Oliver Stone - Still Pressing Buttons

Oliver Stone has a new documentary film, South of the Border.  You can visit the film's website here.  Apparently, one of the film's key points is that U.S. press coverage of South America is shaped by the needs of the U.S State Department.  One of the targets of the film strikes back.  Truthout has the details and pertinent links in this op-ed from Robert Naiman.

VIZ Cinema Brings Japanese Superheroes in July

THE EXOTIC AND ACTION PACKED WORLD OF JAPANESE SUPERHEROES IS EXPLORED IN JULY’S INSTALLMENT OF TOKYOSCOPE TALK AT VIZ CINEMA

NEW PEOPLE and VIZ Cinema offer an intriguing exploration of the exotic world of Japanese superheroes in TokyoScope Talk Vol. 5, taking place at the theatre at 7:00pm on Friday July 9th. Host Patrick Macias, Editor of Otaku USA magazine, will be joined by August Ragone (author, Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters) for an in-depth discussion of Japanese superheroes ranging from Ultraman and Kamen Rider to the Power Rangers.

General admission tickets are $10.00. More details and advance tickets available at: www.newpeopleworld.com/films

These and many other colorful crusaders of justice are now recognized the world over as essential icons of Japanese pop culture. But where did they come from? Who created them? And what is it really like battling rubber monsters and the forces of evil on a regular basis?

“TokyoScope Talk Vol. 5: Japanese Superheroes will explore the fascinating history and origins of the action packed world of celluloid superheroes using rare film clips and images from numerous tokusatsu, sentai, and henshin hero productions including Ultra Seven, Kikaida, Space Sheriff Gavan, and many others,” says Macias. “This will be a fun event for anyone who grew up watching Ultraman and Power Rangers as well as for those who are brand new to this unique genre of Japanese filmmaking. We invite superhero fans of all stripes to check out this comprehensive presentation!”

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s first movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.


About NEW PEOPLE
NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: www.NewPeopleWorld.com.

Review: "Good Hair" Hilarious, But Fairly Empty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Good Hair (2009)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some language including sex and drug references, and brief partial nudity
DIRECTOR: Jeff Stilson
WRITERS: Lance Crouther, Chris Rock, Chuck Sklar, and Jeff Stilson with Paul Marchand
PRODUCERS: Jenny Hunter, Kevin O'Donnell, Nelson George, and Jeff Stilson
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Cliff Charles (director of photography) and Mark Henderson
EDITORS: Paul Marchand and Greg Nash
COMPOSER: Marcus Miller

DOCUMENTARY

Starring: Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Eve, Melyssa Ford, Megan Goode Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Rev. Al Sharpton, Raven-Symoné, and Traci Thoms

At the beginning of his documentary, Good Hair, Chris Rock says that his daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?” Bewildered, the Emmy-winning comedian, talk show host, and actor decided to find out what in African-American culture would put such a question in his little girl’s mind. To find answers, Rock, the film’s star and narrator, crosses continents and oceans. Traveling from New York to Atlanta and from India to Los Angeles, Rock visits a hair show, a scientific lab, a hair products manufacturer, and an Indian temple. Rock also visits numerous hair salons.

Along the way, he explores the way Black hairstyles impact Black people’s lifestyles and activities, pocketbooks, and sexual relationships. He even gets African-American women to talk about how their hair affects their self-esteem. A number of celebrities, entertainment industry figures, and public figures (from Maya Angelou and Rev. Al Sharpton to Ice-T and Salt-N-Pepa) candidly offer their stories and observations about Black hair. He may not get his answers, but Rock will discover that Black hair is a big business that doesn't always benefit the Black community.

The truth is that Good Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson, is less a documentary than it is like a feature news piece one might see on “20/20” or "Dateline NBC." There is a lot of funny stuff here, some of it quite shocking, but most of this movie really lacks a social or historical context. Rock and his co-writers certainly get close enough. For instance, the film reveals the fact that a large segment of the “black hair industry” is controlled by Asian-Americans who shut out African-American entrepreneurs. Rock touches upon it, but never really delves into that. He just skims the fact that in the 1980s, white-owned corporations like Revlon set out to remove Black-owned companies and corporations from the hair care business, where over 80 percent of the money comes from African-American customers.

