Review: "In the Heat of the Night" Retains its Heat (Happy B'day, Sidney Poitier)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 142 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Norman Jewison
WRITER: Stirling Silliphant (based on the novel by John Ball)
PRODUCER: Walter Mirisch
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Haskell Wexler (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Hal Ashby
COMPOSER: Quincy Jones
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/CRIME//MYSTERY

Starring: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, William Schallert, Beah Richards, Matt Clark, and Quentin Dean

The winner of five Academy Awards (out of seven nominations) including an Oscar® for “Best Picture” and another for Rod Steiger as “Best Actor,” director Norman Jewison’s film, In the Heat of the Night, remains a potent examination of racism, prejudice, and bigotry nearly four decades after its release. Although Oscar® ignored his performance, Sidney Poitier created one of his signature roles in this film. His Virgil Tibbs is one of the most important and influential Black characters in film history and set a standard for the Black leading man portraying strong, resolute characters.

Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is in the small and sleepy town of Sparta, Mississippi waiting at a train station for a connecting train. After getting harassed and detained by Sam Woods (Warren Oates), a racist cop, Tibbs reveals to Sparta Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) that he is a homicide detective from Philadelphia. Tibbs presence coincides with a grisly murder, and via a set of convenient circumstances, Tibbs stays in town to assist in finding the murderer. During the course of the investigation, Tibbs and Gillespie rub each other the wrong way. Tibbs, however, is determined to solve the case, remaining in the investigation in spite of Gillespie numerous demands that Tibbs leave Sparta, and Gillespie doggedly follows Tibbs every step protecting him from Sparta’s more violent and bigoted citizens determined to kill Tibbs the uppity nigger.

The performances of course are all good, some of them great. Poitier, an actor with a highly mannered style, is perfect in his portrayal of Virgil Tibbs, giving him a proud air necessary for a highly skilled black man who must work with and prove himself to lesser talented white men, who nurse assorted insecurities and skin color hatreds. Poitier’s performance is a delicate high wire act that is occasionally overstated, but is never more so direct and appropriate than when Tibbs returns a slap to the face of a white character. Steiger is also very good. He strains at the seams to unleash the fury in him, kept behind a low key façade, but Stirling Silliphant’s Oscar®-winning script doesn’t give him enough room to really play.

In addition to the film’s social implications, it is flat out a great film. Norman Jewison does a fine job balancing social commentary and displays of ethnic tensions with the necessities of genre conventions, in this case, the characteristics of crime fiction. In the Heat of the Night is also an intriguing mystery story that keeps you guessing to the end right along with Tibbs – whodunit?

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1968 Academy Awards: 5 wins: “Best Picture” (Walter Mirisch), “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Rod Steiger), “Best Film Editing” (Hal Ashby), “Best Sound” (Samuel Goldwyn SSD), “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium” (Stirling Silliphant ); 2 nominations: “Best Director” (Norman Jewison) and “Best Effects, Sound Effects” (James Richard)

1968 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Foreign Actor” (Rod Steiger) and “UN Award” (Norman Jewison); 2 nominations: “Best Film from any Source” (Norman Jewison) and “Best Foreign Actor” (Sidney Poitier)

1968 Golden Globes: 3 wins: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama” (Rod Steiger), and “Best Screenplay” (Stirling Silliphant); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama” (Sidney Poitier), “Best Motion Picture Director” (Norman Jewison), “Best Supporting Actress” (Lee Grant), and “Best Supporting Actress” (Quentin Dean)

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"Neuro: Supernatural Detective" Anime Free at VIZ Anime and Hulu

MEET A DEMON THAT “EATS” RIDDLES IN THE FANTASY MYSTERY ANIME SERIES NEURO: SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE

 

New Series Launches on VIZAnime.com and Hulu

VIZ Media brings an exciting new animated series to North American audiences with the launch of NEURO: SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE on Friday, February 18th on VIZAnime.com (http://www.vizanime.com/), the company’s own premier website for free anime, as well as the streaming content provider HULU (http://www.hulu.com/).

The new series (rated ‘M’ for Mature) will debut with the first five subtitled episodes available, with new installments available weekly.

In NEURO: SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE, Neuro Nogami is a demon that feeds on criminal mysteries and riddles in the human world. In order to protect his identity, he forms a partnership with Yako, an incisive 16-year-old high school girl. This unlikely crime-solving duo devours one mystery after another in search of the ultimate appetizing mystery!

NEURO: SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE is based on a popular manga (graphic novel) series created by Yosei Matsui that sold over 3 million copies in Japan and is produced by the famed animation studio, MADHOUSE.

For more information on NEURO: SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE and other animated titles from VIZ Media please visit http://www.vizanime.com/.

Review: Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" is Not an Exciting Encounter

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Woody Allen
PRODUCERS: Letty Aronson, Jaume Roures, and Stephen Tenenbaum
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Vilmos Zsigmond
EDITOR: Alisa Lepselter

COMEDY/DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch, Naomi Watts, Pauline Collins, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Ewen Bremner, and Zak Orth (narrator)

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is the fourth London-set film from famed director Woody Allen. The film follows a pair of married couples in some state of marital dissolution.

After her husband, Alfie Shepridge (Anthony Hopkins), divorces her, Helena Shepridge (Gemma Jones) consults Cristal (Pauline Collins), a psychic, to learn what fate has in store for her. Alfie, in the midst of an old man’s version of a midlife crisis, is engaged to a prostitute named Charmaine Foxx (Lucy Punch). Helena and Alfie’s daughter, Sally Channing (Naomi Watts), and her husband, Roy Channing (Josh Brolin), are having their own marital problems. Sally is smitten with Greg Clemente (Antonio Banderas), the owner of the art gallery where she works. Roy, a struggling writer, falls in love with Dia (Freida Pinto), a grad student who is already engaged to be married. Meanwhile, Helena waits for the tall, dark stranger Cristal predicted would come into her life.

When one considers the films Woody Allen made in the 1970s, 80s, and even into the 90s, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, like most of Allen’s films from the last decade, does not measure up. Parts of this film are dull and uninspired, but some of it is also shocking and sincere in its depiction of how a person’s dissatisfaction with his or her life can manifest itself.

I think credit should go to the cast who seem to not only make the best of this middling material, but in some cases, make it better. Gemma Jones and Anthony Hopkins are the best examples of that in this film. I’m not familiar with Jones, but I am with Hopkins. As much as I always expect him to be good, Hopkins surprises me with his fantastic turn as the vain, confused, and ultimately tragic Alfie. Hopkins brings complexity to a character that needs complexity.

The themes of this film seem to be vanity and discontent, and the characters yearn for material things while ignoring how bankrupt they are spiritually. However, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger doesn’t seem to yearn for anything, being largely philosophically and spiritually empty. This movie doesn’t even have an ending so much as the story just seems to fade away.

I have to be honest. If anyone else other than Woody Allen pulled what he does with this movie, I would be intolerant. So if you are a fan of Allen or of at least one of the cast members, you may want to meet this movie. Otherwise, you will not want to meet You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

5 of 10
C+

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Shane Black to Direct "Iron Man 3"

The website, Total Film, is one of many reporting that Shane Black will direct "Iron Man 3, scheduled for May 2013.  Shane Black, who wrote Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout, also wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which starred Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr.  Apparently, the third Iron Man film will be a sequel to this spring's Thor and next summer's, "The Avengers." I'll post more information as I find it.

Review: "For Colored Girls" is Sho Enuf Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

For Colored Girls (2010)
Running time: 134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)
MPAA – R for some disturbing violence including a rape, sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
WRITER: Tyler Perry (based upon the play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange)
PRODUCERS: Roger M. Bobb, Paul Hall, and Tyler Perry
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alexander Gruszynski
EDITOR: Maysie Hoy

DRAMA

Starring: Kimberly Elise, Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Whoopi Goldberg, Macy Gray, Michael Ealy, Omari Hardwick, Richard Lawson, Hill Harper, and Khalil Kain

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf is a 1975 stage play written by American playwright and poet, Ntozake Shange. It is my understanding that the Obie Award-winning play is a series of 20 poems or poetic monologues that express the struggles and obstacles that African-American women face throughout their lives.

