Review: "Jurassic World" is a Vending Machine Treat

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jurassic World (2015)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril 
DIRECTOR:  Colin Trevorrow
WRITERS:  Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly; from a story by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (based on characters created by Michael Crichton)
PRODUCERS:  Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Schwartzman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Kevin Stitt
COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER

Starring:  Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, B.D. Wong, Judy Greer, Andy Buckley, Lauren Lapkus, Katie McGrath, Eric Edelstein, and Jimmy Fallon

Jurassic World is a 2015 science fiction-thriller and action-adventure film from director Colin Trevorrow.  The film is a restart of the Jurassic Park  film franchise.  Thomas Tull of Legendary Pictures and Steven Spielberg, who directed the original film, Jurassic Park (1993), are the executive producers of this movie.  Jurassic World returns to the setting of the first film, which is now a popular dinosaur theme park, but a new attraction turns the place into a nightmare.

Over two decades after the disaster that was the late John Hammond's Jurassic Park, the island of Isla Nublar now has a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, named Jurassic World.  That is where Gray Mitchell (Ty Simpkins) and his older brother, Zach (Nick Robinson), are headed, with VIP access thanks to their aunt, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is Jurassic World's operations manager.

This new park is run by the Masrani Global Corporation, which also owns InGen, Hammond's genetics company that invented the process of using DNA found in dinosaur fossils to make new dinosaurs.  However, after a decade in operation, Jurassic World has been experiencing a decline in visitor rates, because dinosaurs are no longer the “hot thing.”

Park owner Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) demanded that a new attraction be created to spark visitors' interest.  Behold Indominus‍ rex, a hybrid dinosaur made by combining the DNA of an unknown number of animals.  U.S. Navy veteran, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), trains Jurassic World's four Velociraptors, which have imprinted on him as the pack alpha.  Masrani wants Owen to evaluate Indominus‍ rex before this new attraction is presented to the public. Owen discovers that this hybrid dinosaur is really dangerous.  Then, everything goes bad...

Jurassic World is quite an entertaining movie.  I watched it on DVD, and there were times that I could not stop watching it, even when the phone rang.  Like the Indominus rex, Jurassic World is itself a hybrid, as it blends the disaster film with the monster movie (much in the way a Godzilla film does).  This is pure escapist entertainment.  Pop some popcorn; sit on the sofa and turn out the lights.  Watch this movie and have a blast...

...because beyond that, you won't have much.  Jurassic World may be a restart of the franchise, but it lacks the newness and freshness, the sense of wonder and awe, that defined the original, 1993's Oscar-winning Jurassic Park.  So rather than being a restart, Jurassic World is in actuality nothing more than another Jurassic Park film.

The characters are not interesting, and their plight did not grab me, as the characters' troubles in the first film did.  When the most interesting female character in this film is a CGI dinosaur, as is the case with the raptor, Blue, then, the movie has fundamental problems.  Even the relationship troubles between the two brothers and its resolution feel forced and phony.  I can't remember the last time juvenile sibling characters had the kind of stiff dialogue that the Mitchell brothers had.

I like Chris Pratt, and he uses all his charm to make something out of Owen Grady, a character with potential, which the writers and director of this film did not seem to realize.  Bryce Dallas Howard uses her acting skills to make something of the mannequin that is Claire, but that character is beneath her.  And poor Omar Sy comes across as a pitiful token, playing Owen's stuck-in-the-corner assistant, Barry; yeah, Barry wasn't even worth a last name.

Yeah, Jurassic World is a blast as a scary monster movie, a dumb sci-fi thriller that actually delivers on the thrills.  But in the end, it is nothing more than film product – the equivalent of a fast food hamburger that you have already forgotten a few minutes after eating it.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, November 28, 2015


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

Legendary and Warner Bros. Unite Godzilla and King Kong

Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures Announce Cinematic Franchise Uniting Godzilla, King Kong and Other Iconic Giant Monsters

KONG: SKULL ISLAND confirmed for 2017, GODZILLA 2 for 2018, GODZILLA VS. KONG for 2020

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following Legendary’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2014 success with the global reinvention of the Godzilla franchise, the companies have come together to create an epic, new shared cinematic franchise. All-powerful monsters become towering heroes for a new generation, revealing a mythology that brings together Godzilla and Legendary’s King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new. Monarch, the human organization that uncovered Godzilla in the 2014 film, will expand their mission across multiple releases.

    “Working with our partners at Legendary, we enjoyed tremendous creative and commercial success with `Godzilla,’”

The announcement that the reinvention of monsters continues was made today by Legendary CEO, Thomas Tull, and Kevin Tsujihara, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. The initial trio of films are 2017’s KONG: SKULL ISLAND; GODZILLA 2 in 2018; and then GODZILLA VS. KONG, arriving in theaters in 2020. While Legendary maintains its new home at Universal Pictures, the GODZILLA films remain in partnership with Warner Bros., who will now also distribute KONG as a part of this franchise. Production on KONG: SKULL ISLAND begins October 19th, 2015.

Warner Bros. and Legendary released Godzilla in May 2014 with an agreement to release Godzilla 2 on June 8, 2018. Both films feature the human Monarch organization. Shortly following Legendary's pact with NBC Universal, Legendary acquired rights to additional classic characters from Toho's Godzilla universe, including Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. This paved the way for developing a franchise centered around Monarch and anchored by Godzilla, King Kong, and other famous creatures.

When Legendary announced films centered on Godzilla and Kong, fans all over the world speculated these two characters might one day meet in the same film. Classic Toho monsters including King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan, as announced at Comic-Con 2014, may also join the Legendary pantheon of giant monster mayhem going forward.

“Audiences really responded to Godzilla,” stated Tull. “Today, I’m excited to reveal that film was only the beginning of an epic new entertainment universe. As a lifelong fan of these characters, I’ve always wanted to see the ultimate showdown, and today we’re pleased to be announcing that and more.”

“Working with our partners at Legendary, we enjoyed tremendous creative and commercial success with `Godzilla,’” said Tsujihara. “It’s great to be able to revisit these characters and help create a franchise with so many creative possibilities for filmmakers. Fans love these big, globally iconic films and it doesn’t get any bigger than this.”


About the Productions:
KONG: SKULL ISLAND stars Tom Hiddleston, Sam Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Tian Jing, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, and Toby Kebbell. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Max Borenstein, John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, and Derek Connolly, KONG: SKULL ISLAND will fully immerse audiences in the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island. Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce with Mary Parent. Alex Garcia and Eric McLeod will executive produce. Warner Bros. will distribute the film in 3D and IMAX 3D on March 10, 2017.

GODZILLA 2 will be written by Max Borenstein and directed by Gareth Edwards. Legendary is producing with Mary Parent, and Alex Garcia will executive produce. The film is set to be released by Warner Bros. on June 8, 2018.

GODZILLA VS. KONG will be released in 2020.

About Legendary Entertainment
Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to mainstream audiences with a targeted focus on the powerful fandom demographic. Through complete or joint ownership, Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world's most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $12 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com.