No, rather than really examine the lack of Black ownership, Good Hair brings it up and then, it’s on to the next freak show. And that’s what this movie is – a freak show. It is very entertaining – often hugely entertaining, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who is African-American or is interested in African-American culture. There is even a touch of sadness here, as if the filmmakers were recording an on-going tragedy. Good Hair, sadly, is a documentary that touches upon greatness, but ultimately decides to be little more than a delightful and hilarious puff piece.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2010 Black Reel Awards: 1 win: “Black Reel Best Documentary”

2010 Image Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television)”

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Dust Settles on Tyler Perry-Boondocks Psuedo-Feud

AOL Black Voices has an update on The Boondocks/Tyler Perry conflagaration here, and apparently some of the rumors are false.  Perry will not sue.  What follows is a recap from Black Voices:

The June 20 episode of his satirical series, titled 'Pause,' features a character named Winston Jerome, a religious playwright-director-actor who also cross-dresses as a no-nonsense grandmother named Ma Dukes in movies and chitlin' circuit plays. The imagery immediately brings thoughts of Perry's star character Madea Simmons to mind. Granddad is cast as Ma Dukes' love interest, and his grandsons, Huey and Riley, break into the a well-guarded compound to rescue their beloved guardian and save him from a homoerotic religious cult.

By the way, this third season is apparently the final season for The Boondocks.

Review: Creepy "Signs" Dances with Fate and Faith

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 127 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Signs (2002)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some frightening moments
WRITER/DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan
PRODUCERS: Frank Marshall, Sam Mercer, and M. Night Shyamalan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tak Fujimoto
EDITOR: Barbara Tulliver
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

DRAMA/SCI-FI/THRILLER with elements of horror

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, M. Night Shyamalan, and Patricia Kalember

Farmer and pastor Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) lost his faith when his wife Colleen (Patricia Kalember) was killed in an auto accident, but when he discovers intricate patterns of circles carved into his corn fields (called “crop circles”), he embarks on an path that will alter his life. The mysterious markings cause a media storm and worldwide panic; trapped in his farmhouse with his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) and his son (Rory Culkin) and daughter (Abigail Breslin), Graham must discover if the crop circles are the signs of an impending invasion or are they part of a larger pattern of fate and predestination.

Signs was hit-making director M. Night Shyamalan’s third big-time studio film, and it was a huge theatrical hit. It’s a very entertaining film, although it is also a bit too serious and moody. In fact, Signs is so somber that it’s almost a chamber music version of solemnity. Still, like Shyamalan’s other best-known films (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable), Signs is a superbly creepy suspense thriller, a brilliant stroke of quiet, edge-of-your-seat thrills.

The performances and the mood of the film go a long way in dictating how an individual viewer will feel about Signs; those two elements decide the “fate” of the film, as it is. Gibson and Phoenix’s performance are too low-key, so much so that it seems as if they’re stuck in the mud. The children, however, are very good in the film, and young Ms. Breslin manages to be super cute and precious without being annoying; she delivers each of her lines and gives each one maximum impact on both the film and audience reaction. Signs is also an excellent rumination on fate and faith and on how often people mistake the “signs” and the important incidents in life as coincidences. If the film wasn’t so stiff, stuck in the mud, and so deathly deliberate and formal, I’d call it brilliant.

7 of 10
B+

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Entire "Ghost in the Shell" Saga at VIZ Cinema in July

VIZ CINEMA PRESENTS THE ENTIRE SAGA OF MOST VENERABLE ANIME FILM FRANCHISE OF ALL TIME, GHOST IN THE SHELL

July Edition Of Sci-Fi Anime Madness Offers Six Feature Films Based On Hit Manga Series Set To Play In A Special Week-Long Anime Film Festival

VIZ Cinema and NEW PEOPLE are proud to present, in association with Bandai Entertainment and Manga Entertainment, Sci-fi Anime Madness Volume 2: Ghost in the Shell Marathon with a very special series of feature film screenings taking place July 3rd – 8th at the theatre located in San Francisco’s Japantown. The creation of veteran anime writer/director/producer Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell and its subsequent sequels thrilled audiences and inspired a generation of filmmakers to became one of the most revered anime franchises of all times.

Tickets, screening times and more details are available at: www.vizcinema.com.

Ghost in the Shell is based on a popular manga series created by Shirow Masamune and was turned into a feature film in 1995 that went on to become an international smash hit. It was followed by a theatrical film sequel in 2004, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which was also directed by Mamoru Oshii. The VIZ Cinema marathon will also screen three feature-length film re-cuts including “The Laughing Man,” that features a separate, self-contained storyline based on the Stand Along Complex anime TV series, produced in 2005, as well as “Individual Eleven,” and “Solid State Society, two features based on the second season of the anime television series that was produced in 2006.