Tyler Perry, the playwright turned prolific film director, adapted Shange’s play into the 2010 film, For Colored Girls. The film explores the lives of nine modern African American women, interconnected by one way or another, and uses poetic vignettes to illuminate their struggles, suffering, and conflicts (abuse, rape, and abortion, among others).

Among the characters is Joanne “Jo” Bradmore (Janet Jackson), a magazine publisher whose husband, Carl Bradmore (Omari Hardwick), is unfaithful. Promiscuous Tangie Adrose (Thandie Newton) and troubled teenager, Nyla (Tessa Thompson), are estranged sisters who find their mother, Alice Adrose (Whoopi Goldberg), to be the thing between them. Crystal Wallace (Kimberly Elise), who works for Jo, fails to see the true danger her abusive boyfriend, war veteran Beau Willie Brown (Michael Ealy), poses to her and her children. Meanwhile, watching everything and hoping to bring everyone together is apartment manager, Gilda (Phylicia Rashad).

I’ve always thought that Tyler Perry is as capable of directing moving film dramas as he is at staging broad comedies, and For Colored Girls affirms that, although 2009’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself already proved Perry could do drama. I’m surprised that this film has gotten such negative reviews, especially because Perry has taken the black social pathologies this story depicts and has transformed them into riveting tales of human pathology with a universal appeal.

Perry’s nuanced staging and graceful directing of the camera transform what could have been downbeat into a mesmerizing panorama of compelling character dramas. Seriously, if For Colored Girls looked exactly the same and a white filmmaker like Stephen Daldry, David Fincher, or Christopher Nolan was credited as the director, film critics would be turning verbal cartwheels to praise this film. Perry’s work here as a director can be described as, at least, occasionally virtuoso, and while his screenwriting here is weaker than his directing, Perry, as both writer and director, has done a superb job turning these poetic vignettes into a powerful film.

Perry gets some fantastic performances from his cast, especially the actresses, who all hit strong emotional notes. I hate to single out any, but if I had to pick favorites, I would go with Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, and Phylicia Rashad. Every moment she is onscreen, Elise delivers magic; her every move and glance makes you believe that Crystal Wallace is real. Thandie Newton is effortless in her brilliance (as usual), and Rashad shows colors, shades, and textures in a performance that certainly surprised me. I never knew she was that good.

However, all the women in this film shine, giving stirring performances that help For Colored Girls to ring true. Even if Tyler Perry doesn’t get his due from critics and haters, he has given us our due – a great African-American drama about Black women.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, February 18, 2011

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Las Vegas Film Critics Choose "The Social Network"

The Academy Awards is a little under a week and a half away (Sunday, Feb. 27th).  Until then, I'm going to catch this blog up on the critics awards. The Las Vegas Film Critics Society announced their awards, which they call the "Sierras," back in December.

The Las Vegas Film Critics Society is a non-profit organization that describes itself as “progressive” and “dedicated to the advancement and preservation of film.” The LVFCS membership is comprised of “select” print, television and internet film critics in the Las Vegas area. The LVFCS presents its "Sierra" awards each year for the best in film, including The William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award, which is named for the late Academy Award winning actor.

2010 Sierra Award winners:

Best Picture
“Social Network”

Best Actor
James Franco, “127”

Best Actress
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”

Best Director
David Fincher, “Social Network”

Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)
Aaron Sorkin, “Social Network”

Best Cinematography
Wally Pfister, “Inception”

Best Film Editing
Lee Smith, “Inception”

Best Costume Design
Colleen Atwood, “Alice in Wonderland”

Best Art Direction
“Black Swan”

Best Visual Effects
“Inception”

Best Documentary
“Waiting for Superman”

Best Foreign Film
“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sweden)

Best Song
“I See the Light” (Theme from Disney’s Tangled)

Best Score
Trent Reznor, “Social Network”

Best Family Film
“Toy Story 3”

Best Animated Film
“Toy Story 3”

Youth in Film
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”

Best DVD (Packaging, Design, and Content)
“Alien Anthology” (Blu-Ray) Fox Home Entertainment

William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award for 2010:
Thelma Schoonmaker

http://www.lvfcs.org/lvfcs/Home.html

Review: "Brick" is an Unconventional Conventional Mystery Film (Happy B'day, Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 188 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Brick (2005)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – R for violent and drug content
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson
PRODUCERS: Ram Bergman and Mark G. Mathis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steve Yedlin

DRAMA/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Matt O’Leary, Emilie de Ravin, Noah Segan, Richard Roundtree, Meagan Good, and Brian White

When teenager loner Brendan Fry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds his former girlfriend, Emily Kostich (Emilie de Ravin), dead in a local canal, he’s determined to find the murderer and all those involved. Brendan enlists the aid of a local stoolie, The Brain (Matt O’Leary), who seems to know everyone, their hangouts, and all their business. Through a series of intense encounters with the various cliques at his high school, Brendan finds a drug connection and enters the world of a local drug kingpin, The Pin (Lukas Haas), and his enforcer, Tug (Noah Fleiss). But with Assistant Vice-Principal Trueman (Richard Roundtree) breathing down his neck, will Brendan be ensnared in the very trap he set to catch those responsible for Emily’s death?

A hit at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, writer/director Rian Johnson’s Brick is an unconventional Film-Noir (or neo noir) set in the halls of a modern day high school situated in a semi-affluent suburbia setting. Johnson mixes the film noir detective with the gangster flick and the undercover sting. It’s a latte of The Maltese Falcon, A Fist Full of Dollars, and your pick of Martin Scorsese crime flicks. Brick is never too smart for its own good, but sometimes Rian’s concoction seems mismatched with his setting. He has all the elements of noir right (even a femme fatale or two), but those elements often ring hollow against the backdrop of a high school.

Still, it’s always good when a filmmaker can make his movie engaging and make you give a damn, and Johnson does. The film starts off very slow, but Brick is hard to ignore. I just couldn’t stop watching, and in Brendan Fry, Rian has the kind of hero the audience will follow… even into danger and other places Brendan just shouldn’t be and just shouldn’t go. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, formerly of the NBC comedy, "3rd Rock from the Sun," plays Fry with chutzpah, nerves of steel, and the wily charm of a rogue twice his age. Rian came up with a good idea for a crime story, but Gordon-Levitt gives the performance that makes it a good movie.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, August 28, 2006

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Studio Ghibli's "Nausicaa" and "Earthsea" Anime Due on DVD in March

On March 8th, Studio Ghibli's TALES FROM EARTHSEA (DVD only) and NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack) will be available to bring home.

Goro Miyazaki's directorial debut, Tales from Earthsea, features exquisite hand-drawn animation and the vocal talents of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay. Bonus material includes a behind-the-scenes look at the studio and Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge.

Nausicaa of Valley of the Wind launched the Academy Award-winning career of famed director Hayao Miyazaki! This stunning animated tale features the voices of Uma Thurman, Shia LeBeouf, and Patrick Stewart. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes look into the recording booth and the birth story of Studio Ghibli.

Nausicca Film Synopsis: For the first time ever, the magic of Blu-ray™ high definition reveals the exquisite details in Hayao Miyazaki’s epic masterpiece, Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind. Experience the film that launched the Academy Award–winning career (2002 for best animated feature, Spirited Away) of one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation.

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley Of The Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

Like Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away and Ponyo, Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind will dazzle your senses with its intricately imagined storytelling and stunning animation.

