Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Dec. 24th to 31st, 2023 - Update #26

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/28 to 12/31/2023 New Year's Day weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Wonka" with an estimated take of 23.9 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety: (Former) President Barack Obama has named his favorite movies of 2023.  The list includes three films produced by Higher Ground, which he founded with his wife, Michelle Obama.  Those films are "Rustin," "Leave the World Behind," and "American Symphony."  His list also includes "Oppenheimer" and "American Fiction."

MUSIC - From Variety: (Former) President Barack Obama has named his favorite songs of 2023.  The list includes "America Has a Problem" by Beyonce featuring Kendrick Lamar; "Water" by Tyla, and "My Love Mine All Mine" by Mitski.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "The Color Purple" tops the box office on Christmas Day with an estimated take of 18 million dollars.  That is the largest Christmas Day opening since 2009, and the second largest of all-time.

From Deadline:  According to updated figures published by "Deadline," "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" won the four-day Christmas holiday weekend - 12//22 to 12/25/2023 - at the box office with an estimated take of 38.8 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" (starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role) has crossed 200 million dollars at the global box office - 141.1 million at the international box office and 59.6 million at the domestic box office.

From Variety:  There won't be any official numbers for the 12/22 to 12/24/2023 weekend box office until Christmas Day at the earliest.  However, it seems that Warner Bros.'s "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" will win the weekend with an estimated take of 28.1 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy says that reprising his role as "Axel Foley" for "Beverly Hills Cop 4" was a "hard one."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate will split from Starz.  It will take its TV studio, motion picture group, and film and television libraries with it into a merger with Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp., a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company).

OBITS:

From THR:  The British stage, film, and television actor, Tom Wilkinson, has died at the age of 75, Saturday, December 30, 2023.  Wilkinson was nominated twice for an Academy Awards, "Best Actor" ("In the Bedroom") and Best Supporting Actor" ("Michael Clayton"). He won a British Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor" ("The Full Monty") and nominated three other times.  He won an Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the HBO TV miniseries, "John Adams" (2008) and was nominated three other times.  He was an acclaimed character actor in such films as "Sense and Sensibility" (1995), "Shakespeare in Love" (1998), "Batman Begins" (2005), and "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011), to name a few.

From Deadline:  The comedian, actor, musician, songwriter and composer, Tom Smothers, has died at the age of 86, Tuesday, December 26, 2023.  Tom was best known for teaming up with his younger brother, Dick Smothers, to form the musical comedy duo, "the Smothers Brothers."  The brothers are best known for their controversial comedy and variety series, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967-69), which CBS abruptly cancelled in April 1969.  Tom received two Primetime Emmy nominations, shared with other writers, including his brother, Dick.  In 2008, Tom received an honorary Emmy Awards.

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AWARDS:

From AwardsWatch:  The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture."  It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch:  The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch:  The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch:  The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards.  "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch:  The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture."  Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards.  "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture."  "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards.  "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won.  "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations.  The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023.  Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From THR:   The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations.  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters.  The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR:  The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced.  "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch:  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association).  The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023."  Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th.  Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 1

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 1

Killers of the Flower Moon: 6

Oppenheimer: 5

Past Lives: 3

Poor Things: 2

The Zone of Interest: 2

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Oliver Stone Interviews Edward Snowden in "Snowden Live"

Get Access to the Most Classified Event of the Year with an Early Premiere of Snowden, Featuring an Exclusive Live Interview with Edward Snowden by Filmmaker Oliver Stone, in Cinemas Nationwide

Fathom Events and Open Road Films Premiere the Real Life Account of Snowden’s Unbelievable Story, Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, September 14 Only

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Get full security clearance for Snowden, one of the most anticipated upcoming releases, ahead of the thriller’s wide release. Fathom Events and Open Road Films are taking an exclusive look into the world of former CIA employee Edward Snowden through the eyes of Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone for a one-night event on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 live at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT and tape-delayed to 7:30 p.m. MT/PT. “Snowden Live” gives audiences the opportunity to be the first to see Snowden on the big screen and hear directly from the man who inspired it all and the filmmaker who brought his story to life during an exclusive live interview between Snowden (via satellite in Moscow) and Stone (live from NYC).

    .@FathomEvents News: Get access to the most classified event of the year w/ an early premiere of Snowden + live Q&A

Tickets for “Snowden Live” can be purchased beginning Friday, August 5, 2016, online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

In this biographical political thriller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is cast in the title role as the one-time former CIA employee who famously leaked classified information to the media. The film also stars Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood, Logan Marshall-Green, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schnetzer, LaKeith Lee Stanfield, Rhys Ifans and Nicolas Cage. Snowden is directed by Oliver Stone and written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald. It is based on the books “The Snowden Files” by Luke Harding and “Time of the Octopus” by Anatoly Kucherena.

“This is a very special event for a number of reasons,” Fathom Events CEO John Rubey said. “The cast is incredible, audiences nationwide get the opportunity to see this feature before anyone else, and Edward Snowden is going to be participating in an exclusive live interview. This is truly a can’t-miss event and Fathom is honored to help bring this to big screens nationwide.”


About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is recognized as the leading domestic distributor of event cinema, and ranks as one of the largest overall distributors of content to movie theaters. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) (known collectively as AC JV, LLC), Fathom Events offers a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, dance and theatre productions such as the Bolshoi Ballet and National Theatre Live’s Hamlet, sporting events like FS1 Presents USA v Mexico, concerts with Roger Waters and One Direction, the TCM Presents classic film series and faith-based events such as The Drop Box and Four Blood Moons. Fathom Events takes audiences behind the scenes and offers unique extras including audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events’ live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 885 locations and 1,348 screens in 181 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.

Open Road Films
Open Road Films is a leading, independent, theatrical motion picture company, releasing a diverse slate of star-driven films, which has included multiple #1 releases and enormous critical response. The company was founded in 2011 by AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) and Regal Entertainment Group (Regal), the two largest theatrical exhibition companies in the United States. The uniquely formed company is widely known as a filmmaker-focused distributor that supports both box office hits and top prestige titles.