Upcoming Legendary releases via its home at Universal Pictures include CRIMSON PEAK and KRAMPUS in 2015 and WARCRAFT in 2016.

About Warner Bros. Entertainment
Warner Bros. Entertainment is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms. A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broad-based studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD and Blu-ray, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product and brand licensing, and broadcasting. Warner Bros. Pictures has been at the forefront of the motion picture industry since its inception and continues to be a leading creative force in the industry.

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Review: "Dracula Untold" is a Pretty Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 19 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dracula Untold (2014)
Running time:  92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of warfare, vampire attacks, disturbing images, and some sensuality
DIRECTOR:  Gary Shore
WRITERS:  Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (based on characters created by Bram Stoker)
PRODUCER:  Michael De Luca
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Schwartzman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Richard Pearson
COMPOSER:  Ramin Djawadi

ACTION/FANTASY

Starring:  Luke Evans, Sarah Gordon, Dominic Cooper, Art Parkinson, Charles Dance, Dairmaid Murtagh, Paul Kaye, William Houston, Noah Huntley, Ferdinand Kingsley, Joseph Long, Thor Kristjansson, Ronan Vibert, and Zach McGowan

Dracula Untold is a 2014 action-fantasy and vampire film from director Gary Shore.  This film's screenplay, written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, takes the title character for Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula (1897), and real-life historical figure, Vlad the Imapler, and combines them.  The two writers re-imagine both the fictional story of Count Dracula and the true story of Vlad.  Dracula Untold focuses on a young prince who must become a monster to save his people from a massive army.  Thomas Tull of Legendary Pictures is one of this film's executive producers.

Dracula Untold is narrated by a man who proceeds to tell the story of  Vlad the Impaler, the prince of Wallachia and Transylvania.  When Vlad was a boy, he was a royal hostage of Sultan Mehmed II (Dominic Cooper), the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.  Vlad was trained to be a soldier in the Sultan's elite Janissary Corps, and he became their most feared warrior.  He earned the nickname “Vlad the Impaler,” because of the methods by which he slaughtering thousands.

In 1442, the adult Vlad (Luke Evans) now rules his people.  He is a husband to his wife, Mirena (Sarah Gordon), and a father to his young son, Ingeras (Art Parkinson).  Vlad rules his kingdom in peace, but it seems that the Turks of the Ottoman Empire now want more from him than gold and jewels as tribute.  They want boys who can become soldiers, as Vlad once was, and the Sultan even demands that Vlad turn Ingeras over to him.

Vlad does not want use his son or any other boy as tribute to Mehmed II, but he is powerless against the Sultan's army which is tens of thousands strong.  However, deep in the mysterious Broken Tooth Mountain hides a creature (Charles Dance) that can give Vlad the power he needs to defeat the Ottoman Empire.  Is Vlad willing to pay the ultimate price for the power that will turn him into the legendary vampire, Dracula?

Over many decades of watching movies, I have gradually come to understand and admire aspects of film-making that I had once not understood.  I love high production values, which is why I am a fan of costume dramas and periods films.  I love beautiful cinematography and gorgeous production design and art direction.  I have come to appreciate costume design, especially in the last decade.  Another aspect at which I am paying more attention is the work of movie make-up and hair artists.

In Dracula Untold, the costume designers and especially the make-up artists stand out.  I can't remember a film in which I have seen so many good looking people, not just the well-dressed royals but also the regular folks, soldiers, and peasants.  Honestly, I wouldn't mind wearing the well-designed “rags” worn by the poor folks in this movie.  Thanks to make-up and hair, many characters in this movie are too pretty to die, especially the super-gorgeous Mehmed II played by Dominic Cooper and one of Mehmed's assassins, the lethally beautiful “Bright Eyes,” portrayed by Thor Kristjansson.

I won't lie; I thoroughly enjoyed Dracula Untold, but it is not a particularly good movie.  Thanks to costume, make-up and hair, and Luke Evans as such a handsome Dracula this movie manages to be a little more than it should be.  However, Evans is not a particularly memorable Dracula.  In fact, there is not much imagination in the re-imagining of this Dracula.  I am giving Dracula Untold a high rating because of the costumes and make-up and hair, which are still dazzling me days after I saw the movie.  The beauty in the production values of Dracula Untold makes it stand-out, even if it is neither a stand-out Dracula film nor a particularly imaginative vampire film.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, April 25, 2015


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

New "Interstellar" Poster - September 17th, 2014

The end of Earth will not be the end of us.

Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/interstellarmovie
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Interstellar
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterstellarMovie

#Interstellar

Opens November 7th, 2014

Warner Bros. Pictures Over the Billion-Dollar Mark in Domestic Box Office... Again

Warner Bros. Pictures Crosses Billion-Dollar Mark at the Domestic Box Office

WB Remains the Only Studio in History to Surpass $1 Billion Domestically for 14 Consecutive Years

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, August 4, Warner Bros. Pictures became the only film studio in history to earn more than $1 billion at the domestic box office for 14 years in a row. In fact, the division has crossed the billion-dollar mark for 15 of the past 16 years. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures’ President of Domestic Distribution.

The studio passed the billion-dollar threshold thanks to a huge first quarter, featuring the box office success of New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in Peter Jackson’s Trilogy, which opened in late 2013 but which enjoyed substantial returns in the first quarter of this year. 2014 continued to build with Warner Bros. Pictures’, Village Roadshow Pictures’ and LEGO® System A/S’s blockbuster animated feature “The LEGO Movie”—which was the #1 movie for the first half of 2014—and “300: Rise of an Empire,” the heavy-hitting follow up to Zack Snyder’s groundbreaking “300,” from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Summer started with a bang thanks to the monster hit “Godzilla,” from Warner Bros. and Legendary, IMAX®’s largest opening this year, followed by Doug Liman’s action thriller from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and one-of-a-kind comedy from Melissa McCarthy as New Line’s “Tammy.”

In making the announcement, Fellman said, “This is a proud day for our studio. To cross such an extraordinary milestone once again is a direct reflection of the high standards and incredible efforts of the dedicated and creative individuals at work here, both on and off the screen. We still have an exciting roster of films yet to open this calendar year and, together with the talented teams bringing them to the theater, we look forward to continued success.”

Still to come in 2014 from Warner Bros. Pictures are: New Line Cinema’s and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Into the Storm,” opening this week; New Line’s and MGM’s “If I Stay”; Alcon Entertainment’s “Dolphin Tale 2”; the dramatic comedy ensemble of “This Is Where I Leave You,” starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda; “Annabelle,” another chapter in New Line’s highly successful “The Conjuring”; Alcon’s, Imagine Entertainment’s and Black Label Media’s tale of the Lost Boys of the Sudan, “The Good Lie,” starring Reese Witherspoon; David Dobkin’s “The Judge,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall in tour-de-force performances, from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow; New Line’s sequel to the hit comedy “Horrible Bosses,” “Horrible Bosses 2,” reuniting the stars from the original, including Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day; “Inherent Vice,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s “surf noir” adaptation of author Thomas Pynchon’s cult favorite novel; and from New Line and MGM, the much-anticipated finale to Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” Trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.”

