Review: Eddie Murphy Made the Excellent "Shrek" Even Better

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux


Shrek (2001) – computer animated
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild language and some crude humor
DIRECTOR: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
WRITERS: Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman with additional dialogue by Cody Cameron, Chris Miller, and Conrad Vernon (based upon the book by Shrek! William Steig)
PRODUCERS: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Aron Warner, and John H. Williams
EDITOR: Sim Evan-Jones
Academy Award winner
ANIMATION/COMEDY/FANTASY and ADVENTURE/ROMANCE/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Michael Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, and Jim Cummings

Shrek (Michael Myers), a reclusive ogre, suddenly finds his home in the swamp beset by the denizens of hundreds of fairy tales. They are refugees of a hate campaign by a little despot named Lord Farquaad of Duloc (John Lithgow). Farquaad promises to remove the fairy tale beings from his home if Shrek rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a fearful fire-breathing dragon. By marrying a princess, Farquaad would become a king. The talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy) joins Shrek as his faithful steed on the quest to rescue the princess for Farquaad, but love has other plans.

From Pacific Data Images (PDI) and DreamWorks, respectively the computer animation studio and movie studio behind Antz, Shrek is a lively and funny cartoon that kids can watch but that is really aimed at adult viewers. With the requisite toys and novelties, the film is sure to attract children, and the film contains enough gross and childish humor to keep their attentions. Shrek’s success, however, is in its ability to tap into grown-up sensibilities. Literally having a pack of writers working on the script gives Shrek’s story multiple layers. The movie is filled with pop culture references, film references, bawdy humor, sight gags, and sly asides, and the romantic and sentimental aspects of the film are quite convincing.

The voice actors really carry the movie. Myers is, as always, able to create several character voices, and he creates two others in this film besides Shrek: the Narrator and one of the Three Blind Mice. Ms. Diaz has a nice performance as the princess, but she saves her best work for the film’s last quarter. John Lithgow, an accomplished actor who has played a few wacky villains in the last decade, revealed his comic chops in the television series “Third Rock from the Sun.” He doesn’t fail to please here; his Farquaad is nasty, petty, deceitful, and quite vindictive – a potent little menace who really deserves his comeuppance.

The star of the show, however, is Eddie Murphy as Donkey. We’ve come to take Murphy for granted. He hasn’t taken on oh-so-serious roles like other comedians, so many critics and moviegoers don’t think of him as a good actor. His Donkey is a jiving talking huckster, at one moment cowardly, brash the next, and a mentor when he has to be. The role fits Murphy like an old glove, but he makes Donkey so vital, so fresh, so funny. Like one of Robin Williams’s caricatures, Murphy is a chatterbox, but he doesn’t wear thin; even his mumblings are funny. His verbosity never annoys, and Donkey is the axis upon which this story turns. Lose him and you have a passable, middling movie.

Shrek is a surprise, and it went on to win the first Oscar® for Best Animated Feature. It is truly for all ages. Funny and touching, it is Hollywood product that is near perfect entertainment – well put together by its cast and creators.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2002 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Animated Feature” (Aron Warner); 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S.H. Schulman)

2002 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S.H. Schulman); 5 nominations: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell). “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Ken Bielenberg), “Best Film” (Aron Warner, John H. Williams, and Jeffrey Katzenberg), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Eddie Murphy), and “Best Sound” (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Wylie Stateman, and Lon Bender

2001 Won BAFTA Children's Award Best Feature Film (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, Aron Warner, and Jeffrey Katzenberg)

2002 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy”

"Cross Game" Anime Streaming at VIZAnime.com

VIZ MEDIA STREAMING NEW ANIME SERIES CROSS GAME ONLINE AT VIZAnime.com

Joining The Highly Anticipated Preview Of The Manga

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the very special North American premiere of the new anime series - CROSS GAME, a story set against the backdrop of baseball that explores the bonds of love shared between family and friends. CROSS GAME is streaming free on VIZ Media’s VIZAnime website (www.VIZAnime.com) beginning today.

The news follows an announcement last month of VIZ Media’s planned preview of the CROSS GAME manga series, which is scheduled to also go live today, on the company’s Shonen Sunday website (www.ShonenSunday.com). The manga series, created by Mitsuru Adachi, is scheduled for release under the Shonen Sunday imprint on October 12, 2010.

CROSS GAME is a moving coming-of-age drama that is heartfelt and true and flows delightfully with a light and amusing touch. The series centers around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street, and their shared passion for the sport of baseball.

“VIZAnime is a convenient new one-stop web destination where visitors stream hundreds of episodes from not only classic VIZ Media anime properties, but also brand new series like CROSS GAME,” says Andy Nakatani, Editorial Manager, VIZ Media. “CROSS GAME was created by one of the most talented names in manga and the anime counterpart is a wonderful adaptation of the well-crafted story of baseball, adolescence, tragedy and newfound love. We invite fans to explore VIZAnime and see what the growing buzz is all about.”

VIZAnime is a free-to-use interactive web destination that is now the permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series. New content is now added on a weekly basis.

Series currently featured on VIZAnime includes BLEACH, BUSO RENKIN, DEATH NOTE, HONEY AND CLOVER, HIKARU-NO-GO, INUYASHA, INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT, KEKKAISHI, NANA, NARUTO, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, ONE PIECE and THE PRINCE OF TENNIS.

To view subtitled CROSS GAME animated episodes (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and other VIZ Media animated titles please visit www.VIZAnime.com.

For more information on the CROSS GAME manga (rated ‘T’ for teens) and other titles from VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint, please visit http://www.shonensunday.com/.

Review: As Ever, Queen Latifah is "JUST WRIGHT"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Just Wright (2010)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some suggestive material and brief language
DIRECTOR: Sanaa Hamri
WRITER: Michael Elliot
PRODUCERS: Shakim Compere and Queen Latifah
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Terry Stacey
EDITOR: Melissa Kent
COMPOSERS: Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin

ROMANCE/DRAMA/SPORTS

Starring: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patten, James Pickens Jr., Phylicia Rashad, Pam Grier, Laz Alonzo, Mechad Brooks, Michael Landes, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, Jalen Rose, Kenny Smith, Mike Fratello, and Marv Albert

At first glance, the romantic sports drama, Just Wright, is special because it is a screen romance in which both the female and male leads are African-American actors. What makes Just Wright extra special is that it is a Queen Latifah movie. The Queen, with her lovely, open, and joyous film persona, always delivers a good time – even if she has to carry the movie, and she is indeed the leading scorer in this basketball love story.

