The Women Behind "The Rise of Skywalker" Reveal What Drives Innovation in the World of "Star Wars"
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters today, and it marks the epic conclusion to a saga that began more than 40 years ago with the release of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. At the new film’s center is Rey (Daisy Ridley), a powerful young Jedi-in-training whose journey has been a driving force in the latest trilogy and who continues the great tradition of heroic women in the Star Wars universe. That tradition can be traced back to 1977 and the onscreen debut of Princess Leia Organa, played by the late Carrie Fisher, who makes her final appearance in the role—now known as General Organa—in The Rise of Skywalker.
There is also a powerful team of women working behind the scenes at Lucasfilm, bringing the galaxy far, far away to fans on the big screen with The Rise of Skywalker, as well as on Disney+, where The Mandalorian is currently captivating fans and where Ewan McGregor is set to reprise the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in an upcoming series planned for the streaming service. Some of these talented women recently gathered at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles for a special panel discussion about what “drives” them, hosted by the sports car manufacturer, which teamed up with Lucasfilm Ltd. on the design of a spacecraft that can be seen in The Rise of Skywalker.
The panelists couldn’t help but compare the thrill of making a Star Wars film to the excitement of racing around a track. “I love being scared, which is probably why I came to visual effects—because we’re constantly terrified,” laughed Lucasfilm Executive Vice President and General Manager Lynwen Brennan. But Brennan emphasized the appreciation she has for the fear and uncertainty that goes hand in hand with innovation. “If you’re not terrified, you’re not pushing the envelope,” she stated.
Michelle Rejwan, senior vice president of live action development & production for Lucasfilm and one of the producers of The Rise of Skywalker, echoed that feeling of being on the edge of her seat as she and the other filmmakers put the finishing touches on the massively anticipated film. “It’s Star Wars. It’s quite inspiring because it means so much to so many people,” she said. “There’s not one detail that you don’t talk about tirelessly and weigh.” The unbridled passion from the fans—a group to which all of the panelists proudly belong—galvanizes the filmmakers. “We want this to be a satisfying, emotional ending to the story,” Rejwan stressed.
And while the Star Wars films have inspired countless advancements that have been implemented throughout the entertainment industry (and led to the creation of Lucasfilm’s groundbreaking Industrial Light & Magic VFX and animation studio), everyone involved with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker believes that story must always come before innovation. “You want to have the foundation of a good screenplay and something you’re grounded with. And then you can push the technology,” Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy emphasized.
That technology is increasingly used in service of new kinds of stories told by new storytellers who grew up with the franchise and have their own personal connection to the world of Star Wars. “It’s important for us to maintain that kind of emotional legacy that George [Lucas] created but add more of it that speaks to our filmmakers’ own interests and experience and what they want to say inside of Star Wars,” noted Lucasfilm’s director of development, Rayne Roberts.
Victoria Mahoney, second unit director for The Rise of Skywalker, is a relative newcomer to the galaxy far, far away, though she can recall vividly a childhood wish for a Star Wars spacecraft to land in her backyard. She praised the “clarity of vision” shared by director J.J. Abrams, Kennedy, Rejwan and screenwriter Chris Terrio, which was apparent from her earliest days on the film. “They all have such a clear sense of what this world is, what the mythology is, what the audiences love, what works, what doesn’t work, what’s honest, what’s a betrayal—and the [idea that] something could be cool but it doesn’t belong,” she said. “I think that’s a very brave and bold decision, that it can’t just be cool; it has to be honest and authentic.”
That authenticity is at the heart of why Kennedy believes Star Wars is the cultural icon that it is, and why it has been shared across multiple generations. She also points to one other important quality that’s inherent to every Star Wars story: optimism. “There’s optimism and aspiration, and that’s something that we’re constantly using as a touchstone,” Kennedy said, explaining that the characters and stories then develop from that emotional goal. “Everything that we do, we’re creating from whole cloth. We don’t have source material. We don’t have 700-page novels to adapt,” Kennedy said. “We have ourselves, the people sitting here. And so our conversations often begin [with] people sitting around saying, ‘What do you love about Star Wars? What does it make you feel? And that optimism and aspiration are very much a part of that.”
