The Sinister Six and other Spider-Man related characters are licensed to Sony by Marvel Entertainment.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/.
ABOUT MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com.
Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to Collaborate with Marc Webb and Producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach on Developing the Universe and Expanding the Story in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, Venom, and The Sinister Six
CULVER CITY, Calif., December 12, 2013 - In a move to forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen, Sony Pictures Entertainment, in association with Marvel Entertainment, is developing several new projects in the Spider-Man franchise, with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon, and Drew Goddard to collaborate on overseeing the developing story over several films that will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio.
The five writers, along with the two producers and Marc Webb, have formed a franchise brain trust to expand the universe for the brand and to develop a continuous tone and thread throughout the films. Under the deals, the studio announced that Kurtzman & Orci & Pinkner are writing the screenplay for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which the studio hopes Webb will return to direct; the film will go into production next fall for release on June 10, 2016. In addition, the team will build on the cinematic foundation laid by Webb, Arad, and Tolmach in the first two movies. They will expand the franchise as Kurtzman & Orci & Solomon will write the screenplay for Venom, which Kurtzman will direct; also, Goddard will write, with an eye to direct, The Sinister Six, focusing on the villains in the franchise. Hannah Minghella and Rachel O’Connor will oversee the development and production of these films for the studio.
In tapping these five writers, the studio and the producers are guiding the future of the franchise with the writer/producers who have each played significant and key roles in developing such highly successful franchises, films, and series as Star Trek, Transformers, Alias, Fringe, Men in Black, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, World War Z, Lost, Cloverfield, The Cabin in the Woods, and Marvel's upcoming Daredevil series.
Commenting on the announcement, Belgrad said, "The Spider-Man film franchise is one of our studio’s greatest assets. We are thrilled with the creative team we have assembled to delve more deeply into the world that Marc, Avi and Matt have begun to explore in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. We believe that Marc, Alex, and Drew have uniquely exciting visions for how to expand the Spider-Man universe in each of these upcoming films."
Arad and Tolmach added, "This collaboration was born out of the great experience we and Marc had working with Alex, Bob, and Jeff on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. With more than fifty years' wealth of stories in the comic books to draw upon for inspiration, the Spider-Man universe is truly boundless; in addition, the Spider-Man comics have the greatest rogues gallery of any series, and to have the chance to explore that on film is truly thrilling. Until now, we have approached each film as a separate, self-contained entity, but with this move, we have the opportunity to grow the franchise by looking to the future as we develop a continuous arc for the story. That is what Alex, Bob, Jeff, Ed, and Drew will do in this unprecedented collaboration, and we’re excited about the directions they are taking the character and the world."
The most successful franchise in the history of Columbia Pictures, Spider-Man is embraced all over the world. The four Spider-Man films to date have taken in over $3.2 billion worldwide. Spider-Man, Venom, The Sinister Six and other Spider-Man related characters are licensed to Sony by Marvel Entertainment.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com/.
ABOUT MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Review: "The Sweetest Thing" is a Funny Thing (Happy B'day, Christina Applegate)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux
The Sweetest Thing (2002)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Roger Kumble
WRITER: Nancy M. Pimental
PRODUCER: Cathy Konrad
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Anthony B. Richmond
EDITORS: Wendy Greene Bricmont and David Rennie
COMPOSER: Edward Shearmur
COMEDY/ROMANCE
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Jason Bateman, Thomas Jane, James Mangold, and Parker Posey
The subject of this movie review is The Sweetest Thing, a 2002 romantic comedy and chick flick. The film stars Cameron Diaz as a woman forced to pursue Mr. Right, after missing an opportunity the first time she meets him. I have to say that this is one those movie that I enjoyed watching so much that it made me “feel good,” so it is a true feel good movie.
Some of her critics and embittered fellow professionals have accused Cameron Diaz of getting by on her looks. She is a very talented actress, but I’d be lying if denied that one of the reasons I like to watch her movies because of her dazzling beauty and super fine ass.