The film focuses on Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah), a straight-shooting physical therapist; with her, what you see is what you get. Everyone thinks that Leslie is just the bee’s knees, even the men Leslie dates, but none of them will commit to her beyond just being a friend. A diehard fan of the professional basketball team, the New Jersey Nets, Leslie has a chance encounter with the Nets’ NBA All-Star, Scott McKnight (Common). The two surprisingly strike up a friendship, and Scott invites Leslie to his birthday party. At the party, however, Scott is immediately attracted to Leslie’s gorgeous cousin, Morgan Alexander (Paul Patten), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife.

Then, Scott tears ligaments in his knee, threatening the future of his NBA career, and Scott becomes frustrated and withdrawn. Leslie eventually takes the job of helping Scott rehab his knee, but it is a full time job. Leslie begins to have strong feelings for Scott and he for her, but is Leslie destined to be a “best friend” or Scott’s true love?

Just Wright is a formulaic romantic drama. It is kind of a Cinderella story with Queen Latifah’s Leslie Wright as Cinderella, and Paul Patten’s Morgan as Cinderella’s stepsisters wrapped into one radiantly beautiful body. In this scenario, Cinderella is everybody’s best friend, but no one’s true love. The handsome prince is the rich, basketball star, Scott McKnight, who is dazzled by the beauty of the conniving Morgan.

Of course, Just Wright is selling Leslie Wright as being “just right” for Scott, and the film’s script, written by Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar), does everything to make Leslie look better and better as the narrative unfurls and to make Morgan look like a vacuous gold-digger who seems almost sociopathic. Morgan’s character would be a joke except for the fact that the underrated Paula Patten gives the kind of high-quality performance that will make the audience want to see more of Morgan. On the other hand, the script doesn’t do much with Scott McKnight other than make him a good catch as a husband – rich, loyal, and kind-hearted. Even Common, in an awkward and uneven performance, doesn’t make McKnight seem like much more than something nice for a girl to have.

Maybe it is Queen Latifah’s fault. Compared to many rapper-turned-actors, Common is usually good in the movies in which he appears, but screen presence of Queen Latifah (another rapper-turned-actor) often overwhelms her costars’ presence. Whenever she is on television or the big screen, Latifah seems to have a natural sunniness about her, and in comedies, she radiates cheer and poise. She carries herself with confidence and projects that she is comfortable in her own skin. Latifah is Just Wright; the movie clearly exists for her to entertain us. Even Paula Patten and appearances from two wonderful sisters like Phylicia Rashad and Pam Grier cannot change the fact that this is all Latifah, all the time.

When a formula works, it reminds us of why it is a formula; we can rely on it. Just Wright uses the romantic formula with decent if not always good results. But in the end, the lovable Queen Latifah makes it all right.

6 of 10
B

Monday, May 17, 2010

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Louie Psihoyos Talks "The Cove" - A Bits and Bites Extra

This year's Academy Award winner for "Best Documentary" is a film called The Cove.  Directed by renowned National Geographic photographer and first-time filmmaker, Louie Psihoyos, the film documents an annual ritual in a small coastal Japanese town called Taiji, in which thousands of dolphins and porpoises are slaughtered by the residents.  The residents even capture dolphins that they sell to U.S. marine mammal parks for upwards of $200,000.

Apparently, there have been efforts on the parts of the Japanese government and the U.S. military to ban and cancel screenings of The Cove in Japan.  Psihoyos gave an interview to Your Call, a daily radio call-in show broadcast in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, in which he discusses The Cove's success, whaling, and environmental issues.  Go here to listen to the interview.

"The Spy Next Door" on DVD Tuesday

From Lionsgate:

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Acclaimed martial-arts superstar Jackie Chan (The Forbidden Kingdom) is back to kick up the action and bring in the laughs with his latest film, The Spy Next Door, making its way onto a 2-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack – which includes both Blu-ray and DVD – and is also available as a separate DVD and for digital download. From the director of Snow Dogs, the film features a star-studded cast including Amber Valletta (Hitch), Billy Ray Cyrus (Disney’s “Hannah Montana”) and George Lopez (Valentine’s Day), and grossed over $24 million at the box office. This KIDS FIRST!-endorsed action-comedy which also received the Dove Foundation Seal of Approval, contains bonus features the whole family will enjoy – including a blooper reel and two fun featurettes that bring audiences up-close and personal with the cast.

In true Jackie Chan fashion, The Spy Next Door delivers incredible stunts, fast action suspense and hearty family entertainment. When Bob Ho is called to babysit his neighbor’s unruly children, they accidentally blow his cover as a spy by downloading secret codes on his computer. Suddenly Bob has to kick into super agent mode and take the kids on an action-packed adventure that turns suburbia upside down. Bob fights off assassins and arch villains, narrowly escapes traps and outsmarts double-agents while somehow managing to keep the kids out of harm’s way. The film is “High-flying family fun” (movieweb.com) and “Zany action for the whole family” (nycmovieguru.com). The Spy Next Door will be available on Blu-ray Combo pack for the suggested retail price of $39.99 or on DVD for $29.95.

*BLU-RAY COMBO PACK/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• “Jackie Chan: Stunt Master and Mentor” featurette
• “Adventures in Acting with the Kids from The Spy Next Door” featurette
• Blooper reel
*subject to change

CAST
Jackie Chan: The Forbidden Kingdom, Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, The Tuxedo, Rumble in the Bronx
Amber Valletta: Hitch, Gamer, Premonition, Transporter 2, Raising Helen, The Family Man, Duplex
Madeline Carroll: When a Stranger Calls, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Swing Vote
Will Shadley: TV’s “Dirty Sexy Money,” Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Magnús Scheving: TV’s “LazyTown”
with Billy Ray Cyrus Hannah Montana: The Movie, Mulholland Drive, Bait Shop, TV’s “Doc” and George Lopez Valentine’s Day, Swing Vote, Balls of Fury, Real Women Have Curves

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2009
Title Copyright: © 2009 Spy Next Door, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: PG for sequences of action violence and some mild rude humor
Genre: Action/Adventure, Family, Comedy
Closed Captioned: DVD - English Closed Captioned
Blu-ray – English SDH
Subtitles: English and Spanish
DVD Format: 16x9 Widescreen (1.78)
Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition 16x9 Widescreen (1.78)
Feature Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Audio Status: 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital
Blu-ray Disc Audio Status: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Review: "Something New" is Quite Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 135 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Something New (2006)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual references
DIRECTOR: Sanaa Hamri
WRITER: Kriss Turner
PRODUCER: Stephanie Allain
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Shane Hurlbut
EDITOR: Melissa Kent
Black Reel Award winner

COMEDY/DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Simon Baker, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Mike Epps, Taraji P. Henson, Donald Faison, Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood, Golden Brooks, Earl Billings, and Matt Malloy

Kenya Denise McQueen (Sanaa Lathan) has carefully calculated her professional life, and the young African-American accounting executive is up for partner at the firm for which she works. Still, she’s concerned that her personal life doesn’t measure up to her professional success. She accepts a blind date coordinated by a colleague, but the blind date turns out to be a white man named Brian Kelly (Simon Baker). She brushes him off, but that’s not the last she hears from Brian. He also turns out to be the sexy, free-spirited landscape architect a friend recommends. A relationship develops between Kenya and Brian, but though he’s comfortable with her, she can’t get past the fact that he is a white man. She’s later meets the IBM, the Ideal Black Man, a tax attorney named Mark (Blair Underwood), and they seemingly hit it off. Although Mark seems like her dream come true, Kenya’s heart might be somewhere else – regardless of what her friends, family, and the rest of society have to say.