Open Road Films led the 2016 critically acclaimed film, Spotlight, to win the Oscar® for Best Picture, becoming the youngest studio in history win the big prize. The film, which earned almost $45 million at the U.S. box-office, stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James, Stanley Tucci and Billy Crudup was directed by Tom McCarthy, who also won the Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay, with his co-writer (and executive producer) Josh Singer. Spotlight has won numerous high profile critics and guild awards, including the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Award and the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Film. Spotlight also appeared on over 250 critics’ Top Ten lists for 2016.

The company, led by industry veteran CEO Tom Ortenberg, is based in Los Angeles.

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Review: Gripping "Selma" is History Unfarnished

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review originally appeared on Patreon.]

Selma (2014)
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language
DIRECTOR:  Ava DuVernay
WRITER:  Paul Webb
PRODUCERS:  Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Oprah Winfrey
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bradford Young
EDITOR:  Spencer Averick
COMPOSER:  Jason Moran
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/HISTORY

Starring:  David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, Andre Holland, Stephan James, Wendell Pierce, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Colman Domingo, Omar Dorsey, Tessa Thompson, Common, Lorraine Toussaint, Lakeith Stanfield, Henry G. Sanders, Charity Jordan, Trai Beyers, Dylan Baker, Stephen Root, Niecy Nash, E. Roger Mitchell, Tim Roth, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Michael Shikany, Brandon O'Dell, Nigel Thatch, and Oprah Winfrey

Selma is a 2014 historical drama from director Ava DuVernay.  Written by Paul Webb, the film chronicles the 1965 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama voting rights marches and its leaders:  Martin Luther King, Jr., James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and John Lewis.  Brad Pitt is one of this film's executive producers.

Selma opens in 1964.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) accepts his Nobel Peace Prize.  King believes that after the passage of the “Civil Rights Act of 1964” (which outlawed discrimination), the next big effort for civil rights should be to secure voting rights for Black Americans, especially in the South.  He and the SCLC decide that the campaign to secure equal voting rights will be highlighted with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.

However, several forces gather to stop the march.  President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) wants Dr. King to hold off on seeking voting rights until after Johnson can push through his “War of Poverty” program.  Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth) wants to bring an end to Civil Rights activism in his state, and decides to use force, including state police and local law enforcement, against marchers and protesters.

Meanwhile, Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo), Dr. King's wife, is concerned for her husband's safety and for the disruption to their marriage and danger to his family caused by his work.  Younger Black activists, such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), are not happy with Dr. King and the SCLC's methods.  Worst of all, dark forces are gathering to keep the marchers from crossing Edmund Pettus Bridge, which will keep them from leaving Selma.

Like many Civil Rights films, documentaries, and television movies, Selma is an epic, but not by being grand.  Director Ava DuVernay composes the film as an intimate tale that closes in on its subjects.  Selma is not about the struggle of the Civil Rights movement at large, but about the struggle of the key players, especially Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at a particular moment in time.

Now, having seen the film, I cannot understand the controversy that surrounded Selma regarding its portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson.  Some... what can I call them... fans, admirers, protectors of Johnson's legacy, etc. claimed that Selma played the late President as if he were a villain and an obstacle in the Civil Rights movement.  First of all, this film is a dramatization of the events surrounding the Selma to Montgomery voting rights march, and, thus, the President Johnson that appears in the film is a fictional depiction of a real person.  Secondly, the doubts, reservations, objections that the fictional Johnson expressed here are the same expressed by other characters in Selma, including characters involved in the marches.

Paul Webb's screenplay for Selma depicts nearly all of the major characters and main supporting players as having feet of clay, of being fragile and vulnerable.  They are self-interested and self-serving, often to protect what they see as right for the Civil Rights movement, but also to protect themselves and loved ones in a time that was dangerous for many, but especially for people involved in the movement, in particular for Black people, but also for some White people.

Selma is not colorful and whimsical like fellow best picture Oscar nominee, The Grand Budapest Hotel.  It is not arty and guileful like the behind-the-scenes Birdman, with its sense of familiarity for actors.  Selma is meat-and-potatoes.  DuVernay does not compose the Selma to Montgomery march as a grand, historical event, as if it were a history-changing struggle taking place on the kind of wide-open battlefield that is perfect for an epic conflict.

DuVernay closes in on the players in this movement, showing the inner workings of a social movement.  This is not the stuff seen on television, like the march itself.  This is that unseen stuff, the details that are not glamorous, and sometimes seems petty and trivial, except to those making them and living with the consequences.  This intense focus on the interior workings creates a sense of claustrophobia, but also so of dread.  Selma often seems like a thriller, because DuVernay brings the audience in so close that they might feel as if they are there.  Watching this film, I felt endangered.

The one glitch in this film, I think, is that it sometimes feels disconnected from the larger Civil Rights movement.  It is as if nothing came before the marches or would come after it.  Sometimes, Selma simply seems out of context.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., David Oyelowo gives Selma its best performance.  Oyelowo's is both an imaginative and a bold presentation of Dr. King.  In the decades since his assassination, many people have made him both a martyr and, sadly, an idol of adoration.  This worship of a false idol is dangerous because it allows people who were or would have been against Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement to appropriate him and the movement.  It is as if he is a religious figure that can be reshaped for whatever cause or ideology that needs King's moral position.  Oyelowo makes Dr. King human, fragile, and self-serving or self-interested, if not quite selfish.  Thus, when Oyelowo brings out the best of Dr. King, it seems genuine and honest, rather than expected.

I think that Selma should have been a more popular film and that it should have received more Oscar nominations than it did (two).  In the end, box office and industry accolades don't matter because Selma will stand out as one of the truer cinematic expressions of the Civil Rights movement, which was a fight for freedom and for the soul of the United States of America.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, September 25, 2015

NOTES:
2015 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Common as Lonnie Lynn and John Legend as John Stephens for the song “Glory”); 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner)

2015 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (John Legend and Common for the song, “Glory”);  3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Ava DuVernay), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (David Oyelowo)

2015 Black Reel Awards:  8 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture” (Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Christian Colson), “Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture” (David Oyelowo), “Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture” (Wendell Pierce), “Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture” (Carmen Ejogo), “Outstanding Director, Motion Picture? (Ava DuVernay), “Outstanding Ensemble” (Aisha Coley), “Outstanding Score” (Jason Moran), and “Outstanding Original Song” (John Legend as performer, writer and Common as performer, writer, and Rhymefest as writer for the song, “Glory”); 2 nominations: “Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male” (André Holland) and “Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male” (Stephan James)

