Review: "Turbo" is Fast and Sweetly Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Turbo (2013)
Running time:  96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild action and thematic elements
DIRECTOR:  David Soren
WRITERS:  Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel, and David Soren
PRODUCER:  Lisa Stewart
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Chris Stover
EDITOR:  James Ryan
COMPOSER:  Henry Jackman

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring:  (voices) Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L. Jackson, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Patrick Bell, Aidan Andrews, Aaron Berger, Mario Andretti, Paul Page, Chris Parnell, and Kurtwood Smith

Turbo is a 2013 computer-animated family comedy and racing film from DreamWorks Animation.  Theatrically presented in 3D, the film is directed by David Soren, who first conceived the idea for the film several years prior to its eventual production and release.  Turbo follows an ordinary garden snail that wants to win the Indy 500 and may be able to do so because of a freak accident.

Turbo introduces Theo (Ryan Reynolds), a snail who lives in a suburban San Fernando Valley garden in a snail community that is wary of change.  Theo dreams of becoming the greatest race car driver in the world, just like his human hero, Guy Gagné (Bill Hader), five-time Indianapolis 500 champion.  Theo even gives himself the nickname, “Turbo.”  His obsession with speed and car racing makes Theo an oddity and embarrasses his cautious older brother, Chet (Paul Giamatti).

After causing a near-disaster in the garden, Theo wanders from the village, his mind focused on his wish of becoming fast.  By chance, an accident involving drag racing and nitrous oxide imbues Theo with high-octane speed.  Suddenly, his dreams of racing in the Indianapolis 500 might come true, but Theo/Turbo will learn that his dreams cannot come true without help from friends and family.

I like Turbo.  I thought that I would like it when I first staring seeing commercials for the film on television, although I must admit that I found its concept a little silly, if not ridiculous.  However, there is something likeable about this little can-do snail who goes by the moniker, Turbo.  It is like the little engine that could, except this little engine is blazing fast and fun to watch.

Surprisingly, Turbo is not as inventive as its concept might suggest.  The characters are pedestrian, especially the humans, upon which this film spends entirely too much time.  The humans have very little character, actually, and are little more than the kind of stereotypes that run of the mill TV sitcoms offer.

The other snail characters are interesting and fun, but are wasted because human characters get more screen time than them.  As Turbo’s brother, Chet, actor Paul Giamatti does his best to bring color and range to a character that is simply a variation on the older brother-type who doubts his younger brother.  Samuel L. Jackson makes the most of his scenes as the voice of Whiplash, the leader of the Starlight Plaza Snail crew.  The presence and fury that Jackson has as a live-action actor, he brings to his voice acting performance.  Jackson’s performance made me wish that Whiplash had a much bigger role in this movie.

I don’t know if Turbo could have been a great animated film, the kind that becomes a classic.  I think that Turbo certainly needed some rewriting and re-conceptualizing, but the film is good and has an endearing quality.  Turbo is one of the few animated films that I do not consider exceptional, but of which I would still like to see a sequel.

6 of 10
B

Monday, January 06, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Women Dominate 2014 DGA Awards Documentary Nominations

by Amos Semien

The Directors Guild of America recently announced the nominations in the category of "DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for 2013."  Three of the five nominations went to women filmmakers, including Sarah Polley for her much-honored 2012 Canadian doc, Stories We Tell.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the entertainment labor union that represents film and television directors.  The DGA gives out the Directors Guild of America Award each year to honor outstanding achievement.

The 66th Annual DGA Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles

DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for 2013

ZACHARY HEINZERLING
Cutie and the Boxer
(Radius TWC, Ex Lion Tamer, Cine Mosaic)

This is Mr. Heinzerling’s first DGA Award nomination.

JEHANE NOUJAIM
The Square
(Netflix, Participant Media, Noujaim Films, Maktube Productions, WorldView, Roast Beef Productions

This is Ms. Noujaim’s third DGA Award nomination.  She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for Startup.com in 2001 (together with Chris Hegedus) and was also nominated in this category in 2004 for Control Room.

JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER
The Act of Killing
(Final Cut for Real APS, Drafthouse Films, Piraya Films, Novaya Zemlya Ltd., Spring Films Ltd.)

This is Mr. Oppenheimer’s first DGA Award nomination.

SARAH POLLEY
Stories We Tell
(Roadside Attractions, The National Film Board of Canada)

This is Ms. Polley’s first DGA Award nomination.

LUCY WALKER
The Crash Reel
(HBO Documentary Films, KP Rides Again, LLC, Impact Partners, Tree Tree Tree Production)

This is Ms. Walker’s first DGA Award nomination.


http://www.dga.org/

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Review: "Deep Blue Sea" is a Good Shark Movie (Happy B'day, LL Cool J)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for graphic shark attacks, and for language
DIRECTOR:  Renny Harlin
WRITERS:  Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, and Wayne Powers
PRODUCERS:  Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Don MacBain, and Alan Riche
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Stephen Windon
EDITORS:  Derek G. Brechin, Dallas S. Puett, and Frank J. Urioste
COMPOSER:  Trevor Rabin

THRILLER/SCI-FI/HORROR

Starring:  Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, Jacqueline McKenzie, Aida Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson

The subject of this movie review is Deep Blue Sea, a 1999 science fiction thriller and horror film from director Renny Harlin.  The film takes place on an isolated, sea-based research facility where a group of scientists find themselves being hunted by a trio of intelligent sharks.