Ghost In The Shell (Original Version), July 3rd and also July 5th
(Directed by Mamoru Oshii, 1995, 85min, Digital, English Subtitles)
In 2029 A female government cyber agent and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a computer virus capable of invading cybernetic brains and altering its victims’ memories. This is the acclaimed sci-fi action masterpiece that proclaimed a new era of anime and helped to define the cyber-punk genre.

Ghost In The Shell 2.0 (CGI version), July 3rd and also July 5th
(Directed by Mamoru Oshii, 2008, 85min, Digital, English Subtitles)
This is a new, visually enhanced version of the classic original movie.

Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence, July 3rd
(Directed by Mamoru Oshii, 2004, 100min, Digital, English Subtitles)
This is the gripping sequel to the original Ghost in the Shell film.

Ghost In The Shell Stand Along Complex: The Laughing Man, July 4th and also July 6th
(Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, 2005, 106min, Digital, English Subtitles)
The feature film adaptation of the Stand Alone Complex series, re-cut to tell the story of a police battle with an evil computer hacker.

Ghost In The Shell: Individual Eleven 161, July 4th and also July 7th
(Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, 2006, 161min, Digital, English Subtitles)
A feature-length OAV feature with a new self-contained story, adapted from Stand Alone Complex: Second Gig, the second season of the Ghost in the Shell broadcast series.

Ghost In The Shell: Solid State Society 108, July 4th and also July 8th
(Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, 2006, 108min, Digital, English Subtitles)
A film adaptation of the Stand Alone Complex: Second Gig, the second season of the Ghost in the Shell broadcast series.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: www.NewPeopleWorld.com.

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Movie Review: "Unbreakable" Has Broken Ending

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Unbreakable (2000)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic elements including some disturbing violent content, and for a crude sexual reference
WRITER/DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan
PRODUCERS: Barry Mendel, Sam Mercer, and M. Night Shyamalan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eduardo Serra (director of photography)
EDITOR: Dylan Tichenor
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

DRAMA/FANTASY/THRILLER

Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, and Johnny Hiram Jamison

Sometimes an awkward or inappropriate ending can ruin a very good or even a great movie. For the follow up to his enormously popular worldwide smash, The Sixth Sense, director M. Night Shyamalan decided to smash his fine film Unbreakable over its figurative head with a dud of an ending. Still, the film is worth seeing, if for no other reason than to watch an emerging master filmmaker whose style is somewhat similar to Steven Spielberg, the man to whom Shyamalan is favorably compared.

David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is the father of a lonely boy (Spencer Treat Clark), the owner of a serious midlife crisis, and a somewhat estranged husband to his wife (Robin Wright Penn). He is a security guard returning by train from a job interview when the train suddenly derails. Dunn is the sole surviving passenger, and he escapes the tragedy without so much as a scratch or a broken bone. He meets Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a strange fellow who believes David is the special man with an extraordinary gift for whom Elijah has searched most of his adult life.

Shyamalan is without a doubt a major directorial talent. He understands how to use his fellow filmmakers to maximum effect: using lighting, music, film editing, photography, and actors like toys he can move around to tell delicious, engaging, and fantastic supernatural thrillers. Like Spielberg, Shymalan’s technique is more manipulative than obvious, but what he does works. One scene after another reveals how carefully he weaves his film, as he slowly unwraps whatever surprise lies around the corner of each story twist.

His weakness is in his writing because he has a propensity to cheat and to hide things in order to confuse his audience, or he’s just inconsistent with the rules he establishes to make the world of his film work (The Sixth Sense has many). He doesn’t seem to really want us to solve the mysteries of his film, so much as he wants us to be surprised by his shocking twists, especially if that surprise comes as a slap in the face.

As effective and enthralling as Unbreakable is, the resolution is simply something Shyamalan drops like a bomb. There is no doubt that it is a shocker, but what it does is turn Unbreakable into the back story of Dunn’s life, not the story of his life. This is what happens after Dunn discovers and accepts what he is and what Elijah had to do to make David accept his destiny (or Elijah’s destiny for him). In fact, the resolution simply sours something that was turning out to be really beautiful, admittedly somber, but beautiful nonetheless.

The performances are all pretty good, if a bit too moody. It’s understandable to have the cast in a blue mood to heighten the sense of the otherness or the supernatural, but the actors’ dower expressions make even the light moments too bittersweet. Or maybe the whole thing is supposed to be a downer. It’s really sad that what looked like a great film was ruined by a gimmick – Shyamalan’s one trick; still, I’d recommend you see this thriller at least once.

6 of 10
B

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