As the Skywalker Saga draws to a close and audiences embark upon new adventures in the world of Star Wars, the goal hasn’t changed since the beginning: to create original stories that take fans to places they’ve never been before. And in doing so, the Lucasfilm team will re-create for fans—and for themselves—that rush of excitement and feeling of hope they experienced the first time they journeyed to a galaxy far, far away.
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Showing posts with label Kathleen Kennedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kathleen Kennedy. Show all posts
Friday, December 20, 2019
Monday, November 5, 2018
Cicely Tyson, Kathleen Kennedy Among 2018 Governors Awards Recipient
THE ACADEMY TO HONOR KATHLEEN KENNEDY, MARVIN LEVY, FRANK MARSHALL, LALO SCHIFRIN AND CICELY TYSON AT 2018 GOVERNORS AWARDS
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (September 4, 2018) to present Honorary Awards to publicist Marvin Levy, composer Lalo Schifrin and actress Cicely Tyson, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The three Oscar® statuettes and Thalberg Award will be presented at the Academy’s 10th Annual Governors Awards on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
“Choosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governors’ work. And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academy’s 54 spirited governors.” said Academy President John Bailey.
Levy began his career in publicity working for MGM in New York City before joining Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, where he guided the advertising for films including “The Deep” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.” His work for the 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” marked the beginning of a four-decade-long partnership with Steven Spielberg. Levy has held positions at Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Studios and Amblin Partners, and has worked on publicity campaigns for such films as “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “Back to the Future,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “American Beauty,” “Gladiator” and “Lincoln.” Levy is the first publicist to receive an Honorary Oscar.
Born and raised in Argentina, Schifrin studied classical music and jazz in France before beginning to compose for film in Buenos Aires in the mid-1950s. He has written scores for more than 100 films, including “The Cincinnati Kid,” “Bullitt,” “Dirty Harry,” “Enter the Dragon” and “Rush Hour.” His memorable theme for the television series “Mission: Impossible” has been a hallmark of the recent film series. He has received six Oscar® nominations, for the original scores for “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “The Fox” (1968), “Voyage of the Damned” (1976) and “The Amityville Horror” (1979), the original song “People Alone” from “The Competition” (1980) and the adaptation score for “The Sting II” (1983).
Raised in Harlem, Tyson began her career as a model and a theater actress, appearing both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. After playing small roles in feature films and television, she was cast as Portia in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” in 1968. Four years later, she received an Academy Award® nomination for her leading performance in “Sounder.” Her other notable film credits include “The River Niger,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “The Help,” “Alex Cross” and “Last Flag Flying.”
The Kennedy/Marshall producing partnership, formed in 1991, has generated Best Picture nominations for “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Seabiscuit” (2003), “Munich” (2005) and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008). Kennedy/Marshall Company productions also include “Congo,” all five “Bourne” films, and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Prior to forming Kennedy/Marshall, the duo co-founded Amblin Productions with Steven Spielberg, sharing a Best Picture nomination for “The Color Purple” (1985). Additionally, Marshall received a Best Picture nomination for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), while Kennedy was nominated in the same category for “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982), “War Horse” (2011) and “Lincoln” (2012). Kennedy is the first woman to receive the Thalberg Award.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.” The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a bust of the motion picture executive, is presented to creative producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
The 10th Annual Governors Awards is proudly supported by Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (September 4, 2018) to present Honorary Awards to publicist Marvin Levy, composer Lalo Schifrin and actress Cicely Tyson, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The three Oscar® statuettes and Thalberg Award will be presented at the Academy’s 10th Annual Governors Awards on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
“Choosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governors’ work. And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academy’s 54 spirited governors.” said Academy President John Bailey.
Levy began his career in publicity working for MGM in New York City before joining Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, where he guided the advertising for films including “The Deep” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.” His work for the 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” marked the beginning of a four-decade-long partnership with Steven Spielberg. Levy has held positions at Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Studios and Amblin Partners, and has worked on publicity campaigns for such films as “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “Back to the Future,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “American Beauty,” “Gladiator” and “Lincoln.” Levy is the first publicist to receive an Honorary Oscar.
