Review: "Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 65 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright (2013) – Video
Running time:  78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:   Victor Cook
WRITERS:  Douglas Langdale (teleplay); from a story by Candie Langdale and Douglas Langdale
EDITOR:  Bruce A. King
COMPOSER:  Robert J. Kral
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Digital eMation, Inc.

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY/MUSIC

Starring:  (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Wayne Brady, Vivica A. Fox, Isabella Acres, Troy Baker, Eric Bauza, Jeff Bennett, Kate Higgins, Peter MacNicol, Candi Milo, John O’Hurley, Cristina Pucelli, Kevin Michael Richardson, Paul Rugg, Tara Sands, Tara Strong, Travis Willingham, and Ariel Winter

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright is the 20th animated movie in the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation.  This series began in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.  In Stage Fright, the Mystery Inc. gang tries to solve the mystery of a talent show plagued by a belligerent phantom.

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright 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) heading to Chicago for a talent show.  The Windy City is the home of a hot competition reality show called, “Talent Star.”  Fred and Daphne are Talent Star finalists as a singer-songwriter duo.  Shaggy and Scooby do not want to be left out and have a secret act in the works, which they hope will help them storm their way into the finals.  Velma just wants to visit the city’s museums, one of which is exhibiting the legendary “Soap Diamond.”

However, Talent Star is being broadcast from an old opera house with a haunted history.  Now, The Phantom, the horror that plagued the opera house decades ago, is back to curse Talent Star.  Who or what is The Phantom?  The Mystery Inc. gang has a lot of suspects.  Among the many suspects are Talent Star’s publicity-obsessed host, Brick Pimiento (Wayne Brady); the fussy germ-a-phobic stage manager, Dewey Ottoman (Peter MacNicol); stage parents, Barb and Lance Damon (Candi Milo and Troy Baker), whose bratty daughter, Chrissy (Ariel Winter), is a finalist; and the scary and abrasive diva, singer Lotte Lavoie (Vivica A. Fox).

After twenty movies, one would think that this franchise could not offer any more surprises, but Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright does.  For one thing, there are several characters that could be the villain, and a few of them are actually villainous or could be described as an adversary, antagonist, or a general bad actor in the affair.  The story nicely mixes the classic story, The Phantom of the Opera (which originated in the novel by French writer, Gaston Leroux), and elements of the popular television series, “American Idol.”

Those are the things that kept me interested in this movie.  This is how I generally judge Scooby-Doo straight-to-video movies; if by the end of the film I actually wish it wouldn’t end, I consider that one to be a winner.

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright is a winner.  In addition to the usual good voice acting by the main cast, Wayne Brady, Vivica A. Fox, and Peter MacNicol, in supporting roles, bring their characters to life in a way that makes them and the film a little more interesting to adults.  In fact, as a sidebar, this film does lampoon self-absorbed child stars and the stage parents who make the little monsters.  I think that fans of this film series and fans of Scooby-Doo will like Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, September 28, 2013


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

VIZ Media Celebrates "My Neighbor Totoro" the 25th Anniversary

VIZ MEDIA’S STUDIO GHIBLI LIBRARY IMPRINT RELEASES NEW MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO NOVEL AND FULL COLOR PICTURE BOOK

Commemorate The 25th Anniversary Of Hayao Miyazaki’s Landmark Film With MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: THE NOVEL And An Updated Edition Of The Official Film Picture Book Featuring A Special New Cover Design

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, marks the 25th Anniversary of famed director Hayao Miyazaki’s whimsical animated family fantasy, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, with the release on October 1st of MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: THE NOVEL and a brand new edition of the MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO Picture Book.

Published under VIZ Media’s Studio Ghibli Library imprint, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: THE NOVEL carries an MSRP of $17.99 U.S. / $21.00 CAN, and the MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO Picture Book features an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN.

In Hayao Miyazaki’s charming animated classic, eleven-year-old Satsuki and her sassy little sister Mei have moved to the country to be closer to their ailing mother. While their father is working, the girls explore their sprawling old house and the forest and fields that surround it. Soon, Satsuki and Mei discover Totoro, a magical forest spirit who takes them on fantastic adventures through the trees and the clouds – and teaches them a lesson about trusting one another.