U.S. Release Date: March 8, 2011
(Direct Prebook January 11, 2011/ Distributor Prebook January 25, 2011)
Rating: US-PG; Canada-PG
Feature Run Time: Approximately 118-minutes
Release Format: Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray Disc™ + DVD)
Suggested Retail Pricing: 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (BD+DVD) = $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada
Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus World of Ghibli including
Features: Behind the Studio
Enter the Lands
Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge
Original Japanese storyboards
General Blu-ray & DVD Behind the Microphone
Bonus Features: The Birth Story of Studio Ghibli
Original TV trailers

Talent/Cast: Uma Thurman (Kill Bill: Vol 1, Kill Bill: Vol 2, Pulp Fiction, Gattaca), Shia LeBeouf (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Tranformers, Surf’s Up), and Patrick Stewart (Gnomeo & Juliet, Bambi II, Chicken Little)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke)
Producers: Michio Kondô (Nausiacaä and the Valley of the Wind)
Isao Takahata (Castle in the Sky, Nausiacaä and the Valley of the Wind)
Yasuyoshi Tokuma (Spirited Away, Pulse, Ritual)

Tales from Earthsea:
Film Synopsis: From Disney and Studio Ghibli comes the epic animated adventure Tales From Earthsea, directed by Goro Miyazaki, and featuring the voices of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay.

Based on the classic “Earthsea” fantasy book series by Ursula Le Guin, Tales from Earthsea is set in a mythical world filled with magic and bewitchment. Journey with Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk, a master wizard, and Arren, a troubled young prince, on a tale of redemption and self-discovery as they search for the force behind a mysterious imbalance in the land of Earthsea; crops are dwindling,dragons have reappeared, and humanity is giving way to chaos.

Featuring a timeless story and magnificent hand-drawn animation, Tales From Earthsea is must-have DVD for every film enthusiast’s collection.

U.S. Release Date: March 8, 2011
(Direct Prebook January 11, 2011/Distributor Prebook January 25, 2011)
Feature Run Time: Approximately 115-minutes
Release Format: DVD
Suggested Retail Pricing: 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
DVD The World of Ghibli including:
Bonus Features: Behind the Studio
Enter The Lands
Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge

Talent/Cast: Timothy Dalton (Toy Story 3, The Tourist, The Informant), Willem Dafoe (John Carter of Mars, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Spider Man), Cheech Marin (Cars, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Spy Kids), and Mariska Hargitay (TV’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order)

Director: Goro Miyazaki (directorial debut)
Producers: Toshio Suzuki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke)

"Big Momma's House 2" a Plain House

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 125 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual humor and a humorous drug reference
DIRECTOR: John Whitesell
WRITER: Don Rhymer (based upon the characters created by Darryl Quarles)
PRODUCERS: David T. Friendly and Michael Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin
EDITOR: Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Razzie Award nominee

COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Emily Procter, Zachary Levi, Mark Moses, Kat Dennings, Chloe Grace Moretz, Marisol Nichols, Jascha Washington, Josh Flitter, and Preston Shores and Trevor Shores

Eddie Murphy began his career as a standup comic and shot to fame as a cast member of NBC’s venerable sketch comedy variety series, “Saturday Night Live,” in the early 1980’s. By 1982, he had a hit movie, and by the late 1984 release of the film, Beverly Hills Cop, he was a certified movie star. Although he hit a dry patch at the turn of the decade in 1990, he redefined himself by appearing in family friendly live action films like The Nutty Professor and Dr. Doolittle franchises (both remakes of older films) and doing voiceover work in hit animated films such as Walt Disney’s Mulan and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek franchise.

Martin Lawrence also began his career as an edgy “urban contemporary” or black comedian. The late 1980’s and early 1990’s found him in supporting roles and ensemble parts in several films. He had a hit show on the FOX Network, “Martin,” beginning in 1992. At the turn of the century, he had two big hit movies, one of them, 2000’s Big Momma’s House, was a surprise blockbuster hit. Then, the walls came tumbling down with a series of stumbles that began in 2001 with What’s the Worst That Could Happen? and Black Knight and continued with 2003’s National Security, before Bad Boys II righted Lawrence’s ship later that same year.

Martin has also recently remade himself from a formerly edgy comedian to one who now makes family friendly films. The first one, Rebound in 2005, was a misfire, but earlier this year, Martin once again donned the drag getup of an obese black matron in the (relatively speaking) surprise box office hit, Big Momma’s House 2. We find our intrepid hero, Malcolm Turner (Lawrence), married to Sherri (Nia Long), the target of his undercover investigation in the first film. Not only is he a stepfather to Sherri’s son, Trent (Jascha Washington), but he and Nia are expecting a baby in just a few weeks.

Wanting to spend more time with his family and stay out of danger for them, Malcolm took a desk job that sometimes finds him doing PR for the FBI (like dressing in a giant chicken costume and teaching children safety). However, an FBI agent and friend is murdered while investigating Tom Fuller (Mark Moses), a computer programmer who is creating a “worm,” that will allow foreign agents and outside enemies computer access into the most sensitive areas of government security information. Malcolm wants in on the investigation, but his superiors hold him to his request for desk duty.

But the story can’t stop there, especially when opportunity gives Malcolm a way back onto the job. The Fullers need a nanny, and Malcolm retrieves his fat suit, prosthetic face, and granny dresses from the closet. Before long, Hattie Mae Pierce aka “Big Momma” is back on the job and has wiled her way into Tom’s wife, Leah’s (Emily Procter), heart and becomes the Fuller’s nanny. Big Momma immediately starts searching the house for information on Tom’s activities, but before long Big Momma finds herself attached to the three Fuller children: teen goth girl with an attitude, Molly (Kat Dennings); unconfident cheerleader, Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz), and three-year old Andrew (played by twins Preston and Trevor Shores), who hasn’t yet spoken a word, jumps from heights, and eats Brillo® pads and sand. Now, Malcolm as Big Momma is determined to help the Fuller kids through their difficulties and make their career-oriented parents spend more time with them. But will that comprise Malcolm’ mission and keep him from discovering the whereabouts of the worm Tom is creating and discovering the identity of the enemy agents trying to buy it?

I neither liked nor hated Big Momma’s House 2. It’s occasionally, mildly funny, although the last 20 minutes are actually the first time the film comes out of its stupor for something resembling a rousing ending. The first film really showcased Martin Lawrence’s talent for getting in costumes to create a variety of eccentric and wildly comic characters (of which we saw a lot in his series “Martin”). The sequel comes across as a cheap copy that mostly spins its and Martin’s wheels. The Big Momma act seems tired and desperate, even more so under the weight of the dull comedy written by Don Rhymer, the co-writer of the first film. There are times when Martin actually seems emotionally drained by returning to this role. It’s a look in his eyes.

Big Momma’s House 2 is a domestic comedy set in the home of an upper middle class family. The FBI half of the pic, which stretches the limits of suspension of disbelief and is full of holes, is just filler material for the family-based comedy and for Martin Lawrence’s new act – that of a family friendly black comedian. Big Momma is the beloved black matron teaching the nice white family how to come together and just love one another. Big Momma’s philosophy of “jus’ put it in the Lawd’s hand”-southern black Christianity and homespun wisdom are the essence of the quintessential black matron or mammy – a Hollywood and, let’s face it, American social fantasy.

That said, Lawrence gives Big Momma’s relations with the child characters more traction than this lame film deserves. There are times when she’s helping the family or rescuing one of the members when it looks like at least an ember of the old Big Momma fire is still there. Big Momma’s House 2 is a family flick, in spite of the sexual innuendo and assorted crudeness. So don’t see it expecting the madcap romp we got the first time. See it for what it is – a kids' movie with loads of potty humor.