She unleashes her talent and gorgeous body in director Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions) and writer Nancy Pimental’s The Sweetest Thing. Mistakenly sold has a romantic comedy, it is actually raunchy comedic romp through a fantastic vision of the millennial dating scene. The Sweetest Thing is more in the vein of There’s Something About Mary than say Autumn in New York, and it’s easily one of the funniest movies I’ve seen since Mary. Some of the credit has to go to Kumble’s sense of timing, important for someone who directs comedy, especially something as farcical as this, and especially Ms. Pimental, who was a series writer for television’s “South Park,” of which The Sweetest Thing shares a sense of over-the-top, gross out comedy.
Cameron Diaz plays the lead character, Christina Walker, simultaneously with bold confidence and sexual power juxtaposed with a painful lack of confidence and romantic confusion. By doing this, Ms. Diaz makes Walker human; without that she’d merely be a raunchy boob worthy of a few belly laughs. She can pull it off because she’s so beautiful and likeable. The cold truth of the matter is that, while art depicts any number of topics, ideas, and subjects, it often executes that depiction in an idealized form. Artist paint good looking people; even the ugly subjects are stylized ugly. Pretty people look good on the big screen, and, frankly, many of us would simply think of Christina Walker as a trailer trash ‘ho if she wasn’t played by someone as attractive as Ms. Diaz. Her looks make us give a pass to some of the unsavory aspects of Christina’s character.
Sadly, the script doesn’t do justice to Christina’s sidekicks: divorce lawyer Courtney Rockcliffe (Christina Applegate) and the recently dumped Jane Burns (Selma Blair, Legally Blonde). Courtney starts off with such promise. She’s a funny partner in crime, but, by the end of the film, she’s reduced to being in scenes merely to feel sorry for her friend. The breakup of Jane’s romance is the element that begins the film’s story. Ms. Pimental ignores Jane’s plight and turns her into pincushion for crude sex scenes – hilarious, but still crude.
Reservations aside, The Sweetest Thing is just too funny not to see. It would take a lot of laughs to make me ignore the fact that the filmmakers throw the story and characterization out the window in favor of raw humor, and, by Jove, the movie has that many laughs and more.
7 of 10
A-
Updated: Monday, November 25, 2013
The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.
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Monday, October 14, 2013
Review: "After Earth" Offers a World of Thrilling Adventure
After Earth (2013)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images
DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan
WRITERS: Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan; from a story by Will Smith
PRODUCERS: James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, and Will Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Suschitzky
EDITOR: Steven Rosenblum
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard
SCI-FI/ADVENTURE/DRAMA/THRILLER
Starring: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo, Zoe Isabella Kravitz, Glenn Morshower, and Jaden Martin
It was panned by critics, and it was a box office disappointment – some would even say a box office bomb. However, I liked it. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It is about as good as I had hoped it would be when I first heard about it.
I am talking about After Earth, the 2013 futuristic science fiction adventure-survival film from director M. Night Shyamalan. The film follows a teen boy who must embark on a perilous journey across a hostile future Earth in order to save himself and his father.
After Earth takes place 1,000 years after the human race had to abandon Earth because of an environmental cataclysm. Humanity eventually settles on a new world called Nova Prime. That settlement brings humanity into conflict with the S’krell, an alien race that wants to conquer Nova Prime. The S’krell’s secret weapon are the Ursa, large, blind, predatory creatures that hunts humanity by “smelling” human fear. Humanity is saved by The Ranger Corps, in particular, the legendary General Cypher Raige (Will Smith), who developed the technique that allows humans to successfully fight the Ursa.
The heroic Cypher, however, does not have a successful relationship with his son, Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith). They plan a trip together, but an unexpected event strands them on Earth, a now-quarantined planet. With Cypher gravely wounded, Kitai must locate a distress signal beacon, but to do that, he must travel cross terrain in which many plants, animals, and the climate are lethal to humans.