Something New is the latest film about interracial (an absurd term) dating. The best-known recent examples include Spike Lee’s infamous Jungle Fever and the Julia Stiles hit, Save the Last Dance. Something New is not as incendiary as the former, nor does it have the youthful passion of the latter. The film by director Sanaa Hamri and writer Kriss Turner (a TV scribe whose credits include “Whoopi” and “Everybody Hates Chris”) is rather tame, but gets its energy from a willing cast. We know what the film is supposed to be about – unexpected love, but we know what this film is really about – a black girl dating a white guy. The actors grapple with that, and all they have to work with is Turner’s screenplay, which doesn’t know if it’s a love story or a lesson planner. Everything seems a little too loose, in a subject matter that demands structure (although I may be wrong) Still, what Turner’s script and Hamri’s directing offer would be enough to make this a good film. The actors make Something New a little better than just “good.”

One really impressive thing about this is that it showcases so many talented Black actors, whom we’d normally not see, at least not more than once a year. Alfre Woodard is fantastic as Kenya’s mother, Joyce McQueen, and one can only assume that being a Black actress has more often than not been an impediment to her career. Here, she shines as a woman madly wedded to her social status and to the idea that her children should live up to it – or so it seems. Wendy Raquel Robinson is equally good as the friend/voice of reason, Cheryl.

Leads Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker do have screen chemistry, mostly because they play their characters so well, knowing exactly what to give their characters respective to the needs of the story. It’s their performances, in particularly Sanaa Lathan’s that gives this film its juice. Lathan practically emanates career obsession and embodies the hard-working, professional black woman tightly holding it together in all the ways it takes to climb the corporate ladder. At times, it is uncanny how true she makes Kenya’s reactions to people and situations. Her acting in the Starbucks’ scene when Kenya first meets Brian is uncommonly good – the art of verisimilitude with an attention to detail that gives this scene a documentary feel. It’s everything she does. Kenya’s vainly subtle ticks when she’s in public with Brian seem like painful compromises with strangers so that they won’t sneer at her for being with a white man. Those things that Lathan does make this a genuinely moving picture.

Baker is perfect as the laid-back, free spirit who just won’t hide his disdain for social hang-ups. In the end, he tips the balance and makes this movie seem, if not quite real, honest in its intentions. Something New makes its points in a gentle way while offering several entertaining supporting characters and then occasionally gives the viewer a hard nudge thanks to fine situational acting. Something New is the good choice for those wishing to either make that leap to the other side or just see how cool things could be if we all just got along… or at least the few of us who get along no matter what the hell the others have to say

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, June 24, 2006

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Twilight News: Regal Theatres Has "Eclipse" Tickets on Sale

Regal Entertainment Group Announces Tickets Now On Sale for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Midnight Shows Preceded by Regal Encore Presentations of ‘Twilight’ and ‘New Moon’

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regal Entertainment Group, a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, announced today that tickets are on sale for Twilight Saga: Eclipse opening on Wednesday, June 30. Fans of this popular series can also see the first two films in the series at a special double-feature price of $10 with Twilight showing at 6:30PM and Twilight Saga: New Moon at 9:00PM on Tuesday, June 29. This Regal Encore Presentation of the two earlier films will then be followed by the first 12:01AM screening of Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

“We are excited to celebrate the latest release from this movie franchise based on Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster book series. Our moviegoers will be amongst the first to see Eclipse at our special midnight showings and fans will also have the opportunity to enjoy the extremely popular first and second films again on the big screen,” stated Dick Westerling, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising for Regal Entertainment Group.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens Wednesday, June 30 in traditional 35mm format, digital projection and The IMAX Experience®. Eclipse is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality. Tickets for the new film are sold separately from the $10 double feature ticket for Twilight and Twilight Saga: New Moon.

In Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Bella (Kristen Stewart) once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.

Regal Encore Presentations of Twilight and Twilight Saga: New Moon both rated PG-13, are available at 441 Regal Entertainment Group theatres.

Visit www.REGmovies.com for updated information about ticket sales, showtimes and locations.


About Regal Entertainment Group:
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the United States. The Company's theatre circuit, comprising Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres, operates 6,739 screens in 545 locations in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Regal operates theatres in 43 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the Company's theatre circuit not only provide its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable movie-going experience, but is also an exceptional platform to realize economies of scale in theatre operations. Additional information is available on the Company's Web site at www.REGmovies.com.

Movie Review: "Brown Sugar" Was Much Needed

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 62 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Brown Sugar (2002)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Rick Famuyiwa
WRITERS: Michael Elliot and Rick Famuyiwa, from a story by Michael Elliot
PRODUCER: Peter Heller
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Earvin “Magic” Johnson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jeff Barnett and Enrique Chediak (director of photography)
EDITOR: Dirk Westervelt
Black Reel Award winner

ROMANCE with elements of drama

Starring: Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Mos Def, Nicole Ari Parker, Boris Kodjoe, and Queen Latifah

National Basketball Association legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson entered the world of filmmaking as executive producer in what 20th Century Fox billed as a hip-hop romance, Brown Sugar. The truth of the matter is that the hip-hop has very little to do with the romance other than being window dressing. The fact of the matter is that Brown Sugar is actually a nice romance.

Dre (Taye Diggs) and Sidney (Sanaa Lathan, Love & Basketball) have been friends since childhood. Dre is a successful record executive and Sidney wrote articles on hip-hop music for the Los Angeles Times before moving on to run XXL magazine. They’re each other’s best friend, sharing the good times and the bad and sharing gossip and the intimate secrets of their lives. They only once came close to consummating their deep friendship as serious love, but avoided it. However, when Dre rushes into marriage with Reese (Nicole Ari Parker, Remember the Titans), a high society money girl that he hasn’t known very long, Sidney has mixed feelings, and her deeper love for Dre begins to surface.

