Review: "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2" is Still on Fire

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 of 2023 (No. 1920) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action and some sensuality

DIRECTOR:  John Woo

WRITERS:  Robert Towne; from a story by Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Barga (based upon the television series created by Bruce Geller)

PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jeffrey L. Kimball (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Steven Kemper and Christian Wagner

COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer

ACTION/ADVENTURE/SPY/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, Rade Serbedzija, William Mapother, Dominic Purcell, Nicholas Bell, Kee Chan, Antonio Vargas, and Ving Rhames with Anthony Hopkins

Mission: Impossible 2 is a 2000 action-thriller and espionage film directed by John Woo and starring Tom Cruise.  It is a sequel to the 1996 film, Mission: Impossible, and is based on the American television series, “Mission: Impossible” (CBS, 1966-73), that was created by Bruce Geller.  In Mission: Impossible 2 (also known as M:I-2), Ethan Hunt battles a rogue fellow agent in a bid to obtain a genetically modified virus.

Mission: Impossible 2 opens in a lab at Australia's Biocyte Pharmaceuticals.  There, Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich (Rade Serbedzija), a bio-genetics scientist, sends a message to his old friend, “Dimitri,” which is the cover name for Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise).  Nekhorvich's employer, Biocyte Pharmaceuticals, has forced him to create a biological weapon, which he calls “Chimera,” and a cure for it, which he names “Bellerophon.”  Biocyte's CEO, John C. McCloy (Brendan Gleeson), plans to profit from Bellerophon as cure for Chimera after the virus is released into the unsuspecting world.

Nekhorvich injects himself with Chimera and carries Bellerophon with him and heads to the U.S., where he hopes to meet “Dimitri.”  However, he is intercepted by IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), who is, in some ways, Ethan Hunt's equal and opposite.  Ambrose and his men steal Bellerophon and begin their hunt to obtain Chimera, not knowing that it was inside Nekhorvich.

IMF Mission Commander Swanbeck (Anthony Hopkins) orders Hunt to lead his team – computer hacker, IMF agent Luther Stickwell (Ving Rhames), and helicopter pilot, William “Billy” Baird (John Polson), on a mission to get Chimera before Ambrose does.  Swanbeck also orders Hunt to add to his team a professional thief named Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton), who was, until recently, Ambrose's girlfriend.  Can Ethan trust Nyah, or has he gotten to close to her?  And is Ambrose more than a match for Ethan?

I divide the six Mission: Impossible movies into two trilogies.  Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), and Mission: Impossible III (2006) make up the first trilogy.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011),  Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) form the second trilogy.

That's just my personal thing.  M:I-2 is its own thing.  Directed by Hong Kong auteur, John Woo, the film features the hallmarks of Woo's directorial style, including his “bullet ballet” action sequences, stylized imagery, slow motion action and character drama scenes, Mexican standoffs, and fight sequences that recall the Chinese martial arts sub-genres “wuxia” and “wire-fu.”  However, the film doesn't really kick into high gear with some of Woo's best flourishes until its second half.

The first half of the film focuses on Ethan Hunt's obsession with Nyah Nordoff-Hall, which mirrors Sean Ambrose's obsession with her.  This “love triangle” allows Woo and his screenwriters to build tension between Hunt and Ambrose that explodes with jealousy and rage and eventually leads to a fight to the death.  M:I-2 may be the film in this franchise in which Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt shares the most screen time with other characters, especially Newton's Nyah and Scott's Ambrose.

Anyway, the film really begins to rumble in the second half.  The last half-hour or so is a masterpiece of directing, film editing, cinematography, and stunt coordinators and stuntmen.  My high rating is mainly because of this exhilarating last act, which makes me want to see this movie again.

Tom Cruise was in his late 30s when Mission: Impossible 2 began filming, yet he looks much younger onscreen, about a decade or so (at least to me).  His long hair, that boyish grin, his immature and petulant anger and jealousy would be largely gone 19 months later when his trippy drama, Vanilla Sky (2001), arrived in December 2001.  So for me, Mission: Impossible 2 is a good-bye to the Mission: Impossible film franchise's beginnings.  The series would rapidly begin to morph with the third entry, and boyish Tom Cruise would finally give way to adult Tom Cruise.  At least, I now remember why I loved this film so much 23 years ago, and now, I want to see it again.

8 of 10

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

NOTES:

2001 Image Awards (NAACP):  2 nominations: “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Ving Rhames) and “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Thandie Newton)

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Baz Luhrmann's "ELVIS" Reveals That White People Ruined Presley

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 of 2022 (No. 1867) by Leroy Douresseaux

Elvis (2022)
Running time:  159 minutes (2 hours, 39 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material and smoking
DIRECTOR:  Baz Luhrmann
WRITERS:  Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner; from a story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner
PRODUCERS:  Baz Luhrmann, Gail Berman, Catherine Martin, Patrick McCormick, and Schuyler Weiss
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mandy Walker (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa
COMPOSER:  Elliot Wheeler

BIOPIC/HISTORICAL

Starring:  Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Luke Bracey, Dacre Montgomery, Leon Ford, Gary Clark, Jr., Yola, Natasha Bassett, Xavier Samuel, Adam Dunn, Shonka Dukureh, and Chaydon Jay

Elvis is a 2022 biopic, musical drama, and historical film from director Baz Luhrmann.  The film is an overview and fictional account of the life of Elvis Presley (1935–1977), the singer, songwriter, performer, and actor best known as simply “Elvis” and also as the “King of Rock and Roll.”  Elvis the movie examines his life – from his childhood to his rise to cultural icon status – and his complicated relationship with his notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Elvis opens in 1997 and introduces Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).  After suffering a stroke, he is on his deathbed.  His gambling addiction has left him broke, but once upon a time, he was somebody.  He was both famous and infamous.  He was the manager of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.

Early in his life, Elvis Aaron Presley (Chaydon Jay) was a just a kid whose family had moved into a housing project in the white section of an African-American neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee (1948).  Elvis' family was poor, and his father was in prison.  Elvis, already familiar with country music, became steeped in the gospel music of the nearby Black churches and also in the rhythm and blues of the Black clubs and music halls on Memphis' Beale Street.

Later (1955), when Colonel Parker meets the now adult Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), he is making waves as a young singer and guitarist.  Parker is already partnered with country singer, Hank Snow (David Wenham), when he hears Elvis, a young white artist who sounds black, especially on the groundbreaking single, “That's All Right.”