Born and raised in Argentina, Schifrin studied classical music and jazz in France before beginning to compose for film in Buenos Aires in the mid-1950s. He has written scores for more than 100 films, including “The Cincinnati Kid,” “Bullitt,” “Dirty Harry,” “Enter the Dragon” and “Rush Hour.” His memorable theme for the television series “Mission: Impossible” has been a hallmark of the recent film series. He has received six Oscar® nominations, for the original scores for “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “The Fox” (1968), “Voyage of the Damned” (1976) and “The Amityville Horror” (1979), the original song “People Alone” from “The Competition” (1980) and the adaptation score for “The Sting II” (1983).
Raised in Harlem, Tyson began her career as a model and a theater actress, appearing both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. After playing small roles in feature films and television, she was cast as Portia in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” in 1968. Four years later, she received an Academy Award® nomination for her leading performance in “Sounder.” Her other notable film credits include “The River Niger,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “The Help,” “Alex Cross” and “Last Flag Flying.”
The Kennedy/Marshall producing partnership, formed in 1991, has generated Best Picture nominations for “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Seabiscuit” (2003), “Munich” (2005) and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008). Kennedy/Marshall Company productions also include “Congo,” all five “Bourne” films, and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Prior to forming Kennedy/Marshall, the duo co-founded Amblin Productions with Steven Spielberg, sharing a Best Picture nomination for “The Color Purple” (1985). Additionally, Marshall received a Best Picture nomination for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), while Kennedy was nominated in the same category for “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982), “War Horse” (2011) and “Lincoln” (2012). Kennedy is the first woman to receive the Thalberg Award.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.” The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a bust of the motion picture executive, is presented to creative producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
The 10th Annual Governors Awards is proudly supported by Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Review: "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is Pure Classic Era
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Running time: 135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action/violence
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
WRITERS: Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan; based on the characters created by George Lucas)
PRODUCERS: Simon Emanuel (p.g.a.) and Kathleen Kennedy (p.g.a.)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bradford Young (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Pietro Scalia
COMPOSER: John Powell (and adaptation)
SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Joonas Suotamo, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Clint Howard, Erin Kellyman, Anthony Daniels, and Warwick Davis and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jon Favreau, and Linda Hunt
Solo: A Star Wars Story is a 2018 science fiction and fantasy film from director Ron Howard. It is the tenth live-action film in the Star Wars film franchise, and it is the second anthology or “stand-alone” film (meaning that it is not part of the “Skywalkers saga”), following 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film focuses on a younger version of classic Star Wars character, Han Solo, and tells the story of how he got his start as a space pirate and smuggler.
Solo: A Star Wars Story opens on the shipbuilding world of Corellia. There we meet a young "scrumrat" and aspiring pilot named Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and his lover, Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke), who both long to escape the clutches of the local criminal gangs and to leave the planet for new lives. However, only Han manages to escape, and he joins the Imperial Navy of the Galactic Empire as a flight cadet.
Three years later, Han is serving as an infantryman during a battle on the planet Mimban. There, he encounters a gang of criminals posing as Imperial officers, led by Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). Han and his new friend, Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), a Wookie with whom he just became acquainted, bribe their way onto Beckett's crew. Han and Chewbacca's first heist with Beckett, however, leads him into dangerous places. Han meets a murderous crime lord, Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany); discovers a smooth-talking and rising young smuggler, Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover); enters a new heist that could make or break his future; and reunites with a figure from his past.
Much about Solo: A Star Wars Story feels contrived and shoved in, as if the filmmakers and storytellers are trying to reveal the origins of everything Star Wars fans know about the Han Solo. From his name to his personality, very little if anything is not covered. Still, one can make an argument that much about the original Star Wars (1977) is contrived.
What is important is that Solo: A Star Wars Story feels like classic era Star Wars films (1977 to 1983). Like the other anthology film, Rogue One, Solo: A Star Wars Story is infused with the spirit of adventure of the original films. Solo is partly a Western, like the original Stars Wars. Solo is a far-flung space opera and interstellar fantasy like the original trilogy. Part of the reason that Solo feels so classic Star Wars is that one of the film's two screenwriters, Lawrence Kasdan, wrote two of the original trilogy films, and his son, Jonathan, is the co-screenwriter here. Solo director Ron Howard should have directed a Star Wars film a long time ago, as far as I am concerned. He has previously worked with Star Wars creator, George Lucas, on the fantasy film, Willow (1988). So Howard was fated for a Star Wars film, and I am glad it is Solo.
