"Superman/Batman: Apocalypse" Rocks the House

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 65 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) – straight-to-video
Running time: 78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence and brief sensuality
DIRECTOR: Lauren Montgomery
WRITERS: Tab Murphy (Based upon the graphic novel by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner and characters created by Bob Kane (Batman), Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Superman), William Moulton Marston (Wonder Woman), and Jack Kirby (Darkseid and The New Gods)
PRODUCERS: Lauren Montgomery, Bobbie Page, and Bruce W. Timm
EDITOR: Margaret Hou

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION

Starring: Andre Braugher, Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, Summer Glau, Julianne Grossman, Edward Asner, and Rachel Quaintance

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is the ninth in Warner Bros. Animation’s line of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. It is a sequel to the animated film, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), and is based on “The Supergirl from Krypton,” a storyline in the Superman/Batman comic book series from DC Comics. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse focuses on a mysterious teen-aged girl with super-human powers, her connection to Superman, and a villain’s diabolical plan to control her.

While investigating the wreckage of a spaceship that landed in Gotham City Harbor, Batman (Kevin Conroy) discovers that the ship had a passenger. It is a young woman who raises all sorts of havoc with her apparent super human powers, but Batman manages to subdue her. It is Superman (Tim Daly), however, who discovers that the young woman is Kara Zor-El (Summer Glau), his biological cousin, and like himself, a refuge from Krypton. Kara has little memory of her past, and her powers make her dangerous. Wonder Woman (Susan Eisenberg) steps in and takes Kara to her home, Themyscira, the island home of the Amazons.

They are not the only ones interested in Kara. On the planet, Apokolips, its lord, Darkseid (Andre Braugher), has learned of Kara and desires her to lead his honor guard, the Female Furies, so he kidnaps her. To rescue Kara, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must recruit the former leader of the Furies, Big Barda (Julianne Grossman), but even her help may not be enough to overcome Darkseid, a god.

What I like about Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is that it gets everything right. First, the writing is strong. Screenwriter Tab Murphy efficiently presents the characters: their personalities, quirks, motivations, conflicts, and relationships. It all comes across as genuine – from Kara’s confusion and struggle to adjust to a new world to Superman’s almost desperate yearning to both protect Kara and to connect with someone from the world of his birth. Also, the action of the story is gripping, from the first moments to the tear-the-roof-off-the-mutha, battle royale featuring Superman, Kara, and Darkseid.

The animation is also good, not as good as feature film animation, but the characters look good during the action and fight scenes, which is what counts in these direct-to-DVD movies based upon superhero comic books. The animation’s design style is based on the art of the artist who drew “The Supergirl from Krypton, the late Michael Turner. This movie’s designers and animators capture Turner’s quirky style and his graceful approach to drawing women. Kara’s hairdo certainly reflects Turner’s sensibilities.

All in all, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is one of the better DC Universe Animated movies, and is one I’d watch again.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Darrell Roodt's "Winnie" to Open 2012 Montreal International Black Film Festival

WINNIE to open the 8th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Montreal, August 7, 2012 - The highly anticipated film Winnie by Darrell Roodt will open the 8th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival on September 19th, as a Quebec Premiere. Winnie, a Canadian co-production, produced by Quebec producer Michael Mosca from Equinoxe Films, will kick-start the official competition. "We are very proud to open the festival with such a big film produced by a Quebec producer; It's a deeply moving story that leaves no one untouched ," stated Fabienne Colas, President of the Festival.

Winnie stars Jennifer Hudson (Winnie Mandela), Academy Award winner and Grammy Award winner, and Terrence Howard (Nelson Mandela), Academy Award nominee.

Based on the biography by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob, Winnie Mandela :A Life, Winnie is an intimate, in-depth and unbiased film that will take the audience on a remarkable journey of understanding Winnie Mandela, one of the world's most famous female activists, exploring both her personal and political life. Winnie Mandela is a complex historical figure, appreciated for her role in the struggle against apartheid led by her husband, but whose obscure acquaintances make an equally controversial personality.Through her fierce determination and dauntless courage, Winnie Mandela survived her husband's imprisonment, continuous harassment by the security police, banishment to a small Free State town, betrayal by friends and allies, and more than a year in solitary confinement - all the while keeping the name of Nelson Mandela alive. A sensitive and balanced portrayal, the film nevertheless thoroughly investigates and honestly examines the controversies that dogged Winnie Mandela in recent years.