Soon, Parker is managing Elvis, and the young man's stage performances are making him very popular with young people, especially young women, who are driven crazy by Elvis' salacious wiggling legs, swinging hips, and thrusting pelvis.  Under Parker's management, Elvis begins a meteoric rise to stardom, but his stage act is drawing the ire of white people who don't want their kids exposed to Black music and culture.  To save Elvis from trouble, Colonel Parker exerts more control over Elvis' music, performances, and life, but what will that do to Parker and Elvis' already complex relationship?

Hard as it is to believe, Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has only directed six films in his thirty-year career, beginning with his 1992 debut, Strictly Ballroom, which I have never seen.  Other than Elvis, I have only seen Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge! (2001), and I have only reviewed the latter.

Elvis is like Moulin Rouge!, a flashy, fast-moving musical drama with excellent production values.  Everything about Elvis is lavish, spectacular, fabulous and beautiful.  The production design, art direction, and sets are the most beautiful that I have seen this year and maybe in a long time.  The costumes, regardless of the characters' wealth and social status, are gorgeous (the only word I can think of).  The cinematography and lighting create a world of fantasy, and the film editing manages to convey the seemingly incalculable number of moods and emotions that Luhrmann wants the audience for Elvis to experience.

The soundtrack is filled with Presley's iconic recordings, including some sung by Austin Butler.  There are a number of famous gospel and blues songs performed by their legendary originators.  There are also modern jams, some reinterpretations of classic songs, including the work of Elvis.

Simply put, Austin Butler makes you believe that he is Elvis Presley.  Butler seems to channel everything that made Elvis an icon and a legend.  Even Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla, and daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, were awed by Butler's performance.  For anyone to beat Butler to the Oscar this year, they will have to be as amazing as him.

As for the entire film:  Elvis is at its best when it chronicles Elvis' rise before he enters the military service (the U.S. Army 1958-60).  When Elvis is close to his Memphis roots and hanging around Black singers and performers, he is happy and so is the film.  Post-military, the film is still beautiful to look like, but the film takes a darker turn as Elvis is disconnected from his roots and becomes surrounded by white people, most of whom are parasites.  And the ones that are not parasites are manipulators.

Tom Hanks' Colonel Tom Parker is one of the most ridiculously awful and awfully ridiculous film characters that I have ever seen.  Hanks' Parker is like a mix of “Pennywise the Clown” from the It films (based on the Stephen King books) and a mangy elf.  Parker epitomizes the morass that drags at the film for most of its running time.  Hanks' Parker does make one of the film's themes obvious and true.  Maybe, Elvis and Parker snowed themselves as much as they snowed each other.

My grade reflects how much I like this film's production values, music, and Austin Butler's performance.  Butler is the shining light of Elvis.  I could watch him play Elvis Presley again – in a better film.

6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, September 29, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Principal Photography to Begin on Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis"

Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” Set to Get Underway September 23, 2020 in Australia

Cameras will roll in Queensland, with Luhrmann directing Austin Butler as Elvis, Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley in the highly anticipated musical drama

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography will begin on September 23, 2020 on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Elvis,” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann’s (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) musical drama about the life and music of Elvis Presley. Seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, the film stars Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood”) as Elvis, Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “Forrest Gump”) as Colonel Tom Parker and Olivia DeJonge (“Stray Dolls”) as Priscilla Presley.

Looking forward to getting to work after the lengthy delay, Luhrmann stated, “We’re back to, as Elvis liked to say, ‘taking care of business!’ It is a real privilege in this unprecedented global moment that Tom Hanks has been able to return to Australia to join Austin Butler and all of our extraordinary cast and crew to commence production on ‘Elvis.’ I cannot emphasize enough how lucky we feel in the current climate that the state of Queensland, and Queenslanders in general, have been so supportive of this film. We thank our partners in the Queensland Government and Queensland Health for their extremely diligent process, so that we can be an example how creativity and productivity can proceed safely and responsibly in a way that protects our team and the community at large. We are all excited to start working with Tom Hanks when he is out of quarantine in two weeks.”

The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley.

Luhrmann directs from the current screenplay written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Luhrmann is also producing the film, alongside Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, with Andrew Mittman executive producing.

The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Mandy Walker (“Mulan,” “Australia”), Oscar-winning production designer and costume designer Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), editors Matt Villa (“The Great Gatsby,” “Australia”) and Jonathan Redmond (“The Great Gatsby”) and composer Elliott Wheeler (“The Get Down”).

Principal photography on “Elvis” is taking place in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Amazon Announces "Back to the Rafters," First Australian Amazon Original Series

Amazon Prime Video to Take Fans Back to the Rafters with First Amazon Original Scripted Drama in Australia

Revival series will bring one of Australia’s most beloved families to Prime members in Australia and Prime Video subscribers around the world in more than 200 countries and territories

Series will be first scripted drama production from Prime Video in Australia with filming scheduled to begin in 2020 with Seven Studios

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon announced the first scripted Australian Amazon Original series, Back to the Rafters, which will launch on Prime Video in Australia and around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.

    “This is an incredible opportunity to showcase to the world a home-grown original drama series, brought to life by brilliant Australian creative talent.”

Back to the Rafters offers the next chapter in the story of the Rafter family, who charmed Australian audiences for six years in one of Australia’s most popular drama series, Packed to the Rafters. At its centre were parents Dave and Julie, working to balance their own journey as a couple with the ups and downs of raising a family into adulthood. Set to begin production in Sydney in 2020, Back to the Rafters produced by Seven Studios will feature original principal cast members Rebecca Gibney (Julie Rafter), Erik Thomson (Dave Rafter), Jessica Marais (Rachel Rafter), Hugh Sheridan (Ben Rafter), Angus McLaren (Nathan Rafter), Michael Caton (Ted Taylor) and George Houvardas (Nick “Carbo” Karandonis).

Back to the Rafters picks up six years since we last saw the Rafter family. Dave and Julie have created a new life in the country with youngest daughter Ruby, while the older Rafter children face new challenges and Grandpa Ted struggles to find his place. As Dave enjoys his new found freedom, Julie must reconcile her responsibilities to the family. They might not be under the same roof, but the same honesty, love and laughter bonds them more tightly now than ever before.

“Since we began producing international originals, Back to the Rafters has been at the top of the list of scripted series we’ve wanted to commission,” said James Farrell, Vice President of International Originals at Amazon Studios. “Packed to the Rafters is among the most beloved Australian series and this revival will allow us to give our customers the locally relevant entertainment they want. We’re thrilled to be working with Seven Studios to bring back the Rafter family for Prime members in Australia and around the world.”

