Review: Spielberg's "1941" - Raiders of the Lost Invasion (Countdown to "The Fabelmans")

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 67 of 2022 (No. 1879) by Leroy Douresseaux

1941 (1979)

Running time:  118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)

MPAA – PG

DIRECTOR:  Steven Spielberg

WRITERS:  Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale; from a story by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, and John Milius

PRODUCER:  Buzz Feitshans

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  William A. Fraker (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Michael Kahn

COMPOSER:  John Williams

Academy Award nominee

COMEDY/HISTORICAL/WAR

Starring:  John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Christopher Lee, Nancy Allen, Ned Beatty, John Candy, Elisha Cook, Jr., Bobby Di Cicco, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Dianne Kay, John Landis, Michael McKean, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Dick Miller, Warren Oates, Slim Pickens, Mickey Rourke, Lionel Stander, Robert Stack, Dub Taylor, Treat Williams, and Frank McRae

1941 is a 1979 comedy, war movie, and period film directed by Steven Spielberg.  Although not as popular or critically acclaimed as Spielberg's earlier films, 1941 began to gain in popularity after an expanded version of the film aired on television.  1941 is set almost a week after the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor and finds various California residents in a state of panic about an alleged inevitable Japanese attack on the state.

1941 opens on Saturday, December 13, 1941, at 7:01 a.m. (six days after the attack on Pearl Harbor).  Surfacing off the Northern California coast is a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Fleet, commanded by Akiro Mitamura (Toshiro Mifune).  Also aboard, as an annoying advisor, is Nazi Kriegsmarine officer, Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt (Christopher Lee).  Because he did not participate in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Commander Mitamura wants to destroy something in Los Angeles, in an act or honor.  He has decided to target “Hollywood,” although he and his crew are having trouble finding the place.

Meanwhile, in Santa Monica, servicemen from the U.S. Army and Navy have overrun the town.  Wayward youth, Wally Stephens (Bobby Di Cicco), is trying to hold on to his girlfriend, Betty Douglas (Dianne Kay).  She is the target of the unwanted attentions of Corporal Chuck Sitarski (Treat Williams), a member of a 10th Armored Division tank crew.  The crew, which also consists of Sergeant Frank Tree (Dan Aykroyd) and Private First Class Foley (John Candy), is suddenly dealing with its newest member, Private Ogden Johnson Jones (Frank McRae), a Black serviceman!

In Death Valley, the cigar-chomping Captain Wild Bill Kelso (John Belushi) of the United States Army Air Forces aims his fighter plane towards L.A. where he believes he will help fight off a Japanese attack.  Everything is going crazy around everyone, and there seems to be a hundred melodramas and subplots.  Can Americans stop fighting Americans long enough prevent a real Japanese attack on Los Angeles and the surrounding area?

I recently saw 1941 for the first time in preparation for this review.  Although I am a huge fan of Steven Spielberg, 1941 was one of his films that I was not really interested in seeing.  I found a DVD copy containing a “restored version” of the film that is almost half an hour longer than the original theatrical release.  When I was a kid, 1941 was considered a “box office bomb,” which is apparently not true.  The film reportedly did make a profit, but it was not as financially or as critically well received as Spielberg's previous films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Jaws (1975).

For what it is, 1941 is way too long, even at its original length (1 hour, 58 minutes).  Still, it is funny in many spots, and, in spite of a really large cast, all the individual subplots and comic melodramas do come together so that the film does not feel disjointed.  I like that 1941 gives me a chance to see some of my favorite actors:  Toshiro Mifune, Christopher Lee, Warren Oates, Ned Beatty, and character actors:  Dick Miller, Dub Taylor and Elisha Cook, Jr., all of whom are now deceased.  Another favorite, Robert Stack, practically steals the film as Major General Joseph W. Stillwell, a character that seems to center the film.  And I'm always happy to see Dan Aykroyd.

One thing that really stuck out to me is that much of 1941 seems like a dry run for the action sequences in my favorite Spielberg film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which would be his next film after 1941.  The action in 1941 is conveyed in a humorous mood, and Raiders, more of an adventure film than an action film, features action scenes that are breath-taking, but are delivered with something like a wink and a nod.

Regardless of where it is positioned in Steven Spielberg's filmography, 1941 shows that, as the guy at the helm, Spielberg's most impressive talent may be his ability to gather a large cast and crew and very talented collaborators in order to make really spectacular films that are epic in scope, even in their quite and funny moments.  1941 is not a great film, but there are moments during this movie when it is obvious that one of the greatest filmmakers of all time is the guiding force and the main man behind it.

5 of 10

B-

★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, November 5, 2022

NOTES:

1980 Academy Awards:  3 nominations: “Best Cinematography” (William A. Fraker), “Best Sound” (Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don MacDougall, and Gene S. Cantamessa), and “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (William A. Fraker, A.D. Flowers, and Gregory Jein)

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

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Review: Christopher Lee Still a Sexy Beast in "Horror of Dracula"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Horror of Dracula (1958)
Dracula – original title
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
Running time:  82 minutes (1 hour, 22 minutes)
Not rated by MPAA
DIRECTOR:  Terence Fisher
WRITER:  Jimmy Sangster (based upon the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker)
PRODUCER:  Anthony Hinds
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jack Asher (D.o.P)
EDITOR:  Bill Lenny
COMPOSER:  James Bernard

HORROR

Starring:  Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, Olga Dickie, John Van Eyssen, Valerie Gaunt, and Janine Faye

Dracula is a 1958 British horror film from director Terence Fisher.  Written by Jimmy Sangster, this was the first in a series of movies from Hammer Films that were inspired by Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula.  For its release in the United States, the film's title was change to Horror of Dracula so that it would not be confused with the 1931 film, Dracula (starring Bela Lugosi), which was apparently still quite popular in the U.S. at that time.  In Hammer's Dracula, vampire expert Van Helsing fights to stop Dracula from taking revenge against the family of a former colleague of Van Helsing's.

Horror of Dracula opens on May 3, 1885, Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) arrives at a castle near Klausenburg (in Romania).  It is the home of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), and Harker is there to take up his post as Dracula's librarian.  Almost immediately, Harker experiences a series of strange events, including meeting a young woman who claims to be Dracula's prisoner.

A few days later, Harker's colleague, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), arrives in Klausenburg, looking for Harker.  What he finds chills his blood.  Van Helsing returns to Karlstadt to inform Harker's fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh), of the bad news.  Lucy's brother, Arthur Holmwood (Michael Gough), and his wife, Mina (Melissa Stribling), are reluctant to give any bad news to Lucy, who has been ill of late.  Van Helsing alone suspects that the terrible evil of Count Dracula's castle has arrived in Karlstadt to haunt the Holmwoods.

