Bruce Willis and Mos Def a Good Pairing in "16 Blocks"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 140 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

16 Blocks (2006)
Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, intense sequences of action, and some strong language
DIRECTOR:  Richard Donner
WRITER:  Richard Wenk
PRODUCERS:  Randall Emmett, Avi Lerner, Arnold Rifkin, John Thompson, Jim Van Wyck, and Bruce Willis
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Glen MacPherson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Steve Mirkovich
COMPOSER:  Klaus Badelt

CRIME/DRAMA/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse, Jenna Stern, Casey Sander, Cylk Cozart, David Zayas, Robert Racki, and Brenda Pressley

The subject of this movie review is 16 Blocks, a 2006 crime thriller from director Richard Donner.  The film stars Bruce Willis and Mos Def in the story of an aging cop escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse, while unknown forces try to stop them from making it to the courthouse.

Aging and alcoholic New York City detective, Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis), finds himself stuck with the task of escorting loquacious prosecution witness, Eddie Bunker (Mos Def), from police custody to a nearby courthouse.  However, the 16 block trek becomes perilous when a gang of corrupt cops, led by Mosley’s former partner, Frank Nugent (David Morse), attempt to kill the talkative Bunker.  With less than two hours to get Bunker before a jury, Mosley takes on the power of the police force in a small war that might find Mosley and Bunker dead before they get to their destination.

Director Richard Donner has had one of the longest and most versatile careers as a Hollywood filmmaker.  Working in television and film as both a producer and director, he helmed episodes of such TV series as “The Twilight Zone,” “Gilligan’s Island,” and “The Wild Wild West.”  He’s directed such films as The Omen (1976), Superman (1978), all four movies in the Lethal Weapon franchise, and the recent underrated sci-fi flick, Timeline.  Because of this I shouldn’t be surprised that his recent corrupt cop crime drama, 16 Blocks, is so good, but I am.  This film reveals what a fine director can do – take all the elements that go into making a movie and shape them into a quality flick without one element dominating the others.  A great director doesn’t even need all the ingredients to be the best available to turn them into a good movie.

16 Blocks isn’t Bruce Willis’ best performance, but he creates an off-beat cop that’s hard to read and that makes Jack Mosley intriguing.  The viewer might not necessarily know where the guy is coming from or where he’s going, but we know that he fits the part in the film.  Mosley is doing a job he doesn’t want to do, and that’s a perfect setup for a film in which the lead undergoes the heroic change.  Willis gives a lot of the performance in his demeanor and how he carries himself.  He doesn’t need to say a lot or make speeches, but a great physical actor, he can reveal the character in body language as much as he can with dialogue or facial expressions.

Mos Def continues to prove himself an actor, breaking away from the rapper/actor label.  In fact, he’s way better as an actor than he is as a rapper (and with his inimitable style, he is good at that).  With a robust whine in his voice, Mos creates an Eddie Bunker who gives 16 Blocks a distinctive New York flavor.  David Morse is also robustly menacing as the vile and bullying corrupt detective, Frank Nugent, another particular New York touch.

While getting solid performances from his leads and supporting players, Donner brings it all together in a taught thriller that truly brings one to the edge of his seat.  It’s not that the concept behind 16 Blocks in new.  It’s that everyone involved was determined to make a gritty urban drama with the explosiveness of an action thriller, and that determination shows in a high-quality end product.  16 Blocks is a heart stopper and a thrill ride.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Updated, Friday, July 19, 2013

Happy Birthday, Neil

I can't remember how old you are...

Zombie Filmmaker, Mitch Cohen, Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Filmmaker, Mitch Cohen, Employs Kickstarter to Bring Unconventional Tale of the Undead to Life

Unlikely hero of unique zombie apocalypse film “Super Zero” finds 15-minutes of fame in end of days

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--If fervor and preparedness were enough to make a film in Hollywood, viewers in movie theaters across the country would already be enjoying Mitch Cohen’s original short film, “Super Zero.” However, since the one thing it does take to make a film is money, Cohen, a 36-year-old L.A.-based writer and director, recently launched a Kickstarter.com campaign – http://kck.st/15dN7BX – to make his vision for a new kind of zombie movie a reality.