There are moments in After Earth, when Will and Jaden’s acting is suspect, but for the most part, they make their respective characters’ bonds and conflicts seem genuine. As Kitai, Jaden’s fear is palatable, and his anger, grief, and disappointed are authentic within the context of his story. I think some critics’ complaints of nepotism regarding this father-son acting team, specifically as it relates to After Earth, are dishonest. Fathers and sons have been appearing together in film for decades. What makes the Smiths so different that they are the target of such derision and resentment?
I also think that the way some critics are always out to attack director M. Night Shyamalan has gotten out of hand. He does an excellent job with After Earth, especially with a young actor like Jaden. Shyamalan creates a taut, riveting journey that begins generating a sense of impending doom from the time the Raiges leave Nova Prime to the final frames of the film. Whatever people might say about him, Shyamalan is the master of the gripping narrative, and he does some gripping with After Earth.
Worthy of note are two excellent supporting performances by Sophie Okonedo and Zoe Isabella Kravitz, especially the latter. Zoe is award-nomination worthy in her After Earth part, and it is a shame she does not appear in more films.
Visually, After Earth is a beautiful film, and its science fiction and futuristic concepts (such as the dialect spoken in the film) are inventive and interesting. James Newton Howard’s score is soaring and emotional; the perfect music for a film that is both an epic adventure and a tale of a ragged relationship between an estranged father and his son.
Bravo! I understand that After Earth is the first of a planned trilogy. If the second and third movies could be as good as the first, I hope that they are produced, despite this film’s box office results. Regardless of hyped box office expectations and of the politics of film critics and their resentments and prejudices, After Earth is a movie spectacular. This is a classic tale of man vs. nature, of man vs. himself, and of man vs. his dad who has way-high expectations. After Earth will stand the test of time.
8 of 10
A
Monday, October 14, 2013
The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Review: Fun Never Ends in "This Is the End"
This Is the End (2013)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence
DIRECTORS: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
WRITERS: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; from a screen story by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (based on the short film, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, by Jason Stone)
PRODUCERS: James Weaver and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Trost
EDITOR: Zene Baker
COMPOSER: Henry Jackman
COMEDY/FANTASY
Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Paul Rudd, and Channing Tatum with Jason Segel
This Is the End is a 2013 apocalyptic comedy film from writer-directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. This black comedy features a number of Hollywood comic actors and celebrities playing fictional versions of themselves. The movie centers on actor James Franco’s house where a small band of survivors are forced to live together after a disaster that could be the end of the world.
This Is the End begins with Jay Baruchel arriving in Los Angeles to visit his old friend and fellow actor, Seth Rogen. Seth convinces Jay to go with him to a housewarming party hosted by actor James Franco. Jay is reluctant because he does not like Seth’s L.A. friends, especially actor Jonah Hill. During the party, a catastrophic earthquake occurs, and L.A. falls to fire and chaos. Jay, Seth, James, Jonah, and Craig Robinson survive the destruction, but they are not alone. They slowly learn that the largest earthquake in California history may be more than just a natural disaster.
In his review of This Is the End for Maclean’s, critic Brian D. Johnson basically said that there could be worse ways to experience the apocalypse than with stoned celebrities (go here or http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/07/was-armageddon-always-this-complicated/ for the full review). Other than spending it with my family, there is no better way to go through the end of the world than with fun, fictional versions of Seth Rogen and his friends. Also, much of the middle of the film works like a comedy stage play that allows each member of the ensemble to fashion a character that engages the audience.
I like many of the films in which most members of the main and supporting cast have appeared. For the most part, I also like their public personas. They are all really funny in this film, and James Franco’s sardonic humor (which was too understated to work during his gig hosting the Oscars) shines. Once again, Craig Robinson finds a way to turn a supporting comedy part into a co-leading role on the sheer strength of his underrated talent as a light comic actor. Danny McBride steals the show; if any actor deserves an Academy Award nomination as a supporting actor this year because of a comedic performance, it is McBride in This Is the End.
This Is the End was made for me. I liked what the actors did in this movie, and I liked how they were willing to savage their public personas and work in films. This Is the End of the review but not of my love for this movie, which will go on...