Horror of Dracula was the first of seven movies for Hammer Films in which Christopher Lee played Count Dracula, which is why Lee is arguably the second most famous Dracula in film history, after Bela Lugosi.  Lee made Dracula both sexual and dangerous, like a creepy guy who ignores any rejection to his advances.  [He just knows that he can “love” you good, girl.]  There is a moment in this film when Dracula rubs his face against Mina's face which encapsulates Dracula's power of seduction.  He is essentially a home invader slash rapist, but his moves make him see like the masculine hero of a romantic tale that is also a rape fantasy.

While fans remember this 1958 Dracula film for Lee, I remember it equally for Peter Cushing, one of my all-time favorite actors.  Cushing is the consummate stoic and stalwart horror and scary movie hero.  Cushing's monster fighters can keep their cool even when surrounded by killer monsters and other strange creatures.  Throw in a natural disaster, and maybe a Cushing hero will break a little sweat.

Cushing and Lee, who were close friends in life, formed one of the best hero-villain combinations in film history.  I wish Horror of Dracula were a longer film in order to give us more of the two locked in conflict.  [There is apparently various longer versions of this film.]  I must also make note of another British actor that I like, the late Michael Gough, who played Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in four Batman movies, beginning in 1989.  Gough manages to keep his Arthur Holmwood from turning invisible behind Van Helsing and Dracula.

With Christopher Lee's recent passing, I decided to see this movie again, which I had not seen in its entirety in over a decade.  I am glad I did.  It was good to see Cushing (who died in 1994) and Lee in action.  They don't make movies like Horror of Dracula anymore.  There aren't actors like Lee and Cushing anymore, either.

7 of 10
A-

Wednesday, July 1, 2015


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

Review: "The Wicker Man" is Still a Creepy Masterpiece (Remembering Christopher Lee)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 147 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux (support on Patreon)

The Wicker Man (1973)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  UK
Running time:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Robin Hardy
WRITER:  Anthony Shaffer (based upon the novel, Ritual, by David Pinner)
PRODUCER:  Peter Snell
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Peter Waxman (director of photography)
EDITOR:  Eric Boyd-Perkins
COMPOSER:  Paul Giovanni

HORROR/DRAMA/MYSTERY with elements of a musical

Starring:  Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt, Lindsay Kemp, Irene Sunter, and Geraldine Cowper

The subject of this review is The Wicker Man, a 1973 British horror and mystery film from director Robin Hardy.  The film was inspired by the 1967 British horror novel, Ritual, by author David Pinner.  The Wicker Man follows a devout Christian police sergeant who goes to a remote Scottish island to search for a missing girl and runs up against pagan islanders.

Police Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to the remote Scottish island of Summerisle where he’s been mysteriously called to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan Morrison (Geraldine Cowper).  However, he immediately finds the locals uncooperative, and the community is nothing like he expected.

The devout Christian detective finds the islanders openly reveling in wanton lust, often having sex in public.  The pastoral community is led by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) in the practice of a religion that recognizes the “old gods” and the islanders also recreate various rituals practiced by the Druids.  Offended by what he believes is pagan blasphemy, Sgt. Howie is blind to how dangerous this secret society actually is to him.

Director Robin Hardy and writer Anthony Shaffer’s The Wicker Man is one of the most popular cult films from Great Britain.  In fact, one of the film’s stars, Christopher Lee, calls it one of the 100 best British films ever made.  Although its shock ending (and it’s a doozy) would mark the film as a horror movie, in many ways, The Wicker Man is a melodrama – one with a highly usually subject matter for a mainstream film, but a melodrama, nevertheless.  Early on, The Wicker Man almost becomes a musical because the first half of the film is filled with the villagers in song (singing tunes written by Paul Giovanni, the film’s composer, and Gary Carpenter).  These Celtic folk song-like ditties (about pagan festivals and with an emphasis on ritual, metaphor, and fertility) add to the movie’s surreal air without making the film seem wholly implausible.

Ultimately, questions about the plausibility of The Wicker Man will decide how viewers receive it.  Granted, there are holes in logic, and some incidents in the movie just don’t make sense (There is also a 100-minute director’s cut that provide more explanations into the various concepts in the film.), but sometimes the movie seems like a weirdo documentary about an actually island of pagan hippies.  While the performances and filmmaking is generally good, it’s this touch of realness that makes the film so eerily… real?  The movie makes the viewer ask:  “Could this happen” or “Is this based on a real story,” and that makes The Wicker Man haunt you long after you watched it.

The film drifts in the middle of the second act and early in the third act.  However, the final ten minutes or so may leave the viewer shivering and feeling a strong sense of dread, fear, and maybe shock and confusion – just like a good horror flick should.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, July 13, 2006

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of June 7th to 13th, 2015 - Update #8

Posted by Leroy Douresseaux; you can support him on Patreon.

NEWS:

From YahooTV:  Jurassic World is apparently about to take over the world... box office.

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From Collider:  Pixar has apparently replaced the entire voice cast (except maybe one actor) of The Good Dinosaur, which is due in December 2015.  

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From Variety:  The great British actor, Christopher Lee, died on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at the age of 93.  He is probably best known as the actor who revitalized Dracula in the 1958, Horror of Dracula.  He was the 20th Century's second most famous screen Dracula.

Young fans will know him for his appearances in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films.  He was a James Bond villain in The Man with the Golden Gun.  He was "Count Dooku" in the second and third films of Star Wars prequel trilogy.  He was a close friend of one of my favorite actors, Peter Cushing (who died in 1994).  I believe that they are reunited.

From IMDb:  Christopher Lee: A Life in Pictures.
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From THR:  Apparently, Sony still wants "Bad Boys 3."  Joe Carnahan is circling to work on the script and to direct.  Michael Bay directed the first two films in the series.

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From THR:  The new comedy, Spy, wins the 6/5 to 6/7/2015 weekend box office with an estimated take of $30 million.  The Paul Reig film stars Melissa McCarthy.

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From CinemaBlend:  J.K. Rowling offers clues about an American wizarding school.


COMICS - Films and Books

From Collider:  Marvel and Sony at odds over which actor will be the next Spider-Man, apparently, my fave, Asa Butterfield, is out.

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From Vulture:  Someone else takes a shot at writing a screenplay adaptation of one of the greatest manga and comic books of all time, Akira.

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From YahooTech:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt says his "Sandman" film won't be a typical superhero film.


TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The new trailer for Ridley Scott's "The Martian."


OBIT:

From Variety via YahooMovies:  The actress, Mary Ellen Trainor, died May 20, 2015 at the age of 62.  She appeared in numerous movies, including The Goonies, Die Hard, and all four Lethal Weapon movies, among many.