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: THE NOVEL
MSRP: $17.99 U.S. / $21.00 CAN • Available October 1st
The superbly animated classic by legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki is now retold in a novel written by Tsugiko Kubo. This prestigious hardcover edition also features original watercolor illustrations by Miyazaki himself, accompanying a story written by veteran children's book author Tsugiko Kubo. Sure to delight both existing fans and new readers!

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO PICTURE BOOK New Edition • Rated “A” for All Ages • MSRP: $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN • Available October 1st
This companion, full-color book to MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO features artwork taken directly from the movie. The updated edition also features new cover design and allows parents and children to relive Totoro's magical adventures with scene-by-scene illustrations and character dialogue.

“MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is Hayao Miyazki’s timeless fairy tale for all ages and one of the most internationally acclaimed films to ever come out of Japan,” says Masumi Washington, Sr. Editorial Director. “MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO: THE NOVEL and the new edition of the MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO PICTURE BOOK capture the poignancy and emotion of the story of Satsuki, Mei and their loveable fuzzy forest friends and will be wonderful additions to any Miyazaki fan’s personal library.”

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO was released in 1988 by Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, which also produced SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE and PONYO. TOTORO is an internationally popular property that has spawned a colorful array of adorable plush characters, toys, collectables and other memorabilia. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the DVD/Blu-ray Edition of MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO earlier this year.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's most celebrated anime directors. His newest film, The Wind Rises (2013), recounts the early days of aviation and the formative years of Japan's famed World War II Zero fighter plane designer, Jiro Horikoshi. In 2005 Hayao Miyazaki was awarded the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. Miyazaki’s other notable films include Spirited Away, which won the 2002 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, all of which have received great international acclaim. Miyazaki's other achievements include creating the highly regarded manga series Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Starting Point: 1979-1996, a collection of essays, interviews, and memoirs that chronicle his early career and the development of his theories of animation. Both are published in English by VIZ Media.

More information on VIZ Media’s Studio Ghibli titles is available at www.VIZ.com.

Get "Ass Backwards" On Demand September 30, 2013

Gravitas Ventures Presents

ASS BACKWARDS

Available On Demand: September 30th
In Theaters Nationwide: November 7th

DOWNLOAD THE TRAILER HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-iuTgXp2w&feature=youtu.be

Synopsis: Kate (June Diane Raphael) and Chloe (Casey Wilson) are two childhood best friends who met when they placed dead last in their hometown beauty pageant. Now they are all grown up and living in New York City, where Chloe works as a “girl in a box” at a nightclub and Kate is a CEO….of her own one-woman egg donor “corporation”. Lost in delusion, they believe they are living large until an invitation to their hometown pageant arrives and their past comes back to haunt them. Join these two loveable losers as they take an ass backwards journey home to reclaim their crown, stopping off at a women’s separatist commune, an amateur strip club competition, and meeting their favorite reality TV star along the way.

Review: Winning Cast Carries "Casa de los Babys"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 80 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Casa de los Babys (2003)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language and brief drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  John Sayles
PRODUCERS:  Alejandro Springall and Lemore Syvan
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mauricio Rubinstein (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  John Sayles
COMPOSER:  Mason Daring

DRAMA

Starring:  Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daryl Hannah, Marcia Gay Harden, Susan Lynch, Mary Steenburgen, Lili Taylor, and Rita Moreno

The subject of this movie review is Casa de los Babys, a 2003 drama from writer-director John Sayles.  The film focuses on a group of American women in South America where they hope to adopt babies.  Casa de los Babys was screened at various film festivals before receiving a limited theatrical release in September 2003.

In John Sayles’ film Casa de los Babys, six white American women from varying backgrounds have traveled to an unnamed Latin American country to (hopefully) pick up newly adopted babies.  However, they end up stuck in the country because of laws that require they live there while a months-long process of paperwork slowly winds itself through the red tape maze.