8 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.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Review: "50 First Dates" Surprisingly Works (Happy B'day, Adam Sandler)
50 First Dates (2004)
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for appeal for crude sexual humor and drug references
DIRECTOR: Peter Segal
WRITER: George Wing
PRODUCERS: Jack Giarraputo, Steve Golin, Nancy Juvonen
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jack Green (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jeff Gourson
COMPOSER: Teddy Castellucci
COMEDY/ROMANCE
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Dan Aykroyd, Amy Hill, Blake Clark, Nephi Pomaikai Brown, and Allen Covert
The subject of this movie review is 50 First Dates, a 2004 romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The film focuses on a man, who is afraid of commitment, and the girl of his dreams, who has short-term memory loss and wakes up every morning not remembering who he is.
The reunion of The Wedding Singer co-stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore sounds like a great idea, which it is, but even better than a great idea is when the movie reunion turns out to be such a charming and hilarious romantic comedy. Although I initially had some misgivings about it, 50 First Dates is not only flat out hilarious, it’s also a very good romantic comedy. 50 First Dates' faults are few or are minor, but it definitely felt too long.
Lothario Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a serial dater, loving and leaving a legion of women and assorted lovers in the wake of whirlwind, weekend romances. He finally believes he’s find that special lady when he experiences love at first sight. However, Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore), the object of his affection, suffers from short-term memory loss (like the protagonist in Memento) as the result of a car accident a year earlier. Every day she awakens with no memory of anything she’s learned in the time since her accident. After gaining the grudging approval of Lucy’s father, Marlin (Blake Clark), and brother, Doug (Sean Astin), Henry concocts a plan to remind Lucy of his love for her as the first thing she discovers when she awakens each morning, but for how long will she go along with the plan?
Director Peter Segal helmed Sandler’s 2003 smash, Anger Management, which is a harder belly laugh film. Here, Segal smartly focuses on the leads to create and sustain the star-crossed romance, and he makes the best and most appropriate use of the supporting characters. He lets the comic relief provide silly laughs and the more “mature” characters make just enough intensity to create what little dramatic conflict and tension 50 First Dates needs. George Wing’s script is an exercise in sustaining laughs long enough to keep the audience chuckling and not looking behind the curtain to see the credibility gaffes until the film is over and they’ve reached the parking.
For all his detractors, Sandler is truly a talented comedian, and he has become a very accomplished comic actor. His deadpan, sarcastic, neo-slob characters are endearing and charming, and the only viewers who truly dislike simply just want to dislike him. Drew Barrymore is quite attractive, and, in spite of her beauty, she has an everyman, make that every woman quality, which endears her characters to the audience. Sandler and Ms. Barrymore make a winning screen pair, and hopefully they won’t wait too long before giving us another fine film.
7 of 10
B+
Updated: Monday, September 09, 2013
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Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Review: "The Forgotten" - Good Premise, Poor Execution (Happy B'day, James Horner)
The Forgotten (2004)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense thematic material, some violence, and brief language
DIRECTOR: Joseph Ruben
WRITER: Gerald Di Pego
PRODUCERS: Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, and Joe Roth
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Anastas N. Michos
EDITOR: Richard Francis-Bruce
COMPOSER: James Horner
MYSTERY/THRILLER with elements of sci-fi and horror
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Christopher Kovaleski, Anthony Edwards, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, Kathryn Faughnan, Linus Roache, and Robert Wisdom with J. Tucker Smith
The subject of this movie review is The Forgotten, a 2004 mystery and psychological thriller starring Julianne Moore. The film follows a woman who delves into a strange conspiracy after being told that her son never existed.
The Forgotten is a riveting mystery thriller, but as the films moves through its plot, the film becomes ever more fantastical and, at time, eye-rolling ridiculous. Still, the film has it’s moments, enough to earn it a recommendation as something to watch at home, either via DVD, video, or television.