Cohen, a father to two-year-old twins, who has been responsible for some of the industry’s most recognizable video game campaigns, conceived the unconventional “geek culture” film years ago, but was forced to shelve his passion project with the arrival of his children. Now, with a little help from friends and strangers alike, Cohen and his team are hoping to raise $34,500 by July 31, 2013 to make it happen.

An original take on a popular genre, Super Zero is the story of a geeky, shy and terminally ill teen, who rises from utter insignificance to become a zombie assassin and mankind's last hope for survival. In traditional zombie films, by definition, the end of the world is the worst possible scenario for everyone. In Super Zero, the film’s protagonist finally finds purpose in his life while the rest of the world scrambles to save theirs.

“Super Zero is really an epic win for the average guy,” said Cohen of his film. “The movie celebrates the overlooked, the eccentric and the powerless, combining sci-fi/horror with comic book-inspired action, irreverent comedy and a totally relatable and ultimately awesome average guy lead character. Plus there are zombies…a ton of zombies!”

Cohen, a self-confessed lover of all things geek, further describes Super Zero as his personal love letter to the community. He is hopeful that all those out there that may resemble him, or perhaps more aptly may identify with Super Zero’s protagonist, who is the everyday gamer/comic book kid, will be inspired to get involved and support the project. Cohen also hopes he may strike a chord with other visionaries out there that understand the struggle to balance family and career.

“Kickstarter is an amazing tool for identifying and connecting with audiences that share your passion and vision, even before you’re able to bring it to the screen,” said Cohen. “And much like the story behind Super Zero, it allows average folks to be a part of something extraordinary.”

Interested contributors can select pledge categories from $1 to $10,000+ and receive rewards for joining the Super Zero production team, including signed scripts, cameos in the film, set visits and on-screen production credits.

Cohen, the film’s writer and director, is joined on Super Zero by Producer Shane Spiegel and Cinematographer Idan Menin. For more information on Super Zero, the filmmakers and the Kickstarter campaign, please visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/811236299/super-zero-0?ref=live.

ABOUT MITCH COHEN
Mitch Cohen, a Los Angeles-based writer and director, lives, works and breathes “Geek Culture.” From film to video games to comics, he's both a fan and a contributing artist to the community. However, growing tired of much of the rehashed, derivative fare that is continually pushed onto the culture, Cohen is turning to the community members themselves to help him bring to life Super Zero, a zombie film they can champion as novel, compelling and completely original. For more on Cohen and Super Zero, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/811236299/super-zero-0?ref=live.

"Mad Max" Game Speeds into 2013 Comic-Con International

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment invites you to get into the Mad Max game at San Diego Comic-con. Delve into the upcoming open world, third-person action game, based on the iconic road warrior, in the form of several Wasteland-worthy activities.

WHO: MAD MAX SPEEDS INTO SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON

WHAT: INTERCEPTOR PHOTO OPP              

· This replica of Max’s legendary car is ready for photo opps and ideal for sharing on social media to intimidate rival gangs of desert marauders.

o Corner of Park Boulevard and Tony Gwynn Drive near PetCo Park

EXCLUSIVE AUTOGRAPHED POSTERS BY  DC COMICS ARTIST
· Inside the convention center, head to the Warner Bros. booth (#4545) on Friday, July 19 from 3-3:45 p.m. to meet DC Comics artist Shane Davis and get an autographed collector’s edition Motion Comic poster to display in your combat vehicle.

POST-APOCALYPTIC STREET TEAM
· Keep your eyes peeled for the Mad Max post-apocalyptic street team distributing special edition SDCC Mad Max posters featuring artwork by renowned comic book artist Shane Davis and Mad Max t-shirts.

WAR PAINT STATION
· Come visit our gang of bandits and get a Wasteland Warrior look featuring tribal-style face painting and temporary tattoos.
o Corner of Park Boulevard and Tony Gwynn Drive near PetCo Park

CUSTOMIZABLE MAD MAX ANIMATIONS
· Become Mad Max and make your own story using official Mad Max images with the Skit! App for iOS.