As for the characters, Alden Ehrenreich is good as young Han Solo. Ehrenreich tries to capture the spirit of the performance of the original Han Solo actor, Harrison Ford, but Ehrenreich plays young Han, not as a fully grown man, but as someone still evolving. Donald Glover is excellent, superb, and great as young Lando Calrissian (who was originally played by Billy Dee Williams). Solo is not a big enough movie for two personalities like young Han and young Lando, so Lando needs his own movie. And new Chewbacca actor, Joonas Suotama, is good, but it is hard to mess up playing Chewbacca.
If this review makes it seem that I am much more pleased with Solo: A Star Wars Story than I am about the most recent other Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, I unequivocally am. Solo is a real movie all on its own – beginning, middle, and end. While it may not add much to the fictional mythology of the Star Wars franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story gets it right by looking, feeling, and acting like classic Star Wars.
8 of 10
A
Friday, May 25, 2018
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012
"E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" Still a Wonder
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Running time: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITER: Melissa Mathison
PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Allen Daviau (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Carol Littleton
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award winner
SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/DRAMA
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial to theatres (specifically June 11, 1982). E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is the story of an alienated boy and the stranded alien from another world he befriends. The boy must be brave if he is to help the extraterrestrial avoid authorities until he is rescued by his kin. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this Academy Award-winning, science fiction and fantasy drama surpassed Star Wars as the highest-grossing film of all time, and it held that record for ten years until another Spielberg film, Jurassic Park, surpassed it.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial opens in a lush California forest where a group of diminutive aliens collect plant samples. One of them is mistakenly left behind and makes his way to a suburb near the forest. There, he takes up residence in a backyard shed, where he is found by 10-year-old Elliot (Henry Thomas). Elliot lives in a two-story home with his recently divorced mother, Mary (Dee Wallace); his older brother, 16-year-old Michael (Robert MacNaughton), and his little sister, 5-year-old Gertie (Drew Barrymore).
Elliot names his extraterrestrial foundling, “E.T.” Elliot and his siblings hide E.T. in their home, but Elliot soon discovers that in order to protect his friend, he must help him find a way home (“E.T. phone home”).
I had not watched E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in its entirety since I first saw it 30 years ago, back in June 1982. With the release of an anniversary edition Blu-ray, I decided to watch it again, and I’m simply amazed and flabbergasted. Over the years, I always thought that if I watched E.T. again that I might still like the movie, but certainly not as much as I did the first time I saw it. And I was quite taken with it back in ’82. I was practically heartbroken when it lost the best picture Oscar to Gandhi. In fact, I even thought that I might not like E.T. if I watched it again.
As Sir Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning director and producer of Gandhi once said, E.T. is inventive, powerful, and wonderful. There is a sense of magic and wonder that permeates the film, infused by Steven Spielberg, who spins this story as if he were part magical storyteller and part wizard. He pulls from his bag of tricks and makes everything work by using the magic of movies.
The film’s most famous sequence is probably the one in which Elliot and E.T. fly to the forest on Elliot’s bike. One of the moments in that sequence has the bike passing in front of a full moon, which has become an iconic moment in cinematic history. Actually, the great moment of magic in E.T. for me is when E.T., Elliot, Michael and their friends are on their bikes on the run from pursuing police. When it seems as if they have reached a dead end, E.T. uses his telekinesis to lift the bikes in the air towards the forest.
When I watched the movie recently, I knew that scene was coming; yet seeing it again, I lost my breath for a moment. This is a spellbinding sequence that still blows my mind and even makes my eyes a little misty. Yep, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is still magical. God willing, I’ll watch it in another 30 years and see if I’m still spellbound.