“We are hugely excited to be working with Amazon Studios on Prime Video’s first Australian drama commission, bringing back the iconic Rafters family for both Australian and global audiences,” said Therese Hegarty, CEO Seven Studios. “This is an incredible opportunity to showcase to the world a home-grown original drama series, brought to life by brilliant Australian creative talent.”

“What a thrilling opportunity to be able to revisit the family at the centre of my most successful creation, six years down the track,” said Creator and Writer, Bevan Lee. “The world has changed so much in that time, and it is a writing dream to be able to explore how the Rafters have changed with it, while at the same time reconnecting with the life affirming combination of humour and heart that characterised the original series. In an increasingly dark world, it is wonderful to use the Rafters again to spread light.”

Commissioned by Amazon Studios and produced by Seven Studios, Back to the Rafters lead Writer will be Creator Bevan Lee, with Julie McGauran as Executive Producer and Chris Martin-Jones as Series Producer. Production is scheduled to begin next year in Sydney.

Back to the Rafters is the first scripted Australian Amazon Original series that has been announced this year, along with LOL: Last One Laughing, hosted and executive produced by Rebel Wilson; The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team, a docuseries following the Australian Men’s Cricket team during the 2018/2019 season; and a series of ten Amazon Original stand-up specials featuring ten all-star Australian comedic acts including Tom Gleeson, Tommy Little, Judith Lucy and more. These, and other Amazon Original series, will be available on Prime Video in Australia and around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.


About Prime Video
Prime Video is a premium streaming service available as part of a Prime membership that offers customers a vast collection of award winning Amazon Originals, hit movies and popular TV shows, all with the ease of finding what they love to watch in one place.

•     Included with Prime Video: Prime members in Australia can stream hit TV shows, popular movies and Amazon Original series including The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Emmy award-winner Fleabag and more.
•     Instant access: Watch where you want, when you want with the Prime Video app available on smart TVs, mobile devices, tablets, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, select game consoles, Telstra TV or online at PrimeVideo.com. In the Prime Video app, users can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost.
•     Included with Prime: Prime members have access to free expedited delivery in as fast as two days on eligible items and free international delivery on eligible Amazon US items over $49, alongside entertainment benefits including music, video games and reading, for just AUD$ 6.99/month. New customers can find out more at amazon.com.au/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

About Amazon Prime
Prime members in Australia have access to free delivery on millions of local and international eligible items over $49. With Prime, nearly 90 percent of Australians have access to free delivery in as fast as two days on local Prime eligible orders. They also have access to exclusive and award-winning Amazon Original series and other popular movies and TV shows with Prime Video, more than two million songs ad-free, over 1,000 e-books with Prime Reading, benefits for gamers with Twitch Prime, and more. New customers in Australia can try Prime at amazon.com.au/prime with Amazon’s 30-day free trial, and then join Prime for AU$6.99 a month, or save 30 percent with an annual Prime membership at AU$59.

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Director Baz Luhrmann Finds His Priscilla Presley for His "Elvis" Film

(Olivia DeJonge photographic image by Rebecca Hitch)

Baz Luhrmann Casts Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley in His Untitled Elvis Project

DeJonge will star opposite Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker when cameras roll early next year on the eagerly anticipated film

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures announced that up-and-coming Australian actress Olivia DeJonge will play Priscilla Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s feature film about the iconic Elvis Presley.

    “Olivia is capable of manifesting the complex depth and presence that has made Priscilla Presley an icon in her own right. She’s an extremely talented young actor and the perfect counterpoint to Austin’s Elvis.”

In the movie, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”) will explore the life and music of Elvis Presley, through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played in the film by two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump,” “Philadelphia”). The story will delve into their complex dynamic spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley.

Luhrmann, who is known to have a keen eye for discovering new faces, stated, “Olivia is capable of manifesting the complex depth and presence that has made Priscilla Presley an icon in her own right. She’s an extremely talented young actor and the perfect counterpoint to Austin’s Elvis.”

DeJonge has worked consistently in her native Australia and is known for her performances in the features “The Visit,” “The Sisterhood of the Night,” “Better Watch Out,” and this year’s “Stray Dolls,” which premiered in the U.S. at the Tribeca Film Festival. On television, she starred in the series “The Society,” “Will” and “Hiding.”

Luhrmann will direct from the current screenplay written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Luhrmann will also produce, alongside multiple-Oscar winner Catherine Martin (“The Great Gatsby,” “Moulin Rouge!”), who will once again serve as production designer and costume designer on the film, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Andrew Mittman will executive produce.

Principal photography is set to get underway in early 2020 in Queensland, Australia with the support of the Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and the Australian Government’s Producer Offset program. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Miami Film Festival Announces Short Film Competition Nominees

IMDbPro and MDC’s Miami Film Festival Announce 25 Finalists for IMDbPro Short Film Competition

All 25 Finalists Will Screen at the Festival and Compete for the Grand Jury Selection of the Best Short Film of the Year and $2,500 Cash Prize to be Presented at the Festival’s Awards Night Gala on March 17, 2018

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed Miami Film Festival and IMDbPro (www.imdbpro.com), the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, unveiled 25 finalists in the Festival’s IMDbPro Short Film Competition. The 25 finalists were selected by a programming committee of filmmakers, cinephiles and film industry professionals in Miami and internationally, under the direction of the Festival’s Director of Programming, and will all screen at the Festival and compete for the Grand Jury selection of the best short film of the year, to be presented at the Festival’s Awards Night Gala on March 17, 2018. The Short Film Competition Grand Jury will include IMDb Founder and CEO Col Needham and others to be announced, and the winning filmmaker will receive a $2,500 cash prize.

    “We congratulate the finalists of the IMDbPro Short Film Competition and are pleased that all submissions were exclusively received and processed via the IMDbPro Withoutabox service, which connects filmmakers and film festivals”

The internationally renowned Miami Film Festival, which celebrates its 35th anniversary edition this year, will take place March 9 – 18, 2018 at venues across Miami. Tickets went on sale to members of the Miami Film Society on February 9, 2018 and the general public on February 16, 2018 at miamifilmfestival.com or 1-844-565-6433 (MIFF).