WHEN: Thursday, July 18 through Sunday, July 21, 2013
Thursday - Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Mad Max Activities:
Corner of Park Boulevard and Tony Gwynn Drive
San Diego, CA, near PetCo Park

Poster Signing:
Warner Bros. booth (#4545) on Friday, July 19 from 3-3:45 p.m.

B-ROLL: Epic new Mad Max gameplay trailer: https://www.hightail.com/download/bWJvdFdjR3NVVGxBSXNUQw.

ABOUT: In development by Avalanche Studios, Mad Max is an open world, third-person action game where players become Mad Max, a lone warrior in a savage post-apocalyptic world where cars are the key to survival.  Mad Max is scheduled for a 2014 release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. For more information visit MadMaxGame.com. You can also find Mad Max on Facebook, Twitter (#MadMaxGame), and YouTube.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn Holds Reddit Event

JOIN DIRECTOR NICOLAS WINDING REFN FOR A REDDIT ‘AMA’ JULY 17th at 11AM ET / 8AM PT

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA

ONLY GOD FORGIVES Opens Nationwide on JULY 19th 

About Nicolas Winding Refn
Nicolas Winding Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1970, and is renowned for his modern and radical, innovative style.

He has already received two lifetime achievement awards, one from Taipei International Film festival in 2006 and the second from Valencia International Film Festival in 2007. He was the winner of the Emerging Master Award from the Philadelphia International Film Festival in 2005.

At the age of only 24, he wrote and directed the extremely violent and uncompromising PUSHER (1996). The film became a cult phenomenon and won him instant international critical acclaim. He wrote, directed and produced PUSHER II (2004) and PUSHER III (2005), as a result of his first movie’s growing cult following. The subsequent success of PUSHER II and III, along with the first, created the internationally renowned PUSHER TRILOGY, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2005. His other films have always enjoyed the support of the leading international festivals: BLEEDER and VALHALLA RISING screened at Venice in 1999 and 2009 respectively, while FEAR X and BRONSON screened at Sundance in 2003 and 2009. DRIVE is Refn’s most commercially successful film to date. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, it won the Best Director prize and was a contender for the Palme d’Or.

Shot in the Chinatown district of Bangkok, Thailand, ONLY GOD FORGIVES marks the second collaboration between Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling.

Refn is currently writing his next film, I WALK WITH THE DEAD, co-produced with Wild Bunch and Gaumont, and is also turning his attention to television to develop BARBARELLA.

Tom Cruise's "Edge of Tomorrow" at 2013 Comic-Con International

ADDING MULTIMEDIA Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt Starrer “Edge of Tomorrow” Gets First Look at Comic-Con Footage from the Sci-Fi Thriller to Debut at San Diego Event 

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Edge of Tomorrow” has been announced as the title of the upcoming sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, directed by Doug Liman and based on the book All You Need is Kill. The movie, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, is set for release on June 6, 2014, and the first look at footage from the film will be unveiled by the Studio at this year’s International Comic-Con: San Diego on Saturday, July 20. The announcement was made today by Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Kroll stated, “We are extremely pleased to be able to give the Comic-Con audience, who’ve always been so supportive of us, the first peek at footage from ‘Edge of Tomorrow.’ The movie has all of us at the Studio very excited, and we can’t wait to see the reactions of fans who know and love the sci-fi genre so well.”

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

The international cast of “Edge of Tomorrow” also includes Bill Paxton (“Aliens,” HBO’s “Big Love”), Kick Gurry (Australian TV’s “Tangle”), Dragomir Mrsic (“Snabba Cash II”), Charlotte Riley (“World Without End”), Jonas Armstrong (BBC TV’s “Robin Hood”), and Franz Drameh (“Attack the Block”).

Liman directs the film from a screenplay by Dante W. Harper and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and Christopher McQuarrie, based on the acclaimed novel All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produces, along with Tom Lassally, Jason Hoffs, Gregory Jacobs and Jeffrey Silver. The executive producers are Doug Liman, Dave Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara, and Bruce Berman, with Kim Winther and Tim Lewis serving as co-producers.