The Forgotten begins with wife and mother Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) grieving over the loss of her eight-year old son, Sam (Christopher Kovaleski), in a plane accident 14 months prior. However, of the course of a few days, evidence of Sam’s existence starts to disappear, and before long, even Telly’s husband, Jim (Anthony Edwards), claims that they never had a son. But Telly is damn sure she had a boy.
She meets Ash Correll (Dominic West), the father of one of Sam’s best friends, but Ash doesn’t remember having a daughter. Telly eventually convinces Ash to remember his child, and that’s about the time agents from the National Security Agency (NSA) and the police start coming around looking for Telly and Ash. That not only convinces Telly that she did have a son, but that Sam might still be alive. As she delves deeper into the mystery, she discovers that hugely powerful and ominous forces may be behind the abduction of her son.
The premise of a mother fighting to convince other people that the memories of her dead son are the recollections of a real child and not the delusions of a psychotic is actually good. If only The Forgotten had stuck with that. The basic premise becomes an abduction story, a government conspiracy tale, and way-out-there sci-fi trick, and though The Forgotten has its moments, the film is ultimately a warmed over rehash of themes from “The Twilight Zone,” “Outer Limits,” and “The X-Files.” In addition to that, The Forgotten wouldn’t stand out as a “best of” in any of those TV series. The ploy is too make you think you’re getting a good mystery about a woman fighting for her memories of her deceased child, and you’re ultimately getting something else. The “abduction” special effects are admittedly quite neat and a good reason to see the film.
The performances are flimsy, with Moore being the most effective and most annoying. Her Telly Paretta is sometimes sympathetic, but mostly the character does come across as a whiny, obsessed, paranoid delusional. For all that you might want her to find her child, you’d really like her to shut up sometimes. The film also features a few other actors wasted in small, trashy parts including Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard, and Linus Roache.
5 of 10
C+
Updated: Wednesday, August 14, 2013
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Thursday, August 8, 2013
Review: "S.W.A.T." is by the Book Crime Thriller
S.W.A.T. (2003)
Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, language and sexual references
DIRECTOR: Clark Johnson
WRITERS: David Ayer and David McKenna; from a story by Ron Mita and Jim McClain (based upon characters by David Hamner)
PRODUCERS: Dan Halsted, Chris Lee, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gabriel Beristain
EDITOR: Michael Tronick
COMPOSER: Elliot Goldenthal
ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Brian Van Holt, Olivier Martinez, Reginald E. Cathey, Larry Poindexter, and James DuMont
The subject of this movie review is S.W.A.T., a 2003 action-thriller and crime film. The film is based on the short-lived television series, “S.W.A.T.” This ABC action-crime drama (Feb. 1975 to April 1976) was created by Robert Hamner and Lee Stanley. In S.W.A.T. the movie, S.W.A.T. tries to prevent an imprisoned drug kingpin from breaking out of police custody.
When the law gets a hold of Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez), billionaire drug lord and arms dealer, Montel offers 100 million dollars (say it in a heavy Al Pacino/Tony Montana accent to get the full effect) to anyone who can free him. Who you gonna call? How about the Los Angeles Police Department’s finest – S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics)?
Led by a legendary S.W.A.T. veteran, Sgt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson), the group includes LAPD’s best, brightest, and toughest: Jim Street (Colin Farrell) a disgraced S.W.A.T. officer Hondo gives a second chance; Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), repeatedly denied admission into the S.W.A.T. program because she is a female; and David “Deke” Kay (LL Cool J), a tough street cop who can run down you and yo mama.
S.W.A.T. is a by the book action thriller that correctly presses all the right buttons except those bothersome story and character buttons. But the fireworks, explosions, gunshots, and machismo all work, and that’s pretty much all that’s needed to make an successful action movie – one that doesn’t make you feel like you’ve wasted your money as soon as you leave the theatre. The plot is simple and straight, and the script contains familiar American archetypes: Jackson’s Hondo is the black mentor to Farrell’s Street, the dangerous young white stud. Hollywood seems intent on making Farrell a matinee idol whether the matinee wants him or not.