“We congratulate the finalists of the IMDbPro Short Film Competition and are pleased that all submissions were exclusively received and processed via the IMDbPro Withoutabox service, which connects filmmakers and film festivals,” said Matt Kumin, Head of IMDbPro. “This short film competition is one of the many ways we help filmmakers get discovered by a global audience and advance their careers.”

“The short film is an art form unto itself,” said Miami Film Festival director Jaie Laplante. “Life comes at us in short bursts, and these 25 wonderful films expertly capture the brief sensations of insight we are momentarily afforded in the enormous volume of information that crowds our lives.”

Highlights among the 25 finalists of the Festival’s 2018 IMDbPro Short Film Competition include:

•     Adrián Cárdenas, a Cuban-American writer/director from Miami and former Major League baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, will present his NYU Tisch School of the Arts master’s thesis film, “Canoe Poems.”
•     Six new animated shorts will compete from the National Film Board of Canada, this category’s defending champion. The 2017 Miami Film Festival’s Best Short-winning film was the NFB’s “The Head Vanishes,” by Franck Dion.
•     Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei and Oscar-nominee Minnie Driver star in Jocelyn Stamat’s unusual sci-fi/horror entry, “Laboratory Conditions.”
•     Three-time and currently Oscar-nominated makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji’s work in the physical transformation of 2018 Oscar nominee Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour is profiled in “The Human Face.”
•     Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel returns to the competition for a third consecutive time with the BAFTA-nominated “A Drowning Man,” first presented as a Palme d’Or candidate at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
•     Miami-born Michael Arcos will present his eclectic “This My Favorite Mural” and Miami-educated Sara Werner will present “The Things They Left Behind,” based on a story by Stephen King.

The complete list of 25 films in the Festival’s IMDbPro Short Film Competition are:

1. BROKEN HILL (Australia, 2017), directed by Peter Drew.
2. THE CANNONBALL WOMAN (Canada, France, Switzerland, 2017), directed by Albertine Zullo, David Toutevoix.
3. CANOE POEMS (USA, 2017), directed by Adrián Cárdenas.
4. DEYZANGEROO (Canada, 2017), directed by Ehsan Gharib.
5. A DROWNING MAN (Denmark, Greece, UK 2017), directed by Mahdi Fleifel.
6. EMMY (Canada, 2018), directed by Hannah Cheesman.
7. THE FISHERMAN (Cuba, 2017), directed by Ana A. Alpizar.
8. (FOOL TIME) JOB (France, 2017), directed by Gilles Cuvelier.
9. THE FULL STORY (UK, 2017), directed by Daisy Jacobs.
10. HOLY HILL (Dominican Republic, 2017), directed by Rodney Llaverias.
11. THE HUMAN FACE (USA, 2017), directed by Aline Pimentel.
12. LABORATORY CONDITIONS (USA, 2017), directed by Jocelyn Stamat.
13. LOS COMANDOS (USA, 2017), directed by Joshua Bennett, Juliana Schatz.
14. MANIVALD (Canada, Croatia, Estonia 2017), directed by Chintis Lundgren.
15. MI DULCINEA (Cuba, 2017), directed by Max Barbakow.
16. MOTHER (Spain, 2017), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
17. MY TREASURE (El Salvador, 2017), directed by Michael Flores.
18. MY YIDDISH PAPI (Canada, 2017), directed by Éléonore Goldberg.
19. NO TRAFFIC NO MORE (Canada, 2017), directed by Julie Roy
20. SKIN FOR SKIN (Canada, 2017), directed by Kevin D. A. Kurytnik, Carol Beecher.
21. THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT (Canada, 2017), directed by Matthew Rankin.
22. THE THINGS THEY LEFT BEHIND (USA, 2017), directed by Sara Werner.
23. THIS MY FAVORITE MURAL (USA, Honduras, Costa Rica, 2017), directed by Michael Arcos.
24. TO GO (Uruguay, 2018), directed by Ilan Rosenfeld.
25. UNFINISHED, 2017 (MIXED MEDIA) (USA, 2018), directed by Rafael Salazar Moreno.

The Grand Jury selection for the IMDbPro Short Film Award and $2,500 cash prize will be presented at the Festival’s Awards Night Gala on March 17, at the Olympia Theater and The Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building in downtown Miami, as part of the Festival’s CINEDWNTWN GALA series sponsored by Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Tickets for the Awards Night Gala are already on sale via 1-844-565-6433 (MIFF) or miamifilmfestival.com.

The Canadian short films in this section are presented with the support of Telefilm Canada, and all French-language shorts are additionally presented by TV5 Monde. The screening of “Mother” is made possible with the support of Acción Cultural Española, AC/E.

For membership opportunities or more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456). Miami Film Festival is the only major film festival event housed within a college or university.


About Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival
Celebrating cinema in two annual events, Miami GEMS Festival in October and its 35th annual edition March 9 – 18, 2018, Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival more than 60,000 audience members and more than 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. It is the only major festival housed within a college or university. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. Miami Film Festival’s special focus on Ibero-American cinema has made the Festival a natural gateway for the discovery of new talent from this diverse territory. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. Major sponsors of the 2017-18 Festival season include Knight Foundation, American Airlines and Miami-Dade County. For more information, visit miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM (3456).

About IMDbPro and Withoutabox
IMDbPro (www.imdbpro.com) is the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals. This membership-based service includes comprehensive information and tools that are designed to help entertainment industry professionals achieve success throughout all stages of their career. IMDbPro offers members the following: detailed contact and representation information; tools to manage and showcase their IMDb profile, including the ability to select their primary images and the credits they are best “known for”; exclusive STARmeter and MOVIEmeter rankings that are determined by page views on IMDb; a casting service to post breakdowns and apply to roles; the IMDbPro app for iPhone and more. IMDbPro is owned and operated by IMDb, the #1 movie website in the world. Additionally, IMDb owns and operates Withoutabox (https://www.withoutabox.com/), the premier submission service for film festivals and filmmakers.

About Telefilm Canada—Inspired by talent. Viewed everywhere.
Created in 1967, Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada’s audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual treaty coproductions to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund and the Talent Fund, a private donation initiative. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

About TV5Monde
TV5MONDE is the global French language entertainment network, broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without commercial interruptions. TV5MONDE USA is a premium pay-tv channel reaching 1.5 million viewers in the U.S. American viewers enjoy a wealth of high quality French language programming, subtitled in English, including up to 300 classic, recent and never-before-seen in the U.S. French language films per year, around the clock newscasts live from Paris, the latest series and TV dramas, premium documentaries, cultural programs and international sports coverage.