The women come to reside at the “casa de los babys,” a hotel run by a woman who is involved in the adoption process.  Oh, the women may very well get babies, but they find themselves going through hoops; mostly it’s about waiting – waiting and getting to know the other mothers – some with sad or scary personal stories.

It’s always hard to figure out what Sayles is trying to say in his films; that’s assuming he has a message.  His movies are always about the characters, and while story and setting aren’t necessarily secondary, the joy of watching one of his movies is in watching how characters live in their environments.

The structure and proportions of Sayles’ films suggest realism, but it’s really the best drama – rooted in reality with the conflict idealized to make it more intriguing.  There are few easy answers, and Sayles films usually leave me with so many unanswered questions.  As usual with a Sayles movie, I’ll heartily recommend this heartfelt and heart-wrenching film and also tell you you’re dumb if you don’t like Casa de los Babys.

8 of 10
A

Updated:  Friday, September 27, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Former Disney Execs Announce New Animation Project

The DreamVision Company Announces Development of CGI Animated Musical Motion Picture Version of the Classic Chinese Legend “The Monkey King”

BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a special global press announcement held earlier today, DreamVision Company studio executives confirmed the development of a spectacular CGI animated musical version of the beloved and legendary story of “The Monkey King”. Monkey King, or known to the Chinese old and young as Xi You Ji (Journey to the West), is one of the renowned truly classic Chinese novels dating back some four hundred years ago. Monkey King is based on an incredible true story of a famous monk, Xuan Zang of the Chinese Tang Dynasty (602-664).

In today’s announcement, The DreamVision Company CEO and Chairman, Rick Silanskas, said, “It is a true honor and privilege to bring this amazing and emotional story that has touched millions to the screen in a magnificent and culturally significant production that we hope will reach the entire globe with our emotionally driven CGI animation and music.”

The highly valued and award winning DreamVision Company encompasses one of the most powerful assembled teams in family entertainment including, The DreamVision Company Chief Creative Officer, Mr. Ron Logan, Disney Legend, Former Executive Vice-President of Disney Worldwide and Founder and First President of Disney Theatrical (Beauty and The Beast) along with a classic creative and management team currently developing motion pictures, ground breaking theme park and resort development globally, television, music and Broadway productions with studio offices in Orlando, Florida, Fort Worth, Texas and Cape Town, South Africa.

Happy Birthday, Jay

My! how time has passed. You were just eight when I first met you.  Have a Happy Birthday and many, many more.

Theatrical Pickpocket Consults on New Will Smith Movie

Apollo Robbins Brings His Expertise into “Focus”

Star Will Smith is Learning Tricks of the Trade From the Famed Sleight-of-Hand Artist

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apollo Robbins, nicknamed “The Gentleman Thief,” is serving as a consultant, conceiving and choreographing original sleight-of-hand maneuvers, for the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Focus,” starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Gerald McRaney and Rodrigo Santoro.

Performing since 1998 in Las Vegas as a theatrical pickpocket, Apollo is renowned as the person who lifted the keys off a Secret Service agent who was driving former President Jimmy Carter, as well as Jennifer Garner’s engagement ring from Ben Affleck. In all instances, he always returns what he has lifted from his skeptical audience.

In “Focus,” Will Smith plays a con man who becomes romantically involved with a novice con artist (Margot Robbie), only to break up when she gets too close. Three years later, he is thrown off his game when his former flame shows up in Buenos Aires. Complicating matters even more, each of them is working separate—but equally elaborate—cons, both targeting the same billionaire international race car team owner (Rodrigo Santoro).

The film is being directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Crazy, Stupid, Love.”), from their own screenplay. Denise Di Novi (“The Lucky One,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”) is producing the film, with Stan Wlodkowski and Charlie Gogolak serving as executive producers.

Directors Ficarra and Requa stated, “Apollo is the foremost expert in his field and is an inspiration to us.”

Producer Di Novi added, “Apollo has been a tremendous resource both technically and creatively during this process. For ‘Focus,’ he has designed and choreographed sleight-of-hand moves that have never been seen before on film.”

Bringing his unique expertise to “Focus,” Robbins will help to enhance the authenticity of scenes involving legerdemain.