2015 Image Awards:  4 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (David Oyelowo), “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Common), “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Carmen Ejogo); 4 nominations: “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (André Holland), “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Wendell Pierce), “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Oprah Winfrey), and “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture” (Ava DuVernay)


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

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Review: "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is Stylish and Quirky, of course

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Running time:  99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, some sexual content and violence
DIRECTOR:  Wes Anderson
WRITERS:  Wes Anderson; from a story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig)
PRODUCERS:  Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, and Scott Rudin
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Robert Yeoman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Barney Pilling
COMPOSER:  Alexandre Desplat
Academy Award winner

ADVENTURE/COMEDY/DRAMA with elements of fantasy

Starring:  Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jeff Goldblum, Mathieu Amalric, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban, and Owen Wilson

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a 2014 comedy-drama and adventure film from writer-director Wes Anderson.  Anderson and Hugo Guinness, who wrote the film's story with Anderson, were inspired by the writings of Austrian, Stefan Sweig (1881-19420, a novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer.  The Grand Budapest Hotel focuses on the adventures of a legendary concierge at a famous hotel and the lobby boy who becomes his trusted sidekick.

The Grand Budapest Hotel opens in the present day, before moving back to 1985.  The film moves back again to the year 1968.  A man, known as “The Author” (Jude Law), travels to the Republic of Zubrowka (a fictional Central European state).  He stays at a remote mountainside hotel in the spa town of Nebelsbad.  The Author discovers that the Grand Budapest Hotel has fallen on hard times.  He meets the owner of the hotel, an elderly gentleman named Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham).  Moustafa tells “The Author” how he came to own the Grand Budapest Hotel.

That takes the story back to the year 1932, during the hotel's glory days.  Monsieur Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) is the Grand Budapest Hotel's devoted concierge.  He manages the hotel's large staff and sees to the needs of the hotel's wealthy clientele,  Gustave also often has sexual relationships with some of the hotel's elderly female clientele.  One of the aging women who flock to the hotel to enjoy M. Gustave's “exceptional service” is Madame Céline Villeneuve "Madame D" Desgoffe und Taxis a.k.a. “Madame D” (Tilda Swinton).

After Madame D dies, M. Gustave discovers that she has left him something in her will, a highly-sought after painting by Johannes van Hoytl (the younger), entitled, “Boy With Apple.”  M. Gustave also learns that Madame D was murdered and that he is not only the chief suspect, but that he is also caught up in a dispute over a vast family fortune.  M. Gustave is in trouble, but luckily he has hired a most capable and talented new lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori).  M Gustave's most trusted friend and protege, Zero, may be the only one who can help a legendary concierge save himself.

I said that Ethan and Joel Coen's 2010 film, True Grit (a remake of the classic John Wayne western), was a movie in which the brothers got to work out and to employ their visual tics, cinematic style, and storytelling techniques on a Western.  It was a good film, but it was truly “a Coen Bros. movie.”

In a similar fashion, The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson employing everything that is eccentric, quirky, and unique to his films going back at least a decade.  Embodied in this movie, the Wes Anderson style is wonderful and invigorating and a joy to watch.  Truly, The Grand Budapest Hotel has a striking and an eye-catching visual style.  Anderson's mix of ornate visual environments and eccentric characters with deeply held emotions makes his movies hard to ignore, if you give them half the chance.

Those characters can be a problem, though.  For this film, Anderson easily offers 20 characters worth knowing, but other than M. Gustave and Zero, Anderson uses the others as quirky backdrops or as caricatures upon which he can hang his plot.  Thus, The Grand Budapest Hotel is beautiful, but depth of character is lacking.  The adventure of M. Gustave and Zero plays as if it were something straight out of a beloved children's book.  Much has been made of Ralph Fienne's performance in this film, and it is indeed a good one.  It must be noted that Tony Revolori as Zero is also quite good.  Still, the adventure of the two leads would be better with more interplay from the other characters than the film offers.  Adrien Brody's Dmitri Desgoffe und Taxis is wasted, and Willem Dafoe's J.G. Jopling is not so much a menacing villain as he is a bad guy straight out of Jay Ward Productions.

However, while this movie does not fail to burrow into the imagination, it does not really plant its roots in the viewers' hearts.  It is gorgeous on the surface, but Anderson seems to avoid the deeply emotional ideas he introduces, making The Grand Budapest Hotel an exceptional film, but keeping it from being truly great.  It is Wes Anderson art for Wes Anderson's art sake.

8 of 10
A

Friday, April 10, 2015


NOTES:
2015 Academy Awards, USA:  4 wins: “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Milena Canonero), “Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling” (Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier), “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Alexandre Desplat) and “Best Achievement in Production Design” (Adam Stockhausen-production design and Anna Pinnock-set decoration); 5 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven M. Rales, and Jeremy Dawson), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Wes Anderson), “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Robert D. Yeoman), and “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Barney Pilling), and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Wes Anderson-screenplay/story and Hugo Guinness-story)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  5 wins: “Best Original Music” (Alexandre Desplat), “Best Costume Design” (Milena Canonero), “Best Production Design” (Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock), “Best Original Screenplay” (Wes Anderson), and “Best Make Up & Hair” (Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier); 6 nominations: “Best Film” (Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven M. Rales, and Jeremy Dawson), “Best Leading Actor” (Ralph Fiennes), “Best Cinematography” (Robert D. Yeoman), “Best Editing” (Barney Pilling), “Best Sound” (Wayne Lemmer, Christopher Scarabosio, Pawel Wdowczak), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Wes Anderson)

2015 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical;” 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Wes Anderson), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Ralph Fiennes), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Wes Anderson)

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

Review: First Trip to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" Was Quite Lovely

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
Running time:  124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual content and language
DIRECTOR:  John Madden
WRITER:  Ol Parker (based on the novel, These Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach)
PRODUCERS:  Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ben Davis (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Chris Gill
COMPOSER:  Thomas Newman
Golden Globes nominee

COMEDY/DRAMA with elements of romance

Starring:  Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel, Tina Desai, Lillete Dubey, Paul Bhattacharjee, Neena Kulkarni, Rajendra Gupta, and Lucy Robinson

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a 2012 British comedy-drama from director John Madden.  The film is based on the 2004 novel, These Foolish Things, from English author Deborah Moggach.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel focuses on a group of British retirees who travel to India to take up residence in a newly restored hotel that is not quite ready for prime time.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens in present day Great Britain and introduces a group of British retirees and AARP types.  Recently widowed housewife, Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench), is forced to sell the home she shared with her late husband in order to cover the huge debts he left.  Jean and Douglas Ainslie (Penelope Wilton and Bill Nighy) are searching for a retirement they can afford; they lost most of their savings through investing in their daughter's Internet business.

Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) is a retired housekeeper who is need of a hip replacement operation.  Her doctor informs her that she can have it done far more quickly and inexpensively in India than she can in the U.K., but Muriel hates Indians (as well as every other person of color).  Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) is searching for another husband.  Aging lothario Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) still wants to have sex with young women, but now, he needs to find a new place to try and re-capture his youth.  These six people decide to spend their retirement at a hotel in India, based only on the pictures on the hotel's website.

Meanwhile, high-court judge, Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson), spent the first eighteen years of his life in India; he suddenly decides to retire and return there.  When these Brits arrive at The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, they find it dilapidated.  The hotel's energetic young manager, Sunil Indrajit “Sonny” Kapoor (Dev Patel), promises that he will make the hotel look like what the website promises.  Now, everyone has to deal with the unexpected, and some are better at that than others.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is simply frothy feel-good entertainment – nothing more, nothing less.  The characters are interesting, but not especially well-developed.  There are so many of them that screenwriter Ol Parker cannot really develop them in the amount of the film's running time that actually involves storytelling, which is less than its stated 100 minutes running time.

But, boy, did I enjoy this movie anyway.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is sweet and charming, and its cast of veteran (some would say “senior citizen”) actors makes it a rare treat in a landscape of movies about children and 20-somethings saving the world.  Loving and wanting-to-be-loved are not exclusively the domain of lovelorn teens and the newly-turned middle-aged.  Yearning and striving for the good life:  well, old folks can want that, also.  That is why I am glad that this funny, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking film is here to be enjoyed again and again.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a good place for movie lovers to visit or even to stay.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, March 27, 2015


NOTES:
2013 Golden Globes, USA:  2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Judi Dench)

2013 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, and Ol Parker)

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

Oscar-Winning "Selma" is Returning to Theatres

ACADEMY AWARD®-WINNING “SELMA” TO BE RE-RELEASED NATIONWIDE BEGINNING MARCH 20TH

TICKETS ARE ON SALE TODAY

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Paramount Pictures will re-release its Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award-winning film “SELMA” nationwide for a special encore engagement. The film will play in theaters across the U.S. beginning Friday, March 20th, 2015.

Tickets are on sale today online and at theater box offices. For a list of theaters and to purchase tickets, visit www.SelmaMovie.com

Moviegoers who purchase a ticket to see “SELMA” at a participating theater can receive an additional ticket free. This limited time offer is only available at participating theater box offices.

“SELMA” won an Academy Award® and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

“SELMA,” from Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s “SELMA” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

The film is produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb. “SELMA” is directed by Ava DuVernay.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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"Selma" Arrives on DVD and Blu-ray May 5, 2015

Experience the Power of Director Ava DuVernay’s Critically Acclaimed Epic SELMA on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack May 5, 2015

Buy It Two Weeks Early on Digital HD April 21, 2015

“This is the film of the year.”—Richard Corliss, Time

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hailed as “extraordinary” (David Denby, The New Yorker), “deeply moving” (Claudia Puig, USA Today) and “a triumph” (A.O. Scott, New York Times), director Ava DuVernay’s powerful drama SELMA debuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand May 5, 2015 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The film arrives two weeks early on Digital HD April 21, 2015.

    “definitive depiction of the 1960s American civil rights movement”

Embraced by critics and audiences alike, SELMA was named one of the best films of the year by New York Times, New York Post, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Hollywood Reporter and many more. The film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture and won the Oscar® for Best Original Song for John Legend and Common’s compelling tribute “Glory.”

Director Ava DuVernay delivers the “definitive depiction of the 1960s American civil rights movement” (Lou Lumenick, New York Post) with the incredible story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the epic march from Selma to Montgomery to secure equal voting rights in an event that forever altered history. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary march.

David Oyelowo is “mesmerizing” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) as Dr. King and leads an outstanding ensemble cast including Academy Award nominee Oprah Winfrey1, Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson2, Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.3, Academy Award nominee Tim Roth4, Grammy®-winning artist Common5, Giovanni Ribisi, Carmen Ejogo, and Lorraine Toussaint.

SELMA will be available in a Blu-ray Combo Pack with UltraViolet™ that includes an in-depth exploration of the making of the film, historical newsreels, a video for the Academy Award-winning song “Glory,” featuring John Legend and Common, commentary by director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo, a photo gallery and more.

SELMA Blu-ray Combo Pack
The SELMA Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The combo pack includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film, as well as the following:

Blu-ray
    Feature film in high definition
    The Road to Selma
    Recreating Selma
    “Glory” Music Video featuring John Legend and Common
    Historical Newsreels
    Photo Gallery
    Deleted and Extended Scenes
    National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
    Selma Student Tickets: Donor Appreciation
    Commentary by director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo
    Commentary by director Ava DuVernay, director of photography Bradford Young and editor Spencer Averick

DVD
    Feature film in standard definition
    National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
    Selma Student Tickets: Donor Appreciation

The Blu-ray Combo Pack available for purchase includes a Digital Version of the film that can be accessed through UltraViolet™, a way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them—reliably and securely—to a variety of devices.

SELMA Single-Disc DVD
The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The disc includes the feature film in standard definition plus a look at the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute and Selma Student Tickets: Donor Appreciation.

Website: http://www.SelmaMovie.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/selmamovie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelmaMovie
Instagram: http://instagram.com/selmamovie
iTunes: http://j.mp/BuySelmaMovieNow
Amazon: http://j.mp/BuySelmaMovie

Paramount Pictures, Pathé and Harpo Films present a Plan B/ Cloud Eight Films/Harpo Films Production in Association with Ingenious Media, an Ava DuVernay film “SELMA.” Executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Nik Bower, Diarmuid McKeown, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, and Nan Morales. Produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Oprah Winfrey. Written by Paul Webb. Directed by Ava DuVernay.