"Dracula Untold" Hits IMAX Theatres Starting October 2, 2014

Universal Pictures' Dracula Untold(TM) To Be Released Into IMAX® Theatres Worldwide Starting Oct. 2

LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), and Legendary Pictures today announced that Dracula Untold, the  origin story of the man who became Dracula, starring Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals), will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX(®) format and released into IMAX(®) theatres internationally starting Oct. 2 and in North America beginning Oct. 17.

Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces this epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Diarmaid Murtagh and Samantha Barks.

"Dracula is perhaps the most iconic horror story ever told, and this new twist on this classic tale is sure to appeal to IMAX audiences around the world," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "We're excited to have the opportunity to once again partner with the terrific team at Universal and our long time collaborators at Legendary as we present this exciting film in IMAX."

The IMAX release of Dracula Untold will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(®) with proprietary IMAX DMR(®) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAXnXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube(www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

"Godzilla" Surpasses $300 Million in Worldwide Box Office

“Godzilla” is Still Roaring at the Box Office, Surpassing $300 Million Worldwide in Only 10 Days

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Riding on the tail of its enormous opening weekend, Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “Godzilla” will stomp across the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office today, Sunday, May 25th, only its tenth day in release. The announcement was made today by Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, Dan Fellman, and President of International Distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg.

    “There was tremendous anticipation for ‘Godzilla,’ and the film delivered in a huge way. We congratulate the cast, filmmakers and our partners at Legendary on reaching this benchmark, and, as word of mouth continues to build, we anticipate big returns to continue well into the summer.”

Internationally, the film opened at number one in every major market in which it has been released, including the UK, Australia, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Germany, France and Italy, to name only a few. It also has much-anticipated openings in key markets, including China on June 13th.

“Legendary Pictures wishes to thank our filmmaking partners, our strategic partners worldwide and Warner Bros. for helping to bring this film to theaters around the globe,” said Jon Jashni, Legendary’s President and Chief Creative Officer. “It is very validating for Gareth, for us and for Toho to have been able to reach this early milestone in only a matter of days.”

Fellman stated, “There was tremendous anticipation for ‘Godzilla,’ and the film delivered in a huge way. We congratulate the cast, filmmakers and our partners at Legendary on reaching this benchmark, and, as word of mouth continues to build, we anticipate big returns to continue well into the summer.”

Kwan Vandenberg added, “Godzilla is a global icon and we couldn’t be more excited to work with Legendary, Gareth Edwards and his remarkable cast and crew in bringing a film worthy of that legacy to moviegoers the world over. With outstanding buzz, ‘Godzilla’ rose to the top of even the most crowded international markets, with numbers that have now pushed Warner Bros.’ international grosses past the $1 billion mark for the 14th year in a row.”

The film attracted a huge 3D viewership globally, accounting for more than half of 3D sales in both the U.S. and abroad.

Many moviegoers have opted to see the massive creature on the biggest screen possible, generating record numbers for IMAX®, which saw the highest-grossing opening weekend of the year, for “Godzilla.”

The world’s most revered creature is reborn as Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures unleash the epic action adventure “Godzilla,” from visionary director Gareth Edwards (“Monsters”).

The film stars an international ensemble cast led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Kick-Ass”), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai,” “Inception”), Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”), Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient,” “Cosmopolis”), and Oscar® nominee Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), with Oscar® nominee David Strathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck,” “The Bourne Legacy”) and Emmy® and Golden Globe Award winner Bryan Cranston (“Argo,” TV’s “Breaking Bad”).

Edwards directed “Godzilla” from a screenplay by Max Borenstein, story by David Callaham, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO CO., LTD. Thomas Tull produced the film, along with Jon Jashni, Mary Parent and Brian Rogers. Patricia Whitcher and Alex Garcia served as executive producers, alongside Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present a Legendary Pictures production, a Gareth Edwards film, “Godzilla.” The film is presented in 3D, 2D and IMAX® in select theatres and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it is distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. Legendary Pictures is a division of Legendary Entertainment. “Godzilla” has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence.

www.godzillamovie.com

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"Godzilla" Soundtrack Arrives May 13th 2014

GODZILLA: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK Due May 13th from WaterTower Music

Featuring Original Music by Golden Globe and Grammy Award® Winner Alexandre Desplat

Soundtrack Premiere on Spotify

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music today announced the release of the soundtrack to Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ epic action adventure “Godzilla”, which hits theatres May 16. The 20-track “Godzilla” soundtrack features new music from Golden Globe and Grammy Award® winner, and six time Academy Award® nominee Alexandre Desplat, and will be released both digitally and on CD on May 13. The Godzilla soundtrack premieres today on Spotify, and is currently available for preorder now at iTunes and Amazon.

    “a great sense of continuity between what you’re seeing and hearing.”

The Parisian-born composer worked closely with director Gareth Edwards (“Monsters”) as the score was taking shape to establish what he describes as “a great sense of continuity between what you’re seeing and hearing.” Desplat elaborates, “When I played back music for him in my studio, I could see him watching the images and listening at the same time…Gareth is very sensitive to music and that was fantastic for me.”

“Alexandre is a bit of a hero of mine musically, and the score he created for this film is just stunning,” says Edwards. “I’m really excited. I can’t quite believe not only that Alexandre composed the Godzilla soundtrack, he’s done my soundtrack. It’s the most amazing gift I think I’ll ever get.”

With the great force of Godzilla propelling the action, Desplat also relished the opportunity to make a big sonic impact with the music as he recorded the final score with the Hollywood Studio Orchestra. “I’ve never done a monster movie before, so coming to this with more than a hundred musicians—double brass, double horns—allowed me to open the frame of my imagination to another territory, and that’s very exciting,” Desplat describes.

The Godzilla track list is as follows:
                1.         Godzilla!
                2.         Inside The Mines
                3.         The Power Plant
                4.         To Q Zone
                5.         Back to Janjira
                6.         Muto Hatch
                7.         In The Jungle
                8.         The Wave
                9.         Airport Attack
                10.         Missing Spore
                11.         Vegas Aftermath
                12.         Ford Rescued
                13.         Following Godzilla
                14.         Golden Gate Chaos
                15.         Let Them Fight
                16.         Entering The Nest
                17.         Two Against One
                18.         Last Shot
                19.         Godzilla’s Victory
                20.         Back To The Ocean

The world’s most revered monster is reborn as Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures unleash the epic action adventure “Godzilla.” From visionary new director Gareth Edwards (“Monsters”) comes a powerful story of human courage and reconciliation in the face of titanic forces of nature, when the awe-inspiring Godzilla rises to restore balance as humanity stands defenseless.

