Review: "Birds of Prey" is Crazy, Sexy, Tarantino

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Birds of Prey (2020)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material
DIRECTOR:  Cathy Yan
WRITER:  Christina Hodson (based on characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Sue Kroll, Margot Robbie, and Bryan Unkeless
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Matthew Libatique (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff
COMPOSER:  Daniel Pemberton

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/CRIME/COMEDY/ACTION

Starring:  Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, Dana Lee, and Steven Williams

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), or simply Birds of Prey, is a 2020 superhero fantasy film and crime comedy from director Cathy Yan.  The movie is based on several characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.  Birds of Prey focuses on a group of women who find common cause in their struggle against a violent crime boss.

Birds of Prey opens after the events depicted in the film, Suicide Squad (2016).  Psychiatrist turned crazed criminal, Dr. Harleen Quinzel a.k.a. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), has returned to Gotham City with her criminal accomplice and boyfriend, The Joker.  However, Joker breaks up with Harley and kicks her out of their house, so she moves into an apartment above a Chinese restaurant owned by a man named Doc (Dana Lee).

In Gotham City, Harley Quinn was virtually untouchable... because she was the Joker's girlfriend... which she isn't anymore.  Now, it's open season on Harley,  The man who most wants her dead is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), a sadistic gangster who masquerades as a suave nightclub owner, but Harley earns a reprieve from Sionis.  He covets something called “the Bertinelli diamond,” which is currently in the possession of a young pickpocket named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).

However, the quest for Cain and the diamond will force Harley to unite with three other women:  Dinah Lance a.k.a. “the Black Canary” (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a burlesque singer who works for Roman; Renee Montoya (Rose Perez), a police detective in the GCPD; and Helena Bertinelli a.k.a. “the Huntress” (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a vigilante that criminals call the “crossbow killer.”  Now, Harley and these women will show Gotham's underworld that it is the criminal class that should be afraid... of these birds of prey.

Birds of Prey's paper-thin plot:  retrieving a diamond; next, protecting a teen girl; and then, battling Roman Sionis, is not important.  This is a movie about “bad girls” having fun at the expense of really bad men, and Birds of Prey is quite good at that.  Director Cathy Yan makes the best of her ingredients:  a zany mix of actors, fantastic costumes, and eclectic sets and delivers an inspired, madcap movie of brutal, comic violence.  Birds of Prey is the kind of violent comedy that finds the wicked side of comic book stories and characters, the way the Deadpool films did.

Like the best comic books, Birds of Prey is over-the-top.  Why have a pet dog when you can have a pet hyena?  Why wear merely flashy costumes when you can wear the most fantabulous fashions?  Why hit an adversary when you can maim the mutha?  And what is a car chase without a chick on roller skates?  The women of Birds of Prey:  Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Ella Jay Basco take their performances seriously without taking their roles too seriously.  Even Ewan McGregor adds just a touch of camp to his gleefully cruel creation, Roman Sionis.

I won't pretend that Birds of Prey is a great film, but it is the kind of inspired, R-rated comic book film that I wish we saw more.  And besides the soundtrack is pretty damn good.  So I am heartily recommending Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) to moviegoers who enjoy comic book films.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, February 8, 2020


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Review: "Joker" Ain't No Joke

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Joker (2019)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
Rating: MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images
DIRECTOR:  Todd Phillips
WRITERS:  Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
PRODUCERS:  Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Lawrence Sher
EDITOR:  Jeff Groth
COMPOSER:  Hildur Guðnadóttir

CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler, Leigh Gill, Douglas Hodge, Carrie Louise Putrello, Sharon Washington, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dante Pereira-Olson

Joker is a 2019 crime drama from director Todd Phillips.  The movie offers a gritty character study and new origin story of The Joker, the classic Batman villain who first appeared in Batman #1 (cover dated: Spring 1940).

The film opens sometime in the early 1980s.  Gotham City is in a state of chaos because of political and social turmoil and also because of class conflict between the extremely wealthy and powerful and the ordinary citizens.  Gotham is also in the middle of a mayoral election and a strike by the sanitation workers, which means that no one is picking up the garbage.  Trash bags and refuse line the streets, and this has created a rodent problem so bad that people are talking about “super rats.”

One of Gotham's beleaguered citizens is Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man with a history of mental illness, including a stint in a mental institution.  Fleck works as a “party clown,” but he aspires to be a stand-up comedian.  He lives with his ailing, aging mother, Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy), who also has a history of mental illness.

Living in poverty and being mostly a loner, Arthur Fleck feels he has been disregarded by society.  All his life, it seemed to him that no one even noticed that he existed, so he always wondered if he really existed.  Now, two unexpected incidents in a single day will change his life.  One is an accident and mistake that costs Arthur his job.  The other is a violent act of self-defense that will leave an already shocked city aghast.  But not everyone is appalled by the man who will become “Joker.”

After all the controversy and worry that it would inspire lonely, young men (particularly “incels,” the “involuntarily celibate”) to violence, Todd Phillips' Joker, the comic book movie that is not a comic book movie, turns out to be a somewhat more personal film and, on the part of Joaquin Phoenix, a more intimate performance than one would expect from all the hullabaloo.  Joker portrays the descent (or ascent?) of a man from mentally-ill invisible man to psychopathic murder and celebrated figure.

I don't know if Joker is Phoenix's best performance, because as good as the Oscar-nominated actor is here, this millennium has seen him deliver tour-de-force performances in varied roles across a variety of films.  If he deserves to be nominated for an Oscar or even win one for his performance in Joker, this performance is just the latest example of actor-as-artist who has been in full bloom for quite awhile.  Phoenix's performance as Arthur fleck is both gut-wrenching and utterly entertaining.  He manages to be both dark and light, pitiful and deadly in a role and performance that is too complex to describe in a paragraph or two.  I can say that in the annals of films based on comic books, Phoenix as Arthur Fleck is an immortal work of art.

Director Todd Phillips and his co-screenwriter, Scott Silver, have created a movie that is an evolution in the comic book film genre.  However, most comic book movies are meant to be popcorn entertainment, even when they are deeply thoughtful, poignant, and/or dramatic.  I believe that Joker is not meant to change the direction of such films coming from Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU) or from Warner Bros. line of DC Comics-inspired films.  Like Christopher Nolan did with his film, The Dark Knight (2008), Phillips points towards a different direction for comic book films with Joker.  I think that The Dark Knight partly inspired Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), so, in the next five years, I expect to see at least one great comic book movie following in the inspired dance steps of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.

The film has good supporting performances; for me, Robert De Niro as television talk show host, Murray Franklin, and Zazie Beetz as “love interest,” Sophie Dumond, who makes the most of her relatively small role, are standouts.  The crazy, ominous, gorgeous film score by Hildur Guðnadóttir is also one of the film's most special elements.