Review: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is An Unexpected Pleasure and Treasure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 98 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Running time: 169 minutes (2 hours, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson
WRITERS: Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro (from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien)
PRODUCERS: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Carolynne Cunningham, and Zane Weiner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jabez Olssen
COMPOSER: Howard Shore

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Manu Bennett, and Andy Serkis

The subject of this movie review is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a 2012 fantasy film from director Peter Jackson. The film is the first of three movies which are based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (better known by its abbreviated title, The Hobbit). Set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is the story of a curious Hobbit who joins a band of Dwarves on a mission to reclaim their homeland from a powerful dragon.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens on the 111th birthday of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). He has decided to write down the full story of an adventure he took 60 years earlier as a memoir for his cousin and heir, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Sixty years earlier, the younger Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) was a homebody Hobbit. He gets an unexpected visit from the wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), who promptly tricks the Hobbit into hosting a party for a band of dwarves.

Still, Bilbo is shocked when the dwarves show up and eat every scrap of food in his home, and almost tear down the place. When Gandalf returns, he informs Bilbo that these dwarves are on a quest to return to their ancestral home, Lonely Mountain, and to reclaim it and the treasure there from the great dragon, Smaug. The Company of Dwarves numbers 13, including the leader, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). Gandalf’s biggest surprise is that Bilbo has been recruited as the dwarves’ “burglar,” who will help them steal back their treasure. Now, this curious Hobbit is on an unexpected journey that will find him facing killer Orcs, a legion of mountain trolls, and a little fellow named Gollum (Andy Serkis), who is in possession of a mysterious ring.

I am giving The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey a “9” out of 10 on my rating scale, which may be surprising because of my complaints about this movie, especially the big one. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is too long; in fact, the first hour meanders like a drunk narrative looking for a bottle of plot. I dosed off three times, and, at one point, thought about leaving and just waiting to see the rest of the movie on DVD.

However, the movie eventually came alive, but I’m still not sure when it turned for me. I think it may be the moment when the Orcs attack Bilbo and the Company of Dwarves on a rocky plain. At a point, the movie just explodes with surprise appearances, breathtaking vistas, blood-chilling confrontations, and heart-pounding action. Things were happening so fast, yet my mind couldn’t wait for the next thing to happen.

In many ways, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is like the return of an old friend, specifically The Lord of the Rings movies, although LOTR is a sequel to The Hobbit. I didn’t know what to expect before I saw the movie. I had waited so long for The Hobbit to reach the silver screen as a live-action film, yet, in a way, my expectations were so high because of I loved LOTR so much. When Gollum shows up in this movie, my expectations were satisfied. Andy Serkis and the CGI artists behind the character actually improve on their great work from the Ring trilogy films.

There are things about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey that I did not expect, some of them disappointing. But by the end of this movie, I so did not want the adventure end. I wanted that enough to give an imperfect movie a near-perfect score.

9 of 10
A+

Saturday, December 15, 2012

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Review: "The Two Towers" is the Best of the Trilogy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 172 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Running time: 179 minutes (2 hours, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for epic battle sequences and scary images
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson
WRITERS: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson (based upon the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien)
PRODUCERS: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, and Fran Walsh
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Michael Horton
COMPOSER: Howard Shore
Academy Award winner

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring:  Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, and Andy Serkis

The subject of this movie review is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a 2002 fantasy film from director Peter Jackson. The film is the second of three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-novel cycle, The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), specifically the first book, The Two Towers (1954).

As the second installment of the Ring Trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, begins, the hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his companion Sam (Sean Astin) continue alone to Mordor to destroy the One Ring, as the Fellowship (the group of heroes who were to accompany Frodo) is broken. The Uruk-hai (Orcs) have captured their fellow hobbits, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd).

Meanwhile, the shadow of the Dark Lord Sauron spreads across the land as he hungers for the One Ring, which he once wore and that gave him great powers. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the elfin archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) make friends with a race of humans called the Rohan. Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), thought to be dead, returns as Gandalf the White. The two towers that are between Sauron’s Mordor and at the corrupt wizard Saruman’s stronghold Isengard are united in their lust for destruction.

Aragorn and his companions join the Rohan king Théoden (Bernard Hill) at the Rohan fortress Helms Deep to fend off a grand Uruk-hai army created by Saruman (Christopher Lee) to destroy mankind and Middle-earth. Frodo and Sam meet one of the Ring’s original bearers, Gollum (Andy Serkis). The creature had been stalking the hobbit pair in hopes of recapturing his “precious,” the name by which he calls the Ring, but Frodo and Sam capture Gollum and use him to lead the way to Mt. Doom, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed.

Those who liked The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment, will very likely love this one as much if not more. I certainly found The Two Towers to be a superior film, which is no mean thing, as TFOTR is also a fantastic and great film. It’s an epic war story, which director Peter Jackson fills to its brim with traditional romance. In fact, it is a great romantic film, in the mold of the classic adventure films that combined intense drama or melodrama and powerful emotions.

I did find some of the special effects and computer-generated effects to be a bit weak and lame. The best SFX/CGI achievement is Gollum, who is CGI; however, Gollum actor Andy Serkis apparently acted the part out in whole – emotionally and physically. The CGI people then took his actual work and made a CGI character. Serkis also provided Gollum’s voice. Many thought Serkis was deserving of an Academy Award nomination because the CGI was “merely” copying his work, as if they simply drew over his filmed performance. Alas, Serkis did not receive a nomination.

That doesn’t matter because The Two Towers was the best film of 2002, and is arguably one of the best fantasy films ever made. Its three-hour running time goes by quickly. From TTT’s overwhelming and powerful battle scenes to the deeply, heartfelt moments between the characters, this is a film experience not to be missed, especially if you’re the kind of viewer who can understand and absorb a film of strongly fantastic elements.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2003 Academy Awards: 2 wins: “Best Sound Editing” (Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins) and “Best Visual Effects” (Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke); 4 nominations: “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Grant Major-art director, Dan Hennah-set decorator, and Alan Lee-set decorator), “Best Film Editing” (Michael Horton), and “Best Picture” (Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson), “Best Sound” (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, and Hammond Peek)

2003 BAFTA Awards: 3 wins: “Audience Award,” Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke), “Best Costume Design” (Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor); 8 nominations: “Best Film” (Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson), “BAFTA Children's Award Best Feature Film” (Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh), “Best Cinematography” (Andrew Lesnie), “Best Editing” (Michael Horton and Jabez Olssen), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Peter Owen, Peter King, and Richard Taylor), “Best Production Design” (Grant Major), “Best Sound” (Ethan Van der Ryn, David Farmer, Mike Hopkins, Hammond Peek, Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, and Michael Hedges), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Peter Jackson)

2003 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Peter Jackson) and “Best Motion Picture – Drama”

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Review: "The Fellowship of the Ring" is Still a Great Start to a Trilogy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Running time: 178 minutes (2 hours, 58 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson
WRITERS: Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (based upon the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien)
PRODUCERS: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Sanders, and Fran Walsh
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie
EDITOR: John Gilbert
COMPOSER: Howard Shore
Academy Award winner

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: Elijah Woods, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchette, Sala Baker, John Rhys-Davies, Ian Holm, Craig Parker, Andy Serkis, and (voice) Alan Howard

The subject of this movie review is The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, a 2001 fantasy film from director Peter Jackson. The film is the first of three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-novel cycle, The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), specifically the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954).

