Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"Big Top Scooby-Doo!" a Circus of Action

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 97 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Big Top Scooby-Doo! (2012) – Video
Running time: 80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Ben Jones
WRITER: Douglas Langdale
PRODUCERS: Spike Brandt and Tom Cervone
EDITOR: Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER: Robert J. Kral
ANIMATION STUDIO: Digital Emation Inc.

ANIMATION/ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Greg Ellis, Maurice LaMarche, Peter Stormare, Jeff Dunham, Carlos Ferro, Jess Harnell, Jim Meskimen, Candi Milo, Hynden Walch, and Craig Ferguson

Big Top Scooby-Doo! is the 18th movie in the Scooby-Doo direct-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation. This series began in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. This new film has Scooby-Doo and company working in a circus to solve a mystery involving jewel heists and werewolves.

Big Top Scooby-Doo! finds Mystery Inc.: Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard), Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), and, of course, Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) arriving in Atlantic City. They’re hoping to find some monster-free fun, when they discover that the circus is in town. Not long after arriving at the camp site of the Brancusi Circus, they are attacked by a werewolf.

After rescuing them, Marius Brancusi (Greg Ellis), owner of the circus, tells the gang that the werewolf has been terrorizing his performers. The werewolf has also apparently committed a jewelry store robbery in each town in which the circus has recently performed. Desperate for help, Marius hires Mystery Inc. to catch the werewolf, but the gang will have to work incognito as circus performers. Jealous acrobats, cranky clowns, and the other eccentric denizens of the Brancusi Circus complicate the case as Mystery Inc. learns to perform circus stunts and try to unravel a werewolf mystery.

Big Top Scooby-Doo! is good, but not great and is not one of the standouts of this series. The best moments in this movie, by far, are the scenes in which Mystery Inc. performs in the circus, run from werewolves, or both. There is also an exciting chase scene finale. The action is what carries this movie, and carries it quite well.

Other than that, Big Top Scooby-Doo! is a little listless, although much of the dialogue is spry. There is also a subplot involving a heavy metal musical act called Wulfsmoon that is pointless. One of the surprises is a nicely executed feud between Scooby and Shaggy that perks up the movie every time it is brought up.

Big Top Scooby-Doo! is for the diehard Scooby-Doo fans and for youngsters satisfied with watching any kind of cartoon. However, people who have watched Scooby-Doo cartoons in the past might like some of this.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, December 11, 2012


Review: Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 96 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse (2012) – straight-to-video
Running time: 58 minutes
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone
WRITERS: Earl Kress and Michael F. Ryan; from a story by Earl Kress
EDITOR: Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER: Michael Tavera
SONGS: Michael Tavera, Scott Bradley, Spike Brandt, Alan Burnett, and Michael F. Ryan
ANIMATION STUDIO: Yearim Productions Co. Ltd.

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/FAMILY/MUSICAL

Starring: (voices) Jamie Bamber, Charles Shaughnessy, John Michael Higgins, Grey DeLisle, Joe Alaskey, John DiMaggio, Clive Revill, Phil LaMarr, Richard McGonagle, Greg Ellis, and Jess Harnell

Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is a 2012 animated direct-to-video film starring the famous cartoon cat and mouse duo, Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, this film basically takes Tom and Jerry and places them in a cartoon version of the 1938 Warner Bros. film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, which starred Errol Flynn as Robin Hood. The cartoon Robin Hood in Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is essentially a caricature of Flynn’s Robin Hood.

Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is set in a time similar to the High Middle Ages. Prince John (John Michael Higgins) rules England while his brother, King Richard the Lionheart (Clive Revill), is out of the country fighting in the Crusades. Living in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood (Jamie Bamber) and his Merry Men rob the rich of their coin and treasure and give that loot to the poor.

The Sheriff of Nottingham (Charles Shaughnessy) is determined to capture Robin Hood and tells his boss, Prince John, that he believes that Robin has a spy in the castle. The Sheriff sends his cat-at-arms, Thomas Cat, to capture the spy. Tom catches Jerry Mouse attempting to contact Maid Marian (Grey DeLisle), who is secretly romancing Robin. Thus, cat and mouse begin their small, private war. When the scope of Prince John’s schemes are revealed, however, enemies may have to become friends in order to save both the throne and England.