In Joker, Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips have created something scary, beautiful, fantastic, exhilarating, funny, and dazzling.  I will admit that sometimes it scared me and made me uncomfortable, but I love it all the more because of that.  Joker is a bravura act of cinema.

9 of 10
A+

Saturday, October 5, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

Review: "John Wick: Chapter 2" Makes "John Wick" a Real Franchise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 (of 2019) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
Running time:  122 minutes (2 hours, two minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity
DIRECTORS:  Chad Stahelski
WRITER:  Derek Kolstad (based on characters created by Derek Kostad)
PRODUCERS:  Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dan Lausten (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Evan Schiff
COMPOSERS:  Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Claudia Gerini, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Tobias Segal, John Leguizamo, Bridget Moynahan, Thomas Sadoski, Peter Stormare, and Franco Nero

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 action and crime-thriller starring Keanu Reeves and directed by Chad Stahelski.  It is a direct sequel to the 2014 film, John Wick, and both the original and the sequel were written by Derek Kolstad.  The film tells the story of an ex-hit man who comes out of retirement to kill the man who viciously wrongs him.

Once upon a time, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) was a legendary hit man, a seemingly unstoppable killer also known as “the Boogeyman.”  John retired, but came out of retirement when a young gangster stole his vintage 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and killed his dog.  John Wick: Chapter 2 opens four days after the first film.  John Wick retrieves his stolen car from a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov, the brother and uncle, respectively, of the men who wronged Wick in the first film.

Later, John receives a visit from the Italian crime lord, Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio).  It seems that Santino swore John Wick to a “marker” (a form of contract) which allowed Wick to retire and to marry his late wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan).  The marker is an unbreakable promise, personified by a “blood oath” medallion.  Now, Santino is calling in this marker, and he wants John to perform a hit/assassination for him, one guaranteed to leave Wick's life changed forever.

In my review of John Wick, I wrote that I had been a fan of Keanu Reeves since I first encountered him the 1980s in films like Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and River's Edge (1986), although I am not a fan of his popular 80s film, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).  I also wrote that I had never thought of Reeves as a great or even as a good actor; he is either way too stiff or too wooden as a performer.  That aside, I have enjoyed Reeves in films like the original Point Break (1991) and in The Matrix film trilogy.  Reeves' star has dimmed in recent years, but John Wick's success has been something of a revival of Reeves as an action movie star.

The sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, released in 2017, was an even bigger hit that the original film.  I knew that I would like John Wick just from the commercials and trailers for it, but I was not sure that I would like John Wick: Chapter 2.  Now, that I have seen it, I have to admit that I like it, even more than I did the first film.

I have to be honest.  I love the violent fight scenes and bloody shoot outs that often feature gunshots to the head and blood spurting... no... ejaculating from bodies and heads.  I know the sudden spurts and ejaculations of blood are merely computer-generated effects or practical special effects, but they still thrill me.  I like this film's high-quality production design and the cinematography.  The clothing and costumes are “swell,” and the hotels and other settings are snazzy.

In the middle of it all is one of my favorite movie stars, Keanu Reeves.  I enjoy his John Wick, and I love watching him kill those trying to kill him.  Hey... I'm not the only one enjoying this wanton cinematic, stylish, and slick violence.  There is a third John Wick film set to be released in a few days, as I write this review.  After John Wick: Chapter 2, oh, I am so ready for more.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, May 15, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Review: "John Wick" Still Burns

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

John Wick (2014)
Running time:  101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use
DIRECTORS:  Chad Stahelski and David Leitch
WRITER:  Derek Kolstad
PRODUCERS:  Basil Iwanyk, David Leitch, Eva Longoria, and Michael Witherill
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela
EDITOR:  Elisabet Ronalds
COMPOSERS:  Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Bridget Regan, Clarke Peters, Randall Duk Kim, Kevin Nash, David Patrick Kelly, and Lance Reddick

John Wick is a 2014 action and crime-thriller starring Keanu Reeves.  It is directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch (although only Stahelski is credited on screen as director).  The film tells the story of an ex-hit man who comes out of retirement to kill the man who viciously wronged him.

Once upon a time, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) was a legendary hit man, a seemingly unstoppable killer.  He was the boogeyman who killed the boogeyman.  Not long after his wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan), dies of a terminal illness, John receives a puppy that she had bought John to help him cope with her death.  He grows to love the puppy, which he names “Daisy.”

At a gas station, a young gangster named Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) sees John and Daisy in John's vintage 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1.  Later, Iosef and two of his henchman break into John's home, beats him unconscious, and kills Daisy, before stealing the Mach 1.  Now, John Wick the boogeyman is back, determined to kill Iosef.  The problem is that the young hood is the son of Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), the head of the Russian crime syndicate in New York City, a syndicate that John Wick himself helped the elder Tarasov establish.

I have been a fan of Keanu Reeves since I first encountered him the 1980s in film like Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and River's Edge (1986), although I am not a fan of his popular 80s film, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).  I have never thought of Reeves as a great or even good actor; he is either way too stiff or too wooden as a performer.  Still, I enjoyed him in films like the original Point Break (1991) and in The Matrix films.  Reeves' star has dimmed in recent years, and he has said that he no longer gets offered the kind of projects an A-list white male actor would.

When I first saw a television commercial for John Wick, I knew that I would like the film.  However, I never got around to seeing it until early last year when I caught it on one of the premium cable movie channels.  I could not believe how good I thought it was (and I still can't).  Because of the release of the sequel (John Wick: Chapter 2), I decided to watch the first film again.

John Wick is simply a flashy, visually cool shoot-em-up movie with some good set pieces from the hit man movie wheelhouse.  This film, however, works because of Keanu Reeves.  I honestly believe that very few other actors could have made this movie memorable.  Without Keanu, John Wick would have probably ended being straight-to-DVD or VOD (video-on-demand).

If you like Keanu Reeves, you will want to see this, and you will probably want to see it a second time.  It's the magic of Keanu Reeves.  What more can I say?  That magic must have worked on a lot of movie fans because Jack Wick did get a sequel.

6 of 10
B

Sunday, March 12, 2017


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Review: "Nightcrawler" an L.A. Crime Classic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Nightcrawler (2014)
Running time:  118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence including graphic images, and for language
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Dan Gilroy
PRODUCERS:  Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, and Michel Litvak
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Robert Elswit
EDITOR:  John Gilroy
COMPOSER:  James Newton Howard
Academy Award nominee

CRIME/THRILLER/DRAMA

Starring:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton, Kevin Rahm, Ann Cusack, Michael Hyatt, and Price Carson

Nightcrawler is a 2014 neo-Noir drama and crime-thriller from writer-director Dan Gilroy.  Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the film focuses on a Los Angeles man who enters the world of freelance video journalism and then begins to manipulate events in order to create more lurid stories.