In the adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkein’s novel The Fellowship of the Ring, a hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood, The Ice Storm) inherits a ring from his famous uncle Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm, The Sweet Hereafter). When a wizard named Gandalf (Ian McKellen, X-Men and Gods and Monsters), who is a friend of the family, discovers that the ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, the ring must be taken to the place of its creation, the Cracks of Doom, the only place where the ring can be destroyed. That task falls upon the shoulders of Frodo.

Three fellow hobbits join Frodo on his quest, including one who becomes very close to him, Samwise “Sam” Gamgee (Sean Astin, Rudy). Before long the group becomes nine, a Fellowship to take the ring to the Cracks of Doom so that Frodo can destroy it. However, great evil besets them in the form of Gandalf’s mentor Saruman the White (the great Christopher Lee), who is now on the side of darkness, and his army of mighty Orcs, who serve the rings original dark owner, Sauron (voice of Sala Baker). Obstacles, great dangers, horribly evils, and death confront the Fellowship every step of their quest.

Directed by Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners), The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three films each released a year apart that will comprise the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even within budget constraints, Jackson has always proved himself to be an inventive and imaginative director. Like a painter, his canvases are well planned and constructed, and he does not waste shots; every frame seems important to the larger work.

He previous experience in dark fantasy, horror, and the weird made him an ideal choice to direct a film version of Tolkein’s sprawling epic, and Jackson delivers a nearly three hour film that is both visceral and subdued. An epic as good as any every delivered by a Hollywood studio, it captures the imagination while keeping the viewer nearly unawares of its length.

Nearly, that is. It’s a bit of hubris on Jackson and on New Line Cinema, Lord’s studio, to assume that an audience will tolerate Fellowship’s abrupt ending simply because the story is “to be continued” next year. The beginning, middle, and end of LOTR’s story are actually three separate films, not one film. It isn’t that FOTR’s ending is bad, just presumptuous of our patience and acceptance that this movie is like a serial. We will have to wait over two years to get the entire story.

These are certainly minor complaints in light of what Jackson delivers. He has a fine cast of actors, and the characters that he took from the novel he has made into excellent cinematic characters. The work of his SFX group creates nearly flawless special effects shots. Using New Zealand as the Middle Earth location of the stories is a wonderful choice. Between special effects and creative camera work, Jackson has created a world that is itself a character. Jackson and his fellow screenwriters Frances Walsh (a frequent collaborator of Jackson’s) and Philippa Boyens have created an excellent script makes the battle of good and evil unambiguous and quite compelling. Although the characters’ desires and personalities may occasionally straddle a gray area, what is right is clearly defined from what is wrong. That’s always the case regardless of character motivations and goals; moral relativism is kicked to the curb.

While he has made it highly emotional and thoughtful at its heart, Jackson has also managed to make a war and action movie. He juggles genres like fantasy, comedy, drama, and war and weaves them into an epic. The movie, both its back-story and the main story, spans time, has multiple locations and environments, and has a wealth of characters. Visually pleasing and intellectual thoughtful, it is one of the best films in recent memories, a grand fantasy that captures the imagination on a deeper level (than say The Phantom Menace) like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We can only hope that the two follow-ups are this good.

Go see this film.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2002 Academy Awards: 4 wins: “Best Cinematography” (Andrew Lesnie), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, Richard Taylor, and Mark Stetson), “Best Makeup” (Peter Owen and Richard Taylor), and “Best Music, Original Score” (Howard Shore); 9 nominations: “Best Picture” (Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, and Fran Walsh), “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Ian McKellen), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Grant Major-art director and Dan Hennah-set decorator), “Best Costume Design” (Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor), “Best Director” (Peter Jackson), “Best Film Editing” (John Gilbert), “Best Music, Original Song” (Enya, Nicky Ryan, Roma Ryan for the song "May It Be"), “Best Sound” (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Gethin Creagh, and Hammond Peek), “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson)

2002 BAFTA Awards: 5 wins: “Best Film” (Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, and Tim Sanders), “Audience Award,” “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Jim Rygiel, Richard Taylor, Alex Funke, Randall William Cook, and Mark Stetson), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Peter Owen, Peter King and Richard Taylor), “David Lean Award for Direction” (Peter Jackson); 9 nominations: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Howard Shore), “BAFTA Children's Award Best Feature Film” (Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Tim Sanders), “Best Cinematography” (Andrew Lesnie), “Best Costume Design” (Ngila Dickson), “Best Editing” (John Gilbert), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Ian McKellen), “Best Production Design’ (Grant Major), “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson), “Best Sound” (David Farmer, Hammond Peek, Christopher Boyes, Gethin Creagh, Michael Semanick, Ethan Van der Ryn, and Mike Hopkins)

2002 Golden Globes, USA: 4 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Peter Jackson), “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Howard Shore), and “Best Original Song - Motion Picture (Enya for the song "May It Be")

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First "Hobbit" Film Makes World Premiere November 28 2012

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the First Film in Peter Jackson's Epic Adaptation of the Timeless Book, to Make Its World Premiere on Wednesday, November 28, in Wellington, New Zealand

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gearing up for the global release of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the epic adventure will have its world premiere on November 28, 2012 in Wellington, New Zealand. A production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is the first of two films from filmmaker Peter Jackson, the Academy Award-winning director of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, who shot the films concurrently on locations across New Zealand.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of two films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The second film will be “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.” Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Billy Connolly, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Evangeline Lilly, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.

The screenplays for both “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” are by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the films, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producer.

Under Jackson’s direction, both movies are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew are director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The costumes are designed by Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor. The score is being composed by Howard Shore.

Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics which are once again being made by the award winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital take on the visual effects for both films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production will take place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” are productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing, being handled by MGM.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be released beginning December 14, 2012. The second film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” is slated for release the following year, beginning December 13, 2013. http://www.thehobbit.com/


About New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema continues to be one of the most successful independent film companies. For more than 40 years, its mission has been to produce innovative, popular, profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line produced the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which is a landmark in the history of film franchises. New Line Cinema is a division of Warner Bros.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, and interactive media. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/.