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"Moonlight" Wins "Best Picture of 2016" Oscar

Best Picture

Nominees
Arrival - Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder and David Linde, Producers

Fences - Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington and Todd Black, Producers

Hacksaw Ridge - Bill Mechanic and David Permut, Producers

Hell or High Water - Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn, Producers

Hidden Figures - Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams and Theodore Melfi, Producers

La La Land - Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt, Producers

Lion - Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder, Producers

Manchester by the Sea - Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck and Kevin J. Walsh, Producers

Moonlight - Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers - WINNER

"The Salesman" Wins "Best Foreign Film" Oscar

Foreign Language Film

Nominees
Land of Mine - Denmark

A Man Called Ove - Sweden

The Salesman - Iran - WINNER

Tanna - Australia

Toni Erdmann - Germany

"Wolf Creek" TV Series Arrives on Pop October 2016

Suspense Thriller “WOLF CREEK” Premieres This October, Exclusively on Pop

30,000 people go missing in Australia each year, with 90 percent found within the first month. The rest are never seen again...

Inspired by the Iconic Cult Film and Executive Produced by its Creator/Director Greg McLean, WOLF CREEK Premieres on Friday, October 14 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT as a Six-Episode Limited Series Television Event

View The Trailer: www.poptv.com/wolfcreek

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inspired by one of the most terrifying, cult movie franchises ever released in theaters, named one of “The 25 best horror movies since 2000” (AV Squad), one of “The 100 Best Horror films” (Time Out), and one of “The 25 Best Horror Movies Since The Shining” (Vulture), the six-part television event, WOLF CREEK, is a psychological thriller premiering exclusively on Pop on Friday, October 14, 2016 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT.

    “To turn everything you expect from a horror film around and hunt the psychopath through a strong and singularly-focused female protagonist is thrilling to watch. It is probably the scariest series to ever premiere on basic cable and will have viewers hooked 13:40 minutes into the first episode.”

In conjunction with Lionsgate Television and Zodiak Rights (a Banijay Group company), the WOLF CREEK television series on Pop stars John Jarratt, who reprises his movie role as the murdering psychopath Mick Taylor, wreaking havoc in the Australian Outback—except this time, things are different. The television series immediately turns the entire genre on its head when a 19-year-old American college student, played by rising star Lucy Fry, survives the massacre of her parents and little brother and sets out to hunt down the killer and avenge her family.

Based on true events, the original WOLF CREEK movie was introduced in 2005 at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals before achieving global box office success and cult film status among horror fans around the world.

“WOLF CREEK is holy !#@$! scary!” said Greg McLean, Executive Producer of the WOLF CREEK television series and the writer, director and producer of the WOLF CREEK movies. “The television series delivers the same pulse-pounding tension and terror of the films combined with a storyline that evolves into a suspense filled, character driven psychological thriller. In many ways, WOLF CREEK is more like a Western—set in the untamed, desolate landscape of the Australian Outback, with gritty characters and an immersive story of revenge and good versus evil.”

“WOLF CREEK is a binge-worthy, premium revenge tale that we are thrilled to bring fans at the perfect time of the year,” said Brad Schwartz, President, Pop. “To turn everything you expect from a horror film around and hunt the psychopath through a strong and singularly-focused female protagonist is thrilling to watch. It is probably the scariest series to ever premiere on basic cable and will have viewers hooked 13:40 minutes into the first episode.”

The story of WOLF CREEK begins when an American family is on vacation in Northern Australia and becomes the unsuspecting prey of Mick Taylor, a sadistic serial killer who hunts and kills tourists in the Outback. The sole survivor is Eve Thorogood, a college student, who vows to bring the killer to justice or die in the attempt. The story of WOLF CREEK reveals her complex and extraordinary journey, traveling every step of the way as she evolves from child to adult, from prey to predator. But can she triumph over Mick Taylor, evil incarnate?

John Jarratt is a television and film actor, producer and director from Australia. Jarratt is best known for his chilling performance as the iconic character Mick Taylor in the feature films “Wolf Creek” and “Wolf Creek 2.” His previous credits also include Peter Weir’s “Picnic At Hanging Rock,” Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.”

Lucy Fry is a film and television actress. Most recently, Fry starred opposite James Franco in the Warner Bros. for Hulu mini-series “11.22.63.” She is also known for her roles in director Joseph Castelo’s indie film “The Preppie Connection,” the Cinelou Films feature “Mr. Church,” the Universal feature “The Darkness,” and Mark Waters’ fantasy feature “Vampire Academy.”

A STAN original, WOLF CREEK is produced by Screentime (a Banijay Group company), in association with Emu Creek Pictures and financed with the assistance of Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation.


ABOUT POP:
Fans don’t sit at the outskirts of pop culture making snarky comments. They live right smack in the middle of it, sharing, creating, and connecting their passions with others. At Pop, fans finally have a destination that celebrates the fun of being a fan. Fans aren’t even fans anymore — they’re gladiators, tributes, human beings and blockheads. Seen in more than 80 million homes, Pop gives fans a dedicated channel that loves being a fan as much as they do. A channel that respects talent over celebrity. A channel filled with optimism, passion, humor, and excitement. A channel that understands the fun doesn’t stop when the credits roll…it’s really just the beginning.

Pop is a joint venture of CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF). The partnership combines CBS’s programming, production and marketing assets with Lionsgate’s resources in motion pictures, television and digitally delivered content. Pop’s ownership structure is comprised of the company with the #1 broadcast network and many of the top first-run syndication series (“Entertainment Tonight,” “The Insider”) and the studio that produces and distributes the blockbuster “Hunger Games,” “Twilight” and “Divergent” franchises and produces such award-winning TV series as “Mad Men” and “Orange is the New Black.”

ABOUT LIONSGATE:
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses. These include the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black, the syndication successes The Wendy Williams Show and Celebrity Name Game (with FremantleMedia), the breakout series The Royals and the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual.

The Company’s feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me, Divergent and John Wick series, Sicario, The Age of Adaline, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films’ Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com

ABOUT ZODIAK RIGHTS:
Zodiak Rights is the international distribution division of Banijay Group, a leading creator and producer of TV content worldwide. Zodiak Rights represents quality, excellence and experience in the business of television and ancillary sales across all platforms. It is one of the world’s biggest independent distributors, with a catalogue of more than 20,000 hours of globally best-selling content across all genres including drama, formats, factual, entertainment, theatrical. 50% of the catalogue is third party programming from independent producers and networks throughout the world.