Nightcrawler opens in Los Angeles.  It introduces Louis “Lou” Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a thief always looking to convert his stolen merchandise into quick cash.  One night, Bloom is driving back to his apartment when he comes across the scene of a car crash.  He pulls over to witness the chaos, but most of his attention is taken by the “Stringers,” freelance cameramen who are filming live footage of the crash scene with the intent of selling that video footage to local television news stations.

Fascinated and inspired, Bloom buys his first camcorder and a police radio scanner and begins driving the streets of L.A. at night.  He looks for accidents, emergencies, and crime scenes that he can film.  He makes his first sale to KWLA, a bottom-rung television station, where he catches the notice of the station's morning news director, Nina Romina (Rene Russo).  As he muscles his way into the world of L.A. crime journalism, however, Bloom's dark side quickly emerges.

On the surface, Nightcrawler might seem like it is only a slick crime film, especially because of Robert Elswit's gorgeous cinematography.  What writer-director Dan Gilroy also offers, however, is a mean, edgy film that is classic L.A. crime story.  This film is high-quality neo-Noir that recaptures the classic, black and white L.A. Film-Noir, without being a prisoner to style and expectations.

Nightcrawler might not be the excellent film it is without Jake Gyllenhaal's marvelous performance as the sociopathic and murderously ambitious Lou Bloom.  It is now official; doubting that Gyllenhaal is a supremely talented and skilled actor is no longer okay.  I must also throw some cheer Rene Russo's way.  Hell, yeah, she's good, but Hollywood industry ageism now keeps her away from audiences.  She takes a throwaway character like Nina and makes her crucial to the execution of the narrative.  Also, I must not forget Riz Ahmed.  As Rick, Bloom's desperate-for-money assistant, Ahmed delivers a star-turn that just comes out of nowhere.

It might be easy to focus on Louis Bloom's sociopathic tendencies; one might call him an outright sociopath.  However, I think Nightcrawler speaks to the world that creates the Lou Blooms.  The world of L.A. local television news is little better than rogue capitalism.  The movie is rife with characters that are me-first and win-at-all-costs, to say nothing of the anal obsession with acknowledging achievement that comes from literally walking over dead bodies.

Nightcrawler is not perfect; some of it seems a bit far-fetched.  Louis Bloom gets away with things that stretch credulity, although I won't be specific in order to avoid spoilers.  Still, I was destined to like Nightcrawler because I like neo-Noir set in Los Angeles.  I think that what makes Nightcrawler so fascinating to watch are the things that sometimes make it hard to watch.  Dan Gilroy's gem is blunt about a morally bankrupt society in which class status is everything and in which society treats actual people as nothing more than commodities.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, February 6, 2016


NOTES:
2015 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Dan Gilroy)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  4 nominations: “Best Leading Actor” (Jake Gyllenhaal), “Best Supporting Actress” (Rene Russo), “Best Editing” (John Gilroy), and “Best Original Screenplay” (Dan Gilroy)

2015 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Jake Gyllenhaal)


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Review: "Zootopia" Another Classic from the Disney Utopia

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

Zootopia (2016)
Running time:  108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some thematic elements, rude humor and action
DIRECTORS:  Byron Howard and Rich Moore with Jared Bush
WRITERS:  Jared Bush and Phil Johnston; from a story by Byron Howard, Jared Bush, Rich Moore, Josie Trinidad , Jim Reardon, Phil Johnston, and Jennifer Lee
PRODUCER:  Clark Spencer
EDITORS:  Jeremy Milton and Fabienne Rawley
COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY with elements of comedy, crime and mystery

Starring:  (voice) Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, Shakira, Tommy “Tiny” Lister, and Maurice LaMarche

Zootopia is a 2016 computer-animated fantasy film from Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS).  Directed by Byron Howard and Richard Moore, the film was originally released to theaters in 3D.  It is the 55th animated feature film in the “Walt Disney Animated Classics” line, with John Lasseter of Pixar being the film's executive producer.  Zootopia follows a rookie bunny cop who unites with a cynical con artist fox to uncover a dark conspiracy.

Zootopia is populated by anthropomorphic mammals (cartoon or fictional animals that walk and talk like humans).  Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a young female rabbit from the rural hamlet of Bunnyburrow.  Her childhood dream was to be a police officer.  She recently moved to the urban utopia of Zootopia where she just became a rookie cop with the Zootopia Police Department.

However, her boss, Chief Bobo (Idris Elba), a cape buffalo, does not believe that a bunny can be a cop; honestly, almost no one believes a little bunny rabbit can make it as a cop.  Chief Bobo assigns Officer Hopps to the traffic division where she becomes a meter maid, handing out parking tickets.  Early in her career, Judy is even tricked by Nicholas P. “Nick” Wilde (Jason Bateman), a cynical red fox who runs various cons and hustles.  Fate brings them together to solve the mystery of missing mammals, and the straight-laced Judy and street-smart Nick make a good team.  However, neither understands the true extant of the conspiracy surrounding this missing persons case.

After Disney formally purchased Pixar (in 2006), the deal essentially united the Oscar-winning computer-animation studio with Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), there has been a marked improvement in the computer-animated films produced by the WDAS.  The credit for that success often goes to Pixar's John Lasseter who is Chief Creative Officer (CCO) for both units.  Under his watch, Walt Disney Feature Animation has produced such smash hits as Tangled and Wreck-It-Ralph, as well as the Oscar-winning, worldwide, monster hit, Frozen.

I keep thinking that there is nothing left that either Pixar or WDAS can do to surprise me, but Pixar blew my mind with last year's Inside Out.  Now, I am stunned by Zootopia, which is not only fantastic, but is also timely.  Zootopia is an American animated film that is aimed at the broad family audience, yet bluntly addresses issues of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotypes.  Zootopia is a film about us, the human race, but especially about the United States of America.

We are Zootopia, that shining city on the hill.  This place of dreams and of hope is filled with people who secretly harbor all manners of assumptions and prejudices about their fellow citizens.  The course of Zootopia's story and of Judy's story is to steer everyone to their better selves.  This could have been yet another animated film full of wise-cracking, eccentric talking animal characters that make the audience laugh, but the creators and filmmakers behind Zootopia wanted more.  The result truly is a film that can be called a “Walt Disney Animated Classic.”