Review: Johnny Depp Shines in Dim "Dark Shadows"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Dark Shadows (2012)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITERS: Seth Grahame-Smith; story by John August and Seth Grahame-Smith (based on the television series, Dark Shadows, created by Dan Curtis)
PRODUCERS: Christi Dembrowski, Johnny Depp, David Kennedy, Graham King, and Richard D. Zanuck
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bruno Delbonnel
EDITOR: Chris Lebenzon
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman

FANTASY/COMEDY/HORROR

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, Ray Shirley, and Christopher Lee

Dark Shadows is a 2012 gothic horror and comedy fantasy film from director Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film is based upon Dark Shadows, a gothic horror soap opera that was created by Dan Curtis and was originally broadcast from 1966 to 1971 on ABC. Dark Shadows the film follows a vampire who returns to his ancestral home, after two centuries of imprisonment, and finds his dysfunctional descendants in need of help.

Dark Shadows begins in the mid-1700s where we meet Joshua and Naomi Collins and their young son, Barnabas, as they sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. Joshua builds a fishing empire in Maine at a town he names Collinsport. Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) grows into a wealthy playboy, who loves and leaves numerous women. His biggest mistake is to spurn the love of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), because she is a witch. Angelique puts a curse on Barnabus, turning him into a vampire, and then, has him buried alive.

Nearly 200 years later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb into the very changed world of 1972. Returning to his family’s estate, Collinwood Manor, Barnabas finds that his relatives are now dysfunctional and not as well off financially. Family matriarch, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), rules over a small group that includes her rebellious daughter, Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Grace Moretz), and troubled, precocious nephew, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). They need Barnabas’ help, and so he begins to revive the family fortune and the family home, but an old enemy is determined to destroy them all.

Dark Shadows is a Johnny Depp movie, as directed by Tim Burton, and Depp is brilliant as always. I couldn’t get enough of his Barnabas Collins, and neither could the screenplay. This movie is so much about Barnabas that the other characters are left in Depp/Barnabas’s considerable wake. First of all, some of the supporting characters are extraneous, like young Miss Grace’s Carolyn Stoddard and Helena Bonham Carter’s Dr. Julia Hoffman; the good doctor provides some nice comic relief, which is good, because the character is otherwise useless. Some like, Pfeiffer’s Elizabeth and young Mr. McGrath’s David, are under-utilized. Everything about the witch Angelique Bouchard is forced, and so is much of Eva Green’s performance as her.

Still, this is Depp’s show, and he creates a Barnabas that is so cool, you’ll want to be his friend (in spite of the inherent danger of being pals with a vampire). In a career full of idiosyncratic characters, Barnabas is Depp’s most endearing oddball.

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I often came across articles about Depp or director Tim Burton that described either man as quirky. Dark Shadows is quirky and also campy. It spoofs the melodrama of soap operas, and Depp’s droll, tongue-firmly-in-cheek comedy gives this sometimes awkward film a lot of humor and laughs, which it needs. Like all of Burton’s films, Dark Shadows has excellent production values, especially the costumes and set and art decoration. However, Dark Shadows is not only quirky, but also odd in its quality. It is partially a good Burton-Depp movie, but the rest of it is a misfire because of the poor screenwriting. The acting and directing cannot, try as they might, change that.

5 of 10
B-

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Depp, Carter Make Magic in Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 151 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005) – animated
Running time: 81 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some scary images and action, and brief mild language)
DIRECTORS: Mike Johnson and Tim Burton
WRITERS: John August, Caroline Thompson, and Pamela Pettler
PRODUCER: Allison Abbate and Tim Burton
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Pete Kozachik
EDITOR: Jonathan Lucas and Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E.
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/FANTASY/MUSICAL/FAMILY with elements of comedy and romance

Starring: (voices) Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Paul Whitehouse, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, Christopher Lee, Richard E. Grant, Michael Gough, Jane Horrocks, Enn Reitel, Deep Roy, Stephen Ballantyne, Lisa Kay, Danny Elfman

12 years ago, Tim Burton conceived and produced a fabulous stop-motion animated film, Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas (directed by Henry Selick). It remains something of a cult classic and family favorite and has spawned numerous merchandise spin offs, including several toy lines. Burton returns to stop-motion animation with the new film Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, co-directed by Mike Johnson.

Transformed from a Russian folk tale, Corpse Bride begins in a small, gloomily repressed Victorian town that is about to see the wedding of two young people who’ve never met. Canned fish tycoons, Nell and William Van Dort (voiced by Tracey Ullman and Paul Whitehouse) crassly make a bid to social climb by wedding their bachelor son, Victor (voice of Johnny Depp) to old-money aristocrats.

Maudeline and Finis Everglot (voices of Joanna Lumley and Albert Finney) have an old-money aristocratic name, but are penniless. All they have left is their name and social standing and a daughter named Victoria (voice of Emily Watson). The Everglots are willing to hold their noses and grudgingly marry Victoria off to Victor, whose money will allow them to climb back into the upper reaches of society (where their ancestor, the Duke of Everglot, was). By marrying Victor to Victoria, the Van Dorts will have the requisite class to go with their enormous wealth.

Upon their first meeting, Victor and Victoria do slowly and quietly begin to fall in love, but at the wedding rehearsal, Victor continually bungles his lines. Pastor Galswells (voice of Christopher Lee), who will preside over the wedding, sends Victor away until he can manage to learn the somewhat tricky lines of his vows. Humiliated, he wanders into the dark forest that surrounds his village. Alone, he successfully recites his vows, and even goes so far as to place his wedding ring on the root of a tree as a finishing touch.

However, the root is really bony finger. Like a magic incantation, Victor’s vows and the ring resurrect the decaying corpse to which the finger belongs. Up rises the strange and strangely beautiful Corpse Bride (voice of Helena Bonham Carter) wearing the tattered remains of a wedding dress. She may have died long ago (after being mysteriously murdered on her wedding night), but her search for true love and a husband never died. She grabs Victor, mistaking him for husband and drags him beneath the earth to the Land of the Dead, a colorful and rowdy place that is the exact opposite of the dull, somber, and cold Land of the Living (known by the denizens of the Land of the Dead as upstairs).

Victor tries in vain to return to Victoria. Meanwhile, the Everglots have hastily arranged a second wedding for their daughter, to a mysterious, arrogant, and somewhat sinister stranger calling himself, Lord Barkis Bittern (voice of Richard E. Grant). With his Corpse Bride determined to hold him in the bonds of their unholy matrimony, Victor must find is way back upstairs to his true bride-to-be before Victoria is also bond by an unfortunate marriage.