The behind-the-scenes team includes Academy Award®-winning director of photography Dion Beebe (“Memoirs of a Geisha”), production designer Oliver Scholl (“Jumper,” “Independence Day”), editor James Herbert (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”), costume designer Kate Hawley (“Pacific Rim”), and Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Nick Davis (“The Dark Knight”).

“Edge of Tomorrow” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures. Opening domestically on June 6, 2014, the film will be distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow.

Review: "Curious George" is Made with Love

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 207 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Curious George (2006) – animated
Running time:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR:  Matthew O’Callaghan
WRITERS:  Ken Kaufman; from a story by Mike Werb and Ken Kaufman (based on the books by H.A. and Margaret Rey)
PRODUCERS:  Ron Howard, David Kirschner, and Jon Shapiro
EDITOR:  Julie Rogers
COMPOSER: Heitor Pereira

ANIMATION/FAMILY/FANTASY/COMEDY/MUSIC

Starring:  (voices) Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, Dick Van Dyke, and Frank Welker

Curious George and his pal, The Man in the Yellow Hat, the heroes of the Curious George series of children’s books created by H.A. and Margaret Rey come to life in the 2006 animated film, Curious George.  The film is the only hand-drawn animated film to be released by a major studio this year, in this case Universal Pictures.  There are, however, some computer-animated of CG backgrounds, sets, and objects used throughout the film.

Ted (Will Ferrell) is a highly enthusiastic guide at the Bloomsberry Museum, but one day he learns from the museum’s owner, Mr. Bloomsberry (Dick Van Dyke), that the museum will be closed because of meager attendance.  Mr. Bloomsberry’s son, Bloomsberry, Jr. (David Cross), is actually glad the museum will close because he plans on turning the museum’s site into a parking garage.  Knowing that it will take an amazing new exhibit to attract more visitors to the museum, Ted (the name given to The Man in the Yellow Hat for this movie), embarks on a trip to the jungles of Africa to find and bring back a priceless artifact, a gigantic idol located in The Lost Shrine of Zagawa.

Although Ted doesn’t find the idol, a mischievous and inquisitive monkey (actually a chimp) finds Ted, who is dressed in a yellow getup topped off by a big yellow hat.  Ted befriends the monkey, and when he leaves Africa crestfallen at failing to secure a giant idol, the monkey follows him and secretly stows away on the boat back to America.  Upon returning to the big city, Ted is horrified to discover his simian friend has followed him.  Although the monkey, which he names George (Frank Welker), is a troublemaker, Ted soon befriends him and they’re off on an adventure to save the Bloomsberry Museum.

Using illustrator H.A. Rey’s style guide of primary colors as the pallet, the animators of Curious George have created a traditional animated feature film with the warmth and feeling of something like classic Walt Disney hand drawn animated films.  They succeed so well at creating quality 2D animation that whenever CG intrudes, the computer stuff looks like a rude guest or even a party crasher.  Luckily, the luminous, hand-drawn animation surpasses any techno disturbances in the movie.

The voice acting works well, and David Cross as Bloomsberry, Jr. offers a surprise in the way he quietly steals scenes.  Will Ferrell dials back his hyperactivity to make Ted witty, humble, self-effacing, and a man with a good sense of humor who only occasionally drops a sarcastic bomb.  Frank Welker (the voice of “Abu,” Aladdin’s monkey sidekick in Walt Disney’s Aladdin films) adds the cooing, chattering, and gentle sounds of George that create harmony with Ferrell as Ted.  Songs by popular recording artist Jack Johnson (In Between Dreams) and the score by Heitor Pereira (Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights) capture the essence of George’s inquisitive nature and his need to touch and feel the world around him and also the nature of the bond between Ted and George.

Curious George is an animated film for children who identify with George the nosey explorer, and if their parents have the ability to understand how and why George’s curious nature appeals to children, they’ll be down with this rascally chimp, too.  For the rest: some of us may find that the lovingly crafted, old-fashioned 2D animation will blind us to whatever faults this flick has.

8 of 10
A

Thursday, October 05, 2006

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