As the lead characters, Judy and Nick, Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman give performances that certainly deserve to be called great.  Goodwin gives Judy so much color and depth, making the bunny cop a character that is bigger than than this movie; Zootopia seems to be a single chapter in the life of a fictional character with much more to say.  Bateman delivers his usual genial, smooth, and droll comedy style onto Nick, but he makes the sly red fox the wise, guiding hand that a young rookie bunny cop needs.

Thoughtful and occasionally brilliant, Zootopia cheats a little in its last act, taking the easy way out so that it can deliver a happy ending. Still, even its action-centered resolution of the conspiracy offers a delightful surprise and sticks to the story's message about the harm of prejudice and the dangers of racism and xenophobia.  Perhaps, live-action films can learn a lesson from the state-of-the-art, computer-animated Zootopia.  Movies can be smart, timely, and deliver a few messages AND also be big, entertaining event films.

9 of 10
A+

Tuesday, June 14, 2016


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------

Review: Original "Mad Max" Still Motoring

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mad Max (1979)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Australia
Running:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  George Miller
WRITERS:  James McCausland and George Miller
PRODUCER:  Byron Kennedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Eggby (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Cliff Hayes and Tony Paterson
COMPOSER:  Brian May

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Geoff Parry, Vince Gil, John Ley, and Brendan Heath

Mad Max is a 1979 Australian near-future action movie and crime thriller from director George Miller and starring a young Mel Gibson.  Mad Max was the first movie in what is, to date, a four-film franchise.  This movie's story was originally conceived by the film's director (George Miller) and producer (Byron Kennedy).  Mad Max focuses on an Australian police officer who must eventually avenge the lives of his wife and toddler son and also the cop who was his partner.

Mad Max opens in a dystopian future that takes place “a few years from now.”  The roads of Australia are plagued by motorcycle gangs and other high-speed drivers.  Trying to keep the roads safe are the police officers of the MFP – Main Force Patrol – who pursue reckless road criminals.  The top pursuit-man is Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson).

Max has an encounter with a gang member known as the “Nightrider” (Vincent Gil), in which Nightrider is killed.  The vicious and cruel Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) leads “The Acolytes,” Nightrider's motorcycle gang, and the gang seeks payback against the MFP.  Their actions against Max's family and colleagues sets Max on a mission of vengeance against Toecutter.  In his supercharged Police Special, Max goes on hot pursuit with killing on his mind.

Mad Max is one of those rare films that has the misfortune living in the shadow of a better-known and more popular sequel.  1981's Mad Max 2 (known in the United States simply as The Road Warrior) was a huge hit when it was originally released in the U.S. in 1982.  The second film had an influence on American pop culture and references from and homages to the film continue to appear decades after its initial release.

Still, the first Mad Max remains both a unique and an exceptional film.  It is also darn-good fun to watch, and I wish that at least one of the Mad Max sequels was more like it.  Max Max seems to blend 1950s Film-Noir crime films (especially those about street cops) and 1970s action-movies about cars and motorcycles with the kind of dystopian science fiction films that defined the 1970s.

The result is a fast and efficient film with power that belies its size.  Mad Max is cool without being slick and pretty.  It is one of the few science fiction films that are entirely plausible or close to it.  Mad Max is also timeless, although its future scenario originally took place only “a few years” from 1979.

Director George Miller has apparently stated that the filming of Mad Max was unpleasant for him.  From his suffering came cinematic art, and a movie star was born.  Yes, Mad Max introduced the world to Mel Gibson, who would go on to be a fine actor, a worldwide movie star, and an award-winning filmmaker before his public behavior and private comments seemed to derail his career (at least as of this writing).  Before that however, the legend of Mad Max carried us deep into the Outback, and we were in the passenger seat with rising star.

8 of 10
A

Tuesday, May 26, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------------

Review: "Last House on the Left" (Remembering Wes Craven)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 156 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Last House on the Left (1972)
Running time:  84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – X
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Wes Craven
PRODUCER:  Sean S. Cunningham
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Victor Hurwitz (D.o.P.)
COMPOSER:  David Alexander Hess

HORROR/THRILLER with elements of crime and drama

Starring:  Mari Collingwood, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, Marc Sheffler, Gaylord St. James, Cynthia Carr, Marshall Anker, and Martin Kove

Last House on the Left is a 1972 horror and exploitation film written, directed, and edited by Wes Craven.  The film was inspired by the 1960 Swedish film, The Virgin Spring, directed by Ingmar Bergman and written by Ulla Isaksson.  Last House on the Left focuses on the murder of two teenage girls by a quartet of psychotic criminals and the subsequent vengeance of one of the girls' parents.

Horror master Wes Craven’s (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) first film, Last House on the Left, is nothing like his later work.  A film of unflinching brutality, it is shocking in the immediacy of its horror, and it is matter-of-fact in the way it portrays murder.  As a horror film, Last House on the Left is not supernatural, nor does it have any of the conventions of the “slasher flicks” that would grow to mass popularity in the late 70’s and into the late 90’s, including films that would be the work of Craven.

Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) is celebrating Sweet Sixteen with her rebellious friend, Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham), when the pair encounters a gang of sadistic criminals.  The evil bunch  kidnaps them, and when the girls try to escape, the gang members hunt and kill them.  They disembowel Phyllis, and the lead thug, Krug Stillo (David Hess), rapes (in probably the sloppiest and most pathetic rape scene in film history) and shoots Mari.

Later, the gang unwittingly stumbles upon the home of Dr. William (Gaylord St. James) and Estelle Collingwood (Cynthia Carr), Mari’s parents, and become their guests.  When the parents discover that their daughter was murdered at the hands of their guests, the couple quickly and savagely begins to slay their daughter’s murderers.

The acting is nothing short of remarkable.  Combined with Craven’s documentary style of filmmaking, Last House on the Left seems very real – kind of jerky, shaky and bloody.  Watching it is like being in the middle of some crazy incident and then having to run madly from one corner to another to find safety.  From the prolonged torture of the teenage girls to the speedy dispatching of the bad guys, Last House on the Left is a jolt of a violent voyeurism.  Part crime drama and part thriller, it is a horror movie like no other.  Disquieting, it is a shunned corner in the mirror of its time – the dirty and worn ends of the hippie era.  At times, it seems too raw and too unpolished, but the movie still leaves you shaking your head and saying, “What the hell…”

7 of 10
B+

Revised: Monday, August 31, 2015

The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: Entertaining "Focus" Lacks Focus

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[The review first appeared on Patreon.]