South African filmmaker and screenwriter Darrell Roodt, whose film Yesterday was nominated for an Academy Award in "Best Foreign Language Film" category in 2005, made an international name for himself with his debut feature A Place of Weeping (1986), a passionate condemnation of apartheid. Educated at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, he gained further acclaim for The Stick (1988), another look at the anti-apartheid struggle. In 1990, he made his first film with American backing, Jobman (1990). Roodt's best-known film is his adaptation of the anti-apartheid stage musical Sarafina! (1992) starring Whoopi Goldberg. He has made around 30 films ans TV series among which Cry, the Beloved Country starring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris (1995). He has since alternated between making films in Hollywood and South Africa. His latest film Winnie has been officially selected in both Cannes Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.

After its Quebec premiere at the Montreal International Black Film Festival, WINNIE, distributed by Equinoxe Films, will hit Quebec screens starting October 5, 2012.

The 8th MIBFF will be held from September 19 to 30.

ABOUT THE MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (MIBFF)
Presented by Global Montreal, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, anon-profit organization dedicated to promoting Cinema, Art and Culture. The mission of the MIBFF is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to showcase more films on the realities of Blacks from around the world. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema, cinema that hails from here and from abroad and that does not necessarily have the opportunity to grace the big screen, groundbreaking cinema that moves us, that raises awareness and that takes us all by surprise! The MIBFF wants to deal with issues and present works that raise questions, that provoke, that make us smile, that leave us perplexed, that shock us... A fresh new look at black cinema from the four corners of the globe!

www.montrealblackfilm.com

www.facebook.com/blackfilmfestival

www.twitter.com/filmblackmtl

Joe Carnahan's "Narc" is a Fiery Cop Thriller

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 129 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Narc (2002)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong brutal violence, drug content and pervasive language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Joe Carnahan
PRODUCERS: Michelle Grace, Ray Liotta, Diane Nabatoff, and Julius R. Nasso
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alex Nepomniaschy (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: John Gilroy
COMPOSER: Cliff Martinez

CRIME/DRAMA/MYSTERY

Starring: Ray Liotta, Jason Patric, Chi McBride, Busta Rhymes, Alan Van Sprang, Krista Bridges, and Gavyn and Myles Donaldson

The subject of this movie review is Narc, a 2002 crime film from Joe Carnahan and starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric. The film is about corrupt police involved in the drug trade in Detroit, Michigan.

Writer/director Joe Carnahan’s Narc is the kind of gritty cop film, that if done right, will make select audiences and critics sit up and take notice. Add a punch in the face and to the stomach ending and we have a film that actually gets better as it goes along, racing to a blistering climax. This is both a writer’s and an actors’ film, although the directing, photography, and editing are all quite good – lots of clever and quick cuts, extreme close-ups, and a sense of claustrophobia to go with all that washed out, bluish lighting that pervades the film.

In the film, Nick Tellis (Jason Patric), an undercover narcotics officer banished indiscriminately shooting at a suspect, returns to the Job to investigate the unsolved murder of a fellow narc, Michael Calvess (Alan Van Sprang). Tellis requests that Calvess’ partner Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) assist him in the investigation, but Detective Oak is one of those violent hot-tempered cops who need to be leashed. He has a record of battering suspects and wants nothing more than to do worse to Calvess’ murderers.

Both Liotta and Patric are way underrated actors in that neither one will ever be a big time matinee idol, but both are very good actors. Each has a knack for playing hard-nosed, but neither is a pretty boy. If a character needs to be “searing,” especially in a dark drama, either one is the man for the part. Liotta even has a stunning Oscar-worthy moment in Narc that, in the end, failed to earn him an Academy Award nomination.

Carnahan’s script for Narc is densely plotted, as the Calvess’ murder investigation is actually more than just an attempt to find the cop killers. It involves politics, convoluted and complex personal relationships, police procedure, hypocrisy, and redemption. Carnahan only hints at the larger personalities of Tellis and Oak, choosing to focus on their characteristics and personalities as they relate to being cops. In that vein, Narc is a complex, searing, and ultimately disheartening and frustrating look at the cop culture. Thrilling, riveting, and mesmerizing are just a few of the words that I could use to describe just how strongly this film holds the viewer in its sway. It is suffice to say that Carnahan (who is scheduled to direct Mission: Impossible 3) explodes our preconceptions much in the way his characters find out that little is what it seems. By the end of this movie, Carnahan leaves you crying for an encore.