First, if I had the chance, I would tell co-directors Tim Burton and Mike Johnson and their animators and other crew that their 55-week shoot during, which 109,000,440 individually animated frames were set up and filmed, resulted in a truly glorious film fairy tale. I don’t know if they think the effort was worth it, but I sure as hell do. Corpse Bride is an exuberant stop-motion, pop Gothic animated fable. Delightfully and mysteriously creepy, the film is a sweet tale of love both lost and unrequited. Corpse Bride does have the usual Burton ticks. For instance, the Land of the Dead is a fun, colorful and oddly creepy place where the dead do more that just make the best of it, while the Land of the Living is so cold and somber. The living are so reserved, grave, serious and sober, while the dead party up!

However, it all works because the film’s internal logic makes sense (with only a few exceptions). The direction and camera work (they shot the film using digital still cameras rather than film cameras) create a sense of movement and a flow in the narrative that is… well, as animated as live action film. The script captures the film’s whimsical, yet eerie nature with a narrative that is melancholy, yet filled with funny moments and also dialogue that fits right in with all the whimsy, moodiness, and dead things.

The voice cast is excellent, and I’m loathed to single anyone out. However, Helena Bonham Carter as the Corpse Bride (whose name was/is Emily) does a superb job straddling the line between macabre and sweet and between comic and menace (especially in the scene when she arrives at the Everglot estate to get “her man” back from Victoria). Still, Johnny Depp (obviously Burton’s stand-in) and Emily Watson are also very good and make their characters charming and engaging. All in all, they’re part of fine cast and crew that made Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride a great film, a must-see for lovers of animated films.

10 of 10

Friday, October 07, 2005

NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Tim Burton and Mike Johnson)

Review: "Hugo" Captures the Magic of Movies

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hugo (2011)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking
DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese
WRITER: John Logan (based on Brian Selznick’s book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret)
PRODUCERS: Johnny Depp, Tim Headington, Graham King, and Martin Scorsese
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Richardson
EDITOR: Thelma Schoonmaker
COMPOSER: Howard Shore
Academy Award winner

HISTORICAL/DRAMA/FAMILY with elements of fantasy

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths, and Jude Law

Hugo is a 2011 Oscar-winning historical drama and 3D adventure film directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is based upon The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a 2007 historical fiction novel by Brian Selznick. The film is about a boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station and how he meets Georges Méliès, the real-life French film pioneer.

It is 1931, and 12-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) takes care of the clocks at the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris. He lives in the walls of the station with his uncle, Claude Cabret (Ray Winstone), an alcoholic watchmaker who is responsible for maintaining the clocks at the station and who teaches the craft to Hugo. After his uncle disappears, Hugo fends for himself, stealing food and maintaining the clocks. Hugo has also taken on a project of his late father (Jude Law), repairing a broken automaton, a mechanical man that is supposed to write after he is wound.

To repair the automaton, Hugo steals mechanical parts from an elderly toy store owner. One day, the owner, Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley), catches Hugo and takes the boy’s notebook, which has notes and drawings for fixing the automaton. To get his notebook back, Hugo begins working for Méliès and also befriends the old man’s goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz). The children’s friendship and curiosity lead to a shocking revelation that might restore the spirit of a forgotten artist.

I guess that I should not be surprised that Martin Scorsese could pull off a film like Hugo – what is basically a family movie. I know that not all Scorsese’s films involve mobsters and violence, for instance, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Aviator, but his films are generally edgy adult dramas. With Hugo, however, Scorsese drives this film not only with a child’s sense of wonder and curiosity, but also with a child’s grit and determination to do what they believe is the right thing.

Scorsese’s films are successful because he gets great performances from his actors, and these performances are sometimes what make his films special (Robert De Niro in Raging Bull), or memorable (Joe Pesci in Goodfellas), or legendary (De Niro in Taxi Driver). In Hugo, the actors are so upfront emotionally that their intentions are clear to the audience. This makes the characters honest and vulnerable, in a childlike way that makes them endearing. That is why Chloë Grace Moretz’s Isabelle comes across as refreshing and intriguing rather than just being the girl character intruding in a boy’s tale.

While Ben Kingsley’s name is listed first in the credits, Asa Butterfield is the film’s star and Hugo Cabret is the lead character. Unlike some child actors who pretend more than they act, Butterfield plays Hugo with a veteran movie actor’s chops. He makes Hugo whole and believable, so much so that I lied to myself that Hugo was real boy.

Speaking of Ben Kingsley: after decades of great performances, I should not be surprised at how good he is as Georges Méliès, but I am. Kingsley is shockingly intense, even in the scenes that are relatively quiet and low key. In the scene in which Méliès tells the story of his past, Kingsley’s voice takes on a life of its own and magically transports us to Georges Méliès’ golden age.

And Hugo is magical. It is a trip into our dreams, in which the past comes to life. Most of all, Hugo reminds us of why movies are so special.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2012 Academy Awards: 5 wins: “Best Achievement in Art Direction” (Francesca Lo Schiavo-set decorator and Dante Ferretti-production designer), “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Robert Richardson), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty), “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Tom Fleischman and John Midgley), and “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Robert Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning); 6 nominations: “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Sandy Powell), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Martin Scorsese), “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Thelma Schoonmaker), “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Howard Shore), “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Graham King and Martin Scorsese), “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (John Logan)

2012 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Production Design” (Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo) and “Best Sound” (Tom Fleischman, Philip Stockton, John Midgley, and Eugene Gearty); 7 nominations: “Best Cinematography” (Robert Richardson), “Best Costume Design” (Sandy Powell), “Best Director” (Martin Scorsese), “Best Editing” (Thelma Schoonmaker), “Best Make Up & Hair” (Morag Ross and Jan Archibald), “Best Original Music” (Howard Shore), “Best Special Visual Effects” (Alex Henning, Robert Legato, Ben Grossmann, and Joss Williams)

2012 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Martin Scorsese); 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Howard Shore)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

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Review: 1973 Version of "The Three Musketeers" Retains its Comic Charm

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 84 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Three Musketeers (1973)
U.S. release: 1974
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Richard Lester
WRITER: George MacDonald Fraser (based upon the novel by Alexandre Dumas père)
PRODUCERS: Alexander and Ilya Salkind
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Watkin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: John Victor Smith
COMPOSER: Michel Legrand
BAFTA nominee

COMEDY/HISTORICAL

Starring: Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Geraldine Chaplin, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee, Simon Ward, Raquel Welch, Spike Milligan, and Roy Kinnear

The Three Musketeers is a 1973 swashbuckling comedy film from director Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night). This film is based upon Alexandre Dumas père’s 1844 novel, also entitled The Three Musketeers. This is also the first of a two-part film series, the other being The Four Musketeers (1974).