The film stars an international ensemble cast led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Kick-Ass”), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai,” “Inception”), Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”), Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient,” “Cosmopolis”), and Oscar® nominee Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), with Oscar® nominee David Strathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck,” “The Bourne Legacy”) and Emmy® and Golden Globe Award winner Bryan Cranston (“Argo,” TV’s “Breaking Bad”).

Edwards directed “Godzilla” from a screenplay by Max Borenstein, story by David Callaham, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO CO., LTD. Thomas Tull produced the film, along with Jon Jashni, Mary Parent and Brian Rogers. Patricia Whitcher and Alex Garcia served as executive producers, alongside Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present a Legendary Pictures production, a Gareth Edwards film, “Godzilla.” The film will be presented in 3D, 2D and IMAX® in select theatres and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it is distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. Legendary Pictures is a division of Legendary Entertainment. www.Godzillamovie.com

WaterTower Music, the in house music label for Warner Bros., has been releasing recorded music since 2001. Distributed through InGrooves Fontana, WTM has released over 150 titles, including the film soundtracks to “Gravity,” “Man of Steel,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “Game of Thrones,” and “The Great Gatsby Jazz Recordings” among others.

Teaser Poster for Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" Revealed

MANKIND WAS BORN ON EARTH.  IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO DIE HERE.

From Christopher Nolan

INTERSTELLAR

November 2014

To watch the teaser trailer: http://youtu.be/nyc6RJEEe0U

Official Website:http://www.InterstellarMovie.com/
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Interstellar
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterstellarMovie
Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/InterstellarMovie

Review: Supporting Actresses Shine on "Beerfest" (Happy B'day, Cloris Leachman)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beerfest (2006)
Running time:  110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive crude and sexual content, language, nudity, and substance abuse
DIRECTOR:  Jay Chandrasekhar
WRITERS:  Broken Lizard (Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske)
PRODUCERS:  Bill Gerber and Richard Perello
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Frank G. DeMarco (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Lee Haxall
COMPOSER:  Nathan Barr

COMEDY

Starring:  Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Will Forte, Ralf Moeller, Nat Faxon, Gunter Schlierkamp, and Mo’Nique with Jurgen Prochnow and Cloris Leachman

The subject of this movie review is Beerfest, a 2006 comedy directed by Jay Chandrasekhar.  The film stars the comedy troupe, Broken Lizard, of which Chandrasekhar is a member.  Beerfest focuses on two brothers who discover a secret, underground beer-drinking tournament in Germany.

When German-American brothers, Todd (Erik Stolhanske) and Jan Wolfhouse (Paul Soter), travel to Germany to spread their grandfather Johan’s ashes at Oktoberfest, they stumble upon a secret, centuries old underground beer drinking competition called “Beerfest.”  They also discover long lost German relatives, the von Wolfhausens, who hold an old grudge against their American relatives over a lost beer recipe.  Led by the family patriarch, Baron von Wolfhausen (Jurgen Prochnow), the von Wolfhausens humiliate Todd and Jan, and sneer at their chances of ever winning Beerfest, this Olympics of beer drinking.  The rude Germans even sneer at Todd and Jan’s grandmother, Great Gam Gam (Cloris Leachman).

Todd and Jan return to American and prepare for another Beerfest showdown the following year.  The brothers recruit three friends to join their team:  the one-man bear-drinking machine, Phil Krundel aka “Landfill” (Kevin Heffernan); the nerdy lab tech, Charlie Finklestein aka “Fink” (Steve Lemme); and Barry Badrinath (Jay Chandrasekhar), a talented skills player who has fallen to street-level prostitution.   The quintet’s year of training, however, is marred by tragedy and hardships, and the five beer-chugging friends begin to doubt they’ll ever win Beerfest.

Beerfest is the fourth feature film from the five-man sketch comedy troupe, Broken Lizard, which is comprised of Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, and Jay Chandrasekhar.  Chandrasekhar directs the Broken Lizard films (including Super Troopers and Club Dread), and also directed the 2005 The Dukes of Hazzard film.  With Chandrasekhar at the helm, Beerfest looks like the other Broken Lizard films.  There are scenes in Beerfest that are as funny as anything in Super Troopers (what I consider to be their best feature).  However, whereas Super Trooper was smooth, Beerfest is uneven, though not as uneven as Club Dread.

Beerfest is truly a ribald comedy, and in some ways it reminds me of the bawdiest Mel Brooks movies.  Still, there’s lots of Beerfest that amounts to little more than simple, immature, juvenile humor.  Luckily, the film is blessed with a great supporting cast.  Jurgen Prochnow is fine as the spicy menace, Baron von Wolfhausen, and Mo’Nique throws herself fully into the role of the duplicitous and randy Cherry; her sex scene with Chandrasekhar is priceless.  Cloris Leachman’s turn as Todd and Jan’s Great Gam Gam, is a testament to her skill as both a comedienne and an actress, and lovers of comedy must and should not miss her performance.

Beerfest isn’t great, but it has great moments of laugh-out-loud and laugh-till-you-cry comedy, and tolerating the missteps is worth such hilarity.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Updated:  Wednesday, April 30, 2014

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

Review: "The Ant Bully" is Impressive (Happy B'day, Nicolas Cage)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 8 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Ant Bully (2006) – computer animation
Running time:  89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild rude humor and action
DIRECTOR:  John A. Davis
WRITER:  John A. Davis (based upon the John Nickle)
PRODUCERS:  Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and John A. Davis
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ken Mitchroney (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Jon Price
COMPOSER:  John Debney

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  (voices) Zach Tyler Eisen, Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, Regina King, Bruce Campbell, Lily Tomlin, Cheri Oteri, Larry Miller, Allison Mack, Ricardo Montalban, and Myles Jeffrey

The subject of this movie review is The Ant Bully, a 2006 computer-animated fantasy film  from director John A Davis.  The movie is a joint venture from Warner Bros. Animation, Legendary Pictures, DNA Productions and Playtone, which is the production company owned by partners, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.  The movie is based on The Ant Bully, a 1999 children’s picture book written and drawn by John Nickle.  The Ant Bully the film focuses on a boy who terrifies an ant colony and then finds himself magically shrunken down to insect size and sentenced to hard labor.

Ten-year old Lucas Nickle (Zach Tyler Eisen) doesn’t have any friends, and he’s always the target of the neighborhood bully, Steve (Myles Jeffrey), and his gang.  His sister, Tiffany (Allison Mack) mostly ignores him.  His father, Fred (Larry Miller), is too busy planning his wedding anniversary trip to Puerto Vallarta, and his grandmother, Mommo (Lily Tomlin), is just plain weird.  However, Lucas finds his mother, Doreen (Cheri Oteri), to be a bit overbearing, and he hates that she calls him “Peanut.”