4 of 10
C

Tuesday, June 6, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Prequel or Sequel”

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Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett Joins Cast of Upcoming David Chase Film

BRAD GARRETT JOINS “THE UNTITLED DAVID CHASE PROJECT" AS CHASE ROUNDS OUT CASTING FOR HIS FEATURE FILM DEBUT AT PARAMOUNT

James Gandolfini, Bella Heathcote Christopher McDonald, Molly Price and Lisa Lampanelli Also Attached

HOLLYWOOD, CA – David Chase rounds out the cast for his upcoming film debut for Paramount Pictures. The creator and producer of the multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning critically acclaimed series The Sopranos, announced today that Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett will be featured in the director's music-driven story set in 1960's suburbia. James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Bella Heathcote (Beneath Hill 60, Neighbors), Christopher McDonald (Boardwalk Empire, Harry’s Law), Molly Price (Bionic Woman, Third Watch) and comedian Lisa Lampanelli also join the film, which is set to begin principal photography in New York.

Said Chase, "Brad brings a funny, wry intelligence to his role as a composer / music producer.”

As previously reported, Chase and Gandolfini are re-uniting on this film, after an acclaimed six-year collaboration on The Sopranos. Elaborating on Gandolfini’s role, Chase said, "It is so great to be working with Jim again. He is the perfect actor for this part – a postwar, post-Depression era parent who has given his kid every advantage that he didn't have growing up, but now can’t help feeling jealous of the liberated, more adventurous destiny his son is able to enjoy."

Price will portray the boy’s mother in the movie, with Lampanelli playing his Aunt. Christopher McDonald plays the father of his love interest (Bella Heathcote).

Chase previously announced that actors John Magaro and Will Brill, as well as Jack Huston, who has been recently receiving acclaim for his role as Richard Harrow – the man with the shattered face – on HBO's Golden Globe®-winning Boardwalk Empire, will star in the movie, to be released by Paramount Vantage. Chase, who wrote the original script, will produce alongside Oscar®-winning producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man, The Chronicles of Narnia). Steven Van Zandt is an Executive Producer and will serve as the film’s Music Supervisor.

Brad Garrett is repped by WME Entertainment, Raw Talent Management and Gendler & Kelly, APC. James Gandolfini is repped by CAA and Sanders Armstrong Caserta Management. Bella Heathcote is repped by WME Entertainment and Jackson-Medavoy Entertainment. Christopher McDonald is repped by The Gersh Agency and Brillstein. Molly Price is repped by Gersh. Lisa Lampanelli is repped by CAA and Parallel Entertainment.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

Original "Big Momma's House" is a Fun House

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Big Momma’s House (2000)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude humor including sexual innuendo, and for language and some violence
DIRECTOR: Raja Gosnell
WRITERS: Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer; from a story by Darryl Quarles
PRODUCERS: David T. Friendly and Michael Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael D. O’Shea
EDITORS: Kent Beyda and Bruce Green
Image Awards nominee

COMEDY

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Paul Giamatti, Jascha Washington, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Ella Mitchell, Cedric the Entertainer, and Tichina Arnold

FBI Agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) is a master of disguise, but to catch an escaped convict, he’ll have to pull off his greatest masquerade. Murderer and bank robber Lester Vesco (Terrence Dashon Howard) has escaped from prison. Vesco is looking for his old girlfriend, Sherry Pierce (Nia Long), long suspected by the police to be Vesco’s accomplice because she worked at the bank he robbed, and also suspected of knowing where the money from the robbery, which was never recovered, is. Panicked by news of Lester’s escape, Sherry takes her young son, Trent Pierce (Jascha Washington), and heads to the home of Big Momma, Sherry’s massively fat grandmother, Hattie Mae Pierce (Ella Mitchell), in Cartersville, Georgia.

Malcolm and his partner, John (Paul Giamatti), also head to Georgia and put Big Momma’s house under surveillance in hopes of discovering whereabouts of both Lester Vesco and the Sherry is allegedly hiding the money. When an emergency suddenly calls Big Momma away from her house for a week or so, Malcolm and John are afraid that Sherry will change her plans to stay at Big Momma’s house. Malcolm, using his and John’s fantastic abilities at creating prosthetics and masks, disguises himself as Big Momma. He, however, doesn’t count on falling in love with Sherry while pretending to me Big Momma. Will the romance and the effort it takes to maintain the disguise cause Malcolm to miss the arrival of Vesco and the return of the real Big Momma.

There’s something appealing about a man playing a woman. It’s especially interesting if the man is playing a woman for comedy, but there is something really attention-grabbing when a black man plays a fat black woman, which is what actor/comedian Martin Lawrence does in Big Momma’s House. Just seeing Martin in that get-up as a morbidly obese, black Southern matron elicits raucous laughter, so one sees Big Momma’s House strictly for the comedy. Martin is damn funny in drag, although he can disguise himself quite well to play a variety of comical male roles, as he does here, early in the film playing an older Asian hood.

Big Momma’s House if filled with sidesplitting comedy and a generous helping of belly laughs. The film falls apart when it tries the romantic comedy angle between Malcolm Turner (without his Big Momma getup) and Sherry Pierce; it’s dry and rings hollow. The actual police procedural (or what tries to be) doesn’t amount to much, so Paul Giamatti’s John is wasted. It’s hard to tell if Lawrence and Giamatti have any real screen chemistry, but something’s definitely there when they’re on screen together.

With its generous helping of laugh-out-loud comedy and a generous side of flatulence and juvenile humor for the kids, Big Momma’s House is simply a comedy that works. Add Martin Lawrence’s Big Momma to the list of great comic performances by actors in drag.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2001 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstand Actress in a Motion Picture (Nia Long)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

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TRON and TRON: Legacy on DVD and Blu-ray April 5th

THE ULTIMATE ACTION-PACKED, FUTURISTIC ADVENTURE COMES TO LIFE ON STUNNING BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF AND BLU-RAY 3D™

Disney's TRON: LEGACY Hits The Grid - Tuesday, April 5th

TRON: THE ORIGINAL CLASSIC SPECIAL EDITION TO ALSO DEBUT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON BLU-RAY

BURBANK, CA, February 11, 2011 – The Walt Disney Studios is proud to announce the release of its high-tech, action-packed adventure TRON: Legacy, available April 5th on multiple home entertainment platforms, including Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital Copy, Movie Download and On-Demand. Also making its long-awaited Blu-ray debut on April 5th is TRON: The Original Classic Special Edition.

Sure to light-up fans this Spring, TRON: Legacy providesconsumers with the ultimate Hi-Def Blu-ray experience with breathtaking 1080p visuals and superior 7.1 surround sounds that bring to life the visually stunning world of TRON. Taking you further behind the grid, are also in-depth bonus features on the making of the film (i.e., creating the futuristic vehicles and world of TRON, storyline mythologies, actors/characters and more) and the all-new Disney Second Screen interactive experience.

Disney Second Screen transforms the movie watching experience by allowing viewers to explore the story behind the film perfectly synched on a second device, like an iPad™ or laptop, without interrupting their enjoyment of the movie. By simply accessing the Disney Second Screen companion application on their Internet-connected device, consumers are able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with elements including 360-degree vehicle turnarounds, interactive progression reels, and more. Disney Second Screen directions and access codes can be found inside the Blu-ray Disc packaging.Audio synching is powered by TVPLUS.

The original motion picture score for TRON: Legacy, released by Walt Disney Records on December 7, 2010, was composed and produced by the iconic and critically acclaimed Grammy® Award–winning French duo Daft Punk. The album peaked at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and was the highest charting score soundtrack in over a decade. Walt Disney Records will be releasing TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED, an album featuring 14 remixes of the original motion picture score on April 5th.

TRON: THE ORIGINAL CLASSIC SPECIAL EDITION FACT SHEET
Film Synopsis: Experience the original landmark motion picture that inspired a new generation of digital filmmakers and became a favorite of fans and critics across the world. Relive the electrifying thrills of TRON with an all-new, state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high-definition sound.

When a brilliant video game maker named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing. Complete with never-before-seen bonus materials, it’s an epic adventure that everyone will enjoy!