Focus (2015)
Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA - R for language, some sexual content and brief violence  
WRITERS/DIRECTORS:  Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
PRODUCER:  Denise Di Novi
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Xavier Grobet (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Jan Kovac
COMPOSER:  Nick Urata    

CRIME/DRAMA/COMEDY/ROMANCE

Starring:  Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adrian Martinez, Gerald McRaney, Rodrigo Santoro, BD Wong, Brenna Brown, Robert Taylor, Dotan Bonen, and Don Yesso

Focus is a 2015 crime film and romantic comedy-drama from writer-directors, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.  The film stars Will Smith as a con man and Margot Robbie as the woman from his past who shows up in the middle of his latest con.

Focus opens in New Orleans where veteran con man, Nicky (Will Smith), meets a beautiful young woman named Jess (Margot Robbie).  Jess seduces Nicky, but he quickly sees through her ruse, and she reveals herself to be an inexperienced grifter.  Nicky allows Jess to apprentice with his crew as they plan to con and to steal their way though New Orleans during the weekend of a big football championship game.  However, Nicky eventually sends Jess away, letting her believe that he was just using her.

Three years later, Nicky is in Buenos Aires, where he is working on a con with billionaire motor sport team owner Rafael Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro).  Nicky gets thrown for a loop when he discovers that Jess is on the other side of this con job.

I am a big fan of Will Smith, so I have seen almost all of his films.  One thing that I have noticed is that in some of Will's films, especially in action movies, the filmmakers or the studio expect Will to be funny, although he is a fine dramatic actor.  So, we end up with films like Wild Wild West, which reportedly went through extensive re-shoots in order to add some comedy to the weird Western/action movie mash-up.  The final product was problematic, to say the least.

In fact, Will's 2008 hit film, Hancock, also seemed to suffer from a lack of... focus.  It wanted to be a action comedy about a disaster-prone, washed-out superhero in need of a PR guru.  Then, the film wanted to be a romantic drama about a love triangle, wherein a bad-boy superhero woos his new best friend's wife.  Then, Hancock turned into some kind of dark fantasy drama about fallen gods.

Focus starts off in New Orleans as a heist movie that lets the viewer inside the world of highly-skilled pickpockets, purse-snatchers, and con men; there is a romantic drama backdrop.  In Buenos Aires, the movie starts off as a romantic drama about reunited lovers, but that soon becomes romantic comedy with drippings of a crime thriller.

Well, the best part of this movie is the chemistry between Will Smith and Margot Robbie.  They make the romantic drama seem genuine, and when the film switches tone, they are witty and engaging star-crossed lovers with a perfect comic touch.  I loves me some Charlize Theron (who played opposite Will in Hancock), but I think that Margot Robbie is Will's best co-star to date.  Will and Margot need a better movie.

Although I am critical of Focus' shift in tone and genre-hopping, I like the many twists and turns of its plot, and its glamours backdrops and sets make Focus a gorgeous-looking movie.  Focus also has a scene-stealing star in supporting actor, Adrian Martinez as Farhad, and it is always good to see Gerald McRaney, who plays a hard-ass named Owens.  [I might be partial to McRaney because, before he died, my father was a fan of “Simon & Simon,” the 1980's CBS television series in which McRaney was one of the leads.]

My complaints aside, I really liked Focus, but I don't know if my review will be of much use to readers wondering about this film.  As I said, I am a big Will Smith fan, so that colors my reviews of his films.  And I did really like After Earth...

6 of 10
B

Monday, July 6, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: Denzel Does Good Guy/Dark Side in "The Equalizer"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux - Support Leroy on Patreon.

The Equalizer (2014)
Running time:  132 minutes (2 hours, 12 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references
DIRECTOR:  Antoine Fuqua
WRITER:  Richard Wenk; (based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim)
PRODUCERS:  Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Tony Eldridge, Mace Neufeld, Alex Siskin, Michael Sloan, Steve Tisch, Denzel Washington, and Richard Wenk
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mauro Fiore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: John Refoua
COMPOSER:  Harry Gregson-Williams

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Denzel Washington, Martin Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Masters, Johnny Skourtis, David Meunier, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Alex Veadov, Haley Bennett, James Wilcox, Mike O'Dea, E. Roger Mitchell, and Vladimir Kulich

The Equalizer is a 2014 action movie and crime thriller from director Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington.  The film is based on the television series, “The Equalizer,” which was created by  Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim and was originally broadcast on CBS from 1985 to 1989.  The Equalizer the movie focuses on a man with a mysterious past who helps a young female prostitute, which brings him into conflict with her owners, ultra-violent Russian gangsters.

The Equalizer introduces Robert “Bob” McCall (Denzel Washington), a man who lives quietly in Boston, Massachusetts, where he works at a “Home Mart” hardware store.  McCall spends his nights at the Bridge Diner where he has befriended Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young call girl who also wants to be a pop singer.  She is pimped out by local Russian gangsters that are led by a man named Slavi (David Meunier).

After Slavi beats Teri into a coma, McCall attempts to rescue her from Slavi.  The aftermath of that meeting brings Teddy Rensen (Martin Csokas) to Boston.  Rensen is the enforcer/fixer for Russian mafia leader, Vladimir Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich), but McCall decides to do some fixing of his own.

The Equalizer is a thoroughly satisfying movie... at least to me.  I guess that I should qualify this review by admitting that I am a huge fan of Denzel Washington, whom I consider to be one of the world's best actors of the last three decades.

Since his Oscar-winning turn in 2001's Training Day, Washington has proven to be a capable bad guy.  With 2010's Book of Eli, Washington showed that he could be a bad-ass, kick-ass, action hero with fancy martial arts-styled moves.  Ostensibly the hero in The Equalizer, Washington mixes bad guy with bad-ass in Robert McCall.

The screenplay by Richard Wenk has McCall constantly in peril or makes it seem as if he were in danger even when he is not.  Director Antoine Fuqua plays that for everything he can get out of it.  He makes a crime film that moves like an action movie, and Fuqua makes everything so tense that he fashions a thriller that strengthens the crime and action movie elements.

And Denzel glides through it all with lethal inevitability and assurance, so much so that I have to give special credit to actor Martin Csokas.  He delivers the kind of performance that makes Teddy Rensen an adversary who is a believable threat to Robert McCall.

The Equalizer is a game of death that is hard to stop watching, even if it is light on story and character development (which would have made this movie a classic).  I was a big fan of the original television series, which I have not seen in years, and therefore, remember little of it.  I do remember that the series did delve into character.  Well, the recent announcement of a sequel to this film means that there could be improvement on the character front.  In the meantime, take time to enjoy a slick and stylishly violent movie, The Equalizer.