Lucas takes his frustrations out on the anthill in his front yard – tormenting the ants by frequently flooding their territory.  Lucas thinks of them as “just a bunch of stupid ants,” but he doesn’t know that the anthill is a complex society, in which the members of that colony have names, relationships, emotions, and responsibilities.  They decide to fight back against Lucas – the one they know as the “Destroyer,” so Zoc (Nicolas Cage), a wizard ant, concocts a potion to take care of the Destroyer.  After the ants pour the magic elixir down his ear, Lucas shrinks down to their size, and the ants promptly take him to stand trial for “crimes against the colony.”

The wise Ant Queen (Meryl Streep) sentences Lucas to live amongst the ants and learn their ways so that he can become an ant.  Zoc’s girlfriend, Hova (Julia Roberts), a nurse ant, volunteers to mentor the miniaturized Lucas, much to Zoc’s chagrin.  With the help of Kreela (Regina King), a forager ant, and Fugax (Bruce Campbell), a scout ant, Hova helps the reluctant Lucas fit into the colony.  Lucas’ skills and new friendships are tested when he and the ants must have to take on Stan Beals (Paul Giamatti), a local exterminator, in an epic air battle over the Nickles’ front lawn.

There were so many computer-animated movies that received a wide theatrical release in 2006 that some were bound to get lost in the shuffle.  One of the lost was The Ant Bully, an excellent talking animal fable produced by actor Tom Hanks’ production company (Playtone) and the computer animation studio behind Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, DNA Productions.  Written for the screen and directed by the creator of Jimmy Neutron, John A. Davis, The Ant Bully is several times better than Jimmy Neutron, in terms of story, voice acting, and animation.

Adapting John Nickle’s book, Davis wrote a traditional animal fable that teaches a lesson or makes a moral point, but is not didactic or overbearing.  Davis simply uses comedy, adventure, action, dramatic conflict, and obstacles to make a point that a group of individuals with different skills can work together and make the whole better.  However, to take Davis’ film as saying that the group is good and the individual is bad would be a poor misreading.

The voice performances are quite good.  For all the star power the voice cast has, what stars like Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage do is bring color and character to the parts the play.  Zach Tyler Eisen simply brings Lucas Nickle to life.  Lucas’ troubles fitting in, his stubbornness, and his struggle to break away from mommy all seem genuine.  Even Regina King, Bruce Campbell, Lily Tomlin manage to add much comic flavor to the film via their supporting roles.

At first, The Ant Bully’s animation seems to make every thing look plastic and fake, but perhaps, the eyes need time to adjust.  The film is imaginative in concept and design – especially in building a world of outsized and giant sets for tiny beings.  Everything has texture and surface quality to it.  The exoskeletons of the ants and wasps actually look solid; it’s as if the eyes are actually touching the surfaces to verify what is genuine.  The character movement is good, and jumps up to wonderful and superb during all the big action set pieces – especially during the air battle at the end.

Fans of computer animation and also families that want to share a movie with a good message absolutely won’t go wrong with The Ant Bully.  We follow Lucas down into the anthill where awaits a world of wonder and magical animal creatures that dazzle the eyes and sometimes blow the mind.  And the movie’s pretty funny, too.

8 of 10
A

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Updated:  Tuesday, January 07, 2014

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

Warner Bros. Pictures Dominates 2013 Box Office

Warner Bros. Pictures Wins the 2013 Box Office Triple Crown

The Studio takes the top spot in Domestic market share with $1.895 billion; International market share with $3.140 billion; and Worldwide market share with $5.035 billion.

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a record-breaking year, Warner Bros. Pictures emerged as the top-grossing studio for 2013, ranking number one in domestic, international and worldwide market shares. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution; Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution; and Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Studio took in an estimated combined global box office gross of $5.035 billion, setting a new Warner Bros. benchmark and becoming only the second studio ever to cross the $5 billion threshold. It also marked the fifth consecutive year Warner Bros. has surpassed $4 billion worldwide, which is an industry record. Globally, the Studio has now ranked #1 or #2 in nine of the past ten years, also an industry record.

Warner Bros. Pictures has crossed the $1 billion mark, both domestically and internationally, 13 years in a row, another industry record. The Studio took in an estimated $1.895 billion at the domestic box office, with eight films crossing $100 million, including three that went on to gross more than $200 million. At the international box office, Warner Bros. set a new Studio record of $3.14 billion, marking the fourth consecutive year—and the sixth year overall—that it has earned more than $2 billion. Ten Warner Bros. releases earned more than $100 million internationally, of which seven grossed more than $200 million—both unprecedented achievements for the Studio. In addition, two of those films took in more than $300 million, and two more crossed the $400 million mark.

Fellman stated, “We are extremely proud of all the remarkable benchmarks reached in 2013. These terrific numbers speak to the diversity of our slate, which has enabled us to deliver great entertainment to a broad range of audiences throughout the year.”

“This incredible achievement is a testament to not only the consistent quality of filmmaking at our studio, but also the creativity and hard work of our teams here and around the world,” Kwan Vandenberg said. “They continue to reach for greater possibilities in a growing and changing international marketplace.”

Kroll added, “We share these remarkable results with our partners at New Line, Village Roadshow, Legendary and MGM. We also thank and congratulate the extraordinary talents behind our films, whose commitment has been an important part of our efforts on each release.”

Two current hits, still in theatres, are among the Studio’s highest-grossing films for the year: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” in partnership with New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), at $659 million worldwide and counting; and “Gravity,” at $663 million to date. The Summer blockbuster “Man of Steel,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, was the Studio’s top-grossing release for the year, at $668 million globally. Among the other worldwide box office highlights for 2013 are: “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim,” with $411 million; “The Hangover Part III,” also in partnership with Legendary, at $362 million; “The Great Gatsby,” in partnership with Village Roadshow Pictures, at $351 million; New Line Cinema’s “The Conjuring,” with $318 million; and “We’re the Millers,” also from New Line, at $270 million.

Moving into 2014, the Studio’s First Quarter titles include “Her,” presently in limited release and due out wide on January 10; “The LEGO Movie,” in partnership with Village Roadshow Pictures, slated for February 7; “Winter’s Tale,” also with Village Roadshow Pictures, on February 14; and Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “300: Rise of an Empire,” due out March 7.

Down to 10 in 2014 Visual Effects Oscar Race

10 Contenders Remain in VFX Oscar® Race

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 86th Oscars®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

         “Elysium”
         “Gravity”
         “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
         “Iron Man 3”
         “The Lone Ranger”
         “Oblivion”
         “Star Trek Into Darkness”
         “Thor: The Dark World”
         “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim”
         “World War Z”

The Academy's Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Thursday, January 9, 2014.  Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

Oscars nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Review: "Pacific Rim" a Big Fanboy Experience

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 78 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pacific Rim (2013)
Running time:  131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language
DIRECTOR:  Guillermo del Toro
WRITERS:  Travis Beacham and Guillermo del Toro; from a story by Travis Beacham
PRODUCERS: Guillermo del Toro, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent, and Thomas Tull
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Guillermo Navarro (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Peter Amundson and John Gilroy
COMPOSER:  Ramin Djawadi

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Rob Kazinsky, Clifton Collins, Jr., Ron Perlman, Mana Ashida, Santiago Segura, Diego Klattenhoff, and Ellen McLain (voice)

Pacific Rim is a 2013 science fiction-action film from director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth).  The film is set in a near-future where humankind fights monstrous creatures that emerge from the sea with gigantic humanoid war machines.  A former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive one of these war machines as part of a desperate plan to save the world from an apocalypse.