The movie was fun, a pleasant distraction, pleasantly intense, not manically and obscenely intense like Bad Boys II, but intense in a way that lets us get excited about overwrought gun battles. There’s even an ultra hilarious segment in which an L.A. street gang tries to liberate Montel for his 100 meeeeell-yon dollerz! There’s no meaningful drama in the story, nothing to make you really care for the characters other than the fact that you’d like to see Street show the department it was wrong for disgracing him. But this is good film popcorn, one I’d heartily recommend to fans of hardcore action films and one I’ll see again.
Of course, if you want a gritty cop film, something with meat on the bones, there’s always Joe Carnahan’s Narc.
5 of 10
B-
NOTES:
2004 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Film” (Christopher Lee, Neal H. Moritz, and Dan Halsted)
2004 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Samuel L. Jackson)
Updated: Wednesday, August 07, 2013
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Review: "White Chicks" Has Outlasted it Critics (Happy B'day, Marlon Wayans)
White Chicks (2004)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hours, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, and some content
DIRECTOR: Keenen Ivory Wayans
WRITERS: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Andrew McElfresh, Michael Anthony Snowden, and Xavier Cook; from a story by Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Marlon Wayans
PRODUCERS: Rick Alvarez, Lee R. Mayes, Keenen Wayans, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steven Bernstein (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jeffrey Stephen Gourson and Stuart Pappé
COMPOSER: Teddy Castellucci
COMEDY
Starring: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Jaime King, Frankie Faison, Lochlyn Munro, John Heard, Busy Philipps, Terry Crews, Brittany Daniel, Eddie Velez, Jessica Cauffiel, Maitland Ward, Anne Dudek, Rochelle Aytes, Jennifer Carpenter
The subject of this movie review is White Chicks, a 2004 buddy cop and crime comedy from director Keenen Ivory Wayans. The film stars brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans as two African-American cops who don white-face and drag in order to disguise themselves as two wealthy, young White women.
Kevin (Shawn Wayans) and Marcus Copeland (Marlon Wayans) are two FBI agents with a penchant for doing things on their own that usually gets them into trouble. After botching a drug bust, they need something to get them back in the good graces of their boss, Section Chief Elliott Gordon (Frankie Faison). Assigned to pick up two hotel heiresses, the Wilson Sisters, from the airport, Kevin and Marcus also manage to screw that up.
However, an unknown party has threatened to kidnap the sisters during their weekend in the Hamptons. Kevin and Marcus resolve to foil the plot by adopting the sisters’ identities. Add state-of-the art makeup and Kevin and Marcus are suddenly white girls. Before long, they’re undercover living it up as the Wilsons, but how long can they fool the girls’ friends and their fellow FBI agents? And most importantly, can they fool the kidnappers?
White Chicks isn’t a great movie, but like director Keenen Ivory Wayans’ other directorial efforts, the film is so funny that it might make you howl. The plot is not even thick enough to be paper thin, and its bare existence is strictly as a prop for the premise – two black men use state-of-the-art makeup to be white chicks. The script, by the three Wayans and three other screenwriters, is a succession of silliness meant to be funny, and most of the time, it works.
Though the Internet might be filled with the cacophony of idiots crying that White Chicks is reverse racism – black people making fun of whites (as if African-American filmmakers could make up for nearly a century of horrific screen images of black folk), the film is respectful towards its subject matter; it’s more laughing with than at. All the characters are foils and butts of jokes; no one is really treated as being better than anyone else. Even the film’s villain is hardly menacing. White Chicks is about laughs and having a good time at the movies. It might fail at being film art, but it’s funny.