7 of 10
B+

Tuesday, May 12, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "The Purge: Anarchy" is Equal to its Predecessor

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong disturbing violence, and for language
DIRECTOR:  James DeMonaco
WRITER:  James DeMonaco (based on characters created by James DeMonaco)
PRODUCERS:  Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, and Sebastien Lemercier
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jacques Jouffret (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Vince Filippone and Todd E. Miller
COMPOSER:  Nathan Whitehead

SCI-FI/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoe Soul, Justina Machado, John Beasley, Jack Conley, Noel G., Michael K. Williams, Castulo Guerra, Roberta Valderrama, Niko Nicotera, and Edwin Hodge

The Purge: Anarchy is a 2014 science fiction film and crime thriller from writer-director James DeMonaco.  The film is a sequel to the 2013 film, The Purge.  Set in the near-future, The Purge: Anarchy focuses on a small band of people who are stranded on the night when violent crimes like murder and rape are legal and sanctioned by the American government.

The Purge: Anarchy is set in the United States of America in the year 2023.  Unemployment is below one percent.  Crime is virtually non-existent, and the number of people living below the poverty line is shrinking all the time.  How did this come to pass?  The powers-that-be would have people believe that this prosperity is the result of the event called “The Annual Purge,” when practically all criminal activity is legal.  Over a 12-hour period, Americans can rob, assault, rape, and murder each other and they will not face legal consequences.  This event, started by America’s “New Founding Fathers,” allows Americans to purge or vent negative emotions and repressed/violent urges.

The Purge: Anarchy opens on March 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, just hours before the Purge begins.  Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and her daughter, Cali (Zoe Soul), prepare for the chaos, as her terminally ill father, Papa Rico (John Beasley), decides to deal with the Purge in a different way.  Meanwhile, Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez), a young couple, travel by car, headed for Shane's sister, but they encounter car trouble along the way.  Meanwhile, the mysterious Sergeant (Frank Grillo) has his own unique plans for the Purge.  Soon, some of these people will find their fates intertwined, as they are left stranded and hunted as they try to find safe harbor.

Like its predecessor, The Purge: Anarchy is one of the most politically astute and socially relevant science fiction films to come around in years.  Also like the original, Anarchy is a thriller that makes goose flesh when it isn't causing breaths to catch.  The small band that the film follows are not exactly “the fellowship of the Purge,” but writer-director James DeMonaco offers such distinctive personalities.  Each character clearly has a goal or motivation that likely veers from the mutual cause of group safety, so someone doing something on his or her own is as much a threat to the group as are the people who are “purging.”

Anarchy is also a little subversive.  DeMonaco takes his criticism of the one-percent, the wealthy, and powerful to the next level.  In this new film, taking all the money isn't enough.  Now, the wealthy and powerful believe the poor owe them their very lives, as if the destitute and homeless exist to be devoured or at least exist to be playthings that the rich can destroy without concern of consequence.

The Purge: Anarchy is a sequel that not only does not disappoint, but it also meets the promise offered by the original film.  To the filmmakers, I say, “Let's keeping going!”

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, January 14, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "You're Next" is Shocking and Shockingly Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

You're Next (2011)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity
EDITOR/DIRECTOR:  Adam Wingard    
WRITERS:  Simon Barrett
PRODUCERS:  Simon Barrett, Keith Calder, Kim Sherman, and Jessica Wu
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Andrew D. Palermo (D.o.P.)
COMPOSERS:  Mads Heldtberg, Jasper Justice Lee, and Kyle McKinnon

HORROR/THRILLER/CRIME

Starring:  Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Sarah Myers, Amy Seimetz, Ti West, Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton, L.C. Holt, Simon Barrett, and Lane Hughes

You're Next is a 2011 crime thriller and horror film from director Adam Wingard.  The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011, but did not receive a wide theatrical release until 2013.  You're Next focuses on a family reunion that comes under assault by a gang of masked intruders that attacks family members until someone starts fighting back.

You're Next takes place in a secluded wooded area that might be located in Missouri.  At a large, rustic estate on 5 Edelweiss Drive, Aubrey (Barbara Crampton) and Paul (Rob Moran) gather their four children (three sons and a daughter) for a wedding anniversary party.  Shy Erin (Sharni Vinson) accompanies her boyfriend, Crispian (AJ Bowen), to the reunion.  Also, present are Crispian's brothers, Drake (Joe Swanberg), with his wife, Kelly (Sarah Myers); and Felix (Nicholas Tucci) with his girlfriend, Zee (Wendy Glenn).  Also present is Crispian's sister, Aimee (Amy Seimetz), and her boyfriend, Tariq (Ti West).

That evening, everyone gathers around a large table for a meal.  During a family argument, mainly caused by Crispian and Drake, one of the guests is shockingly murdered.  Soon, the family (whose last name may be “Davison,” although it is not used in the film) is under attack by a unknown number of mysterious killers.  As family and friends die or are gravely wounded, we discover that one of the victims has a secret talent for fighting back and for surviving.

You're Next is like an action movie version of the 2008 film, The Strangers, but even better.  Cast and crew come together and deliver a fan-freaking-tastic film that looks bigger than its paltry budget of one million dollars.  There are thrillers that cost 50 to 100 times more than this “little” film that do not deliver the heart-stopping scares and riveting, hair-trigger drama that You're Next does.  I don't like You're Next.  I frickin' love You're Next.  Encore!  Encore!

I won't spoil it, but the actor that plays the character that fights back delivers a star-making performance.  Director Adam Wingard impresses with his editing work on this film more than he does with his directing, which is also quite good.  Wingard's work here suggests the Coen Bros., with a touch of David Fincher.  Some might describe Simon Barrett's screenplay as implausible, but my cynical worldview considers this Hitchcockian fable damn near a documentary.

If you want thrills, chills, and scares, do yourself a favor and see one of the best horror movies of the decade, You're Next.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, January 2, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

Review: "Batman: Assault on Arkham" One of Best Batman Films

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) – Video
Running time: 76 minutes (1 hour, 16 minutes)
Rated: MPAA – PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language
DIRECTORS:  Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding   
WRITER:  Heath Corson
COMPOSER:  Robert J. Kral
EDITOR:  Christopher D. Lozinsk
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Moi Animation Studios

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/CRIME

Starring:  (voices) Kevin Conroy, Neal McDonough, Hynden Walch, Matthew Gray Gubler, CCH Pounder, Troy Baker, Chris Cox, John DiMaggio, Greg Ellis, Giancarlo Esposito, Jennifer Hale, Christian Lanz, Nolan North, Martin Jarvis, and Andrea Romano

Batman: Assault on Arkham is a 2014 straight-to-video animated superhero film from Warner Bros. Animation.  It is the 20th film in Warner's line of DC Universe original animated movies.  This film is set in the universe of the Batman: Arkham video game franchise, and occurs after the events depicted in Batman: Arkham Origins (2013).