Pacific Rim is set in a world in which, beginning in 2013, colossal monstrous beasts, called “Kaijus,” emerged from “the Breach” a chasm on the floor of the Pacific Ocean that opens to an inter-dimensional portal.  These Kaijus began attacking human cities, especially along the Pacific Rim.  To combat them, the Pacific Rim nations built equally colossal, robotic, humanoid war machines called “Jaegers” (think Transformers in human-like mode).  The Jaeger program is initially successful, but many are destroyed as the Kaijus grow more powerful and the frequency of their attacks increased.

By 2025, the United Nations and world governments have discontinued the Jaeger program.  However, Jaeger program commander, Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), has taken the four remaining Jaegers that he has, and has devised a last-ditch plan to end the war against the Kaijus by planting a thermonuclear bomb in their portal, the Breach.  Pentecost recruits former Jaeger pilot, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), to pilot a revamped version of his old Jaeger, Gypsy Danger.  But resistance from some of his fellow pilots and his friendship with Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), a Jaeger pilot wannabe, may complicate an already complicated mission.

First, I must say that I think that “Pacific Rim” is a bad title.  I don’t know what else they could have titled this movie, but that title is vague in regards to the larger story of the movie.  Anyway, I think of Pacific Rim as the ultimate fanboy movie.  If you like big science fiction and fantasy films with big special effects and that are almost entirely created by CGI (computer-generated imagery), Pacific Rim might be for you.  If you like giant robots (also called “mecha”) fighting giant monsters in what looks like a cross between mixed-martial arts and WWE-styled professional wrestling, this movie is for you.  If you like seeing disaster and destruction on an epic scale, with cities literally smashed to bits, Pacific Rim is for you.

I like Pacific Rim, but it is a little too long.  The movie runs for 131 minutes; I’d had enough after 100 minutes.  Although I am a fan of some of the cast, I also wish that the cast had more charisma.  Idris Elba is always a great film presence, as he is here.  Ron Perlman adds flair and something like an exotic spice to every movie in which he appears, and he does so in this film as Hannibal Chau.  I love seeing Charlie Day (as Dr. Newton Geiszler) because of his deft comic touch.  However, at least to me, the rest of the cast lacks the personality and charisma to carry a big genre movie like Pacific Rim.  I don’t know what people see in Charlie Hunnam.  He might be good for TV, where he stars in the cable television series, “Sons of Anarchy,” but his presence is undersized for the massive Pacific Rim.

I can overcome my reservations because I’m happy to have a Guillermo del Toro movie, the first in five years.  Pacific Rim proves that he can do big effects-laden movies, although this film lacks the level of imagination in del Toro’s previous efforts.  It is precisely his imagination, however, that makes a weird, monster movie concept like Pacific Rim work.  So the fanboy in me does like this movie, especially because of its director, which is a very fanboy thing.

7 of 10
B+

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

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

Review: "42" Good Film; Does Good by History

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 77 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

42 (2013)
Running time:  128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – R for thematic elements including language
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Brian Helgeland
PRODUCER:  Thomas Tull
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Don Burgess (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Peter McNulty and Kevin Stitt
COMPOSER:  Mark Isham

DRAMA/BIOPIC/SPORTS/HISTORICAL

Starring:  Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Andre Holland, Christopher Meloni, Ryan Merriman, Lucas Black, Alan Tudyk, Hamish Linklater, T.R. Knight, John C. McGinley, Toby Huss, Max Gail, Brad Beyer, and James Pickens, Jr.

The late Jack Roosevelt Robinson, better known as Jackie Robinson, was an American baseball player who is best known as the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era.  The MLB once had a color line, which meant that Black men could not play the game, and, prior to Robinson, no Black man had played for a major league baseball team (apparently) since the 1880s.

So when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line.  However, it was both Robinson’s unquestionable talent and his character that challenged the basis of segregation in the United States, in all aspects of American life, including professional sports.

How did Jackie Robinson get to play Major League Baseball?  In the mid-1940s, Branch Rickey, the club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, began to scout the Negro Leagues with the specific intention of finding a promising black player he could bring to his organization.  Rickey found Robinson, and thus, began a relationship that guided Robinson into baseball and through tough times to make history.

42 is a 2013 biopic-historical film and baseball movie from writer-director, Brian Helgeland.  It is a dramatization of the relationship between the iconic Jackie Robinson and the ground-breaking Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey.  42 takes the audience from Rickey’s signing of Robinson, through the 1947 MLB season as Robinson and Rickey try to make history and the Dodgers try to make it to the playoffs.

42 opens in Brooklyn, New York, Spring 1945.  Brooklyn Dodgers general manager, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), is making moves to find and hopefully sign the black baseball player who will break the baseball color barrier that keeps Major League Baseball all white.  In Birmingham, Alabama, in the summer of 1945, the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro League baseball team, is in midst of a road trip.  The team bus stops at a gas station, where team member Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) tries to use the men’s restroom and stirs up a little trouble.

However, that gas station is where a Dodgers’ scout catches up to Robinson.  Soon, Robinson and Rickey are planning to change baseball and maybe the world.  Robinson has his wife, Rachel (Nicole Beharie), by his side, and a black sportswriter, Wendell Smith (Andre Holland), offering a helping hand.  But is that enough to help Robinson overcome hostile crowds, racist taunts, racial epitaphs, and belligerent opponents?  Together, a stubborn general manager and tough-as-nails player race towards the playoffs and history.

42 is a genial, easy-going movie about a dark time in American history.  As the film expresses, however, dark times allow men and women of character and strength to be the light that shines through the clouds and maybe even dispel some of that darkness.  The film is really the story of two men, Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, who wage battle on different, but related fronts.

The more interesting battle is Jackie’s because it takes place on the field of combat that is professional sports.  Director Brian Helgeland is quite good at making the baseball scenes of this film engaging, even occasionally fascinating.  The scenes in which Robinson is heckled with the word, “nigger,” the most used of all the hate speech, are riveting.  Even if the N-word makes you uncomfortable, it is hard to look away from these most potent moments of 42.  Kudos to Alan Tudyk as the horrid Ben Chapman; it is a superb turn that makes a small role unforgettable.

Helgeland is not quite as good at depicting Branch Rickey’s struggles.  He picks the right adversaries for the pugnacious executive, but the director is shoddy in executing the backroom verbal brawls.  When it comes to Rickey, Helgeland presents an opponent with a gripe, and has Rickey tell him off, in what amounts to a short, one-sided spat.  I can imagine that the real-life versions of Rickey’s battles were a tad bit more dramatic and combative than they are depicted here.  That aside, Harrison Ford gives one of the best performances of his career as Rickey; it is worthy of an Oscar nomination.