Zodiak Rights’ scripted programming includes big-budget Canal+ flagship drama Versailles sold in more than 135 territories; Screentime’s Wolf Creek, based on the international hit feature films; original Belgian French-language drama Public Enemy, winner of the inaugural MIPDrama Screenings; The Returned, an International Emmy Award winner, trilingual political suspense thriller Occupied; Wallander, the BAFTA award-winning drama series for BBC One starring Kenneth Branagh; Braquo, the top-rating French drama; and critically acclaimed Irish serial drama Rebellion.

Zodiak Rights’ theatrical portfolio includes: Millennium: The Trilogy (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest), and UK box office smash The Inbetweeners 1 & 2.

Finished programming and format highlights include global smash format Wife Swap; legendary adventure game show Fort Boyard; Rose d’Or winning game show Wild Things; innovative hands-on social experiment Undressed; extreme reality race 71 Degrees North; Popstars, the original talent quest reality format refreshed for a new generation; the classic, controversial reality format Temptation Island; ratings and format hits The Secret Life Of 4 Year Olds; long running premier property brand Location Location Location, and revelatory special forces selection programme SAS Who Dares Wins.

www.zodiakrights.com

On the Web: www.poptv.com
Pop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PopTelevision
Pop Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopTV

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Village Roadshow Entertainment Secures Mo' Money

Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Secures $480M in Capital

Village Roadshow Pictures Launches Renewal of $750M Film Production Facility to Boost Upcoming Slate with Warner Bros. and Sony Partnerships

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG) has completed a $480 million recapitalization, including $325 million of new capital from a consortium of worldwide investors (including Vine Alternative Investments, Falcon Investment Advisors, and Village Roadshow Limited). The facility was arranged by the Company and placed by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, with Moelis & Company acting as financial adviser to the Company.

    “This funding demonstrates the underlying strength of Village Roadshow Pictures and its longevity in the industry”

Village Roadshow Pictures (VRP), working with its joint syndication agents Rabobank International and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, has also launched a renewal of its $750 million film production facility. The facility finances VRP’s library of titles co-produced with Warner Bros. Pictures, Sony Pictures, and other major distributors.

“This funding demonstrates the underlying strength of Village Roadshow Pictures and its longevity in the industry,” said Graham Burke, VREG Chairman and Co-Chairman & Co-Chief Executive Officer, Village Roadshow Limited.

"With this new phase, we are thrilled to be moving towards our third decade of filmmaking in partnership with Warner Bros. and the start of our journey with Sony,” said Greg Basser, Chief Executive Officer, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group. “This capital will strengthen VREG’s financial resources and our capacity to make more films.”

“We are excited to continue growing our lineup of co-produced films with our partners and build off recent hits American Sniper and Mad Max: Fury Road with highly anticipated films including In The Heart of the Sea and King Arthur with Warner Bros. and Concussion and Ghostbusters with Sony,” said Bruce Berman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Village Roadshow Pictures.

After almost twenty years, VRP stands as one of the leading independent film production companies with a library of 85 films generating over $15 billion in global box office receipts under key partnerships with Warner Bros. Pictures and Sony Pictures.

Upcoming Village Roadshow Pictures releases in 2015 include “Goosebumps” starring Jack Black, directed by Rob Letterman (October 16, 2015), “In the Heart of the Sea” starring Chris Hemsworth and directed by Ron Howard (December 11, 2015), and “Concussion” starring Will Smith and directed by Peter Landesman (December 25, 2015).

The 2016 releases include “Grimsby” starring Sasha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong, directed by Louis Leterrier (March 4, 2016), “Tarzan” starring Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie and Samuel L. Jackson, directed by David Yates (July 1, 2016), “Ghostbusters” starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig, directed by Paul Feig (July 15, 2016), “King Arthur” starring Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law, directed by Guy Ritchie (July 22, 2016), “The Magnificent Seven” starring Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, directed by Antoine Fuqua (September 23, 2016), and “Passengers” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, directed by Morten Tyldum (December 21, 2016).

The initial 2017 titles include “The Equalizer 2” starring Denzel Washington (September 29, 2017) and “Ready Player One” directed by Steven Spielberg (December 15, 2017).

The facility will also support upcoming product out of the Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (VRPA) label including the release of “Mountain Cry,” which will close the Busan Film Festival next month. VRPA, headed by Asia President and Chief Executive Officer, Ellen Eliasoph, celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2016.


About Village Roadshow Entertainment Group
Village Roadshow Entertainment Group is a leading global entertainment company building premier, content-rich businesses in the entertainment industry. VREG employs innovative strategies to produce, acquire and deliver intellectual properties with timeless appeal, while maximizing group-wide strategic and operational efficiencies. VREG is the holding company of Village Roadshow Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia.

About Village Roadshow Pictures Group
Village Roadshow Pictures Group is a leading independent producer and financier of major Hollywood motion pictures, having produced and released 85 films since its establishment in 1997. VRPG has a successful joint partnership with Warner Bros. and Sony to co-produce a wide range of motion pictures including “American Sniper,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “San Andreas,” “The Equalizer,” “The LEGO Movie,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Matrix” trilogy, the “Sherlock Holmes” franchise, the “Ocean’s” series, “Happy Feet,” “Mystic River,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and “Gran Torino.”

VRPG filmed entertainment is distributed in select territories around the world by affiliates in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and in all other territories by Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures, respectively.

About Village Roadshow Pictures Asia
With a particular focus on the Chinese film industry, Village Roadshow Pictures Asia was established in 2011 to undertake the development, financing, production, marketing and distribution of films for Greater China. Village Roadshow Pictures Asia works closely with creative talent and producers, co-financiers and distributors throughout the Greater China region to identify, develop and co-produce films for release in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand through VRPA’s affiliates, and beyond. The majority of its films are structured as Sino-foreign co-productions and filmed in Greater China. VRPA’s initial projects, Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West and Leste Chen’s Say Yes!, both released in 2013, and its co-production Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal released in February 2015.
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Review: Original "Mad Max" Still Motoring

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mad Max (1979)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Australia
Running:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  George Miller
WRITERS:  James McCausland and George Miller
PRODUCER:  Byron Kennedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Eggby (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Cliff Hayes and Tony Paterson
COMPOSER:  Brian May

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Geoff Parry, Vince Gil, John Ley, and Brendan Heath

Mad Max is a 1979 Australian near-future action movie and crime thriller from director George Miller and starring a young Mel Gibson.  Mad Max was the first movie in what is, to date, a four-film franchise.  This movie's story was originally conceived by the film's director (George Miller) and producer (Byron Kennedy).  Mad Max focuses on an Australian police officer who must eventually avenge the lives of his wife and toddler son and also the cop who was his partner.