I didn’t expect much of Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, but it turned out to be rather entertaining. The art direction for the animation is just a little on the high side of the work that appears in direct-to-DVD productions from Warner Bros. Animation. A faux-musical, the movie’s songs are good. Actually, the songs are surprisingly good, a little better than I would expect of a straight-to-video cartoon.

By the time, Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse ended, I would have enjoyed a little more, so I’ll recommend it to those who have seen other Tom and Jerry DVD movies.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, December 11, 2012


San Diego Film Critics Choose "Argo" as 2012 Best Film

The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) announced their top films list.  So far, Kathryn Bigelow and her film, Zero Dark Thirty, has been dominating critics' awards.  San Diego Critics, however, have gone with Argo, naming it tops in four categories, including the "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards.

San Diego Film Critics Society Top Films of 2012 Winners:

BEST FILM –
ARGO

BEST DIRECTOR –
Ben Affleck, ARGO

BEST ACTRESS –
Michelle Williams, TAKE THIS WALTZ

BEST ACTOR –
Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS –
Emma Watson, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR –
Christoph Waltz, DJANGO UNCHAINED

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY –
Paul Thomas Anderson, THE MASTER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY –
Chris Terrio, ARGO

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM –
THE KID WITH A BIKE (from Belgium)

BEST DOCUMENTARY –
THE INVISIBLE WAR

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY –
Claudio Miranda, LIFE OF PI

BEST ANIMATED FILM –
PARANORMAN

BEST EDITING –
William Goldenberg, ARGO

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN –
Hugh Bateup and Uli Hanisch, CLOUD ATLAS

BEST SCORE –
Jonny Greenwood, THE MASTER

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE–
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

BODY OF WORK FOR 2012–
Greig Fraser (cinematographer: ZERO DARK THIRTY, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN)

KYLE COUNTS AWARD–
Dan Bennett, Member Emeritus SDFCS, North County Times Film Critic, International Children’s Film Festival

http://www.sdfcs.org/

Happy Birthday, Darby

Happy Birthday, dear friend.  I won't say your age, but as The Police song goes, you were born in the 50s.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

San Diego Film Critics Announce 2012 Winners Today - Nominees List

The members of the San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) write and/or broadcast for a San Diego County-based outlet.  Sunday (December 9, 2012), the group announced its nominees for Best Achievements in Film for 2012. The final vote will take place Tuesday, Dec. 11th and results will appear on its site (http://www.sdfcs.org/) after they have been determined.

BEST FILM –
ARGO
DJANGO UNCHAINED
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
THE MASTER
ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST DIRECTOR –
Ang Lee, LIFE OF PI
Ben Affleck, ARGO
David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Paul Thomas Anderson, THE MASTER

BEST ACTRESS –
Helen Hunt, THE SESSIONS
Jennifer Lawrence, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Michelle Williams, TAKE THIS WALTZ
Naomi Watts, THE IMPOSSIBLE

BEST ACTOR –
Bradley Cooper, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN
Hugh Jackman, LES MISERABLES
Joaquin Phoenix, THE MASTER
John Hawkes, THE SESSIONS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS –
Amy Adams, THE MASTER
Anne Hathaway, LES MISERABLES
Emma Watson, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
Rebel Wilson, PITCH PERFECT
Samantha Barks, LES MISERABLES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR –
Alan Arkin, ARGO
Christoph Waltz, DJANGO UNCHAINED
Christopher Walken, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
Matthew McConaughey, KILLER JOE
Philip Seymour Hoffman, THE MASTER