6 of 10
B
NOTES:
2005 Razzie Awards: 5 nominations: “Worst Actress” (Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans - The Wayans Sisters), “Worst Director” (Keenen Ivory Wayans), “Worst Picture” (Columbia and Revolution), “Worst Screen Couple” (Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans - The Wayans Brothers: In or Out of Drag), and “Worst Screenplay” (Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Andrew McElfresh, Michael Anthony Snowden, and Xavier Cook)
Update: Tuesday, July 23, 2013
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
Review: "Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle" Sputters
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for action violence, sensuality and language/innuendo
DIRECTOR: McG
WRITERS: John August and Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley, from a story by John August (from the television program created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts)
PRODUCERS: Drew Barrymore, Leonard Goldberg, and Nancy Juvonen
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russell Carpenter (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Wayne Wahrman
COMPOSER: Edward Shearmur
Razzie Award winner
ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/MYSTERY
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Lui, Demi Moore, Bernie Mac, Justin Theroux, Robert Patrick, Luke Wilson, Matt LeBlanc, Crispin Glover, John Cleese, Shia LaBeouf, Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Pink, Jaclyn Smith, Bruce Willis (no screen credit), and John Forsythe (voice)
The subject of this movie review is Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, a 2003 action comedy from director McG. This movie is a direct sequel to the 2000 film, Charlie’s Angels. Both films are based on the television series, “Charlie’s Angels,” which was originally broadcast on ABC from 1976 to 1981. As in the first film, Full Throttle stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women employed by a private investigation agency and working for the voice known as “Charlie.”
Charlie’s Angels, the 2000 film remake of the 70-80’s TV show of the same name, was a hoot, a delightful and highly entertaining action/comedy with the guile of a cool Frank Miller comic book. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, the 2003 sequel, is an overblown, way over-the-top Hollywood production that’s way too full of crap, and miraculously, it still manages to be somewhat entertaining.
It’s pointless to even attempt to describe the plot, as it’s muddled nonsense. The real plot involves the indelicate manner in which the filmmakers place Charlie’s Angels in positions and situations that create mondo opportunities for shots of tits and ass. Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz), Dylan Sanders (Drew Barrymore), and Alex Munday (Lucy Lui) return as Charlie Townsend’s (voice of John Forsythe) high tech-trained, super-powered, manga-like cuties. This time the grrrrls have to retrieve two encrypted rings, which when combined give up the locations of people in the FBI witness relocation program, and wouldn’t the bad guys love to have that info.
McG, the director of the first film, returns to helm this gigantic, flatulent cartoon that is Full Throttle. The script is lame, but all McG has to do is make the pictures look good, and, as a music video director, he knows how to do that. Imagine The Matrix on drain cleaner, Japanese cartoons (anime) on fast forward, soft porn on the rag, and comic books conceived by horny, high school upper classmen and dull-witted sorority boys and you have the Charlie’s Angel's sequel. Don’t get me wrong; there are lots of laughs. It’s difficult to tell if the filmmakers were trying to be clever or if they were cynical enough to believe that audiences really would take it ‘tween the cheeks. The end result is this dumb as a low-rent retard movie.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle parodies action movie clichés…badly, and also throws in a stiff riff from Martin Scorcese’s Cape Fear. It’s just too over the top and too much of a crack-addled cartoon. I did like the way the filmmakers tried to created the vibe of a family extended around the Angels; that actually gave me warm feelings. Still, I was half enthralled and half bored out of my mind. For all the fun I had, there were as many moments when I wondered why the experience of seeing this felt so wasteful. This is simply too much candy, and frankly, unless you really crave an empty movie experience, you can wait for the tape. Someone might tell you that this is a sly, wink-wink, nudge-nudge movie and you have to take it for what it is. If he tries to spin trash as something smart, he is a way-too-easy ho for the big, movie making machine in la-dee-da land.
4 of 10
C
NOTES:
2004 Razzie Awards: 2 wins: “Worst Remake or Sequel” and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Demi Moore); 5 nominations: “Worst Actress” (Drew Barrymore, also for Duplex-2003), “Worst Actress” (Cameron Diaz), “Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie” (All Concept/No Content!), “Worst Picture” (Columbia), and “Worst Screenplay” (John August-also story, Cormac Wibberley, and Marianne Wibberley)
Updated: Thursday, June 27, 2013
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