Mad Max opens in a dystopian future that takes place “a few years from now.”  The roads of Australia are plagued by motorcycle gangs and other high-speed drivers.  Trying to keep the roads safe are the police officers of the MFP – Main Force Patrol – who pursue reckless road criminals.  The top pursuit-man is Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson).

Max has an encounter with a gang member known as the “Nightrider” (Vincent Gil), in which Nightrider is killed.  The vicious and cruel Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) leads “The Acolytes,” Nightrider's motorcycle gang, and the gang seeks payback against the MFP.  Their actions against Max's family and colleagues sets Max on a mission of vengeance against Toecutter.  In his supercharged Police Special, Max goes on hot pursuit with killing on his mind.

Mad Max is one of those rare films that has the misfortune living in the shadow of a better-known and more popular sequel.  1981's Mad Max 2 (known in the United States simply as The Road Warrior) was a huge hit when it was originally released in the U.S. in 1982.  The second film had an influence on American pop culture and references from and homages to the film continue to appear decades after its initial release.

Still, the first Mad Max remains both a unique and an exceptional film.  It is also darn-good fun to watch, and I wish that at least one of the Mad Max sequels was more like it.  Max Max seems to blend 1950s Film-Noir crime films (especially those about street cops) and 1970s action-movies about cars and motorcycles with the kind of dystopian science fiction films that defined the 1970s.

The result is a fast and efficient film with power that belies its size.  Mad Max is cool without being slick and pretty.  It is one of the few science fiction films that are entirely plausible or close to it.  Mad Max is also timeless, although its future scenario originally took place only “a few years” from 1979.

Director George Miller has apparently stated that the filming of Mad Max was unpleasant for him.  From his suffering came cinematic art, and a movie star was born.  Yes, Mad Max introduced the world to Mel Gibson, who would go on to be a fine actor, a worldwide movie star, and an award-winning filmmaker before his public behavior and private comments seemed to derail his career (at least as of this writing).  Before that however, the legend of Mad Max carried us deep into the Outback, and we were in the passenger seat with rising star.

8 of 10
A

Tuesday, May 26, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "Holy Smoke" is Kind of Wispy (Happy B'day, Jane Campion)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 173 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Holy Smoke! (1999)
Running time: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexuality and language
DIRECTOR: Jane Campion
WRITERS: Anna Campion and Jane Campion
PRODUCER: Jan Chapman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dion Beebe (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Veronika Jenet
COMPOSER: Angelo Badalamenti

DRAMA/COMEDY

Starring: Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel, Julie Hamilton, Sophie Lee, Dan Wyllie, Paul Goddard, Tim Robertson, and Pam Grier

The subject of this movie review is Holy Smoke!, a 1999 Australian comedy-drama from director Jane Campion. The film stars Kate Winslet as an Australian tourist who falls in with an Indian guru and Harvey Keitel as a macho American deprogrammer hired to free her from that new spirituality.

Jane Campion won an Academy Award in 1994 in the category original screenplay for her 1993 film, The Piano. Whereas both the characters and the story were well written in that internationally acclaimed film, the same cannot be said of Ms. Campion’s Holy Smoke, which is not nearly as rich a film as The Piano.

When a young woman (Kate Winslet) falls under the influence of a charismatic guru and joins his ashram, her parents hire PJ Waters (Harvey Kietel, who also starred in Ms. Campion’s The Piano), an “exiter,” a counselor who specializes in deprogramming people taken in by cults. PJ, however, finds the young woman, Ruth Barron, to be not only iron-willed and intelligent, but also very sexy. Ruth engages PJ is an intense battle of wills and sexual politics that begs the question – who will win?

Ms. Winslet is nothing short of stunning in Holy Smoke, and the continual growth of her acting talent is a revelation. It’s hard to take your eyes off her, and she is so beautiful. Ms. Winslet is not one of those tiresome and too thin anorexia stars, but a big boned, baby-got-back-and-front, full figured, blond goddess. The combination of her acting prowess and raw sexuality will distract from a dull movie, and Holy Smoke, while not quite awful, needed this Meryl Streep with a body.

The film is just too up and down. It is at times funny and engaging, but at other times too dry and pointless. The other characters are quite interesting, but the screenwriters ignore them in favor of a drawn out battle between Ruth and PJ. That’s a shame because many of the other characters, including Ruth’s parents and PJ’s partner played by Pam Grier, seem to have interesting backstories. The film limps to the finish line with a tired battle of the sexes. Thankfully, a sentimental dénouement saves the film from being completely below average.

5 of 10
C+

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Review: Aussie "Animal Kingdom" is Awesome

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Animal Kingdom (2010)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, drug content and pervasive language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: David Michôd
PRODUCER: Liz Watts
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adam Arkapaw
EDITOR: Luke Doolan
COMPOSER: Antony Partos
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring: James Frecheville, Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton, and Laura Wheelwright

Often, I am reluctant to just come right out and say, “Go see this movie!” When it comes to the Australian crime drama, Animal Kingdom, the debut film from writer/director David Michôd, I cannot hesitate to say, “See this movie!” and “It’s on DVD for your home viewing comfort.”

Animal Kingdom follows Joshua Daniel “J” Cody (James Frecheville). After his mother, Julia Cody, dies of a heroine overdose, J goes to live with his maternal grandmother, Janine “Smurf” Cody (Jacki Weaver), the matriarch of a Melbourne-based crime family. Eldest son, Andrew “Pope” Cody (Ben Mendelsohn) and family friend, Barry “Baz” Brown (Joel Edgerton) are armed robbers. Craig Cody (Sullivan Stapleton) is a mid-level drug dealer, and barely legal Darren Cody (Luke Ford) is an up and coming apprentice to the crime family.

The family is under surveillance by Melbourne’s notorious Armed Robbery Squad. After the Squad strikes first, the Cody brothers strike back. Suddenly, J is the prize in a cat and mouse game between Janine and her sons and the police, personified by a senior detective named Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce). Now, J has to make a decision that will determine where he belongs – with his relatives or somewhere else.