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY –
Quentin Tarantino, DJANGO UNCHAINED
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, MOONRISE KINGDOM
Sarah Polley, TAKE THIS WALTZ
Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Paul Thomas Anderson, THE MASTER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY –
Chris Terrio, ARGO
David Magee, LIFE OF PI
Tony Kushner, LINCOLN
David O. Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Stephen Chbosky, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM –
AMOUR
HEADHUNTERS
HOLY MOTORS
THE INTOUCHABLES
THE KID WITH A BIKE

BEST DOCUMENTARY –
BULLY
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
QUEEN OF VERSAILLES
SAMSARA
THE INVISIBLE WAR

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY –
Ben Richardson, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Robert Richardson, DJANGO UNCHAINED
Danny Cohen, LES MISERABLES
Claudio Miranda, LIFE OF PI
Mihai Malaimare Jr., THE MASTER

BEST ANIMATED FILM –
BRAVE
FRANKIEWEENIE
PARANORMAN
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
WRECK-IT RALPH

BEST EDITING –
William Goldenberg, ARGO
Brian A. Kates and John Paul Horstmann, KILLING THEM SOFTLY
Tim Squyres, LIFE OF PI
Leslie Jones and Peter McNulty, THE MASTER
William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor, ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN –
Sarah Greenwood, ANNA KARENINA
Sharon Seymour, ARGO
Hugh Bateup and Uli Hanisch, CLOUD ATLAS
Eve Stewart, LES MISERABLES
Adam Stockhausen, MOONRISE KINGDOM

BEST SCORE –
Alexandre Desplat, ARGO
Benh Zeitlin and Dan Romer, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Mychael Danna, LIFE OF PI
Alexandre Desplat, MOONRISE KINGDOM
Jonny Greenwood, THE MASTER

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE–
ARGO
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LES MISERABLES
SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

BODY OF WORK FOR 2012–
Winner to be determined on day of vote.

KYLE COUNTS AWARD–
Winner to be determined on day of vote.

104 Compete for 5 Best Score Oscar Nominations

104 Original Scores in 2012 Oscar® Race

One hundred four scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2012 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 85th Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," Henry Jackman, composer

"After the Wizard," Stephen Main, composer

"Alex Cross," John Debney and Sebastian Morton, composers

"The Amazing Spider-Man," James Horner, composer

"Anna Karenina," Dario Marianelli, composer

"Argo," Alexandre Desplat, composer

"Battleship," Steve Jablonsky, composer

"The Bay," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Beasts of the Southern Wild," Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, composers

"Being Flynn," Damon Gough, composer

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," Thomas Newman, composer

"Big Miracle," Cliff Eidelman, composer

"Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story," David Cieri, composer

"Brave," Patrick Doyle, composer

"Brooklyn Castle," B. Satz, composer

"Chasing Ice," J. Ralph, composer

"Chasing Mavericks," Chad Fischer, composer

"Chicken with Plums," Olivier Bernet, composer

"Chimpanzee," Nicholas Hooper, composer

"Cloud Atlas," Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek, composers

"Compliance," Heather McIntosh, composer

"Contraband," Clinton Shorter, composer

"The Dark Knight Rises," Hans Zimmer, composer

"Dark Shadows," Danny Elfman, composer

"Darling Companion," James Newton Howard, composer

"Deadfall," Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, composers

"The Dictator," Erran Baron Cohen, composer

"Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," John Powell, composer

"End of Watch," David Sardy, composer

"Ethel," Miriam Cutler, composer

"Flight," Alan Silvestri, composer

"For a Good Time, Call..." John Swihart, composer

"For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada," James Horner, composer

"Frankenweenie," Danny Elfman, composer

"Fun Size," Deborah Lurie, composer

"Girl in Progress," Christopher Lennertz, composer

"The Grey," Marc Streitenfeld, composer

"The Guilt Trip," Christophe Beck, composer

"Hidden Moon," Luis Bacalov, composer

"Hitchcock," Danny Elfman, composer

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," Howard Shore, composer

"Hotel Transylvania," Mark Mothersbaugh, composer

"House at the End of the Street," Theo Green, composer

"The Hunger Games," James Newton Howard, composer

"Hyde Park on Hudson," Jeremy Sams, composer

"Ice Age Continental Drift," John Powell, composer

"The Impossible," Fernando Velázquez, composer

"Jack Reacher," Joe Kraemer, composer

"John Carter," Michael Giacchino, composer

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," Andrew Lockington, composer