Director Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood) and co-writer Michael Elliot seemed determined to make a film that’s simply about romance in which hip-hop is as important to the story as the romance is. Both characters are obviously big fans of hip-hop; both their careers are built around it. The writers even have the characters mouth platitudes about how great hip-hop is. But no matter how much they talk about hip-hop, rap music, or whatever you want to call it, the story of the film is about two friends finally succumbing to the love they have for each other that they both denied for so long, a denial that has one in a bad marriage and the other about to enter into one. The hip-hop love jones is strained and forced, and it severely hampers the romantic center of this movie; the love story is natural and flows.

This film may not be as well known as more “mainstream” and “traditional” romantic films like Sleepless in Seattle or When Harry Met Sally, but Brown Sugar is good. It’s not perfect, but when I was growing up, films like this simply didn’t exist. They couldn’t; racist Hollywood didn’t want to make them, and the beast always claimed that there was no audience for such a film. Well, there’s always an audience for good films; it may not be as large as the audience for Titanic, but people will find a good movie.

I must say that the performances outshine the film. Taye Diggs is a good actor, and he has the stature and emotional range to play a leading man. Can’t you just see how much fun he would have been in something like Boomerang? Ms. Lathan is new to me, but I like what she has to offer. She easily skates through her character of this soft script, managing to be a comedian, a heroine, and a lovelorn professional gal just looking for true love. Queen Latifah adds spark to this film, although her part is quite small, but her hip-hop colleague, Mos Def, is another find. He played the sidekick very well, and he manages to be “real” as a hip-hop artist without once calling a bitch a ho or threatening to peal a nigga’s cap back. He’s a natural, quite comfortable on screen, and I hope to see more of him.

If Magic Johnson has more films like Brown Sugar up his sleeves, by all means, he should go to fewer Laker games and more studio briefings.

6 of 10
B

Review: "Daybreakers" Breaks Vampire Mold... Sort of

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Daybreakers (2009)
Release date: January 8, 2010
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity
DIRECTORS: Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig
WRITERS: The Spierig Brothers
PRODUCERS: Chris Brown, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Nott
EDITOR: Matt Villa

HORROR/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Isabel Lucas, Vince Colosimo, Jay Laga’aia, Christopher Kirby, and Sam Neill

Daybreakers mixes new flavors and ingredients into the old blood that is vampire apocalypse movies. This U.S./Australian co-production has some fresh ideas and some bite to it, but ultimately, the filmmakers, The Spierig Brothers (Undead), seemed content to make another action movie, or at least focus on action.

In the film: by the year 2019, a vicious plague has transformed most of Earth’s population into vampires. With the human population down to five percent, the world is losing what is now its most precious resource – blood. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a vampire and also a researcher for the corporation, Bromley Marks. Dalton is trying to create a blood substitute to answer the growing vampire food crisis because of the shrinking blood supply.

Dalton encounters a covert group of humans and their charismatic leader, Lionel “Elvis” Cormac (Willem Dafoe) and his right-hand woman, Audrey Bennett (Claudia Karvan). They are working on a way to turn vampires back into humans and have already made a remarkable discovery which may save the human race. However, Bromley Marks CEO, Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), has plans of his own for the future of the blood supply, and he is using Dalton’s brother, Frankie (Michael Dorman), as his thug.

As a narrative, Daybreakers comes together quite well. For what is essentially a vampire, B-movie, this film is thoughtfully shot and staged. It also has pretensions to be socially relevant and offers commentary on the current state of world affairs. Daybreakers’ vampire plague and Bromley Marks’ response to it are metaphors for corporate exploitation of human suffering and also all-consuming greed. Still, this movie often feels disjointed because the thoughtful character and social drama clash with the brutal fight scenes, fierce action scenes, and the occasional bloodshed, which comes in abrupt splatters like rude ejaculations.

Visually, that is OK for a science fiction film that emphasizes sudden violence and brutality, but the Spierig Brothers should have taken advantage of the complicated and well-conceived family dynamics they obviously took the time to create. Playing up the Dalton brothers’ relationship even more would have better served this film than some of the gunfight and vampire attack scenes.

On the other hand, a movie that is so unromantic about vampires can’t be all that bad. Plus, Daybreakers stars three actors that I have always thought have an alluring screen presence: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neill, and they didn’t disappoint me here. Daybreakers is fun and thoughtful; too bad it subverts its new ideas for old ideas – bloody violence piled upon more blood and violence.

5 of 10
B-

Friday, May 14, 2010

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NBC Cancels Original "Law & Order;" Launches Another

According to HitFix, NBC officially announced that "Law & Order" will not be back for the 2010-2011 season.  This ends the series at 20 seasons, tying it with Gunsmoke as the longest-running drama in primetime television history.  "Law & Order" won the 1997 Emmy for "Outstanding Drama Series." The series finale for "Law & Order" will air on Monday, May 24.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" has been picked up for a 12th season.  "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" will continue on USA.

NBC will begin "Law & Order: Los Angeles" for the 2010-11 season. The new show will also have the Law & Order brand's familiar storytelling structure, but set on the West Coast.  The new series is created by "Law and Order" creator Dick Wolf and Blake Masters.  No news on casting as yet.

I was an avid watcher of "Law & Order" beginning in 1994 until about the late 90s, often watching it on NBC and on whatever cable channel I could find repeats.  I don't watch as much TV as I used to, but I still find time for "Law & Order."  I am a little disappointed at this news, but there are so many episodes that I haven't seen and so many episodes in general that I can't really be sad.

Queen Latifah Lovely in "Last Holiday"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Last Holiday (2006)
Running time: 112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual references
DIRECTOR: Wayne Wang
WRITERS: Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman (based upon the screenplay by J.B. Priestley)
PRODUCERS: Laurence Mark and Jack Rapke
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Geoffrey Simpson, ACS
EDITOR: Deirdre Slevin

COMEDY with elements of adventure/drama/romance

Starring: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kellermann, Jascha Washington, Michael Nouri, and Ranjit Chowdhry

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) lives a quiet life in New Orleans, La., where she is a shy cookware salesman for Kragen department store. Suddenly, one day, a company doctor diagnoses her with a rare and terminal disease of the brain, and she only has three weeks to live. Georgia, who has always lived her life in a box tucked inside her big dreams, decides to go out with a bang. She quits her job, cashes in her bonds and retirement accounts, and embarks on a vacation to the central European resort village of Karlovy Vary.

Georgia arrives at the Grandhotel Pupp having undergone a metamorphosis that, in turn, affects everyone around her, and her new, uninhibited personality shakes up hotel staff and guest alike. Georgia makes a bond with the hotel’s venerated chef, Didier (Gerard Depardieu), and even attracts the attention a Louisiana Congressman, Senator Dillings (Giancarlo Esposito), who is from her neighborhood. Coincidentally, Georgia also runs into her old retail magnate boss, Matthew Kragen (Timothy Hutton), and his besieged assistant/lover, Ms. Burns (Alicia Witt), who are both convinced that she is a business rival. In spite of all the attention she draws, Georgia enjoys the hotel’s snowy slopes, spectacular spas, delectable dinners, and midnight balls. Living a lifetime in the span of a few weeks, Georgia is about to get an even bigger surprise on New Years Day, as an old coworker, Sean Matthews (LL Cool J), arrives with a shocking announcement.