About Paramount Home Media Distribution
Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The PHMD division oversees PPC’s home entertainment, digital and television distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHMD additionally manages global licensing of studio content and distribution across worldwide digital and television distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

SELMA
Street Date:
May 5, 2015 (Blu-ray Combo/DVD/VOD)
April 21, 2015 (Digital HD)

SRP: $39.99 U.S. (Blu-ray Combo Pack); $29.99 U.S. (DVD)

U.S. Rating: PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language
Canadian Rating: PG for violence and mature theme

1 Best Picture , Selma, 2014; Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Color Purple, 1985

2 Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Michael Clayton, 2007; Best Actor in a Leading Role, In the Bedroom, 2001

3 Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire, 1996

4 Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Rob Roy, 1995

5 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Southside, 2007

“ACADEMY AWARD®” and “OSCAR®” are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Free Showings of "Selma" in Selma, Alabama Beginning January 9th, 2015

AVA DUVERNAY’S “SELMA” TO OPEN IN SELMA, ALABAMA ON JANUARY 9th

IN AN UNPRECEDENTED OFFERING, AND IN THANKS TO THE CITY WHERE THE FILM WAS SHOT, “SELMA” IS BEING SHOWN FOR FREE TO THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY

Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), announced today that the Golden Globe nominated film “SELMA” from director Ava DuVernay will be shown for free to the town’s citizens at the Selma Walton Theater in the city of Selma, Alabama beginning January 9th.

“With deep gratitude to the people of Selma, Alabama, we are proud to share this powerful film depicting the historic events that took place there 50 years ago,” said Oprah Winfrey on behalf of the film's producers. “I hope generations will watch the film and share their stories of remembrance and history together.”

“The city and people of Selma welcomed the production with open arms this past summer and in celebration of the film’s national release on January 9th, we are incredibly excited and very humbled to be bringing Ava’s finished film to the community,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures.

“I’m so happy that the movie ‘Selma’ will be shown in Selma when it’s released to the nation. I’m so grateful of the fact that Selma has been blessed to have a movie named after it. I’m thankful to the producers, director Ava, and executive producer Paul Garnes for their leadership, and all of the cast for selecting Selma to produce this movie. We must keep in mind that the movie is just that, a movie and not a documentary. May God continue to bless Selma,” said Selma Mayor George P. Evans.

Citizens of the city of Selma, AL can get more information and showtimes at http://www.selmawaltontheater.com/

Directed by DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., “SELMA” has been nominated for 4 Golden Globes, including for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Song (“Glory” by Common and John Legend).

The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films present “SELMA.” Produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Cameron McCracken, Nik Bower, Diarmuid McKeown, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb. “SELMA” is directed by Ava DuVernay.

“SELMA” is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.  The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.  Director Ava DuVernay’s “SELMA” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

Currently open in select cities, “SELMA” opens in theaters nationwide on January 9, 2015. To learn more about the film, go to www.selmamovie.com


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Television, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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Willie Horton Ad President Who Appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court Gets Special Screening of "Selma"

PARAMOUNT PICTURES HOSTED A SPECIAL SCREENING OF “SELMA” FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH AND BARBARA BUSH

HOLLYWOOD, CA (December 11, 2014) – Paramount Pictures hosted a special advance screening of its critically acclaimed upcoming film “SELMA” in Houston on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 for President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush and their guests.

“’Selma’ magnificently recreates the strong emotions felt across our nation, vividly taking us back to when Martin Luther King, Jr. led the civil rights movement,” said President Bush. “Together, the filmmakers and cast not only captured the pain and conflict of that challenging time, but also how far we have come as a society – and, in so doing, reminded us how the freedom to protest peacefully and the power of human spirit make America so great.”

Guests included the Bushes’ close family and friends, members of the president’s secret service team and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and local politicians, among others.

SELMA is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.  The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.  Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the real story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.  Starring David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

The film is produced by Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Written by Paul Webb. Directed by Ava DuVernay.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

First Trailer for Ava DuVernay's "Selma" Debuts

Watch the first trailer for SELMA

Starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr.

Watch now and read an interview with director Ava DuVernay:
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/watch-martin-luther-king-jr-s-struggle-for-101958230737.html

Can you pass a voting literacy test? - www.SelmaMovie.com/SelmaLiteracyTest

Voting is a topic at the forefront of culture. Whether debating the effects of voter ID laws or discussing the importance of voting to push for more police regulation, we find ourselves at a pivotal time in history. As we approach the theatrical release of SELMA and the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we take a reflective look at where America would be without this powerful movement via an infographic that simply asks the question, “Can you vote?”

In Select Theaters December 25, 2014 - In All Theaters January 9, 2015

SELMA is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.  The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.  Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

Starring:  David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

Directed by Ava DuVernay
Written by Paul Webb
Produced by Christian Colson,  Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey
Executive Producers:  Cameron McCracken, Nik Bower, Diarmuid McKeown, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, Nan Morales

Official Site: http://www.selmamovie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelmaMovie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/selmamovie
Instagram: http://instagram.com/selmamovie

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Ava DuVernay's "Selma" Gets Christmas 2014 Release

“SELMA” TO LAUNCH ON CHRISTMAS DAY

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 20, 2014) – Paramount Pictures and Pathé announced that the feature film “SELMA” will have a limited release in the U.S. on Christmas day and will open wide on January 9, 2015. Directed by Ava DuVernay (“MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”), the film is being produced by Oprah Winfrey, Plan B, the producers of the Academy Award®-winning “TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE,” and Cloud Eight Films’ Academy Award®-winning Christian Colson (“127 HOURS,” “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”).

Academy Award® nominee Oprah Winfrey joins the film’s cast as Annie Lee Cooper, an elderly woman and visible leader amongst the civil rights protesters in Selma who tried to register to vote and was unfairly denied by the sheriff.

The film is currently shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama.

“SELMA” is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The film’s release will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the landmark legislation.