Batman: Assault on Arkham, of course, features classic DC Comics character, Batman, but here, he is really a supporting character.  Assault on Arkham focuses on a new version of the Suicide Squad, in particular, squad members, Deadshot and Harley Quinn, who are Batman villains.  In Batman: Assault on Arkham the film, a team of six villains breaks into an infamous prison to recover vital information, but find the mission complicated by the inmates and Batman.

As Batman: Assault on Arkham opens, shadowy U.S. government operative, Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder), sends a black ops team to kill Batman villain, The Riddler ( Matthew Gray Gubler).  Batman (Kevin Conroy) rescues his old adversary and returns him to Arkham Asylum.  Determined to kill The Riddler and to recover the dangerous information he stole, Waller reforms “Task Force X” (also known as the Suicide Squad).

She kidnaps the super-criminals:  Deadshot (Neal McDonough), Harley Quinn (Hynden Walch), Black Spider (Giancarlo Esposito), Captain Boomerang (Greg Ellis), Killer Frost (Jennifer Hale), King Shark (John DiMaggio), and KGBeast (Nolan North).  Waller presses them into her service, even having bombs surgically implanted into their necks to force them to serve her in Suicide Squad.  The survivors of Waller's training sneak into Gotham City, where they will infiltrate Arkham Asylum.  Meanwhile, Batman races across Gotham to find a dirty bomb planted by The Joker (Troy Baker), who is currently imprisoned at Arkham, which will soon be the sight of a lot of action.

I think that if the team of directors Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding and also writer Heath Corson had been the brain trust behind some of the Batman live-action movies, those movies would have been much better than they were, that includes Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012).  Batman: Assault on Arkham is one of the best original DC Comics animated movies to date and one of the best Batman media adaptations to date.

It is not a bad thing that the Suicide Squad are the stars of this movie, because the team is presented in a way that makes them perfectly capable of carrying a good movie.  It's starts with the writing.  Heath Corson's script summons forth a group of engaging characters that are every bit as interesting as Batman, and Corson imagines a scenario that allows each character to show his or her colorful side, both in words and in deeds.

Directors Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding build tension through the Arkham mission, forcing the characters to reveal much of themselves to the audience, as they try to survive and win.  The big action and fight scenes build naturally; they don't seem like bunches of conflict badly sewn together to evoke de facto titillation in the audience.  Of course, as a work of fiction, this is contrived.  However, there is a sequence that begins on a helicopter and moves from Arkham to Gotham, and includes the “Batplane.”  This sequence seems like a logical extension of the drama and does not come across as something forced for the sake of creating a big chase scene.

The voice acting is truly good; these are fine performances.  Kevin Conroy, the classic Batman voice actor since “Batman: The Animated Series” (1992), reminds us why it is a special occasion to hear him as the Dark Knight and why many fans always want him to be Batman's voice.  However, in this film, Neal McDonough is the standout as Deadshot, and with a powerful deliver, full of character colors, he is the actual lead in this movie.

Hynden Walch is slinky goodness as Harley Quinn, and Troy Baker is pitch-perfect as the Joker.   CCH Pounder is a noted character actor and supporting actress, and she has also done some fine voice-over acting, which shows in her delicious and thugged-out turn as Amanda Waller.

Wow!  Can a brother get a sequel – from the same team?  If not, at least, we have Batman: Assault on Arkham.  It is an assault on any mediocre Batman media.

9 of 10
A+

Monday, January 26, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "Sabotage" Mostly a Failure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sabotage (2014)
Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use
DIRECTOR:  David Ayer
WRITERS:  David Ayer and Skip Woods
PRODUCERS:  David Ayer, Bill Block, Paul Hanson, Palak Patel, and Ethan Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bruce McCleery (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Dody Dorn
COMPOSER: David Sardy

CRIME/THRILLER with elements of action, drama and mystery

Starring:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Williams, Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, Mireille Enos, Harold Perrineau, Max Martini, Kevin Vance, Mark Schlegel, and Martin Donovan

Sabotage is a 2014 crime thriller co-written and directed by David Ayer.  The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of an elite DEA task force that is being hunted after they take money from a drug cartel safe house.

Sabotage focuses on John “Breacher” Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the commander of an elite Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Operations Team.  During a raid on a drug cartel safe house, the team steals 10 million dollars from the cartel's massive stash of cash.  However, the team members are unable to hide the fact that some of the cartel's money is missing from their DEA superiors, and the money also disappears from the place where the team hid it.

Six months later, team members find themselves being murdered one by one.  Wharton joins local police Investigator Caroline Brentwood (Olivia Williams) in an attempt to discover who is killing members of his team.  Why are they being killed?  Where is the money?  Are the answers closer than Wharton and Brentwood would like to admit?

Sabotage is a muddled mess.  In many of these reviews, I talk about what the movie should have been or could have been.  Sometimes, I even guess what story the director and writer(s) were trying to tell.  In the case of Sabotage, I am not sure what the filmmakers wanted to give us.

There are some good actors in this movie, but it still manages to seem miscast.  What is Arnold Schwarzenegger doing here?  He looks old and tired, while delivering some of the worst acting of his career; this might be the worst of his career.  There are some good moments in Sabotage, even some compelling and thrilling moments.  Sabotage had potential...

3 of 10
C-

Friday, September 5, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "RoboCop" Remake Has Lots of Ideas, but Lacks Focus

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

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.

Review: Original "Robocop" Still an Amazing Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Robocop (1987)
Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Paul Verhoeven
WRITERS:  Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner
PRODUCER:  Arne Schmidt
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jost Vacano (D.o.P.) with Sol Negrin
EDITOR:  Frank J. Urioste
COMPOSER:  Basil Poledouris
Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/CRIME/ACTION

Starring:  Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Robert DoQui, Ray Wise, Felton Perry, Paul McCrane, Jesse Goins, Del Zamora, Steve Minh, Ken Page, and Laird Stuart

Some believe that “standing the test of time” is a mark that a work of fiction, entertainment, art, etc. is of the highest-quality, most important, or just plain good.  Of course, for some people, the best stories get better with age.

Robocop is a 1987 science fiction, crime, and action film from director Paul Verhoeven.  Twenty-seven years later, Robocop is still a fantastic film, and maybe even better now than it was when it was first released.  The film is set in a dystopia, a near-future version of Detroit, Michigan and focuses on a policeman who returns from the dead as a powerful cyborg cop that might be the future of law enforcement.

Robocop opens in the future and finds Detroit beset by crime and on the verge of collapse because of rampant crime and a severe financial crisis.  To keep the city alive, the mayor signs a deal with Omni Consumer Products (OCP).  The deal allows OCP to take over the Detroit Metropolitan Police Department and to also build a high-end real estate development called “Delta City,” by demolishing rundown sections of Detroit.