Last Holiday, a remake of a 1950 starring Sir Alec Guinness, is the perfect vehicle for Queen Latifah’s talents. Her abilities as a comic actress and her friendly, opening personality shine in this film, which might seem like piffle, but has some meat on it. Director Wayne Wang, known for his independent films like Smoke and Chinese Box, and for such mainstream, family friendly fare as Maid in Manhattan and Because of Winn-Dixie, smartly plays up to Latifah’s strengths, so where the film might falter on script or characters, it revives whenever the Queen is on stage.

And there are some weak characters. Timothy Hutton’s Matthew Kragen is the typical narcissistic antagonistic billionaire wannabe who, of course, has lost sight of what really matters in life; heck, it would be nice if he could just be nice to people. It’s no surprise that it is Georgia Byrd who will eventually help him see the light. Alicia Witt’s Ms. Burns is Kragen’s typically put upon assistant and sweet stuff on the side. I’ve always liked Alicia, and she does indeed give Ms. Burns, as she does with any character she plays, a bit of her distinctive personality. That’s kind of the same thing LL Cool J does. He may not be an A-list movie star, but the man is a good actor and belongs in movies. Giancarlo Esposito also makes the most of his underutilized character, Senator Dillings, just by doing his usual good work.

Ultimately, this is Queen Latifah’s show, and if you like her, you’ll really dig the charming Georgia Byrd with her effervescent personality. You’ll probably get a champagne kick out of this poignant, but more-sweet-than-sad film. The drama in Last Holiday might come across as a bit phony, but there is something honest and true about Georgia’s plight to finally stop waiting for life to happen and try to at least live part of her fondest wishes.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, February 4, 2006

"Beauty Shop" is Simply a Queen Latifah Vehicle

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 57 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Beauty Shop (2005)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 on appeal for sexual material, language, and brief drug references
DIRECTOR: Bille Woodruff
WRITERS: Kate Lanier and Norman Vance, Jr.; from a story by Elizabeth Hunter
PRODUCERS: Elizabeth Cantillon, Shakim Compere, David Hoberman, Queen Latifah, Robert Teitel, and George Tillman, Jr.
CINEMTOGRAPHER: Theo van de Sande
EDITOR: Michael Jablow

COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell, Alfre Woodard, Mena Suvari, Della Reese, Golden Brooks, Miss Laura Hayes, Paige Hurd, Little (Li’l) JJ, LisaRaye McCoy, Kevin Bacon, Djimon Hounsou, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Sherri Shepherd, Kimora Lee Simmons, Sheryl Underwood, Bryce Wilson, Omari Hardwick, Jim Holmes, and Adele Givens

Gina Norris (Queen Latifah) is a long way off from Chicago where we last saw her in Barbershop 2: Back in Business. She’s in Atlanta (Hot-lanta!) making her rep with the cutting-edge hairstyles she puts on the customers at a posh Atlanta salon. However, her flamboyant, egotistical boss, Jorge (Kevin Bacon), is jealous of her, and after one insult too many from him, Gina quits. She opens her on beauty shop, but right from the beginning, she has all the usual troubles that a small business has: not enough money, state regulations, unruly employees, etc. One of her old co-workers, shampoo girl, Lynn (Alicia Silverstone), and a few key clients, Terri (Andie MacDowell) and Joanne (Mena Suvari), follow her. Now, all she has to do is maintain her family obligations and keep her struggling business afloat. That should be easy, right? At least, there’s lot of laughter and friendship along the way.

Beauty Shop is a spin off, but by no means a sequel, to the Barbershop films. This really is a women’s movie, and with its diverse cast of black and white actresses, as well as other persuasions, it’s a (grown up) girls’ movie with crossover appeal. The language is a bit blue, and the frank talk about sex is enough to make even a veteran of caustic movies like myself blanch. Still, I saw children buying tickets to see the film, and it does reach out to them. Gina has a daughter, a character to appeal to younger viewers, and frankly, girls want to hear women talk; besides, Beauty Shop’s subject matter isn’t prurient.

The plot is light, but deals with a familiar and appealing theme: the little guy taking on the evil big guy who wants to squeeze the little guy out of existence. Beauty Shop has lots of laughs, but it’s as much a drama as it is a comedy. Gina’s struggle to stay afloat is not only precarious, but has a hard ring of verisimilitude. Also, some of the confrontations between characters are filled with funny wisecracks, but also have a dark edge and tension to them.

This is also an ensemble picture, with Queen Latifah in the lead, a character-driven film that focuses on the players with the plot holding second place. Everyone plays her (or his) oddball well enough, although Alicia Silverstone’s Georgia cracker, Lynn, is a bit too much, as is Kevin Bacon’s ridiculous Jorge. The Queen is an underrated actress. She handles the topsy-turvy of the film’s comic/dramatic turns with dexterity that belies her size. She’s a beautiful movie star, and her radiance grows with each film. Without her, Beauty Shop would be another tired “urban” movie cliché full of mouthy, smack-talking ethnics. Luckily, she is in Beauty Shop, and she raises this sub-par material and takes her co-stars with her.

6 of 10
B

April 10, 2005

Eugene Robinson on Lena Horne

In "Lena Horne: A Glamorous Revolutionary,"  Pulitizer Prize-winning journalist and commentator Eugene Robinson remembers Lena Horne, who died Sunday.  Robinson writes for The Washington Post, but Truthout is carry the piece.  Here is a highlight from the column:

Horne, who died Sunday at 92, was an infiltrator. She strode confidently through doors that had been closed to African-American entertainers, and was able to do so because white audiences found her not just beautiful and talented, but also non-threatening. Late in her life, she gave a sense of how difficult that role had been to play.

I recommend this reading this well written column.

Review: Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood" is Flick Still Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Running time: 143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Kevin Reynolds
WRITERS: Pen Densham and John Watson (from a story by Pen Densham)
PRODUCERS: Pen Densham, John Watson, and Richard B. (Barton) Lewis with Kevin Costner (no screen credit)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Douglas Milsome
EDITOR: Peter Boyle
Academy Award nominee

ADVENTURE/ROMANCE/DRAMA with elements of action and comedy

Starring: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, Geraldine McEwan, Michael McShane, Michael Wincott, Nick Brimble, and Soo Drouet with (uncredited) Sean Connery

Plagued by controversy, Kevin Costner’s reworking of the Robin Hood legend, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was the first blockbuster hit of 1991 and finished the year in the top five highest grossing films. On the way to the screen, Costner and his producing partners (Costner doesn’t actually get screen credit for his role as a producer) locked director Kevin Reynolds (Costner’s friend at the time) and editor Peter Boyle out of the editing room in order to cut their own version of the film.