The film stars David Oyelowo (“INTERSTELLAR,” “LEE DANIEL’S THE BUTLER”) as Martin Luther King Jr., Tom Wilkinson (“THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL,” “MICHAEL CLAYTON”) as Lyndon Baines Johnson, Carmen Ejogo (“ALEX CROSS,” “PRIDE AND GLORY”) as Coretta Scott King, Andre Holland (“42,” “1600 Penn”) as Andrew Young, Omar J. Dorsey (“DJANGO UNCHAINED,” “THE BLIND SIDE”) as James Orange, Alessandro Nivola (“A MOST VIOLENT YEAR,” “AMERICAN HUSTLE”) as John Doar, Dylan Baker (“The Good Wife,” “Damages”) as J. Edgar Hoover, Giovanni Ribisi (“My Name is Earl,” “AVATAR”) as Lee White, Tessa Thompson (“Heroes,” “Veronica Mars”) as Diane Nash, Colman Domingo (“LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER,” “42”) as Ralph Abernathy, Stephen Root (“Justified,” “Boardwalk Empire”) as Al Lingo, Jeremy Strong (“The Good Wife,” “ZERO DARK THIRTY”) as James Reeb, with Tim Roth (“Lie to Me,” “THE INCREDIBLE HULK”) as George Wallace, and Oprah Winfrey (“LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER,” “THE COLOR PURPLE”) as Annie Lee Cooper.

Paramount is handling the film’s domestic distribution, Pathé is distributing in the UK and France and Pathé International will handle sales to the rest of the world.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, ParamountVantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Pathé
Pathé is one of the leading European film production and distribution companies with offices in both Paris and London.  It is involved in all aspects of filmmaking, from development and production through to international sales and distribution. Films produced/distributed by Pathé range from THE QUEEN to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and from THE IRON LADY to PHILOMENA.  Pathé’s upcoming releases include Matthew Warchus’ PRIDE starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton; and Sarah Gavron’s SUFFRAGETTE starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson and Meryl Streep.

Production Begins on Ava DuVernay's Film, "Selma"

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND PATHÉ ANNOUNCE THE START OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON “SELMA”

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 20, 2014) – Paramount Pictures and Pathé today announced that principal photography has commenced on “SELMA,” directed by Ava DuVernay (“MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.”) The film is shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama.

The screenplay was written by Paul Webb (“Four Nights in Knaresborough”). Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce through their Plan B banner (“WORLD WAR Z,” “12 YEARS A SLAVE”), with Christian Colson through his Cloud Eight Films (“127 HOURS,” “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”), and Oprah Winfrey (“THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY,” “BELOVED”) through her Harpo Films. Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, Cameron McCracken and Nan Morales are executive producing.

“This story will resonate deeply with not only those brave men and women who fought for voting rights alongside Dr. King, but also the countless millions of people who continue to fight against discrimination in voting today,” said Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. “This talented group of filmmakers, led by Brad Pitt and his team at Plan B, Oprah Winfrey and Christian Colson, and of course our director Ava DuVernay, are a formidable force to help bring this significant story to the big screen.”

“SELMA” is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Paramount is handling the film’s domestic distribution, Pathé will distribute in the UK and France and Pathé International will handle sales to the rest of the world.

The film stars David Oyelowo (“INTERSTELLAR,” “LEE DANIEL’S THE BUTLER”) as Martin Luther King Jr., Carmen Ejogo (“ALEX CROSS,” “PRIDE AND GLORY”) as Coretta Scott King, Tom Wilkinson (“THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL,” “MICHAEL CLAYTON”)as Lyndon Baines Johnson, Andre Holland (“42,” “1600 Penn”) as Andrew Young, Omar J. Dorsey (“DJANGO UNCHAINED,” “THE BLIND SIDE”) as James Orange, Tessa Thompson (“Heroes,” “Veronica Mars”) as Diane Nash, and Colman Domingo (“LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER,” “42”) as Ralph Abernathy.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes cinematographer Bradford Young (“MOTHER OF GEORGE,” “MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”), production designer Mark Friedberg (“THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2,” “Mildred Pierce”), and costume designer Ruth E. Carter (“AMISTAD,” “MALCOLM X”).

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, ParamountVantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Pathé
Pathé is one of the leading European film production and distribution companies with offices in both Paris and London.  It is involved in all aspects of filmmaking, from development and production through to international sales and distribution. Films produced/distributed by Pathé range from THE QUEEN to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and from THE IRON LADY to PHILOMENA.  Pathé’s upcoming releases include Matthew Warchus’ PRIDE starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton; and Sarah Gavron’s SUFFRAGETTE starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson and Meryl Streep.

Review: "The Lone Ranger" is a Little Bit Stranger

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Lone Ranger (2013)
Running time:  149 minutes (2 hours, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material
DIRECTOR:  Gore Verbinski
WRITERS:  Justine Haythe and Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio; from Justine Haythe and Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio
PRODUCERS:  Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bojan Bazelli
EDITORS:  James Haygood and Craig Wood
COMPOSER:  Hans Zimmer
Academy Award nominee

WESTERN/ACTION with elements of fantasy

Starring:  Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale, Bryant Prince, Barry Pepper, Leon Rippy, Stephen Root, Terry Treadaway, Saginaw Grant, Joaquin Cosio, James Frain, Leonard Earl Howze, Grover Coulson, and Mason Cook.

For those who don’t know:  The Lone Ranger is a fictional character that first debuted in a radio show in late January 1933.  The Lone Ranger is a Texas Ranger who fights injustice in the American Old West with the assistance of Tonto, his Native American friend.

The radio show ran from 1933 to the mid-1950s for almost 3,000 episodes.  The character is probably best-remembered for the television series, The Lone Ranger, which aired for eight seasons (1949 to 1957) for over 200 episodes on the ABC television network.  Clayton Moore starred as the Lone Ranger, and Jay Silverheels played Tonto.  The character also made several appearance in film, the last being an infamous and unsuccessful 1981 movie.  Early in the Summer of 2013, the Lone Ranger and Tonto returned to the big screen.

The Lone Ranger is a 2013 action and Western film from producer-director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.  Starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, The Lone Ranger 2013 focuses on the earliest efforts of The Lone Ranger and Tonto to end corruption in and to bring justice to the American Old West.

[A NOTE:  Since the following review is a longish one, I’ll summarize it here.  I thoroughly enjoyed The Lone Ranger 2013, and had a blast watching it.  However, it is not a traditional Western movie, just as the Pirate of the Caribbean movies are not typical pirate movies.  The Lone Ranger is funny, but quirky.  If you look past its oddness and focus on the action, you might find it to be quite entertaining.]