"Lawless," Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, composers

"Life of Pi," Mychael Danna, composer

"Lincoln," John Williams, composer

"Lola Versus," Will Bates and Philip Mossman, composers

"Looper," Nathan Johnson, composer

"The Lucky One," Mark Isham, composer

"LUV," Nuno Malo, composer

"The Man with the Iron Fists," RZA and Howard Drossin, composers

"Marvel's The Avengers," Alan Silvestri, composer

"The Master," Jonny Greenwood, composer

"Men in Black 3," Danny Elfman, composer

"Middle of Nowhere," Kathryn Bostic, composer

"Mirror Mirror," Alan Menken, composer

"The Odd Life of Timothy Green," Geoff Zanelli, composer

"On the Road," Gustavo Santaolalla, composer

"The Pardon," Ashley Irwin, composer

"Parental Guidance," Marc Shaiman, composer

"People Like Us," A.R. Rahman, composer

"The Possession," Anton Sanko, composer

"Prometheus," Marc Streitenfeld, composer

"Promised Land," Danny Elfman, composer

"The Raid: Redemption," Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese, composers

"Red Tails," Terence Blanchard, composer

"Rise of the Guardians," Alexandre Desplat, composer

"Ruby Sparks," Nick Urata, composer

"Safe House," Ramin Djawadi, composer

"Safety Not Guaranteed," Ryan Miller, composer

"Saint Dracula," Sreevalsan J. Menon, composer

"Savages," Adam Peters, composer

"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," Rob Simonsen and Jonathan Sadoff, composers

"The Sessions," Marco Beltrami, composer

"Sinister," Christopher Young, composer

"Skyfall," Thomas Newman, composer

"Smashed," Eric D. Johnson and Andy Cabic, composers

"Snow White and the Huntsman," James Newton Howard, composer

"Taken 2," Nathaniel Mechaly, composer

"Ted," Walter Murphy, composer

"Think Like a Man," Christopher Lennertz, composer

"This Means War," Christophe Beck, composer

"A Thousand Words," John Debney, composer

"The Three Stooges," John Debney, composer

"Trashed," Vangelis, composer

"Trouble with the Curve," Marco Beltrami, composer

"21 Jump Street," Mark Mothersbaugh, composer

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2," Carter Burwell, composer

"Until They Are Home," Jamie Dunlap, composer

"War of the Worlds The True Story," Jamie Hall, composer

"The Watch," Christophe Beck, composer

"West of Memphis," Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, composers

"Where Do We Go Now?" Khaled Mouzanar, composer

"Won't Back Down," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"The Words," Marcelo Zarvos, composer

"Wreck-It Ralph," Henry Jackman, composer

"Zero Dark Thirty," Alexandre Desplat, composer

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

To be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer. Scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

American Film Institute Announces 2012 Awards

The American Film Institute (AFI) describes itself as “America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.” Their awards focus on American feature films and television programs.

Some of the "best film" selections are expected, such as Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, and Beasts of the Southern Wild (which seems to be gaining not just momentum, but also a big head of steam).  The Dark Knight Rises, which I found to be loud and self-important (acceptable traits if you're a film critic), would make my bottom ten.  I have not watched any of the honored television series, and I've grown tired of "Modern Family."

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR – 2012:

ARGO

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

DJANGO UNCHAINED

LES MISÉRABLES

LIFE OF PI

LINCOLN

MOONRISE KINGDOM

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

ZERO DARK THIRTY

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR:

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM

BREAKING BAD

GAME OF THRONES

GIRLS

HOMELAND

LOUIE

MAD MEN

MODERN FAMILY

THE WALKING DEAD

AFI has stated that it will honor the creative ensembles for each of the selections at an invitation-only luncheon on Friday, January 11, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.