U.S. Release Date: April 5, 2011
Release Format: Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital Download & On-Demand
Rating: US-PG
Canada-PG
Feature Run Time: Approximately 96-minutes
Talent/Cast: Jeff Bridges (TRON: Legacy, True Grit, The Big Lebowski), Bruce Boxleitner (TRON: Legacy, Transmorphers: Fall of Man), David Warner (Planet of the Apes, Titanic, The Omen), Cindy Morgan (Caddyshack, TV’s “Falcon Crest”)
Director: Steven Lisberger (TRON: Legacy, Hot Pursuit)
Producer: Donald Kushner (TRON: Legacy, Monster)


ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company (DIS: NYSE) was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures,which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Touchstone Pictures; and Marvel. Through the Home Entertainment division, innovative distribution methods provide access to creative content across multiple platforms. Original music and motion-picture soundtracks are produced under Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE! For more information, visit www.disney.com.

Review: 2006 Oscar-Winning Best Picture "Crash" Still Powerful

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Crash (2004/2005)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, sexual content, and some violence
DIRECTOR: Paul Haggis
WRITERS: Bobby Moresco and Paul Haggis; from a story by Paul Haggis
PRODUCERS: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris, Robert Moresco, and Paul Haggis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: J. Michael Muro
EDITOR: Hughes Winborne
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Philippe, Larenz Tate, Michael Peña, Keith David, Loretta Divine, Tony Danza, Nona Gaye, Yomi Perry, Daniel Dae Kim, Bruce Kirby, and Bahar Soomekh

The lives of a diverse cast of characters from various ethnic backgrounds, of different skin colors (also known as “different races”), and including immigrants: a Brentwood housewife (Sandra Bullock) and her District Attorney husband (Brendan Fraser); two police detectives who are also lovers (Don Cheadle and Jennifer Esposito); an African-American television director and his wife (Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton); a Mexican locksmith (Michael Peña); two carjackers (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Larenz Tate); a rookie cop and his bigoted partner (Ryan Philippe and Matt Dillon) collide over a period of 36 hours.

Crash is one of the very best films of 2005 and one of the best films about America in ages not just because co-writer/co-producer/director Paul Haggis (he wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) deftly connects so many Los Angeles-based characters of different “racial” or ethnic backgrounds to a single event with such glowing intensity. It is also great because the film shows the acute problem this country has with such diversity. American’s have created so many stereotypes that they have attached as belonging to particular ethnic, religious, “racial,” and even professional groups. Those stereotypes, in turn, affect how we judge people in those groups, how we interact with others, and what we believe about others. In the end, all that pre-judging and predestination causes us nothing but trouble.

Haggis and his co-writer, Bobby Moresco, give us so many examples of the problems these characters make for themselves because of prejudice and because they make assumptions about people that are often wrong (and sometimes even dangerous), and Haggis and Moresco still manage to make a solid, engaging, and enthralling beginning to end linear (for the most part) narrative. They’ve created so many scenarios, characters, events, actions, and attitudes with which we will personally connect because every American can lay claim to bigotry and prejudice. Crash is as if Haggis and Moresco have turned the American film into a mirror and pointed it at us.

Of the many great scenes, one in particular defines why Crash is such a great American film. A Persian storeowner who is obviously an immigrant goes to a gun store with his daughter to purchase a gun that he really believes he needs to protect himself, his family, and, in particular, his business. The gun storeowner is not patient with a Persian who doesn’t speak English well, and though his daughter tries in vain to mediate the transaction, it goes badly between Persian and the “native” American storeowner – a white guy. The storeowner calls the Persian an Arab (all people from the Middle East are not Arabs), and makes the most ugly, most bigoted remarks about 9/11 connecting all Middle Easterners and/or Arab-types to the terrorist act that I’ve ever heard.

Watch that scene alone, and you’ll understand the power Crash holds in its bosom. If the film has a message, it is that sometimes we should stop and think. Despite differences in what we believe, in skin color, or in customs, we are more alike than we’d like to believe. The static of difference between us can be the thing that stops us from helping or understanding. Allowing the static to remain can lead to tragedy when we crash into each other.

That a message film can come with such powerful ideas and not be preachy, but be such a fine and intensely engaging film is what makes Crash a great one. Add a large cast that gives such potent performances (especially Matt Dillon, who redefines his career with his role as a conflicted, bigoted patrolmen, and Terrence Howard, who adds to his 2005 coming out party with this) and Crash is a must-see movie.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 3 wins: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman), “Best Achievement in Editing” (Hughes Winborne), and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Paul Haggis-screenplay/story and Robert Moresco-screenplay); 3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Directing” (Paul Haggis), and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Kathleen York-music/lyrics and Michael Becker-music for the song "In the Deep"), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Matt Dillon)

2006 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Thandie Newton) and “Best Screenplay – Original” (Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco); 7 nominations: “Best Cinematography” (J. Michael Muro), “Best Editing” (Hughes Winborne), “Best Film” (Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, and Bob Yari), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Don Cheadle), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Matt Dillon), “Best Sound” (Richard Van Dyke, Sandy Gendler, Adam Jenkins, and Marc Fishman) and “David Lean Award for Direction”( Paul Haggis)

2006 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Matt Dillon) and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco)

Wednesday, January 4, 2006

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Star Wars Films on Blu-ray in September 2011

The Force is Strong with This One – Star Wars: The Complete Saga

The Most Anticipated Blu-ray Release in the Galaxy is Now Available for Worldwide Pre-Order Starting Today

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever – the Star Wars™ Saga – emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas’ epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan:

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be available for $139.99 US/$179.99 CAN and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets for $69.99 US/89.99 CAN. Pricing for each set will vary by international territory.

Flanked by a legion of his finest Imperial Stormtroopers, Darth Vader himself joined Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to announce the release, vowing “The forces of the Empire will be at your disposal to assure the success of this endeavor.”

“The Star Wars Saga is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” Dunn said. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home, with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”

“With all six episodes available for the first time in one collection, this is a great way for families and home audiences to experience the complete Saga from start to finish,” said Doug Yates, Vice President of Marketing, Online, Distribution, Lucasfilm Ltd. “And with the quality of high-definition, Blu-ray provides the most immersive home experience possible.”

“The Star Wars franchise has been one of the most anticipated Blu-ray releases by Amazon’s customers,” said Bill Carr, Vice President of Music and Video at Amazon. “We think that Star Wars will be incredibly popular with our customers, and we expect pre-orders to be very strong.”


ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTANMENT
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

Lucasfilm, STAR WARS™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

53rd Annual Grammy Award Winners in Select Categories

It was a crazy night at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.  First, Canadian rock band, Arcade Fire surprised pretty much everyone with their win for "Album of the Year" (The Suburbs).  The acclaimed alternative band was so surprised, they even performed another song to close out the Grammy telecast.

Lady Antebellum won 5 Grammys, including Record and Song of Year.  Esperanza Spalding, the jazz singer and bassist from Portland, Oregon, became the first jazz artist to win "Best New Artist," and she counts Prince as a mentor  Nominated in 10 categories, Eminem won 2, including "Best Rap Actor."  Neil Young also won his first Grammy (in a musical category).