The Lone Ranger opens in 1933 at a fair in San Francisco.  In a sideshow, a boy named Will (Mason Cook) just happens to meet an elderly Native American who claims to be Tonto (Johnny Depp).  Learning that Will idolizes the Lone Ranger, Tonto tells the boy the story of how he first met the legendary hero.

The story moves back to 1869.  Lawyer John Reid (Armie Hammer) returns to his hometown of Colby, Texas.  He finds the Transcontinental Railroad to be the focus of attention, but railroad tycoon, Latham Cole (Tom Wilkinson), is focused on the capture of outlaw, Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner).  John joins his brother, Texas Ranger Dan Reid (James Badge Dale), who leads the search for Cavendish and his gang.

John discovers that Native American Comanche warrior, Tonto (Johnny Depp), is also searching for Cavendish, whom the Indian believes is a creature he calls “windigo.”  Events leave John a “lone Ranger,” and he is forced join Tonto in an often-contentious but effective partnership.  But can the two new partners stop a conspiracy that is bigger and older than they may realize?

I think that the movie reviews which accompanied The Lone Ranger upon its initial theatrical release back in late June 2013 can be described as mostly negative to mixed.  I unequivocally like this movie, although I will admit that it has some flaws.  For instance, I have a question that has already been asked by other critics.  What is the target audience for The Lone Ranger?

The Lone Ranger 2013 is a Western.  It has several elements that can be found throughout the history of American Western films:  brothels, construction of a railroad, cowboys and Indians, lone lawman, outlaws, quests for redemption, revenge, and the shoot ‘em up.  However, this new Lone Ranger is nothing like The Lone Ranger television series, which was a traditional Hollywood Western aimed at a general audience and relied on stock elements that were familiar to viewers of all ages.

This movie is also a comedy and action flick as much as it is a Western, but it is not reverent about the things found in many Western movies and television programs from the 1930s to the 1950s.  The film has those big, reality-bending action scenes we have come to expect of Jerry Bruckheimer movies like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (which also stars Johnny Depp).  As a comedy, the film sometimes mocks elements and aspects associated with The Lone Ranger franchise.  Some of the dialogue and scenes in this movie have a single purpose – be funny.

The Lone Ranger 2013 is also surprisingly quirky.  It is kind of a “weird Western,” like the films, Jonah Hex and Wild Wild West (1999).  The movie has a strange mixture of imitation Native American mysticism and quasi-occultism, with a funky supernatural twist.  Much of that is tied to violence, cannibalism in particular.

I think that in order to enjoy this film, the viewer has to focus more on the basic plot, the characters, and the big action scenes and sequences and less on the setting (the post-Civil War “Old West”) and genre (the Western).  I didn’t mind that The Lone Ranger is an unusual Western film, and I certainly like the plot, characters, and action set pieces.

Also, Armie Hammer turned out to fit in this movie better than I thought he would.  Still, to me, it seems as if he can never make his character, John Reid/The Lone Ranger, escape the tremendous shadow cast by Johnny Depp’s Tonto.  Depp owns this movie, and that is a bigger problem for this movie than anything else.  It is more about Tonto than it is about The Lone Ranger.  In fact, whenever the story switched to other characters, I could feel myself chomping-at-the-bits for the movie to go back to Depp/Tonto.

I have to admit that I wish that we get a sequel to The Lone Ranger.  That is unlikely, as this movie is considered a box office disappointment and, to some, a flop.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  2 nominations:  ‘Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling” (Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua Casny) and “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, and John Frazier)

2014 Razzie Awards:  1 win: “Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel;” 4 nominations: “Worst Picture,” “Worst Actor” (Johnny Depp), “Worst Director” (Gore Verbinski), and “Worst Screenplay” (Ted Elliott-screen story and screenplay, Justin Haythe-screen story and screenplay, and Terry Rossio-screen story and screenplay)

Tuesday, March 04, 2014


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

Review: "Black Knight" is a Black Mark on Martin Lawrence's Career (Happy B'day, Tom Wilkinson)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Knight (2001)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language, sexual/crude humor and battle violence
DIRECTOR:  Gil Junger
WRITERS:  Darryl J. Quarles, Peter Gaulke, and Gerry Swallow
PRODUCERS:  Michael Green, Arnon Milchan, Darryl J. Quarles, and Paul Schiff
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ueli Steiger (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Michael R. Miller
COMPOSER:  Randy Edelman

COMEDY

Starring:  Martin Lawrence, Marsha Thomason, Tom Wilkinson, Vincent Regan, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Countryman, Kevin Conway, and Jeannette Weggar

The subject of this movie review is Black Knight, a 2001 comedy starring Martin Lawrence and directed by Gil Junger.  At the time this film was produced, Junger had primarily directed episodes of television series such as Living Single and Ellen.  This movie is also loosely based on Mark Twain’s novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889).  In Black Knight, Lawrence plays an amusement park employee who awakens to find himself in 14th century England after an accident.

Black Knight is a really bad movie, and I mean “bad” in its pejorative sense.  There’s nothing cool or hip about it, and Martin Lawrence could lose much of his street credibility behind this garbage.  He goes out of his way to harangue, embarrass, and make fun of people (his comedian’s job, I guess), and then he makes a dog like this.  Who’s dumb, now?

Those moments in the movie that might illicit a chuckle are so few and far between that a viewer could be too tired to laugh by the time he found anything worth a guffaw.  The movie is a star vehicle, one of the those movies made especially as a showcase to further the career and star power of its lead actor, so it’s not supposed to be art – just a commercial property; many star vehicles are.  However, this thing is practically impossible to watch, and it could turn people off Lawrence for a long time, if not forever.  All it takes is a few bombs like this, and people are wary of paying the high cost of a movie ticket to see a movie star’s latest work.  Ask Eddie Murphy.

A fish out of water story, Lawrence plays Jamal Walker aka Skywalker, an employee at a medieval theme park, who through some kind of accident, ends up in 14th century England.  Bare with me.  A despot, King (of England, I guess) Leo (Kevin Conway) comes to believe that Jamal is a Moor (that would explain his dusky complexion) who is a messenger from Normandy sent to herald some kind of Norman delegation.  To complicate matters, Jamal falls for Victoria the Chambermaid (Marsha Thomason), a black woman (if they can pass off Jamal’s presence, they can pass off hers) who is leading a covert assassination attempt against King Leo.