Critics and fans panned Costner for his wooden acting, stiff speaking style, and bad English accent or half-accent, but the movie is entertaining. It’s not Errol Flynn’s The Adventures of Robin Hood (of which I find critical and fan opinion a tad bit overblown), but Prince of Thieves is rousing entertainment. Despite it’s almost television movie quality, Robin Hood is charming with its humor, slightly cheesy romance, and stirring adventure.

In this version, Robin of Locksley (Costner) returns from the Third Crusades with a foreign friend, the Moor Azeem (Morgan Freeman). Robin finds his father dead and his lands dispossessed to the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). Nottingham is starving the poor peasants and stealing their money, as well as gold and other treasures in order to create a large enough bribe to get the English barons to join him in a revolt against the still-missing King Richard the Lionhearted. Locksley becomes Robin Hood and joins a band of peasants hiding in Sherwood Forest. He convinces them to follow his lead in a revolt against Nottingham. Robin also has time to romance a childhood friend, Marian Dubois or “Maid Marian” (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), who is also the flower of Nottingham’s eye.

Alan Rickman drew very favorable responses, even raves, for his performance as Nottingham, and he gives the film a decided edge with his gallows humor and his odd combination of self-deprecation and egotism. His Nottingham serves to make Costner’s stiff Robin Hood really seem like a bold and brave leader against Nottingham’s tyranny. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is a lovely presence and she brings enchantment to the Robin and Marian romance. This isn’t a great film, but Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a simple film that gives simple pleasures.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
1992 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Music, Original Song” (Michael Kamen-music, Bryan Adams-lyrics, and Robert John Lange-lyrics for the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You")

1992 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Alan Rickman) and 1 nomination: “Best Costume Design” (John Bloomfield)

1992 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Michael Kamen) and “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Michael Kamen-music, Bryan Adams-lyrics, and Robert John Lange-lyrics for the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You")

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On Lena Horne's Passing

As many of you know, iconic singer and actress Lena Horne died Sunday, May 9, 2010 at the age of 92.  I first became familiar with Horne through her appearance on the Sanford and Son episode "A Visit from Lena Horne" as herself (Season 2, Episode 12).  I admired her, but I'd being lying if I said that I was a big fan because I was not.

Most of Horne's film appearances were stand-alone sequences, in which she usually sang, that could be edited out without disrupting the films' story.  That was done to appease theatre owners and chains in the South that could not show black performers during the 1930s and 40s.

Associate Press writer Verena Dobnik offers this obituary via Yahoo.
At BET.com, April Woodard has an appreciation of Horne.

Review: Queen Latifah Makes "Taxi" a Winner

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Taxi (2004)
Running time: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language, sensuality, and brief violence
DIRECTOR: Tim Story
WRITERS: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, and Jim Kouf (based upon an earlier screenplay by Luc Besson)
PRODUCER: Luc Besson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Vance Burberry
EDITOR: Stuart Levy

ACTION/COMEDY with elements of crime and a thriller

Starring: Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Henry Simmons, Jennifer Esposito, Gisele Bundchen, Ana Cristina De Oliveira, Ingrid Vandebosch, Magali Amadei, Ann-Margaret, and Christian Kane with Jeff Gordon

Belle (Queen Latifah), a mouthy and feisty New York City cab driver with a souped up cab, helps Washburn (Jimmy Fallon), an inept and green cop, solve a series of bank hold ups committed by a band of female Brazilian bank robbers, led by the sexy Vanessa (Gisele Bundchen), who is as good at driving at super high speeds through NYC traffic as Belle is.

The first scene of Taxi, an American version of the French series created by Luc Besson (creator of The Fifth Element, who also produces this version), features a NYC bike messenger flying through and over the streets and landmarks of the city in a manner that would mark him as super human. It was like something out of a video game or a James Bond movie. When the biker reaches the office where he works, he slips off his helmet to reveal that he is Queen Latifah. A slim stunt rider can’t pass for someone as… pleasantly plumb as the Queen. But the Queen and her co-star, Jimmy Fallon, have it going on.

Taxi is a cheesy, thrill ride, a funny action comedy that has more laughs than it has moments that stretch belief, and it has lots of moments that cross over into fantasy. Still, the important thing in terms of entertainment is to make a funny movie. No, the cop/FBI angle, as it is in Taxi, wouldn’t work in the real world, but here it works to lots of laughs. And the car races and chase scenes may not be The Fast and the Furious, but they’re 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Queen Latifah and Fallon have great screen chemistry. You can really believe that her Belle hates Fallon’s Washburn, but there’s truth in both their characters. You can buy their characters and the progression of their relationship as the film progresses. It’s dumb, but funny. The Queen is a talented and funny screen comedienne, and Fallon’s shtick works here. He’s not the macho action star; he’s more sweet, charming and vulnerable, but what keeps him from being a chump is that his Washburn is perseveres. No matter what knocks him down, he’s subtly relentless and machine like in his quest to be an effective cop. You can respect this soft guy who is not so soft after all. He’s got grit and determination. So you may not have wanted to buy a ticket to see Taxi, but if you have a sense of humor, this thrilling, action-paced comedy is worth a rental.

7 of 10
B+

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Terrence Howard Opposite Jennifer Hudson in "Winnie" (A Negromancer News Bits & Bites Extra)

South African filmmaker Darrell J. Roodt (Father Hood and Cry, the Beloved Country) is directing a film called, "Winnie," with the screenplay based on the Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography, Winnie Mandela: A Life.  Jennifer Hudon has been cast as Winnie Mandela.

Now, according to Hollywood trade paper, Variety, Terrence Howard has been tapped to play Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president and Winnie's former husband.  The article at AOL Black Voices' "BV on Movies" blog has more information.

I do remember that there was some controversy in South Africa over the casting of Hudson as Winnie Mandela, and the BV article does mention it.  I have to say that I'm not crazy about this casting either, but I look forward to being surprised.

Review: "Iron Man 2" Doesn't Disappoint

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language
DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau
WRITER: Justin Theroux (based on the characters and stories created by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Libatique (director of photography)
EDITORS: Dan Lebental and Richard Pearson

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, John Slatterly, Jon Favreau, Garry Shandling, and Paul Bettany (voice)

Back in 2008, the most anticipated superhero event movie was Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which certainly delivered on its promise and more. Many people were looking past the early May release of Iron Man; some had even been laughing at this film, which starred a superhero character that was probably C-list (at best) in the minds of the general movie-going audience. Iron Man was a surprise smash, grossing over 300 million dollars domestically. Now, the sequel, Iron Man 2, arrives with a bigger bang, and actually improves on the original – giving us more Iron Man-in-action.