On an isolated underwater research facility, a group of scientists search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease using Mako sharks.  Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) and Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgard) have illegally used genetic engineering to make the sharks’ brains bigger.  When Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson), the businessman who funds the disease research, arrives at the facility, the sharks are already bigger, faster, and more aggressive.

During a severe storm, the scientists celebrate their success.  However, the intelligent sharks take advantage of the storm to make an attack upon the facility that causes it to begin sinking.  A shark wrangler, Carter Blake (Thomas Jane), and the facility’s cook, Preacher (James T. Smith/LL Cool J), lead a group of survivors in a race to reach the surface while the facility quickly floods.  The sharks also gain entrance to the facility and hunt the fleeing humans.

Directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight), Deep Blue Sea is a cat and mouse game in which the characters run an obstacle course to save their lives.  Harlin and the film’s writers continually drop trouble in the lap of the cast, who must use every resource at hand to save themselves.  Deep Blue Sea is not Jaws.  While the latter remains a powerful suspense thriller, the former is a quite effective edge-of-your-seat action movie.  Harlin has a knack for taking what could have been only pedestrian material and making good, light entertainment.

The cast is quite good, and LL Cool J adds a touch of humor to the film as Preacher.  Thomas Jane’s Blake and Cool J’s Preacher are the characters with whom we identify and attach ourselves.  One is the stoic, tough action guy and the other is funny man who keeps the show from getting too serious.  Samuel L Jackson is once again the actor who brings an air of seriousness in a performance that is quite good and that sets the tone for the film.  Much of the cast is shark fodder, but each one is determined to give a solid performance.  Deep Blue Sea is quite a bit of fun and stands up to repeated viewings.  It won’t be remembered as a cinematic classic, but it is a good time.  Quite a few action films try to be that and fail, but Deep Blue Sea delivers.

6 of 10
B

NOTE:
2000 Image Awards:  1 nomination:  “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (LL Cool J)

Updated:  Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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2014 Student Academy Awards Call for Applications

2014 Student Academy Awards® Competition Now Underway

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Academy is now accepting applications for its 2014 Student Academy Awards competition. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards.  Winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with cash prizes, may be presented to student filmmakers in the following categories: Alternative, Animation, Narrative, Documentary and Foreign Film.

The rules and online application forms are available at www.oscars.org/saa.

The U.S. competition is open to all full-time college and university students at accredited institutions, whose films are made within the curricular structure of a film program or class at their respective schools. For 2014, the Academy has again limited the accepted accreditation agencies for U.S. institutions to the following: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; New England Association of Schools and Colleges; North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; Western Association of Schools and Colleges; and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. U.S. entries must be submitted by Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

In the Foreign Film category, entries are accepted only from full-time college and university students attending schools that are members of the international film school organization known as CILECT (www.cilect.org) and located outside the borders of the United States. The deadline to submit a foreign student film for consideration is Friday, March 21, 2014.

The 41st Annual Student Academy Awards presentation will be held in June at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level.

2014 Golden Globes Dances with "American Hustle," Honors "12 Years a Slave"

by Amos Semien

The Golden Globe Award is a movie accolade bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).  The award recognizes excellence in both film and television.  The annual awards ceremony is a major part of the film industry’s award season.

The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards winners were announced Sunday, January 12, 2014.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the awards ceremony show, which was broadcast live on NBC.

Director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave won “Best Motion Picture-Drama.  However, director David O. Russell’s American Hustle led the 2014 Golden Globe Awards with three awards.  The film won “Best Motion Picture-Comedy,” and also the best actress (Amy Adams) and best supporting actress (Jennifer Lawrence) awards.

In the television categories, the TV movie, Behind The Candelabra, and the television series, “Breaking Bad” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” won two awards apiece.

A previously announced honor was the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.  It went to legendary writer-director and multiple Oscar-winner and four-time Golden Globe winner, Woody Allen.  Allen was not in attendance at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards ceremony on Sunday night, so Diane Keaton accepted the award on his behalf.  Keaton won a best actress Oscar for her performance in Allen’s 1977 film, Annie Hall, and who has appeared in multiple Allen films.

The 71st Annual (2014) Golden Globe Awards winners (for the year in film – 2013):

FILM CATEGORIES:

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
12 Years a Slave

BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
American Hustle

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, American Hustle

BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Great Beauty

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Frozen

BEST SCREENPLAY
Spike Jonze, Her

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alex Ebert, All Is Lost

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom) – performed by U2; music written by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., and Danger Mouse and lyrics written by Bono

TELEVISION CATEGORIES:

Best Television Series - Drama
Breaking Bad

Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
Behind The Candelabra

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine Nine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Michael Douglas, Behind The Candelabra

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Elizabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing On The Edge

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Woody Allen

http://www.goldenglobes.com/

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The Hobbit 2 Crosses $800 Million in Worldwide Box Office

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Climbs to More Than $800 Million Worldwide

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” has crossed $800 million at the worldwide box office, with markets still to open. The film, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), has thus far grossed an estimated $242.2 million domestically and $566 million internationally, for a worldwide estimated total of $808.2 million to date.