Okay.  In time travel stories, especially ones in which African-Americans are in lands where they were unlikely to be in a particular era, require a huge, willing suspension of disbelief.  And we know that the extreme cultural differences between the denizens of 14th century England and Jamal would ostensibly allow Martin to be very funny – the hip black man versus the so unhip, bland, not streetwise white medieval folks.  The premise might have sounded very funny when the writers first discussed it, laughing while they sat around smoking pot, drinking expensive liquor, or nursing a pile of coke on the living room table.  But tragedy struck when the premise became an awful script and Martin, probably awash in personal and mental problems, just couldn’t get his funny up.

Better luck next time.

1 of 10
D-

NOTES:
2002 Black Reel Awards:  1 nomination: “Theatrical - Best Screenplay-Original or Adapted (Darryl J. Quarles and Peter Gaulke)

Updated:  Thursday, December 12, 2013

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

Review: "Rush Hour" is Decent Entertainment (Happy B'day, Chris Tucker)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 112 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Rush Hour (1998)
Running time: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, shootings, and for language
DIRECTOR: Brett Ratner
WRITERS: Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna; from a story by Ross LaManna
PRODUCERS: Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, and Artur Sarkissian
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adam Greenberg
EDITOR: Mark Helfrich
COMPOSER: Lalo Schifrin

ACTION/COMEDY/CRIME

Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tzi Ma, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Leung, Julia Hsu, Elizabeth Pena, Philip Baker Hall, Rex Linn, Mark Rolston, and Chris Penn

The subject of this movie review is Rush Hour, a 1998 action comedy film from director Brett Ratner. The film stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker and was the first in a franchise of three films (thus far).

In the action/comedy, Rush Hour, the Fastest Hands in the East meet the Biggest Mouth in the West when two detectives from different worlds come together. They quickly discover that they don’t like each other, but are forced to work together to save the life of a little girl.

Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) comes to the United States to assist in the investigation of a kidnapped girl. The girl, Soo Young (Julia Hsu), and her father, Consul Han (Tzi Ma), the head of Hong Kong’s U.S. consulate, are close friends of Lee. However, the FBI doesn’t want Lee to participate in the investigation. Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) of the LAPD also wants to get in on the investigation, but the FBI only wants him around to be escort Lee and keep him away from the investigation. Neither Lee nor Carter is willing to be relegated to the sidelines, and they begin their own mission to rescue the Soo Young. However, they’re up against the mysterious Hong Kong crime lord Juntao and his vicious henchman, Sang (Ken Leung), so Lee and Carter are getting all they can handle and more.

Rush Hour succeeds because of the chemistry between the two leads. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker seem like a natural fit. Perhaps, one of the reasons the pairing works is because each actor has several scenes alone, which allows each actor to do the things that audiences expect of him – martial arts from Chan and brash, edgy, streetwise comedy from Tucker. In that way, when they are together, we can enjoy them instead of pining for what we expect from them as solo performers.

The film is written and directed as if it were a cheap knockoff of Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon. Without Chan and Tucker, Rush Hour would have been little better than a direct-to-video action movie, but with them, it is a highly entertaining action/comedy.

6 of 10
B

Friday, August 03, 2007

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Review: "Ghost Protocol" the Best "Mission: Impossible" Since First M:I Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Running time: 133 minutes (2 hours, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for scenes of intense action and violence
DIRECTOR: Brad Bird
WRITERS: Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (based upon the television series created by Bruce Geller)
PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Elswit (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Paul Hirsch
COMPOSER: Michael Giacchino

ACTION/ADVENTURE/SPY/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, Josh Holloway, Pavel Kriz, Miraj Grbic, and Ilia Volok, with Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, and Tom Wilkinson

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a 2011 action thriller and espionage film directed by Brad Bird and starring Tom Cruise. It is the fourth film in the Mission: Impossible film franchise, which is based on the U.S. television series, Mission: Impossible, created by Bruce Geller and aired on CBS from 1966 to 1973 (and revived on ABC from 1988-90).

Ghost Protocol finds the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) accused of a terrorist act and its agents forced to go rogue to clear the organization’s name. Stylish, humorous, and fast-paced, Ghost Protocol is the best Mission: Impossible movie since the 1996 original.

Super spy/secret agent and IMF team leader, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is locked in a Moscow prison. IMF sends agents from another team, Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), to extract him. Hunt is then assigned to lead Carter and Dunn on a mission to infiltrate the Moscow Kremlin archives in order to learn the identity of Cobalt, a terrorist determined to start worldwide nuclear war. When the Kremlin is bombed, however, IMF is blamed, and the Russians call the attack an undeclared act of war.

The President of the United States activates “Ghost Protocol,” which effectively disavows IMF and disbands it. The IMF Secretary (Tom Wilkinson) allows Hunt and his team to escape government custody so that they can track down Cobalt. The Secretary’s chief analyst, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who doesn’t seem to fit with the team, joins the mission. Without the vast resources of IMF, Ethan Hunt and his team are on their own as they try to stop Cobalt and restore IMF.

Simply put, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a terrific thriller. The filmmakers filled it with giant, action set pieces, which grabbed my attention and turned me into a pliant zombie. Despite the fact that many of these action scenes are just plain ludicrous, they are entertaining and thrilling. I used the rewind button to watch some of them a few more times. Perhaps, this movie thrives on the magic of Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning genius behind such Pixar Animation classics as The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Ghost Protocol certainly isn’t anywhere near reality, but Bird will not only make you suspend disbelief, but also hang it high just so that you can really enjoy this flick without thinking about all the ways it doesn’t make sense.

The cast is good, and Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, and Jeremy Renner’s characters have more to do than the supporting characters in the earlier Mission: Impossible films. Still, as ever, this is a Tom Cruise movie, so the big scenes, especially the fantastical action set pieces focus on Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. Cruise’s Mission: Impossible movies are not like the TV series, which was an ensemble espionage drama. If you find Ethan Hunt as annoying as other characters Cruise has played, you may not like this or like it as much as I do.

But I can’t complain. For 15 years, Cruise has delivered the crackerjack action movie that I expected each time I sat down to watch a Mission: Impossible installment. Cruise’s high-wire act over the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai is just one of the improbable parts that make Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol a thrilling thriller.

8 of 10
A

Thursday, April 19, 2012

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