As the new film opens, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) reveals to the world that he is the armored superhero, Iron Man, whom people previously believed was Stark’s bodyguard. However, that only puts Stark under more pressure from the federal government, especially the grandstanding Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), to share his technology with the military. Stark is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the technology will slip into the wrong hands.

When an unexpected adversary attacks Tony Stark using technology similar to the Iron Man armor, the public, the press, and Senator Stern are no longer willing to take no for an answer. In fact, this new villain, a Russian named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), has a connection to Tony’s late father, Howard Stark (John Slatterly), and Vanko even joins forces with Stark’s industrial rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). With his secretary Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) by his side, Tony forges new alliances – the mysterious Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a shadowy new assistant, Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) – and confronts the two men determined to destroy him.

Watching Iron Man 2, one gets the feeling that the cast is having a good time, especially Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Downey spent a decade sabotaging his career via drug addiction, which was sad, but made even worse by the fact that Downey was such a damn fine actor. Surviving the scourge of Lady Cocaine, Downey has resurrected his career, in large part by revealing his deft skills as a comic actor who can throw down droll wit and sledgehammer snark with equal power. Iron Man 2 simply reminds me that I could watch Downey all day as Iron Man or Tony Stark

Gwyneth Paltrow is equally good as Pepper Potts, but her good work only serves as a reminder that this is a sadly underutilized character. Don Cheadle is a better Rhodey than Terrence Howard. Cheadle is so serious and strong in his performance that he makes it believable that Rhodey is one of the few people Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark respects, takes seriously, and genuinely likes. I was also quite surprised at how good Mickey Rourke is as Ivan Vanko; in fact, Rourke’s Vanko is good enough to become Stark’s signature film rival.

Sam Rockwell is not good as Justin Hammer, an annoying character that seems out of place here and is actually a detriment to the film. Scarlett Johansson is actually good in this film, but her character, though fun, is a little extraneous. Pepper Potts could have done much of what Natalie Rushman did in the story. That said I wouldn’t mind seeing the Natalie Rushman in her own movie.

Iron Man 2, however, is so highly-polished and entertaining that I’m inclined to ignore the faults: the occasionally clunky pacing, too many superfluous or unconnected characters, and that isolated awkward Nick Fury/Shield sub-plot. The superhero fight and action scenes make Iron Man 2 seem like a superhero comic book come to life as a high-octane thrill ride. Robots, Iron Man armor, battle suits, rockets, and assorted big guns pound away at the senses. The big (and extended) final battle between Iron Man and Ivan Vanko is dazzling. Though not perfect, moments like that made me wish Iron Man 2 wouldn’t end.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, May 10, 2010

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites: Queen Latifah Talks Being in Command

With her new movie, Just Wright, due in theatres this Friday, Queen Latifah gives this smallish interview to BET.com.

"Vampire Knight" Anime Online at VIZAnime.com

VAMPIRE KNIGHT ANIMATED SERIES PREMIERES ONLINE AT VIZAnime.com

Fates Are Sealed In A Tale Of Gothic Romance And Bloodlust In New Animated Series Based On Smash Hit Manga by Matsuri Hino

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, beckons fans to sink their teeth into the gothic romance of the animated series VAMPIRE KNIGHT, launching online today on VIZAnime.com.

VIZ Anime is the official online home to some of VIZ Media’s best-loved animated series and a burgeoning social network for fans to connect and form an interactive community. Over 400 episodes are currently available and new content is added on a weekly basis. VIZ Anime is accessible at: www.VIZAnime.com.

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, they cross paths with the mysterious Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy's secret. Yuki believes that vampires and humans can coexist peacefully, but her partner has different ideas...

“With its cast of edgy and engaging characters combined with a dark sexy storyline, VAMPIRE KNIGHT is destined to be one of the most exciting anime releases of 2010,” says Brian Ige, Director of Sales, Home Entertainment. “Fans can also look forward to the release of VAMPIRE KNIGHT on DVD, under the Shojo Beat imprint, on July 20th. Stay tuned for more details coming soon on some hot VIZ Media anime summer releases!”

VAMPIRE KNIGHT (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) is based on the best-selling manga series created by Matsuri Hino, who burst onto the scene in Japan with her debut title, Kono Yume ga Sametara (When This Dream Is Over) in LaLa DX magazine. With the success of subsequent series such as CAPTIVE HEARTS and MERU PURI (both published domestically by VIZ Media), Hino has firmly established herself as a major force in the world of shojo manga. VAMPIRE KNIGHT is currently serialized in LaLa magazine in Japan.

For more information on the VAMPIRE KNIGHT manga and to read free previews online please visit www.shojobeat.com. For more information on other animated titles from VIZ Media please visit http://www.vizanime.com/.

Review: "Religulous" is Brilliant and Funny

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux


Religulous (2008)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language and sexual material
DIRECTOR: Larry Charles
WRITER: Bill Maher
PRODUCERS: Bill Maher, Jonah Smith, and Palmer West
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Anthony Hardwick (director of photography)
EDITOR: Jeff Groth, Christian Kinnard, and Jeffrey M. Werner

DOCUMENTARY – Religion/COMMENTARY/COMEDY

Starring: Bill Maher, Julie Maher, Kathy Maher, Senator Mark Pryor, Pastor John Westcott, Ken Ham, Reginald Foster, Tal Bachman, Bill Gardiner, Aki Nawaz, Ray Suarez, and Jeremiah Cummings

Comedian and politically provocative talk show host Bill Maher took on religion and faith in the hot-button documentary, Religulous, a title derived by blending the words “religion” and “ridiculous.” Maher examines the presence of religion in many of the big news stories of recent years, from Muslim rioting over cartoon depictions of Mohammed in European newspapers to a born-again Christian being President of the United Sates (George W. Bush).

Maher, currently the host of HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher," also skewers the current state of organized religion, while visiting Jerusalem, Salt Lake City, the Vatican, and other holy destinations. Of the many questions Maher asks on his journey, the main questions are why are believers of many faiths so sure that their religion is right, and why they’re so certain others are wrong?

One thing I wish that Bill Maher had done in Religulous was to offer more commentary from cultural, historical, political experts on religion and faith. Often this movie seems like Maher vs. the crazy religious people, which makes Maher come across as a prankster (a la Borat) snarking on the loons. Still, what Maher and director Larry Charles do present is fantastic and also funny on so many levels.

Some of Religulous is laugh-out-loud funny, but some of it made me cringe as much as I laughed behind my hands. I don’t think Maher is able to get an answer to the question of why believers from a variety of faiths are so sure their religion is right, and why they’re so certain others are wrong? Many of the people Maher meets are quite sensitive to someone not only questioning their faith, but also questioning why they are religious.