For a complete list of winners in the 109 categories, go to this page at the Grammy website.  Here, is a list of winners in selected major categories (thanks to the Associated Press via Yahoo) with a special addition on my part:

Album of the Year: "The Suburbs," Arcade Fire

Record of the Year: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

New Artist: Esperanza Spalding

Pop Vocal Album: "The Fame Monster," Lady Gaga

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: "Hey Soul Sister," Train

Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Bad Romance," Lady Gaga

Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Just The Way You Are," Bruno Mars

Rock Song: "Angry World," Neil Young

Rock Album: "The Resistance," Muse

R and B Song: "Shine," John Legend and The Roots

R and B Album: "Wake up!" John Legend and The Roots

Rap Solo Performance: "Not Afraid," Eminem

Rap Song: "Empire State of Mind," Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

Rap Album: "Recovery," Eminem

Female Country Vocal Performance: "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert

Male Country Vocal Performance: "'Til Summer Comes Around," Keith Urban

Country Performance by a Duo or Group: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

Country Album: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

Latin Pop Album: "Paraiso Express," Alejandro Sanz

Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Stanley Clarke Band," The Stanley Clarke Band

Classical Album: "Verdi: Requiem," Riccardo Muti, conductor

Traditional Gospel Album: "Downtown Church," Patty Griffin

Dance Recording: "Only Girl (In The World)," Rihanna

Electronic Dance Album: "La Roux," La Roux

Alternative Music Album: "Brothers," The Black Keys

Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album: "Zydeco Junkie," Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band

Spoken Word Album: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook)," Jon Stewart

http://www.grammy.com/

2011 Orange BAFTA Winners Complete List

British film, The King's Speech, won 7 of its 14 nominations at the 2011 Orange BAFTA Awards, including the dual honors of "Best Film" and "Outstanding British Film."  It's chief rival, The Social Network, won "Best Director" for David Fincher and "Adapted Screenplay" for Aaron Sorkin.

The 2011 BAFTA winners:

Best Film: "The King's Speech"

Outstanding British Film: "The King's Speech"

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: "Four Lions"

Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network"

Leading Actor: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"


Leading Actress: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
 
Original Screenplay: David Seidler, "The King's Speech"

Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"

Film Not in the English Language: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Animated Film: "Toy Story 3"

Original Music: Alexandre Desplat, "The King's Speech"

Cinematography: Roger Deakins, "True Grit"

Editing: "The Social Network"

Production Design: "Inception"

Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland"

Sound: "Inception"

Special Visual Effects: "Inception"

Make Up and Hair: "Alice in Wonderland"

Short Animation: "The Eagleman Stag"

Short Film: "Until the River Runs Red"

Rising Star Award: Tom Hardy

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: The Harry Potter Series

"The King's Speech" Wins Best Picture BAFTA

BEST FILM

THE KING’S SPEECH Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin WINNER

BLACK SWAN Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin

INCEPTION Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Céan Chaffin

TRUE GRIT Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Colin Firth Wins Best Actor BAFTA for "The King's Speech"

LEADING ACTOR

COLIN FIRTH The King’s Speech WINNER

JAVIER BARDEM Biutiful

JEFF BRIDGES True Grit

JESSE EISENBERG The Social Network

JAMES FRANCO 127 Hours
 

Natalie Portman Wins Best Actress BAFTA for "Black Swan"

LEADING ACTRESS

NATALIE PORTMAN Black Swan

ANNETTE BENING The Kids Are All Right

JULIANNE MOORE The Kids Are All Right

NOOMI RAPACE The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

HAILEE STEINFELD True Grit

David Fincher Wins Best Director BAFTA for "The Social Network"

DIRECTOR

THE SOCIAL NETWORK David Fincher

127 HOURS Danny Boyle

BLACK SWAN Darren Aronofsky

INCEPTION Christopher Nolan

THE KING’S SPEECH Tom Hooper

"True Grit" Wins Best Cinematography BAFTA

CINEMATOGRAPHY

TRUE GRIT Roger Deakins WINNER

127 HOURS Anthony Dod Mantle, Enrique Chediak

BLACK SWAN Matthew Libatique

INCEPTION Wally Pfister

THE KING’S SPEECH Danny Cohen

"The Social Network" Wins Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA for Aaron Sorkin

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Aaron Sorkin WINNER

127 HOURS Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel

TOY STORY 3 Michael Arndt

TRUE GRIT Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

"Toy Story 3" Wins Best Animated Film BAFTA

ANIMATED FILM

TOY STORY 3 Lee Unkrich WINNER

DESPICABLE ME Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Tom Hardy Wins "Rising Star" BAFTA

THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

TOM HARDY Winner

GEMMA ARTERTON

ANDREW GARFIELD

AARON JOHNSON

EMMA STONE

"The King's Speech" Wins Original Music BAFTA

ORIGINAL MUSIC

THE KING’S SPEECH Alexandre Desplat WINNER

127 HOURS AR Rahman

ALICE IN WONDERLAND Danny Elfman

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON John Powell

INCEPTION Hans Zimmer

"The King's Speech" Wins Best Original Screenplay BAFTA

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE KING’S SPEECH David Seidler WINNER

BLACK SWAN Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, John McLaughlin

THE FIGHTER Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson

INCEPTION Christopher Nolan

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg

"The Social Network" Wins "Best Editing" BAFTA

EDITING

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter WINNER

127 HOURS Jon Harris

BLACK SWAN Andrew Weisblum

INCEPTION Lee Smith

THE KING’S SPEECH Tariq Anwar

Helena Bonham Carter Wins "Best Supporting Actress" BAFTA

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

HELENA BONHAM CARTER The King’s Speech WINNER

AMY ADAMS The Fighter

BARBARA HERSHEY Black Swan

LESLEY MANVILLE Another Year

MIRANDA RICHARDSON Made in Dagenham

Geoffrey Rush Wins "Best Supporting Actor" BAFTA

SUPPORTING ACTOR

GEOFFREY RUSH The King’s Speech WINNER

CHRISTIAN BALE The Fighter

ANDREW GARFIELD The Social Network

PETE POSTLETHWAITE The Town

MARK RUFFALO The Kids Are All Right

"The King's Speech" Wins Outstanding British Film BAFTA

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

THE KING’S SPEECH Tom Hooper, David Seidler, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin WINNER


127 HOURS Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy, Christian Colson, John Smithson

ANOTHER YEAR Mike Leigh, Georgina Lowe

FOUR LIONS Chris Morris, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Mark Herbert, Derrin Schlesinger

MADE IN DAGENHAM Nigel Cole, William Ivory, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley

How to Follow the 2011 BAFTAs from America

The BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, are today.  Anyone who has the BBC on their cable or satellite system can watch the awards broadcast starting at 4 PM EST.  Later, BBC America, which most Americans are likely to have on their cable and satellite services, will begin coverage at 8 PM Eastern and Pacific, but by then, I'm pretty sure the awards ceremony will have concluded.

BBC America's blog, Anglophenia, will live blog the event beginning at 2:30 PM EST.  Meanwhile, I'll update as often as I can and have a full list of winners by tomorrow.

Thanks, as always, for visiting.

Review: 2001 BAFTA "Best British Film" Winner: BILLY ELLIOT is Amazing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 137 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Billy Elliot (2000)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some thematic material
DIRECTOR: Stephen Daldry
WRITER: Lee Hall
PRODUCERS: Greg Brenman and Jonathan Finn
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brian Tufano (D.o.P)
EDITOR: John Wilson
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring: Jamie Bell, Gary Lewis, Jamie Draven, Julie Walters, Jean Heywood, Stuart Wells, and Nicola Blackwell

When Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) takes a fancy to ballet dancing over boxing, his newfound love comes at the most inopportune time - his family is slowly disintegrating. His dad Jackie (Gary Lewis) and his brother Tony (Jamie Draven) are striking coalminers. His mother’s passing has made his father a broken man, and his brother is a violent strike agitator. His teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (Julia Walters who received an Oscar nomination for this supporting role), however, sees something in Billy and encourages him to think about auditioning for a position at the Royal Ballet Academy in London. With her encouragement, Billy strives through his self-doubt and his personal troubles to dance to his heart’s content.

Set in an northern England mining town in 1984, Billy Elliot is an inspirational movie that exceeds beyond the usual expectations even for a movie of its type. You don’t have to go very far into the film before you realize how this movie can make you feel so good while being, for the most part, quite sad. Through the despair and hardships, Billy has to succeed at being himself. A young lad (11), he stands in the face of obstacles and rushes headlong into doing what he wants. He simply uses the bumps in the road as momentum for his next dance step. It is easy to see why audiences took this fine film to heart.