9 of 10
A+
NOTES:
1983 Academy Awards: 4 wins: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Charles L. Campbell and Ben Burtt), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren, and Kenneth Smith), “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams), and “Best Sound” (Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo, and Gene S. Cantamessa); 5 nominations: “Best Picture” (Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy), “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Director” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Film Editing” (Carol Littleton), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Melissa Mathison)
1983 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Score” (John Williams); 11 nominations: “Best Direction” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Film” (Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy), “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Film Editing” (Carol Littleton), “Best Make Up Artist” (Robert Sidell), “Best Production Design/Art Direction” (James D. Bissell), “Best Screenplay” (Melissa Mathison), “Best Sound” (Charles L. Campbell, Gene S. Cantamessa, Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, and Don Digirolamo), “Best Special Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren and Carlo Rambaldi), “Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles” (Drew Barrymore), and “Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles” (Henry Thomas)
1983 Golden Globes, USA: 2 wins: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams); 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Melissa Mathison) and “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Male” (Henry Thomas)
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Review: Oscar-Nominee "Munich" Asks the Uncomfortable Questions (Happy B'day, John Williams)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux
Munich (2005)
Running time: 164 minutes (2 hours, 44 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong graphic violence, some sexual content, nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITERS: Tony Kushner and Eric Roth (based upon the book Vengeance by George Jonas)
PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel, Colin Wilson, and Steven Spielberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Janusz Kaminski
EDITOR: Michael Kahn
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA
Starring: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ayelet Zorer, Geoffrey Rush, Gila Almagor, Michael Lonsdale, Mathieu Amalric, Gila Almagor, and Lynn Cohen
Steven Spielberg’s Munich is set in the aftermath of the real life massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The story follows a secret assassination squad, led by a former Mossad (Israeli version of the CIA) officer named Avner (Eric Bana), assigned to track down and kill the 11 Palestinian terrorists and operatives, whom the Israeli government suspects of having planned the Munich attack. The film focuses on the personal toll this mission of revenge and retribution takes upon the team, and in particular, Avner.
Many have argued that Munich has taken both sides in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, but I must have missed something because I didn’t see it that way. I viewed the film as a narrative that with medical precision shows how much it costs men to engage in one act of murder after another. This isn’t about a war where the fighters kill (mostly) faceless men. Avner and his associates (which includes the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, playing a gung-ho, American cowboy-type, Israeli named Steve) have to hunt these men down. In that way, they get to see them as more than targets. Yes, they may be murderers, and clearly they involve themselves in operations aimed at killing Israelis in terrorist attacks, but these aren’t dogs that Avner and his team are hunting. Eventually, killing people and endangering innocents (collateral damage) gets to be too much for them. The explosions, the gore, and most of all the finality of death – always watching, knowing, and talking to people they have to kill.
Avner misses his wife and child, and he begins to mistrust his Israeli bosses, in particular Ephraim (the truly astounding chameleonic actor Geoffrey Rush). Eventually, Avner and his team find themselves competing against American interests, the CIA, and Soviet interests, personified by the KGB, who protect and provide both material and financial support to some Palestinian terrorists. So many of the parties involved see Avner’s mission as some kind of game, a war game for sure, but still a game of capture and defend territory. There are platitudes galore about striking back and sending a message, but in this narrative, only Avner understands that this is dirty work, expensive dirty work. The costs will run into the millions, and will also cost many lives – lives that must often be violently snuffed out if one side is to win and/or survive. One has to wonder what the result of terrorism and the retributive answer to it will be. As one of the characters concludes, “There is no peace at the end of this.”
Still, through Munich, one can tell that Spielberg clearly believes that Israel had to answer the Munich murders with retribution (as do I). He also clearly loves Israel. At one point in the film, Avner’s mother (Gila Almagor) says of the founding of Israel that they (Jews) had to take the land because no one would give it to them, and that they needed a place on earth where Jews could live with other Jews. Spielberg may very likely believe this, but in Munich, he uses film to question Israel using swift retribution for every attack against it, although I don’t think that Israel has always answered every attack against it.