The film opens on young d’Artagnan (Michael York), a country bumpkin trained in the art of the sword by his father. D’Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a king’s musketeer – hopefully with the help of an old acquaintance of his father’s – but he is turned away. He meets and quarrels with three men: Athos (Oliver Reed), Porthos (Frank Finlay), and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain), each of whom challenges him to a duel. After discovering that the three men are real musketeers, d’Artagnan joins them in a brawl with the guards of Count Richelieu (Charlton Heston). Appreciative of d’Artagnan’s efforts, the three musketeers take him on as a kind of musketeer-in-training.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Buckingham (Simon Ward) has slipped into France to see French Queen, Anne of Austria (Geraldine Chaplin), with whom he is having an affair. Richelieu conspires to use the affair to bring down the Queen so that he can have more power over the King, Louis XIII (Jean-Pierre Cassel). Richelieu employs his spy and secret agent, Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway), to help him.

D’Artagnan has an affair with Constance Bonacieux (Raquel Welch), a married woman who is an aid to the Queen. At her insistence, d’Artagnan decides to help the Queen. Soon the young musketeer wannabe joins Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, as they also seek to oppose Cardinal Richelieu at every turn.

It has been so many years since I read The Three Musketeers that I don’t remember much about it, although the film apparently adheres closely to the novel. I do remember this movie, though. I watched it and its sequel several times when I was a child and I loved it – love is the right word to use. Before I watched it again recently, I wondered if I’d still like it. It turned out that I still love this movie.

Lester and screenwriter George MacDonald Fraser inject a lot of humor into the story. In fact, the film emphasizes comedy over character, although the script gives each character a personality that is important in the context of the role he or she plays. The cast, which is composed of mostly veteran and talented actors and movie stars, makes the most of the material. For instance, Charlton Heston’s stout turn as Richelieu allows the character to be a villain, but an impeccable sense of timing also allows Heston to make the character menacing or mischievously funny, as necessary.

The Three Musketeers also tweaks the conventions of the swashbuckling movies of the 1940s and 50s. The film does the kind of lavish sets and art direction and sumptuous costumes that would make a 1940s MGM period film proud. However, director of photography David Watkins shot this movie with an eye for period detail, so he captures a squalid, more impoverished, and earthier reality as equally as he captures splendor. This makes the movie loose and energetic, rather than stiff and formal.

The Three Musketeers’ fight scenes are not fancy fencing duels like something out of an Errol Flynn movie. Rather, these fights are staged as brawls with the combatants using fists and knees as much as swords. In fact, furniture, food, sticks, and any objects at hand (even wet laundry) sometimes assist or replace swordplay.

When I first saw The Three Musketeers, I was too young to understand the bawdy humor and double entendres. Now, I see how Michael York strikes the perfect tone as d’Artagnan and also how the strikingly handsome Oliver Reed made the most of what is basically a supporting role. Raquel Welch as Constance and Faye Dunaway as Lady de Winter are devastating scene stealers; there could have been a movie built around just the two of them. The Three Musketeers is a childhood favorite that doesn’t disappoint the adult me.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1975 BAFTA Awards: 5 nominations: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Michel Legrand), “Best Art Direction” (Brian Eatwell), “Best Cinematography” (David Watkin), “Best Costume Design” (Yvonne Blake), and “Best Film Editing” (John Victor-Smith)

1975 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy” (Raquel Welch); 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy”

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Hobbit Films Get Names and Release Dates

There was big news on The Hobbit films last Monday.  The films have release dates and titles(!).  Here, is the official press release from Warner Bros. Pictures:

"THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY" AND "THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN"

TITLES ANNOUNCED FOR PETER JACKSON'S EPIC TWO-FILM ADAPTATION OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S TIMELESS CLASSIC THE HOBBIT

FIRST FILM SLATED TO OPEN ON DECEMBER 14, 2012 AND SECOND FILM TO BE RELEASED ON DECEMBER 13, 2013

Burbank CA, May 30, 2011 — New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM have announced the titles and release dates for filmmaker Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit. The first film, titled "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," will be released on December 14, 2012. The second film, titled "The Hobbit: There and Back Again," is slated for release the following year, on December 13, 2013.

Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." The adventure of "The Hobbit" follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Under Jackson's direction, both movies are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and Martin Freeman, who just won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the BBC series "Sherlock," takes on the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from "The Lord of the Rings" movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.

The screenplays for "The Hobbit" films are by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson. Jackson is also producing the films, together with Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham. The executive producers are Ken Kamins and Zane Weiner, with Philippa Boyens serving as co-producer.

"The Hobbit" films are productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing being handled by MGM.


ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA:
New Line Cinema continues to be one of the most successful independent film companies. For more than 40 years, its mission has been to produce innovative, popular, profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line produced the Oscar®-winning "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which is a landmark in the history of film franchises. New Line Cinema is a division of Warner Bros.

ABOUT PETER JACKSON/WINGNUT FILMS:
Peter Jackson is one of the world's most successful filmmakers. His monumental achievement co-writing, co-producing and directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy (with fellow Academy Award winners and frequent collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) earned a total of 30 Academy Award nominations and 17 Academy Awards. Jackson and Walsh received their first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for their acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures. Jackson, through his New Zealand-based Wingnut Films banner, also was responsible for the globally successful 2005 remake of King Kong which earned over $500 million worldwide and 3 Academy Awards. Jackson most recently directed the Academy Award nominated The Lovely Bones; an adaptation of the acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, which to date has earned nearly $100 million worldwide; and produced the global sensation, District 9, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. He is also developing a trilogy of films with Steven Spielberg based on Tintin, the world renowned comic book series by Herge. In 2010 he received a Knighthood for his services to film.


ABOUT METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/.

Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis Join "The Hobbit"

Thanks to IMDb.com, I found this article at Aceshowbiz.com, which reports that Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis have signed on to reprise their Lord of the Rings role in The Hobbit movies.  McKellan, who played Gandalf, and Serkis, who played Gollum, join Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood, who are already signed to reprise their roles.

Orlando Bloom is still in talks to return as the elf Legolas. [NOTE:  I loves me some Legolas.]  Christopher Lee is reportedly in talks to return as the wizard Saruman, and Ian Holm may return as an older version of Bilbo Baggins.

Martin Freeman will portray the main character, (the younger) Bilbo Baggins.  The Hobbit, based upon the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, will be adapted as two movies.  Part 1 is scheduled to arrive in December 2012, and "The Hobbit 2" in December 2013.

Review: "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is Strange, But Fun Star Wars

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language, and momentary smoking
DIRECTOR: Dave Filoni
WRITERS: Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Scott Murphy; from a story by George Lucas (based on the characters and universe created by George Lucas)
PRODUCERS: Catherine Winder
EDITOR: Jason Tucker
Razzie Award nominee

ANIMATION/SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: (voices) Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Nika Futterman, Ian Abercrombie, Corey Burton, Matthew Wood, Catherine Taber, Kevin Michael Richardson, David Acord, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels, and Christopher Lee

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the seventh Star Wars theatrical feature film and the first animated Star Wars movie. This film takes place between the live action Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). According to advertisements for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it recounts an untold tale of the Clone Wars – the central conflict that begins in Episode II and ends in Episode III. In spite of its ties to two recent Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars isn’t getting the love the other Star Wars films have, when one considers early reviews and fan response. While this new film is by no means without its flaws, its light-hearted approach and lack of pompous seriousness make Star Wars: The Clone Wars the most fun Star Wars flick since the original trilogy.