Meanwhile, Alex J. Murphy (Peter Weller) arrives at Police Precinct Metro West as a transfer from a precinct that is much nicer than the busy and troubled Metro West.  Not long after his arrival, Murphy and his partner, Officer Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), confront a vicious criminal gang.  Murphy is killed in the line of duty, but OCP revives him as a cyborg – part man and mostly machine.  Murphy is now “RoboCop,” the future of law enforcement, but this future is haunted by submerged memories of his past life.

With Robocop, writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner wrote one of the smartest and best screenplays in the history of science fiction films.  Robocop includes themes regarding corporate greed and corruption, identity, mass media, urban decay and gentrification, among many.  The film is clever in the way it satirizes a news media that trivializes even the most serious and tragic events (murder, natural disasters, civil unrest), turning them into junk news for “entertainment consumers.”  At the time of Robocop’s release, television news was already coming under heavy criticism for being “infotainment.”  Robocop was dead-on in predicting where television news was headed, as current real-world TV news is, in many ways, like what Robocop depicts.

Watching Robocop for the first time in ages, I noticed that the film is stylistically like a Western.  Thematically, Robocop bears a resemblance to Westerns that focus on the lone lawman, fighting against a corrupt system and the vilest bad guys.  This film is also similar to Westerns that focus on a good guy returning from near-death or grave injury to deliver payback to the evil-doers that hurt him.  Basil Poledouris driving and colorful score for this film is the perfect musical accompaniment for scenes featuring RoboCop when he is man on a mission.

And Robocop is simply a damn good movie.  Compared to his other films, director Paul Verhoeven delivers a film that is clean and straightforward.  He relies on the screenplay to be clever and complicated, while his direction is sparse and matter-of-fact.  The result is a science fiction movie that looks more like a crime film and cop action movie than it does a film about the future.  In fact, Robocop seems less a prediction of the future and more like a message from the actual future.

This film has a number of good performances, but Peter Weller stands out.  He plays Murphy as being barely noticeable as a person, but Weller employs mechanical affectations to turn RoboCop into a magnetic personality.  I couldn’t take my eyes off him, and Weller left me wanting more of Robocop, the movie and, indeed, the man.

9 of 10
A+

Saturday, July 12, 2014


NOTES:
1988 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win “Special Achievement Award” (Stephen Hunter Flick and John Pospisil for sound effects editing); 2 nominations: “Best Sound” (Michael J. Kohut, Carlos Delarios, Aaron Rochin, and Robert Wald), and “Best Film Editing” (Frank J. Urioste)

1989 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations: “Best Make Up Artist” (Carla Palmer) and “Best Special Effects” (Rob Bottin, Phil Tippett, Peter Kuran, and Rocco Gioffre)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "The Asphalt Jungle" is a Film-Noir Gem (Remembering Sterling Hayden)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 152 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) – B&W
Running time:  112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
DIRECTOR:  John Huston
WRITERS:  Ben Maddow and John Huston (from the novel by W.R. Burnett)
PRODUCER:  Arthur Hornblow, Jr.
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Harold Rosson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  George Boemler
COMPOSER:  Mikos Rozsa
Academy Award nominee

FILM-NOIR/CRIME/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring:  Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Marc Lawrence, Barry Kelley, Anthony Caruso, Teresa Celli, and Marilyn Monroe

The subject of this movie review is The Asphalt Jungle, a 1950 film noir and crime drama co-written and directed by John Huston.  The film is based on the 1949 novel, The Asphalt Jungle, written by author W.R. Burnett.  The Asphalt Jungle the movie is a caper film that focuses on an initially-successful jewelry heist that turns sour because of bad luck and double-crossing.

There was a time when an urban crime drama didn’t require massively staged shootouts in which by the time the credits rolled literally hundreds of bullet shell casings had hit the ground.  There was indeed a time before painfully loud gunfire and bodies flying backwards from high impact bullet hits.  That was before Hong Kong produced cop dramas and crime thrillers were the gold standard for crime films.  That was a time when all a director needed was a solid script, a large ensemble cast of character actors, and a gritty, urban American setting.

That simple age yielded a film like director John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle.  The actor/writer/director best known for such films as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen could also turn a cool trick with such crime films as the timeless flick, The Maltese Falcon, and the Oscar-nominated Prizzi’s Honor.  Released in 1950, fans of the movie genre, Film-Noir, consider The Asphalt Jungle to be a noir classic.

The film follows a band of thieves who plan and execute a million dollar jewelry store heist.  Fresh out of prison, German-born master thief, Doc Erwin Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance), takes into his confidence a wily hood named “Cobby” Cobb (Marc Lawrence) who runs an illegal betting parlor.  Cobb helps Doc assemble just the kind of team he needs to execute his crime:  Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso), a safe cracker; Gus Minissi (James Whitmore), a driver; and Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden), a hooligan or thug.

However, they run into complications with the man who is supposed to help them fence (sell) the diamonds on the black market, Alonzo D. “Lon” Emmerich (Louis Calhern), a prominent criminal attorney.  Lon is in deep financial straits.  Broke and desperate for cash, he plots with a shady cohort, to double cross Doc and his gang, which, of course, puts the entire plan on the road to ruin.

John Houston and his crew splendidly create the gritty and grimy world in which skilled thieves and hardened criminals exist.  An underworld, it is indeed as the film’s tagline reads, “The City Under the City,” or at least it is the world behind the backdoors, alleyways, and criminal haunts (like Gus’s restaurant).  The actors superbly play to type the kind of ethnic and poor white characters that fill such stories – career criminals whose jobs or addictions (like Dix’s gambling habit) force them to continue working the streets the same way the needs of a family necessitate that an honest man or woman keep working just about everyday.

The Asphalt Jungle isn’t glossy or shiny noir.  Houston’s film is as matter-of-fact and as tough as Hayden’s Dix Handley – mistrustful of those who might befriend him and ready to put a big hurt on anyone in his way.  The Asphalt Jungle seems not to really care if someone likes it, and that makes this coarse little film truly a gem of a crime film and a gritty Film-Noir treat.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1951 Academy Awards:  4 nominations: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Sam Jaffe), “Best Cinematography, Black-and-White” (Harold Rosson), “Best Director” (John Huston), and “Best Writing, Screenplay” (Ben Maddow and John Huston)

1951 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination:  “Best Film from any Source” (USA)

1951 Golden Globes:  3 nominations: “Best Cinematography - Black and White” (Harold Rosson), “Best Motion Picture Director” (John Huston), and “Best Screenplay” (John Huston and Ben Maddow)

2008 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  National Film Registry

Monday, July 17, 2006

Updated:  Friday, May 23, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.