With all the critical acclaim that Animal Kingdom has received, it would be redundant to go over the film’s highlights in detail. Animal Kingdom is very well acted, and Jacki Weaver certainly deserved the Oscar nomination she received for best supporting actress. Ben Mendelsohn also deserved an Oscar nomination (which he didn’t get) for his stunning turn as Pope, one of the year’s best performances. Luke Ford is quite good in a quiet way as the reluctant and hapless Darren. James Frecheville is a bit stiff as J, but has some moments in the film where he shines.

I must reserve time to heap praise on writer/director David Michôd. I don’t know him well enough to call him a liar, but this cannot be his debut film. Really? This is really good, and it’s his first?

Anyway, not only is Animal Kingdom well written and exceptionally well directed, it is also different from the standard crime family flick. Michôd composes this film with J as the center, but after introducing J, Michôd brings him to the Cody household and then, moves him into the background. There, J becomes the eyes and ears through which Michôd both introduces to and immerses us in the world of the Cody crime family. By the time J returns to the forefront (when he is asked to participate in the act that launches this film’s central conflict), the narrative is ready to focus on him again.

The way Michôd uses J and directs the actor playing him, James Frecheville, gives an odd, otherworldly feel to this film, which is good. Instead of being bloody and gritty, Animal Kingdom is a matter of fact examination of the police and the thieves, presenting both sides as predators always on the lookout for prey they can uses to their advantage. This different way of presenting a crime film, the exceptional character writing, riveting plot, and excellent performances make Animal Kingdom one of 2010’s best movies.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2011 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Jacki Weaver)

2011 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Jacki Weaver)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

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Review: Thandie Newton Makes Star Turn in "Flirting" (Happy B'day, Thandie Newton)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 64 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Flirting (1991)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Australia
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for scenes of teen sexuality
WRITER/DIRECTOR: John Duigan
PRODUCERS: Terry Hayes, George Miller, and Doug Mitchell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Geoff Burton
EDITOR: Robert Gibson

DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Noah Taylor, Thandie Newton, Nicole Kidman, Bartholomew Rose, Felix Nobis, Josh Picker, Kiri Paramore, Marc Gray, Kiri Paramore, Jeff Truman, Marshall Napier, Kym Wilson, and Naomi Watts

Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) is a free-spirited young man attending St. Alban’s, an all-boys prep school in rural Australia, circa 1965. Called “Bird” by his classmates, Danny is an outcast. He meets Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton), a sophisticated girl from Uganda, the daughter of Ugandan dissidents living in Australia. Thandiwe is a student at Cirencester Ladies College, an all-girls prep school across the lake from St. Albans. Danny and Thandiwe began an interracial romance that blossoms despite some prejudice they face from fellow students. Nicole Kidman plays Nicola Radcliffe, at first a rival, then eventual confidant of Thandiwe.

Flirting, a follow up (or sequel) to the 1987 John Duigan film, The Year My Voice Broke, is one of the best and least contrived depictions of first love ever put to film. Taylor and Newton bring verisimilitude to this tale of surprising and unexpected love. One can just feel the spark between them and how their love grows, so that as the relationship progresses, their actions seem so natural.

The film also has a numerous supporting performances; many are small, but add just the right touch for the film’s setting and narrative. Bartholomew Rose as Danny’s friend, Gilbert “Gilby” Fryer, is full of advice for Danny and perhaps a little envious of him (or has a “boy crush” on him as boys sometimes do have on particular male friends). Nicole Kidman also adds a nice touch in a small but motherly role as the “it” girl at Cirencester. John Duigan’s gentle film has touches of John Hughes’ teen romances (Pretty in Pink) with the dramatic narrative detail of a John Sayles (Passion Fish, Lone Star) film.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, April 2, 2006

Review: "Daybreakers" Breaks Vampire Mold... Sort of

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Daybreakers (2009)
Release date: January 8, 2010
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity
DIRECTORS: Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig
WRITERS: The Spierig Brothers
PRODUCERS: Chris Brown, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Nott
EDITOR: Matt Villa

HORROR/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Isabel Lucas, Vince Colosimo, Jay Laga’aia, Christopher Kirby, and Sam Neill

Daybreakers mixes new flavors and ingredients into the old blood that is vampire apocalypse movies. This U.S./Australian co-production has some fresh ideas and some bite to it, but ultimately, the filmmakers, The Spierig Brothers (Undead), seemed content to make another action movie, or at least focus on action.

In the film: by the year 2019, a vicious plague has transformed most of Earth’s population into vampires. With the human population down to five percent, the world is losing what is now its most precious resource – blood. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a vampire and also a researcher for the corporation, Bromley Marks. Dalton is trying to create a blood substitute to answer the growing vampire food crisis because of the shrinking blood supply.

Dalton encounters a covert group of humans and their charismatic leader, Lionel “Elvis” Cormac (Willem Dafoe) and his right-hand woman, Audrey Bennett (Claudia Karvan). They are working on a way to turn vampires back into humans and have already made a remarkable discovery which may save the human race. However, Bromley Marks CEO, Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), has plans of his own for the future of the blood supply, and he is using Dalton’s brother, Frankie (Michael Dorman), as his thug.

As a narrative, Daybreakers comes together quite well. For what is essentially a vampire, B-movie, this film is thoughtfully shot and staged. It also has pretensions to be socially relevant and offers commentary on the current state of world affairs. Daybreakers’ vampire plague and Bromley Marks’ response to it are metaphors for corporate exploitation of human suffering and also all-consuming greed. Still, this movie often feels disjointed because the thoughtful character and social drama clash with the brutal fight scenes, fierce action scenes, and the occasional bloodshed, which comes in abrupt splatters like rude ejaculations.

Visually, that is OK for a science fiction film that emphasizes sudden violence and brutality, but the Spierig Brothers should have taken advantage of the complicated and well-conceived family dynamics they obviously took the time to create. Playing up the Dalton brothers’ relationship even more would have better served this film than some of the gunfight and vampire attack scenes.

On the other hand, a movie that is so unromantic about vampires can’t be all that bad. Plus, Daybreakers stars three actors that I have always thought have an alluring screen presence: Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neill, and they didn’t disappoint me here. Daybreakers is fun and thoughtful; too bad it subverts its new ideas for old ideas – bloody violence piled upon more blood and violence.

5 of 10
B-

Friday, May 14, 2010

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