8 of 10
A

New Release Date for Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby"

“The Great Gatsby” Moving to Summer 2013

Baz Luhrmann’s 3D Adaptation to Get New Play Date in Sought-After Summer Frame

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures have moved the release date of “The Great Gatsby” to Summer 2013. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “Based on what we’ve seen, Baz Luhrmann’s incredible work is all we anticipated and so much more. It truly brings Fitzgerald’s American classic to life in a completely immersive, visually stunning and exciting way. We think moviegoers of all ages are going to embrace it, and it makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible.”

Kwan Vandenberg confirmed, “Baz is known for being innovative, but with this film he has done something completely unexpected—making it in 3D—while capturing the emotion, the intimacy, the power and the spectacle of the time. The responses we’ve had to some of the early sneak peeks have been phenomenal, and we think ‘The Great Gatsby’ will be the perfect summer movie around the world.”

From the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann comes the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The filmmaker has created his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before, in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.

“The Great Gatsby” follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.

Academy Award® nominee DiCaprio (“J. Edgar,” “Aviator”) plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire starring as Nick Carraway; Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) and Joel Edgerton as Daisy and Tom Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.

Oscar® nominee Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge!”) directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on Fitzgerald’s book. Luhrmann produces, along with Catherine Martin, Academy Award® winner Douglas Wick (“Gladiator”), Lucy Fisher and Catherine Knapman. The executive producers are Academy Award® winner Barrie M. Osborne (“Lord of the Rings – Return of the King”) and Bruce Berman.

Two-time Academy Award®-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin (“Moulin Rouge!”) designs as well as produces. The editors are Matt Villa, Jason Ballantine and Jonathan Redmond, and the director of photography is Simon Duggan. The music is by Craig Armstrong.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with A&E Television, a Bazmark/Red Wagon Entertainment Production, a Film by Baz Luhrmann, “The Great Gatsby.” Opening Summer 2013, the film will be distributed in IMAX® 3D, 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

Review: "The Village" is Great ... Until it Isn't (Happy B'day, M. Night Shyamalan)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 135 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Village (2004)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for scene of violence and frightening situations
WRITER/DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan
PRODUCERS: Sam Mercer, Scott Rudin, and M. Night Shyamalan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roger Deakins (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Christopher Tellefsen
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/FANTASY/THRILLER with elements of horror

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson, Cherry Jones, Celia Weston, John Christopher Jones, Frank Collison, Jayne Atkinson, Judy Greer, Michael Pitt, and Jesse Eisenberg

The subject of this movie review is The Village, a 2004 fantasy thriller and mystery film from writer-director, M. Night Shyamalan. The film is set in a late 19th century village built in a forest supposedly filled with dangerous creatures.

Circa 1897, Covington, Pennsylvania is a nice, quiet town surrounded by a beautiful, but haunting forest where strange, apparently dangerous, and unseen creatures live. For ages, there has been a truce between the citizens of Covington and the mysterious denizens of the woods. The people of Covington do not go into the woods, and the creatures (or monsters) do not come into the village.

But when quiet, almost sullen, young townsmen Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) crosses the border from the town into the woods, the truce is broken, and the monsters start visiting the town. Soon, the villagers find an increasing number of their livestock slaughtered and skinned. In the midst of the fear, happiness blooms, but before long the scourge of the faraway towns comes to the village. Village elder Edward Walker’s (William Hurt) blind daughter, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) must pass through the woods to find aid. But will the monsters dine on her beautiful flesh?

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village is probably the least accomplished of his films since his worldwide blockbuster, The Sixth Sense. However, like his best-known films, the journey of watching the film is usually more important than the destination, which is the flick’s finale. Like Signs, the supernatural element is a red herring, and the most important element of The Village is its theme of dealing with heart-rending loss. The film also tackles the ideas of locking oneself off from the world to avoid devastating pain and of living in paranoid fear of the other, which is quite relevant in an America where “gated communities” seem to spring up everywhere on a daily basis.

As a work of movie art, The Village is an ambitious stumble. The ideas are good, but muddled, lost, and poorly considered, or at least poorly presented in the structure of this story. As big studio entertainment, The Village has a small numbers of genuinely frightening bumps in the dark, but the suspense is tepid and the thrills are exhausted half way through the film. The movie also takes such an idealized view of utopias, that it sometimes seems to take wild flights of fancy. However, Shyamalan just might be making a sly comment about the upper middle class and upper class’ fear of violence at the hand of the lower classes.