When Brian Helgeland combines Rickey and Robinson’s struggles into a single struggle, he creates a rhythm that beats out a tale of two men determined to overcome obstacles.  Yeah, 42 is feel-good and even schmaltzy, especially in scenes that bring Jackie and his wife, Rachel, together.  I can put that aside because 42 is a movie that American film needed to tell, and it does good by the real-life story it tells

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

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

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

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"Pacific Rim" Has Over $400 Million in Worldwide Box Office

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim Crosses $400 Million Worldwide

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guillermo del Toro’s widely praised action adventure “Pacific Rim” has crossed $400 million dollars at the worldwide box office, becoming the director’s highest grossing film ever. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President, International Distribution and Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; and Legendary Pictures.

Internationally, “Pacific Rim” is still in release in a number of territories and has grossed $302 million thus far. In China alone, the film is the biggest of any Warner Bros. Pictures release ever and the fifth-biggest MPA film gross in China’s cinema history. The film’s record-breaking release in China also furthers Legendary’s growing presence in the territory.

“The worldwide performance of ‘Pacific Rim’ is a clear testament to the quality and originality of Guillermo’s world-building,” said Jon Jashni, President and Chief Creative Officer, Legendary Entertainment. “We are pleased that audiences continue to respond so passionately.”

“From Moscow to Beijing, ‘Pacific Rim’ has captivated critics and audiences alike in markets all over the world, and become a box office juggernaut,” Kwan Vandenberg said. “Congratulations to Guillermo, his cast and crew, and our partners at Legendary for this exciting benchmark.”

Fellman added, “Critics and early screening audiences were the first to love ‘Pacific Rim’ and it’s exciting to watch the whole world follow suit. We congratulate Guillermo and his team on both sides of the camera, as well as Legendary, for the tremendous success of this film around the globe.”

From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes the sci-fi action adventure “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim.”

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are synched via a neural bridge, called “The Drift.” But as the enemy grows more powerful with each attack, even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.

On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a seemingly obsolete Jaeger. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

“Pacific Rim” stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Rob Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, and Ron Perlman.

Oscar® nominee Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) directed the film from a screenplay by Travis Beacham and del Toro, story by Beacham. Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro and Mary Parent produced the film, with Callum Greene serving as executive producer and Jillian Share Zaks co-producing.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present a Legendary Pictures/DDY Production, a Guillermo del Toro film. The film has been released in 2D and 3D in select theaters and IMAX®, and is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. This film has been rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language.

pacificrimmovie.com

"Pacific Rim" Cleans-Up Before Release

Warner Bros. and Legendary Organize Monster-ous Sized Beach Clean-up Day in Celebration of the July 12 Release of “Pacific Rim”

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In support of the upcoming theatrical release of Guillermo del Toro’s new sci-fi action adventure “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim,” eight North American coastal cities along the Pacific Rim are joining in to host monster-sized, family-friendly beach clean-up events on Thursday, July 11. Warner Bros., along with local media partners, RealD, various eco-friendly organizations and local parks and recreation departments, is encouraging people to join the clean-up efforts. They will award the first 100 participants at each local clean-up event two tickets to see the film in RealD 3D on opening weekend, as well as a special “Pacific Rim” t-shirt made of recycled materials, courtesy of RealD, and other prizes.

To ensure successful “Pacific Rim” clean-up efforts, Warner Bros. will provide all of the clean-up necessities, and, “Pacific Rim” film talent Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Charlie Day have done their part by taping TV and radio PSAs encouraging people to participate in the beach clean-up events. Participating coastal cities include: Los Angeles (Santa Monica Beach), San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Huntington Beach, Vancouver, Honolulu, and Santa Barbara. You can join the “Pacific Rim” clean-up locally on Thursday, July 11, at:

•Honolulu – Pounders Beach (in Laie) from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

•Los Angeles – Santa Monica Pier (PCH & Colorado Ave.) from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

•Orange County – Huntington State Beach (PCH & Brookhurst St.) from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

•San Diego – Mission Beach (starting at the Wave House) from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

•San Francisco – Ocean Beach (Fulton St and JFK Drive) from 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM

•Santa Barbara – East Beach (Stearn’s Wharf/ Mission Creek Lagoon) from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

•Seattle – Alki Beach (The Bathhouse at Alki Beach) from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

•Vancouver – Kitsilano Beach (Park Entrance at Arbutus and Cornwall Ave) from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

“Pacific Rim” opens nationwide in RealD 3D, 2D and IMAX on Friday, July 12, 2013.


ABOUT “PACIFIC RIM”
From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes the sci-fi action adventure “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim.”

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are synched via a neural bridge, called “The Drift.” But as the enemy grows more powerful with each attack, even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.

On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a seemingly obsolete Jaeger. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Oscar® nominee Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) directed the film from a screenplay by Travis Beacham and del Toro, story by Beacham. Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro and Mary Parent produced the film, with Callum Greene serving as executive producer and Jillian Zaks co-producing.

“Pacific Rim” stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Rob Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, and Ron Perlman.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present a Legendary Pictures/DDY Production, a Guillermo del Toro film. The film will be released in 2D and 3D in select theaters and IMAX®, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

This film has been rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language.

www.pacificrimmovie.com

"Man of Steel" Super at the Box Office

“Man of Steel” Is Powerful at the Box Office, Hitting the Half-Billion Dollar Mark

The Film Has Earned More Than $500 Million Worldwide, With Some Major International Markets Still to Open

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After flying into the record books in its opening, Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “Man of Steel” continues to soar at the box office. The film crossed the $500 million mark on Saturday, June 29. The announcement was made today by Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, Dan Fellman, and President of International Distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg.

The film has earned $248.7 million domestically, and $271.7 internationally, for a worldwide total of $520.4, to date. “Man of Steel” opened at the top of the box office in the U.S. and Canada, with the biggest June release ever. The film opened at number one in many international territories, and continues its roll out with record-breaking bows. The film is still to open in Brazil and Japan.

The film continues to set records worldwide in IMAX® theatres, where it has earned an estimated $27 million domestically and $18.9 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $45.9 million.

Dan Fellman stated, “This success for ‘Man of Steel’ is a great 75th birthday present for this iconic character. The film took Superman back to his roots for a new generation of moviegoers, who have once again embraced Krypton and Kansas’ favorite son. The film’s strong Cinemascore tells us that word of mouth should keep the ‘Man of Steel’ flying through the summer.”

Veronika Kwan Vandenberg said, “We’re so excited by the international response to the film and congratulate Zack and everyone involved in the movie on reaching this milestone. We look forward to bringing the film to the rest of the world in the weeks ahead.”

Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, noted, “‘Man of Steel’ is an extraordinary achievement by wonderful talents on both sides of the camera. Zack Snyder, along with his cast and fellow filmmakers, created a story that has connected with audiences of all ages and in every quadrant of the world. We are so proud of the film, which has brought a new vision of the man and the myth to those just discovering Superman, as well as lifelong fans.”