In fact, the attitude from many people is that they don’t want outsiders questioning their faiths, although many of these same people seem to have large, answered questions of their own about their religions. Maher often interrupts his subjects, and many times, he should have let them rant, even if their ranting made them look bad, scary, or crazy. The best line in Religulous came from self-avowed Evangelical Christian and U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, when he said, “You don't need to pass an IQ test to become a senator.” Pryor seemed eager to be interviewed, and while he certainly comes across as a nice guy (maybe even a smart fellow), his willingness to declare his allegiance to superstition is both sad and frightening.

By the end of the Religulous, I got the idea that this film was less about the faithful’s embrace of irrationality, superstition, and blind faith, and more about Maher giving rational people a wake-up call. He thinks that the rational, non-religious are actually in the majority, and one can hope he is right.

That said, Religulous is a great documentary because it takes a blunt, unflinching look at organized religion and faith, not through the eyes of religious scholars and clerics, but by taking on the foot soldiers and rank and file believers who give voice to their faith, warts and all. Only Maher, brilliant as both a social observer/critic and provocateur, could deliver a documentary about blind faith that is almost as powerful as blind faith.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Review: "Borat" is a National Treasure from Another Nation

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 48 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Larry Charles
WRITERS: Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham, and Dan Mazer; from a story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines, and Todd Phillips (based upon a character created by Sacha Baron Cohen)
PRODUCERS: Sacha Baron Cohen and Jay Roach
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Luke Geissbuhler (director of photography) and Anthony Hardwick (director of photography)
EDITORS: Craig Alpert, Peter Teschner, and James Thomas
2007 Academy Awards nominee

COMEDY

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, and Luenell

In the film: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, writer/actor/comedian Sacha Baron Cohen takes one his most popular characters from his HBO comedy series, “Da Ali G Show,” the Kazakhstani reporter Borat, and sends him on a road trip across America. Cohen-as-Borat then engages real Americans in this faux documentary prompting them with seemingly innocent questions and his outrageous (and sometimes boorish) behavior into revealing their worst prejudices and attitudes. Along the way, Borat even runs naked through a hotel.

Borat Sagdiyev (played by Cohen in a role that won him a 2007 Golden Globe) is Kazakhstan’s sixth most famous man and a leading journalist for the State run TV network. Borat wants to travel to the U.S., what he calls “greatest country in the world,” and learn things that might benefit Kazakhstan. Camera and film crew in tow and joined by his cameraman/sidekick, Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), Borat lands in New York City and heads south encountering the fruit of American citizenry. However, another quest subsumes Borat’s original purpose for coming to America. He is determined to travel to California where he will find and marry Pamela Anderson.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan lives partially in that esteemed sub-genre of film comedies, the mock documentary or “mockumentary,” the most famous example being This is…Spinal Tap. This is, however, firmly a fake documentary in which the documentary filmmakers mean to fool the subjects of the documentary. As Borat, Cohen is relentless and doesn’t give a sucker an even break when dealing with his clueless American subjects. These people apparently have no shame in displaying their petty bigotries and silly prejudices on camera. Were these people not ashamed to show their ugly sides because they assumed Borat was a just a dumb foreigner and his film would only be seen in another country?

Cohen shrewdly picks his targets, discerning the ones who would make great theatre – an example being the rich, Southern white suburbanites who lived in a neighborhood where one street was named “Succession Lane.” The fraternity boys who appear towards the end of the film are a hoot, and they’re carbon copies of the ones I knew when I attended a major, formerly segregated, Southern state flagship university.

Borat is certainly a lout, and his loutish behavior occasionally grates on the nerves, but the vast majority of the time, his encounters with people lead to double-side-splitting comedy. With Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen proves once again that he is a genius when it comes to revealing the just plain awful, ugly, vain, and intolerant side of people – a side they’re all too willing to display for the camera. Lovers of movie comedy shouldn’t miss this comic social commentary that is worth watching at least twice.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, and Dan Mazer; from a story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, and Todd Phillips)


2007 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy (Sacha Baron Cohen) and 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Shake Your Money Maker for "Alice in Wonderland"

I received the following press release about an Alice in Wonderland-related contest from Walt Disney.  It ties into the recently released 3D Alice in Wonderland movie, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.  One of the prizes is an iPad:

ATTENTION ALL ALICE FANS: IT’S TIME TO GATHER YOUR MUCHNESS FOR DISNEY’S ALL NEW “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” INSPIRED DANCE-OFF

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS IS ASKING YOU TO “SHOW US YOUR BEST FUTTERWACKEN!”

Prizes Include iPads, Blu-ray™ Players, Autographed Alice Memorabilia and More

FUTTER WHAT??
In celebration of Frabjous Day and the upcoming Blu-ray™ & DVD release of ALICE IN WONDERLAND on June 1st, Walt Disney Studios is asking America to “Show Us Your Best Futterwacken!”

For those who haven’t seen the film, this is the crazy, awesome dance performed by The Mad Hatter. In the world of Alice’s Wonderland, the Futterwacken is a dance of unbridled joy.

The contest challenges ALICE fans to submit their best interpretation of the Futterwacken dance to www.Disney.com/Alicedance and add their own original twists, turns and dance moves. So start gathering your muchness and go completely Gallymoggers as you Futterwacken vigorously! The more creative your dance moves, the better your chance to win!

Oh and one of the coolest parts is being able to put your dance moves to Kerli’s song “Tea Party” featured on the Alice in Wonderland companion album, Almost Alice. Disney's Almost Alice soundtrack features two songs by Kerli that provide the perfect beat to "show us your best Futterwacken!"

KLOTCHYN! (Head’s up!) Judging will be based on Dance Performance, Entertainment Value, Technical Quality, Creativity and Originality.

HOW TO ENTER:
Consumers must visit www.Disney.com/Alicedance to enter. Entries should be no longer than 40 seconds in length and include your first name and the state where you reside. Directions on how to enter are clearly detailed on the website. It only takes three easy steps to enter – record your video, add music and upload to Disney’s website.

The submission period for the contest begins at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 30, 2010 and ends at 3:00 p.m. PDT on Thursday, June 3, 2010.

JUDGING & PRIZING:
There will be two (2) Grand Prize winning submissions and ten (10) First Prize winning submissions. Disney will announce winners on Wednesday, June 16th based on the following equally weighted criteria: Dance Performance, Entertainment Value, Technical Quality, Creativity and Originality.

Prizes include Apple iPads, Panasonic Blu-ray Players, Alice In Wonderland Blu-ray Combo Packs of the film, Mad Hatter Hats, Autographed Alice in Wonderland Nesting Books and iTunes Gift Cards.

My Alice in Wonderland review is here.