The delight in this film is the debut of Academy Award winning director Ron Howard’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard. Her performance is luminous, so much so that it lights the way for this occasionally befuddled mess. Ms. Howard is spunky and rebellious when she needs to be, and the sheer terror she displays is practically the only thing that sells this film’s horror thriller aspects. She also portrays moments of bravery with openness in her performance that invites us into her life; she is the one through whom we live vicariously. She is The Village’s champion.

5 of 10
B-

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (James Newton Howard)

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Review: Charming Characters and Clever Writing Lead "The Lavender Hill Mob" (Remembering Sir Alec Guinness)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.K.
Running time: 81 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Charles Crichton
WRITER: T.E.B. Clarke
PRODUCER: Michael Balcon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Douglas Slocombe (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Seth Holt
COMPOSER: Georges Auric
Academy Award winner

CRIME/COMEDY

Starring: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding, Edie Martin, John Salew, Ronald Adam, Arthur Hambling, Gibb McLaughlin, John Gregson, and Audrey Hepburn

The subject of this movie review is The Lavender Hill Mob, a 1951 British crime comedy. Directed by Charles Crichton, the film stars Sir Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway in a story about a plot to steal gold bullion.

Henry Holland (Alec Guinness) is a dedicated bank clerk, and he regularly sees to the delivery of gold bullion to the bank where he works. But he wants more out of life. One day he happens upon an idea to get the gold for himself and brings in a small group of accomplices with him to pull off a robbery. Henry plots the theft of one million pounds of gold, and suddenly the meek Henry becomes “Dutch,” the leader of The Lavender Hill Mob. The heist is successful, but the best laid plans of mice and men. Slowly, the intricate plan begins to fall away by pieces, and just maybe the law is on to Dutch and the Lavender Hill Mob.

Many film fans consider The Lavender Hill Mob to be one of the three great Ealing Studios comedies. Studio writer T.E.B. Clarke won an Oscar® for this film’s screenplay, which it is clever and occasionally witty, but mostly dry. Director Charles Crichton has his moments – most of them in the last second half of the film: the Eiffel Tower descent, Henry and Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) attempting to buy a cruise ship ticket, and the police car chase are among some of the best moments.

But the true star is Alec Guinness. By turns clever and subtle and droll and menacing, the film revolves around him, and he sells the entire thing. The film is not a great feat in directing or writing, but it is about a great actor who can so become a character that the audience buys into the character. Henry Holland is an interesting and intriguing fellow, and you may want to watch his every move. Sir Alec seems totally confident in what he’s doing before the camera. He’s the focal point, and the audience lives and dies with him, viewing the story entirely from Henry’s point of view. Many actors get us to buy into their characters because of the actors’ star power. Sir Alec did it by creating a character we want to know and through whom we want to live vicariously – a great performance that makes The Lavender Hill Mob memorable.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
1953 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Writing, Story and Screenplay” (T.E.B. Clarke) and l nomination: “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Alec Guinness)

1952 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best British Film” and 1 nomination: “Best Film from any Source”

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Olympian Khatuna Lorig as "Katniss Everdeen" from "The Hunger Games"

In anticipation of the release of The Hunger Games on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand, and Digital Download on August 18, 2012 at 12:01 A.M. Lionsgate has released this image of Olympic Archer Khatuna Lorig posing as "Katniss Everdeen," the young heroine of The Hunger Games series.

Team USA member Khatuna Lorig was there at the beginning to teach actress Jennifer Lawrence how to shoot a bow and arrow in preparation for her iconic starring role. In this image, Olympian Khatuna Lorig poses as “Katniss Everdeen” in a replica jacket from the film, with a symbolic mockingjay pin, in celebration of The Hunger Games’ huge and lasting impact on the sport.

According to Lionsgate, The Hunger Games global phenomenon has inspired a surging popularity in the sport of archery demonstrated even further by the success of the United States Archery Team at the Olympics.  As of this writing, the U.S. trio of Brady Ellison, Jacob Wukie and Jake Kaminski has won the U.S.'s only archery medal in the London Games; that is the silver medal in the men's team event. It is USA Archery's first Olympic medal since 2000, and was the first medal won by the U.S. Olympic team at the London Games.

The Associated Press (via Yahoo) offers this article, "5 things to know about archery:"