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes “Man of Steel,”TM starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Kal-El under the direction of Zack Snyder.

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

The film also stars four-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams (“The Master”), Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”), Oscar® nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”), Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”), Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, and Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).

“Man of Steel” is produced by Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment. Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters served as executive producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, “Man of Steel.” The film is being released in 2D and 3D in select theaters and IMAX®, and is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. This film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language.

www.manofsteel.com

Henry Cavill to Host Special "Man of Steel" Screening

Warner Bros. Pictures and Henry Cavill Join Forces to Honor U.S. Men and Women in Uniform

“Man of Steel” ™ Star Kicks Off Nationwide Advance Screenings for Military Personnel and Families

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Henry Cavill, who stars in the title role of the upcoming action adventure film “Man of Steel” from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, will make a special appearance in Lancaster to welcome the men and women of Edwards Air Force Base to a special advance screening of the movie on Saturday, June 8. Cavill will introduce the film and greet the military in attendance, many of whom played extras in the movie, a portion of which was shot on the base.

In appreciation of our troops, and in recognition of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative (www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces), the Studio will also host advance screenings throughout the weekend at over three dozen military bases across the country. A video greeting from Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden, thanking those in the audience for their service, will play ahead of the film.

The two “Man of Steel” screenings for the Edwards AFB personnel and guests will take place on June 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cinemark 22 Theater in Lancaster, California. The additional screenings for the servicemen and women and families who are currently stationed at Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard bases across the country will take place on either Saturday or Sunday at the following locations:

•Army: Ft. Meade, Baltimore, Maryland; Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Ft. Lewis, Tacoma, Washington; Ft. Warren, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Ft. Campbell, Clarksville, Tennessee; Ft. Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina; Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Georgia; Ft. Hood, Killeen, Texas; Ft. Polk, Leesville, Louisiana; and Ft. Leonardwood, Waynesville, Missouri.

•Air Force: Hanscom AFB, Bedford, Massachusetts; Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi; Dover AFB, Dover, Delaware; Travis AFB, Fairfield, California; Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, Texas; Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas; Schofield AFB, Wahiawa, Hawaii; Hickam AFB, Watertown, New York; Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, Texas; and McGuire AFB, Wrightstown, New Jersey.

•Navy: SUBASE Bangor, Bangor, Washington; NSWC Dahlgren, Dahlgren, Virginia; NAS El Centro, El Centro, California; NAS Fallon, Fallon, Nevada; NAS JRB Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas; SUBASE New London, Groton, Connecticut; NAB Little Creek, Little Creek, Virginia; NAS North Island, North Island, California; NAS Patuxent River, Patuxent River, Maryland; MCAS Miramar, San Diego, California; and NAS Whidbey Island, Whidbey Island, Washington.

•Marine Corps: MCAG 29 Palms, 29 Palms, California; MCAS Cherry Point, Cherry Point, North Carolina; MCB Kaneohe Bay, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; MCAS New River, New River, North Carolina; and MCB Yuma, Yuma, Arizona.

•Coast Guard: USCG in Petaluma, California; and USCG in Astoria, Oregon.

“Man of Steel” opens nationwide in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX® on June 14, 2013. The film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language.


About the Film: From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes “Man of Steel,” starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, under the direction of Zack Snyder. A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

“Man of Steel” also stars Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni and Russell Crowe. The film is produced by Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment. Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters serve as executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, “Man of Steel.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

www.manofsteel.com

Review: "The Hangover Part II" Not Quite the Same

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Hangover Part II (2011)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips
WRITERS: Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong, and Todd Phillips (based on characters created by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore)
PRODUCERS: Daniel Goldberg and Todd Phillips
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lawrence Sher (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Debra Neil-Fisher and Mike Sale
COMPOSER: Christophe Beck

COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Paul Giamatti, Mason Lee, Sasha Barrese, Jamie Chung, Jeffrey Tambor, Nirut Sirichanya, Bryan Callen, Mike Tyson, and Nick Cassavetes

The subject of this movie review is The Hangover Part II, a 2011 comedy from director Todd Phillips. The film is a sequel to the 2009 hit comedy, The Hangover. Most of the cast returns for this sequel, including Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha, the characters the comprise “the Wolfpack.” In The Hangover Part II, another pre-wedding get-together turns bad, this time in Thailand.

The Hangover Part II opens two years after the Wolfpack’s escapade in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now, dentist Dr. Stuart “Stu” Price (Ed Helms) is getting married, but the nuptials are in Thailand, the home of Stu’s bride-to-be, Lauren (Jamie Chung). Stu invites Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Doug Billings (Justin Bartha), and reluctantly, Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) to attend the wedding.

In addition to the usual pre-wedding jitters, there is some other tension. Lauren’s father, Fohn Srisai (Nirut Sirichanya), hates Stu, and Alan does not like that Teddy (Mason Lee), Lauren’s little brother, is tagging along with the Wolfpack. Stu, Phil, Doug, Alan, and Teddy decide to spend one night around a campfire on the beach, drinking beers and roasting marshmallows. The following morning, Stu, Phil, and Alan wake up in a dirty hotel room in Bangkok. They can’t remember what happened after the campfire, and someone is missing again.

The Hangover Part II is not The Hangover. For one thing, the sequel lacks the element of surprise that made the first film such a delight. The Hangover practically came out of nowhere and caught audiences unaware, with its twists and turns that made Las Vegas seems like a wonderland of playful raunchiness and good-humored naughtiness. In spite of all the R-rated fun, The Hangover was joyful, and the danger was less about jeopardy and more about merriment.

I can’t say that The Hangover Part II is darker than the first film, because The Hangover wasn’t a film with a dark mood or even dark undertones. The Hangover Part II is just plain dark. It is raunchier, as if to say “Bangkok don’t play!” I also wouldn’t say that the story is especially cruel to the characters, but the screenplay does seem to be putting Phil, Stu, and Alan through their paces. It is as if fate doesn’t really care one way or the other about them. Whatever made Las Vegas a special, but safe playground for the Wolfpack isn’t a privilege the friends will get everywhere they go. Sometimes, in some city, one of the Wolfpack will get f***** up the a**, and it won’t be any bigger a deal than getting a bad tattoo after getting pissy drunk.

However, The Hangover Part II is funny, not as funny as the original, but funny in its own foul and revolting way. It is a sequel, but it is also basically a remake of the first movie, set in a new “sin city,” with some changes in circumstances, and a few new supporting characters.

Four years ago, I wrote that the fun in The Hangover was in getting the surprises. The fun in The Hangover Part II is being surprised that you are more amused than you are disgusted by the Wolfpack’s one night in Bangkok.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2012 Razzie Awards: 2 nominations: “Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel” (Both a Remake and a Sequel) and “Worst Supporting Actor” (Ken Jeong, also for Transformers: Dark of the Moon-2011, Zookeeper-2011, and Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son-2011)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013