The joint announcement was made today by Gary Barber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios; Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is the second film in Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s epic “The Hobbit” Trilogy, based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The first film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” was released on December 14, 2012, and went on to become a billion dollar success at the worldwide box office. Now in its fourth week in release, the film remains in the top five in the U.S. and continues to ranked #1 internationally across 62 territories, with China releasing February 21, followed by Japan on February 28.

In making the announcement, Fellman said, “Peter Jackson has once again proven to be the perfect guide for an adventure through Middle-earth. As ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ continues to delight audiences in the New Year, we congratulate him and everyone involved in the film on another box office milestone.”

Kwan Vandenberg added, “This is a film that has resonated with moviegoers around the globe in a big way. We look forward to bringing ‘Smaug’ to China and Japan in February.”

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. The international ensemble cast is led by Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas. The film also stars Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Graham McTavish, Adam Brown, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, William Kircher, Stephen Hunter, Ryan Gage, John Bell, Manu Bennett and Lawrence Makoare.

The screenplay for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson also produced the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Philippa Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a WingNut Films Production, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” The film is a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

www.thehobbit.com

"Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit" Coming to Neon Alley

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES LICENSE ACQUISITION OF MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT ANIME SERIES AND DEBUT ON NEON ALLEY

Anime Fantasy Action Series About A Wandering Warrior And A Fallen Prince Launches This Month On VIZ Media’s Innovative 24/7 Anime Channel Neon Alley

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, opens 2014 with the announcement of the mid-season Neon Alley debut of MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT on Friday, January 17th at 10:30PM (PST). The 26-episode fantasy/action anime series is rated ‘TV-14’ and new installments will debut every Friday.

VIZ Media has also acquired the North American home video and web streaming rights for MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT and plans to release the complete series on DVD and Blu-ray in 2014.

MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT is based on a bestselling collection of Japanese fantasy novels by author Nahoko Uehashi. The anime series tells the story of Balsa, a nomadic warrior who has vowed to atone for eight deaths in her past by saving an equivalent number of lives. On her journey, she saves a fallen prince who carries the burden of a sacred spirit – one who has the power to save the world and bring new life to a broken empire.  But, she must first protect the Prince from those who would do him harm – including his own father, the Emperor, who has ordered his assassination!

Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s innovative 24-hour English-dubbed linear anime channel that is available for general web access as well as for the Xbox 360® and Xbox LIVE® and the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) gaming system and the PlayStation®Network. Fans can also take advantage of the platform’s Video-On Demand “Catch Up” option which offers the flexibility to watch shows such as MORIBITO anytime. The “Catch Up” option also allows viewers to search for specific content by individual series or by latest additions.

“MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT is the latest addition to the Neon Alley anime roster and we are very excited to kick off 2014 with this critically acclaimed action packed adventure that was developed by the famed animation studio Production I.G.,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Animation Marketing Manager. “Balsa and Prince Chagum embark on a dangerous quest to discover the Prince’s mysterious connection to a legendary water spirit with the power to destroy his kingdom, or save it. Tune in every week for new episodes and also look forward to the forthcoming release of the series on DVD and Blu-ray later this year!”

“Working with VIZ Media is truly a pleasure, and as the group continues to expand Neon Alley, we are pleased to look into our library and make more quality titles available,” comments Mr. Yuma Sakata, President and CEO, Dentsu Entertainment USA.

Neon Alley’s diverse programming schedule includes a mix of action, adventure, sci-fi, supernatural, fantasy, and horror anime, all uncut and dubbed into English and presented in HD (when available), for a low monthly subscription rate of only $6.99.

For more information on Neon Alley, please visit www.NeonAlley.com.

For more information about other anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit: www.viz.com.

For more information about Dentsu Entertainment, please visit www.DentsuEntertainment.com.

About Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc.
Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc. was formed in 2010 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange, Code 4324).  Dentsu Inc. is the world's largest advertising agency brand, and a leading producer of Japanese animation, with over 37,000 full-time employees and more than 700 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide.  Dentsu Entertainment USA develops original animation programming and media content for domestic and international markets, and manages licensing programs for new and existing properties.  Current projects include Chub City®, featuring evolved vehicles and savvy young drivers, currently in development as an animated series; LBX™ (a.k.a. "The Little Battlers eXperience"), a highly successful animation, video game and toy franchise, based on miniature customizable robots;  Deltora Quest®, a 52-episode animated series airing globally, and based on the international top-selling fantasy-adventure book series of the same name; and Monsuno®, an innovative toy line and animated boys action adventure series currently airing on Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and free-to-air channels in more than 150 countries.  Dentsu Entertainment USA is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.  For more information, please visit www.DentsuEntertainment.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.