The acting is exquisite from top to bottom with the director making the most of his cast and the actors drawing every last drop of quality storytelling from the script. Every now and again, a child actor has a performance that stands out as so good it matches the performances of the best adult actors, such as Anna Paquin in The Piano and Haley Joel Osmet in The Sixth Sense. Mr. Bell’s performance joins their company because he does something few children can do: to hold the audience’s attention and to carry the film with the craft of acting, rather than with the trick of being cute, precious, and precocious.

As Billy’s suffering father, Jackie, Gary Lewis nearly steals the show. Lewis plays Jackie as a man on shaking ground. He’s lost his wife and his job, and his elder son seems to run the house. When Jackie finally sees his son dance, Jackie has a reason to live, and he’s ready to fight for his son’s ambitions. Lewis totally sells us on the Jackie’s transformation from the beaten man to the loving, supporting dad.

Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Lee Hall, do more than just play to our emotions. Daldry is certainly a director to keep an eye on despite a misstep like his follow up to this film, The Hours. In Billy Elliot, he and Hall have created a film that sends our spirits soaring and inspires us to dream or to, at least, vicariously enjoy the triumph of Billy. It is truly a work of art when you can engage the mind, the heart, and the soul. Billy Elliot will stand out as one of the finest films in recent memory.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2001 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Julie Walters), “Best Director” (Stephen Daldry), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Lee Hall)

2001 BAFTA Awards: 3 wins “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (Greg Brenman, Jonathan Finn, and Stephen Daldry), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Jamie Bell), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Julie Walters); 9 nominations “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Stephen Warbeck), “Best Cinematography” (Brian Tufano), “Best Editing” (John Wilson), “Best Film” (Greg Brenman and Jonathan Finn), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Gary Lewis), “Best Screenplay – Original” (Lee Hall), “Best Sound” (Mark Holding, Mike Prestwood Smith, Zane Hayward), “Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer” (Stephen Daldry-director and Lee Hall-writer), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Stephen Daldry)

2001 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Julie Walters)

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London Film Critics Join "The Social Network"

If I understand correctly, the London Film Critics’ Circle is part of a larger organization, The Critics’ Circle, which makes an annual award for Services to the Arts. This circle is comprised of the five sections: dance, drama, film, music, and visual arts.

On its website, The Circle says that its aims are “to promote the art of criticism, to uphold its integrity in practice, to foster and safeguard members’ professional interests, to provide opportunities to meet, and to support the advancement of the arts.” Currently there are 430 members of the Circle, mostly from the UK, and the majority of them write regularly for national and regional newspapers and magazines. Membership is by invitation.

Thursday night, the film critics announced their 2010 film award winners.

Winners list of 31st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards:

* FILM OF THE YEAR: ‘The Social Network’

* DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR: David Fincher – ‘The Social Network’

* SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR: Aaron Sorkin – ‘The Social Network’

* ACTOR OF THE YEAR: Colin Firth – ‘The King’s Speech’

* ACTRESS OF THE YEAR: Annette Bening – ‘The Kids Are All Right’

* THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD: BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR: ‘The King’s Speech’

* BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR: Tom Hooper – ‘The King’s Speech’

* BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR: Christian Bale – “The Fighter”

* BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR: Lesley Manville – ‘Another Year’

* BRITISH ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Andrew Garfield – ‘The Social Network’

* BRITISH ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Olivia Williams – ‘The Ghost’

* YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR: Conor McCarron – ‘NEDs’

* BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER: Gareth Edwards – ‘Monsters’

* DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM: Kristin Scott Thomas

* FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR: 'Of Gods and Men'

Review: "Cursed" is an Odd Werewolf Movie (Happy B'day, Christina Ricci)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Cursed (2005)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for horror violence/terror, some sexual references, nudity, language, and a brief drug reference
DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
WRITER: Kevin Williamson
PRODUCERS: Marianne Maddalena and Kevin Williamson
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Robert McLachlan with Don McCuaig
EDITORS: Raúl Dávalos, Gregg Featherman, Patrick Lussier, and Lisa Romaniw

HORROR/MYSTERY with elements of comedy and thriller

Starring: Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Milo Ventimiglia, Kristina Anapau, Michael Rosenbaum, Mya, Judie Greer, Jonny Acker, Eric Ladin, Shannon Elizabeth, Scott Baio, Craig Kilborn, Lance Bass, Portia De Rossi, Bambi Allen, and Derek Mears

It’s released delayed over a year, Cursed, the teen/20-something oriented werewolf movie from director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson, the creators of Scream, finally made it to wide release the last weekend of February 2005. The film was not screened for critics and early word on the Net from fans who claimed to have seen it was poor… But I liked it. Cursed is not great and it has some problems; the makers don’t seem sure if they want a horror movie or a comedy, but scares and laughs mix a little better than oil and water in this instance. Thus, we have a new horror sub-genre – comic horror.

In the film, estranged siblings still dealing with their parents’ death (the film is never quite clear how recent they died or if they were killed) are attacked by a werewolf while trying to help a young woman in a car accident. Ellie (Christina Ricci), the sister, is some kind of producer for The Craig Kilborn Show. She’s always busy juggling guests for the show, and she’s hit a rough patch with her boyfriend, Jake (Joshua Jackson). Her younger brother, Jimmy (Jessie Eisenberg), is dealing with trials of high school as painfully shy nerdy kid who gets grief from the jock types, especially after he becomes attracted to Brooke (Kristina Anapau), a jock’s girlfriend.

At first, Ellie is reluctant to believe that a werewolf attacked them, and it deepens the riff between her and her brother, but eventually the physically changes to her body and her strange behavior convinces Ellie of the truth. A sexy gypsy fortuneteller informs Ellie that she is cursed, and that she must find the werewolf that attacked her (whom Ellie and Jimmy assume to be “the master”) and destroy it in order to break the curse of the werewolf or they too will become beasts. As usual, things are a lot more complicated, and there are several suspects, and it seems more than one villain wishes to harm Ellie and Jimmy.

The bad in Cursed: cheesy CGI to create a werewolf. I hate CGI werewolves, and there's a transformation scene in this movie that is more a mixture of live action and animation than it is computer generated imagery. Also, a lot of the acting is flat or is more pretending than acting, and a few cast members seem to be going through the motions or doing a paint-by-numbers version of acting. The characters are mostly a bunch of pretty people who drive expensive, high-end, luxury cars and act dumb. There’s not much to the plot, which the filmmakers stretch almost to the breaking point, and the story is limp. The film also lacks some poignancy, and it too conveniently resolves family and relationship problems.

The good: Christina Ricci and Jessie Eisenberg really buy into the concept. Everything about the duo rings true: their backstory, living situations, social relationships, and plight. They, more than any other element, sell Cursed to the audience. Rick Baker does some stellar makeup and mechanical effects work, but what else can one expect from this master effects man? The film’s atmosphere is also very good. It’s sometimes funny and outrageous and other times pretty scary, and there are also some nice character twists. Drop disbelief and don’t take Cursed too seriously. I had a blast.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, February 26, 2005

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Review: Wam! Bam! Thank You "Machete"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Machete (2010)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity
DIRECTORS: Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez
WRITERS: Robert Rodriguez and Álvaro Rodríguez
PRODUCERS: Elizabeth Avellan, Robert Rodriguez, and Rick Schwartz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jimmy Lindsey
EDITORS: Rebecca Rodriguez and Robert Rodriguez

ACTION

Starring: Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Shea Whigham, Lindsay Lohan, Daryl Sabara, Gilbert Trejo, and Tom Savini

Robert Rodriguez’s recent hell-raising flick, Machete, first hit the screen as a fake trailer in the 2007 Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double feature, Grindhouse. Part tongue-in-cheek action comedy and part exploitation movie, Machete offers deranged fun that includes everything from dismemberment to a mini-race war.