Perhaps, that is why the film meanders. It’s too long, and on just a few occasions it is too preachy – a few of those being embarrassingly preachy. Munich’s resolution is also soft – if there is one. I get the point that the director wants to say that there are no easy answers for this situation, but in saying that, the movie lumbers towards the end like an out of shape and slightly over weight athlete. Munich does indeed take a side (Israel), but the movie wonders about the other side (the Palestinians). Spielberg doesn’t really try to have it both ways, but he muddles the water enough with differing points of view. Still, what is one the screen is outstanding, powerful, and mesmerizing. I could have an adjective field day, but with its engaging performances – Eric Bana is rugged, handsome, and shows his soul with this performance – and taut action (the assassinations are as riveting as anything in the best war and action movies), Munich is must-see cinema for any Spielberg fan and any fan of cinema.
8 of 10
A
Saturday, January 07, 2006
NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 5 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, and Barry Mendel), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Achievement in Editing” (Michael Kahn) and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (John Williams), and “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Tony Kushner and Eric Roth)
2006 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg) and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Tony Kushner and Eric Roth)
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Saturday, October 9, 2010
Review: "Seabiscuit" is an Uplifting Tale of a Horse and His Boys
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 21 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux
Seabiscuit (2003)
Running time: 140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual situations and violent sports-related images
DIRECTOR: Gary Ross
WRITER: Gary Ross (from the novel by Laura Hillenbrand)
PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Gary Ross, and Jane Sindell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Schwartzman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: William Goldenberg
COMPOSER: Randy Newman
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, William H. Macy, Kingston DuCoeur, Elizabeth Banks, Gary Stevens, Eddie Jones, and David McCullough, and Michael Angarano
Seabiscuit is the story of three men who are broken by misfortune in their lives and how one unlikely horse becomes a champion and changes their lives. The film is based upon the true story of Seabiscuit, an undersized, Depression-era horse whose story lifted the spirits of a nation and the three-man team behind it.
Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) was a bicycle salesman who made his fortune in automobiles, but saw his only son die in a tragic mishap. Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) was a horseman who ended up a drifter after the stock market crash that precipitated the Depression. Red Pollard (Michael Angarano) lived with his well-to-do middle, class family, residing in a lovely home. All the family members loved to read, but Red’s love of horses and his rapport with them was obvious to anyone who saw him with a horse. After the Depression causes the Pollards to lose their home, Red’s parents leave him with a track owner, thinking Red would be better off as a jockey. It is, however, a rough life, and the adult Red (Tobey Maguire) is a wreck of a man and an alcoholic. Gradually fate brings the three hurt men together around one horse, as they try to help Seabiscuit reach the glory many thought would be his destiny by right of his lineage.
Seabiscuit is a curious film. It looks like a period piece and feels like a mini-epic, but the film is ultimately an emotional masterpiece. That simply means that the film brings forth the viewers’ emotions. You can feel the thrill of victory in your heart when the horse wins. When tragedy strikes or something bad happens to a character, you might also feel the sadness. You thrill, cheer, and cry, because you can feel along with the characters.
Director Gary Ross has written some very good films including Big (1988) and Dave, and he also directed the very charming Pleasantville. His best attribute is creating characters that breath, characters that make you care about them, so that you root for them, are happy for them, and are sad with them. When the viewer cares for the characters, they’re likely to buy into the movie.
Ross writes and directs a picture in which he makes nearly every moment riveting, both the quiet moments and the scenes of stadiums crowded with people anxious to see a horse race. It’s worth following the line of action because the drama is so entrancing. It’s enough to make you forget the times when the film feels too staged and its theatrics too over-the-top and posed.
The acting is all first rate. What else should we expect from a cast that includes such great character actors as Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, and William H. Macy, especially when they’re given a script with rich characters to perform? And Tobey Maguire seems to have impeccable tastes when it comes to choosing films (The Ice Storm, The Cider House Rules), so it’s a safe bet to see anything with him in it. Plus, his charming, boyishly good looks also have a kind of weary everyman quality, like a guy who has lived a varied and interesting life. Maguire just looks like he belongs in the films in which he stars.