As the film opens, the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, and the Jedi Knights are struggling to maintain order and restore peace, as more and more systems side with the Separatists. Darth Sidious (Ian Abercrombie) and his Sith partner, Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), continue to ferment dissension in the Republic; they are the puppet masters behind the Separatist movement and its Droid army.

Count Dooku and his assassin, Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman), have orchestrated the kidnapping of the infant son of crime lord Jabba the Hutt (Kevin Michael Richardson). Desperate to have access to the shipping lanes on the galaxy’s Outer Rim, which Jabba controls, the Jedi Council pledges to rescue Jabba’s kid, Rotta the Huttlet (David Acord). This mission with its far-reaching consequences is passed off to Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) and Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), who are on the frontlines of the Clone Wars.

These two Jedi already have their hands full battling a seemingly endless droid army, with only a small, valiant contingent of clone troops, led by Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker), on their side. It’s more than enough that Obi-Wan and Anakin find themselves both fighting the droid army and launching a rescue mission, so when Anakin learns that Master Yoda (Tom Kane) has assigned him a padawan learner, a young female named Ahsoka Tona (Ashley Eckstein), he’s not happy. Meanwhile, Dooku and his agents will stop at nothing to foil the Jedi and their desperate, multi-faceted mission.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a computer-animated (or 3D animated) film, and its animation certainly looks wanting when compared to the work of such 3D animation studios as Pixar (Toy Story), DreamWorks Animation (Shrek), and Blue Sky (Ice Age). Early in the movie, The Clone Wars’ animation looks stiff, chunky, and even clunky, but as soon as my mind adjusted to the unusual look of this style of 3D animation, it actually began to look charmingly distinctive.

The look of the animation aside, what makes Star Wars: The Clone Wars such a winning film is, honestly, the action. The screenplay fashions a fast-paced narrative that constantly moves the viewer from one end of the galaxy to the next, with the capitol at Coruscant being the anchor (and there’s big action going on there, too). We’re treated to lively battle scenes and heady duels, and while the film lacks strong characterization and personality development of its characters, the film keeps them too busy fighting for their lives and their cause for us to really care.

This is also the first film that really allows Anakin Skywalker to stretch his wings and actually show (rather than tell) us how good a pilot and what a capable Jedi he is (which Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker way back in the original Star Wars). In a lot of ways and unlike any of the prequel trilogies, this is Anakin’s film. The character, after seeming mostly wooden in the prequel trilogy, is charismatic, bold, and brazen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars – a pointed contrast to the mannequin-like performances of the two human actors who played Anakin in the prequel films.

Back in 1999, Ewan McGregor, who portrayed Obi-Wan, described Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as being like a fairy tale about a group of heroes flying from one end of the galaxy to another and having adventures. That’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars; it’s a little sci-fi fairy tale adventure – a Saturday morning cartoon version of Star Wars. This is indeed an imperfect flick, but it happily takes the dark out of Star Wars and replaces it with fun.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, August 17, 2008

NOTES:
2009 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel”

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Review: Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" is Really Gassy in Blunderland

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITER: Linda Woolverton (based upon the books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll)
PRODUCERS: Joe Roth, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, and Richard D. Zanuck
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dariusz Wolski (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Chris Lebenzon
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman

FANTASY

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Christopher Lee with the voices of Michael Gough and Imelda Staunton

Director Tim Burton is a maestro. He can gather film actors, artists, artisans, craftsmen, etc. and bring them together to create cinematic worlds that dazzle our eyes and capture our imaginations. He has done that time and again in such films as Nightmare Before Christmas and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, among many. Yet three times, I almost fell asleep in the theatre while trying to watch Burton’s new film, Alice in Wonderland.

Tim Burton once said that he wouldn’t know a good movie script if he saw one, and Alice in Wonderland testifies to that. Alice in Wonderland is dazzling to look at, but the story is nothing but hot air. In the hands of screenwriter, Linda Woolverton, this return journey to Wonderland is a trip to nowhere.

This new Alice in Wonderland is actually a kind of sequel to the original stories. The Alice of Lewis Carroll’s famous books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1872), is now 19-year-old Alice Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska). Alice is about to become engaged to a wealthy nobleman, when she once again follows the White Rabbit (voice of Michael Sheen) down the rabbit hole to Underland, the place she visited 13 years earlier and named “Wonderland.” Underland is in trouble, oppressed by a reign of terror launched by the Red Queen (Helen Bonham Carter), who now rules Underland.

Alice doesn’t remember much about her first trip to Underland, but it turns out that she may be the chosen one, prophesized to end the tyranny of the Red Queen and restore her sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), to the throne. Alice falls in with a conspiracy or rebellion against the Red Queen. Some of the members are the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). The Hatter seems to be the leader, but his madness has left him broken down. Regardless of what help her friends may or may not be able to give her, Alice will have to face her destiny alone. She must slay the Jabberwocky (voice of Christopher Lee), the dragon that the Red Queen uses to terrorize the land.

The original Alice in Wonderland stories didn’t have plot or characterization (a deliberate move on the author’s part, I think). For this new film, screenwriter Linda Woolverton made Alice a heroine and gave her a cause, obstacles, and a goal to achieve. Now, Alice in Wonderland seems like just another big budget, Hollywood, fantasy action movie. It’s like Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, but with grrl-power. Who is going to believe that this pale, skinny girl can take on the world, let alone save another world?

On the surface, Burton effectively creates a twisted vision of Wonderland, complete with deranged characters, warped personalities, and wonderfully ingenious creatures – like the computer-generated, way-cool, smoky Cheshire Cat (superbly given voice by Stephen Fry). The story, however, is just dull and, as hard as Woolverton tries to be inventive, the best this tale can do is replace your sleeping pills.

What starts off seeming so enchanted becomes tiresome. Johnny Depp’s take on the Mad Hatter mirrors this movie’s problem – pretty, colorful, creative, but a bumbling mess of misfires and mumbled lines. As bad as Depp is, Anne Hathaway is so impossibly bad as the White Queen that I’m just at a loss to explain it. As the Red Queen, Helena Bonham Carter gives the only coherent, quality performance of any of the Underland characters. Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland 2010 is not a turd. I don’t think Tim Burton could ever make a truly bad film, but as amazing as it looks, this mediocre movie sometimes comes across like a loud fart.

5 of 10
B-

Monday, March 08, 2010

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