The film focuses on Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo), a former Mexican Federale turned illegal immigrant. Three years after the powerful drug lord, Rogelio Torrez (Steven Seagal) killed his wife and daughter, Machete roams Texas looking for work. A shady businessman named Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) offers Machete $150,000 to assassinate corrupt Texas State Senator John McLaughlin (Robert De Niro). After he is double-crossed, Machete joins forces with immigration agent Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba) to take down McLaughlin and a far-ranging conspiracy that includes anti-immigration racists and Machete’s old nemesis, Torrez. Luckily, Machete and Rivera find help in the form of Machete’s brother, the gun-wielding priest, Padre (Cheech Marin), and the taco-truck lady, Luz (Michelle Rodriguez).

I enjoy Robert Rodriguez’s films so very much, and although he has a co-director, Ethan Maniquis, for this film, Machete is true to the spirit of mayhem inherent in movies produced by Troublemaker Studios, Rodriguez’s production company. Machete does seem a bit long, and the narrative is occasionally clunky, but the action sequences have a seamless quality that gives the violence maxim impact upon the viewer.

The cinematic art of beheading, dismemberment, gouging, puncturing, and bladed-weapon-thrusting have rarely looked so good (obviously thanks to computer effects enhancement). Those of us who like that sort of thing will howl with pleasure. The terrific gunfights and pitched gun battles are the giant, juicy, succulent cherry on top of this hack-and-slash fun.

As well-made as this film is from creative and technical points of view, the cast is what assures that Machete manages not to take itself seriously, but also still work as an over-the-top action movie. Of course, Robert De Niro is good; in fact, his spot-on creation of the opportunistic, chauvinistic Senator McLaughlin is gold for this movie. Steve Seagal, Jeff Fahey, and Don Johnson were all, at one point in their careers, B-movie action stars, and they deliver some of their best action flick work here, especially Johnson. The girls are all good here, but Lindsay Lohan effortlessly outshines Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez in a much smaller role.

Machete ultimately relies on Danny Trejo. Seemingly hewn from granite (sans the pretty boy looks), Trejo is an action star with the soul of a thespian. As good as this movie is, there actually isn’t enough of him on screen. Trejo has palatable film presence, and he makes Machete not just a good action movie, but also a good movie, regardless of genre.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, February 11, 2011

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Review: Danny Trejo Revealed in "Champion"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Champion (2005)
Running time: 81 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Joe Eckardt
WRITER: Cecily Gambrell
PRODUCERS: Joe Eckardt and Cecily Gambrell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Vitaly Bokser, Dana Gonzales, and Daniel S. Haas
EDITORS: Joe Eckardt and Joseph Lorigo

DOCUMENTARY – Biography/Interview

Starring: Danny Trejo, Cecily Gambrell, Edward Bunker, Steve Buscemi, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, and Robert Rodriguez

His body covered in tattoos, actor Danny Trejo has appeared in such films as Desperado, Con Air, and Spy Kids. Trejo is mostly known for playing tough guys, criminals, and villains. You’ll recognize him when you see him, and you may not be surprised to learn that Trejo has a past that includes substance abuse, drug dealing, and prison.

There is another side to Trejo. His troubled childhood, which included drug addiction, armed robbery, and extensive prison time, eventually led him to a career as a counselor, where his vocation became helping people who are struggling with alcohol, drugs, and gang-banging. That in turn led Trejo into acting, beginning with work in the 1985 film Runaway Train. The 2005 documentary Champion offers an intimate and detailed look at Trejo’s life and journey and includes testimonials from actors Steve Buscemi, Dennis Hopper, and Val Kilmer, among others.

The first hour of Champion mainly deals with Trejo’s troubled youth and a 20-year period from the 1950s to the late 1960s in which Trejo beat up people and/or robbed them, while selling drugs and doing time in juvenile and prison facilities. Although interesting, some of this first hour is repetitive or dry and slows the film. Then, Champion has a Saul-to-St. Paul moment and seems to suddenly open up, revealing the man who has a great big heart and a drive to help people. Champion is not a traditional documentary; in fact, it is essentially one long interview film. What the film ultimately documents is an inspirational story of how far up someone can come from being so down. Watch it and understand why Danny Trejo is indeed a champion.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, February 11, 2011

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2011 Black Reel Awards Nominations List

The Black Reel Awards are scheduled to be handed out tonight.  What are the Black Reel Awards?  These awards annually honor African-Americans in feature, independent and television film. The awards were launched in 2000, and this is the 11th year of the awards.

From what I understand, 60 film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet comprise the voting members of the Black Reel Awards. Voting was conducted from December 10 – 13, 2010. Winners will be announced on Friday, February 11, 2011.

2011 Nominations:

Outstanding Film
The Book of Eli
Brooklyn’s Finest
For Colored Girls
Night Catches Us
Just Wright

Outstanding Actress
Thandie Newton – For Colored Girls
Queen Latifah – Just Wright
Kerry Washington – Night Catches Us
Anika Noni Rose – For Colored Girls
Kimberly Elise – For Colored Girls

Outstanding Actor
Don Cheadle – Brooklyn’s Finest
Denzel Washington – The Book of Eli
Jaden Smith – The Karate Kid
Anthony Mackie – Night Catches Us
Denzel Washington – Unstoppable

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Phylicia Rashad – For Colored Girls
Kerry Washington – For Colored Girls
Viola Davis – Eat Pray Love
Janet Jackson – For Colored Girls
Shareeka Epps – Mother and Child

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Wesley Snipes – Brooklyn’s Finest
Sean Combs – Get Him to the Greek
Samuel L. Jackson – Mother and Child
Brandon T. Jackson – Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Laurence Fishburne – Predators

Outstanding Director
Antoine Fuqua – Brooklyn’s Finest
Sanaa Hamri – Just Wright
Tanya Hamilton – Night Catches
Allen and Albert Hughes – The Book of Eli
Tyler Perry – For Colored Girls

Outstanding Screenplay, Original or Adapted
Tanya Hamilton – Night Catches Us
Michael C. Martin – Brooklyn’s Finest
Michael Elliott – Just Wright
Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus, John Lussenhop and Avery Duff – Takers
Tyler Perry – For Colored Girls

Outstanding Original Score
The Karate Kid
Brooklyn’s Finest
Night Catches Us
The Book of Eli
For Colored Girls

Outstanding Original Song
Shine (John Legend) - Waiting for Superman
Champion (Queen Latifah) - Just Wright
Run This Town (Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kayne West) - Brooklyn’s Finest
Never Say Never (Justin Bieber featuring Jaden Smith) - The Karate Kid
I Know Who I Am (Leona Lewis) - For Colored Girls

Outstanding Ensemble
For Colored Girls
Brooklyn’s Finest
Unstoppable
Night Catches Us
Takers

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance
Omari Hardwick – For Colored Girls
Tessa Thompson – For Colored Girls
Amari Cheatom – Night Catches Us
Zoe Kravitz – It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Yaya DaCosta – The Kids Are All Right

Outstanding Feature Documentary
The Lottery
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
Waiting on Superman
My Mic Sounds Nice

Outstanding Indie Feature Film
Preacher’s Kid
Kings of the Evening
Toe to Toe
Black Venus
Finding God in the City of Angels

Outstanding Indie Short Film
Cred
Stag and Dow
Katrina’s Son

Outstanding Indie Documentary Film
For the Best and For the Onion
One of These Mornings
Gefilte Fish

Outstanding Television Documentary
If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise
The Black List, Vol. 3
A Small Act

Marvel Meets Shane Black About "Iron Man 3"

As you may already know, Jon Favreau will not return to direct the third installment Marvel Studio's Iron Man film franchise, after directing the first two movies, which were big hits.  As Marvel interviews prospective directors, a surprising name has come up according to Collider, legendary action movie screenwriter, Shane Black, the man who created Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout.  Black also wrote and directed the excellent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (I just posted my review of it from a few years back.), which featured the star of the Iron Man movies, Robert Downey, Jr.

According to Collider, Marvel is meeting with a number of directors and the name of one of them is now known: Shane Black.  "Iron Man 3" is set to be released on May 3, 2013.