In large measure, Seabiscuit is about redemption and about lives made whole again. It’s about people who feel abandoned and suddenly find other people who care about them or about the lonely finding groups to which they can belong. The film is less about feeling good and more about being able to get on your feet again. The film says that a person can overcome any obstacle, and Seabiscuit proclaims it so winningly.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards: 7 nominations: “Best Picture” (Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Gary Ross), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Jeannine Claudia Oppewall-art director and Leslie A. Pope-set decorator), “Best Cinematography” (John Schwartzman), “Best Costume Design” (Judianna Makovsky), “Best Editing” (William Goldenberg), “Best Sound Mixing” (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, and Tod A. Maitland), and “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Gary Ross)
2004 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (William H. Macy)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Running time: 140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual situations and violent sports-related images
DIRECTOR: Gary Ross
WRITER: Gary Ross (from the novel by Laura Hillenbrand)
PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Gary Ross, and Jane Sindell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Schwartzman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: William Goldenberg
COMPOSER: Randy Newman
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, William H. Macy, Kingston DuCoeur, Elizabeth Banks, Gary Stevens, Eddie Jones, and David McCullough, and Michael Angarano
Seabiscuit is the story of three men who are broken by misfortune in their lives and how one unlikely horse becomes a champion and changes their lives. The film is based upon the true story of Seabiscuit, an undersized, Depression-era horse whose story lifted the spirits of a nation and the three-man team behind it.
Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) was a bicycle salesman who made his fortune in automobiles, but saw his only son die in a tragic mishap. Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) was a horseman who ended up a drifter after the stock market crash that precipitated the Depression. Red Pollard (Michael Angarano) lived with his well-to-do middle, class family, residing in a lovely home. All the family members loved to read, but Red’s love of horses and his rapport with them was obvious to anyone who saw him with a horse. After the Depression causes the Pollards to lose their home, Red’s parents leave him with a track owner, thinking Red would be better off as a jockey. It is, however, a rough life, and the adult Red (Tobey Maguire) is a wreck of a man and an alcoholic. Gradually fate brings the three hurt men together around one horse, as they try to help Seabiscuit reach the glory many thought would be his destiny by right of his lineage.
Seabiscuit is a curious film. It looks like a period piece and feels like a mini-epic, but the film is ultimately an emotional masterpiece. That simply means that the film brings forth the viewers’ emotions. You can feel the thrill of victory in your heart when the horse wins. When tragedy strikes or something bad happens to a character, you might also feel the sadness. You thrill, cheer, and cry, because you can feel along with the characters.
Director Gary Ross has written some very good films including Big (1988) and Dave, and he also directed the very charming Pleasantville. His best attribute is creating characters that breath, characters that make you care about them, so that you root for them, are happy for them, and are sad with them. When the viewer cares for the characters, they’re likely to buy into the movie.
Ross writes and directs a picture in which he makes nearly every moment riveting, both the quiet moments and the scenes of stadiums crowded with people anxious to see a horse race. It’s worth following the line of action because the drama is so entrancing. It’s enough to make you forget the times when the film feels too staged and its theatrics too over-the-top and posed.
The acting is all first rate. What else should we expect from a cast that includes such great character actors as Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, and William H. Macy, especially when they’re given a script with rich characters to perform? And Tobey Maguire seems to have impeccable tastes when it comes to choosing films (The Ice Storm, The Cider House Rules), so it’s a safe bet to see anything with him in it. Plus, his charming, boyishly good looks also have a kind of weary everyman quality, like a guy who has lived a varied and interesting life. Maguire just looks like he belongs in the films in which he stars.
In large measure, Seabiscuit is about redemption and about lives made whole again. It’s about people who feel abandoned and suddenly find other people who care about them or about the lonely finding groups to which they can belong. The film is less about feeling good and more about being able to get on your feet again. The film says that a person can overcome any obstacle, and Seabiscuit proclaims it so winningly.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards: 7 nominations: “Best Picture” (Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Gary Ross), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Jeannine Claudia Oppewall-art director and Leslie A. Pope-set decorator), “Best Cinematography” (John Schwartzman), “Best Costume Design” (Judianna Makovsky), “Best Editing” (William Goldenberg), “Best Sound Mixing” (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, and Tod A. Maitland), and “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Gary Ross)
2004 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (William H. Macy)
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