Review: Didn't Want to Stay for "Stay"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 68 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Stay (2005)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some disturbing images
DIRECTOR: Marc Forster
WRITER: David Benioff
PRODUCERS: Eric Kopeloff and Tom Lassally
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roberto Schaeffer
EDITOR: Matt Chesse
COMPOSERS: Asche & Spencer (Tom Scott and Thad Spencer)

DRAMA/THRILLER with elements of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins, Janeane Garofalo, Elizabeth Reaser, and B.D. Wong

The subject of this movie review is Stay, a 2005 fantasy drama and psychological thriller from director Marc Forster. The film focuses on a psychiatrist who attempts to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide, while his own grip on reality slips.

A New York psychiatrist, Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor), inherits a secretive and highly unusual young man bent on suicide as his new patient. His name is Henry Lethem (Ryan Gosling), and he is capable of making bizarrely accurate predictions about the future. Henry announces to Sam that he is planning on committing suicide at midnight the coming Saturday – the day of his 21st birthday. After Henry disappears, Sam is desperate to find his patient before he offs himself, but his investigation begins to have reality-shattering effects on him.

Manhattan, where Sam lives, begins to transform into a constantly and wildly shifting dreamscape, and the deeper Sam tries to go into Henry’s subconscious, the more it changes the rational world for Sam. His search for Henry is also causing havoc in Sam’s relationship with his girlfriend, Lila Culpepper (Naomi Watts), a former patient of Sam’s who tried to kill herself. It isn’t long before both Sam and Lila are wondering where Sam ends and Henry begins.

Stay has some big names behind it. Director Marc Forster directed Halle Berry to an Academy Award in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, and his last film, Finding Neverland, earned several Oscar nominations including a Best Picture nod. The cast includes some heavyweights – Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, and a star-in-the-making – Ryan Gosling. In this film, Ryan definitely shows that something that has him marked as a movie star, a quality actor, and a matinee idol.

However, audiences will find Stay to be either fascinating or dull. It’s really a riff on Ambrose Bierce’s famous short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and the 1990 thriller, Jacob’s Ladder. The visuals are dazzling on a few occasions and quite inventive and imaginative most of the time. However, most of the time Stay also seems like an ambitious if not pretentious film from a talented novice, which means the director makes clever visual choices that still amount to a haphazard narrative. Only the film’s last ten minutes redeem everything that came before it, and that’s disappointing.

3 of 10
C-

Friday, April 7, 2006

Updated: Friday, June 21, 2013

Disney's "The Wild" is Mild, Cute Kid Stuff

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 75 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Wild (2006) – computer animation
Running time: 94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: Steve “Spaz” Williams
WRITERS: Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, and Mark Gibson & Philip Halprin; from a story by Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin
PRODUCERS: Beau Flynn and Clint Goldman
EDITORS: Scott Balcerek and Steven L. Wagner
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION and ADVENTURE/DRAMA/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner, Richard Kind, Greg Cipes, and Patrick Warburton

The subject of this movie review is The Wild, a 2006 computer-animated film. It was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and was produced by the now-defunct, Canadian computer animation company, C.O.R.E. Feature Animation (a part of C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures). The film is of note for its similarities to DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar (2005).

When his son, Ryan (Greg Cipes), an sullen pre-teen lion cub, is mistakenly shipped out of the country, Samson (Kiefer Sutherland), the star lion at the New York Zoo, chases the ship across the ocean with his friends: Benny (Jim Belushi), a savvy and streetwise squirrel; Bridget (Janeane Garofalo), an independent-minded giraffe; Larry (Richard Kind), a dim-witted anaconda; and Nigel (Eddie Izzard), a smart aleck koala in toe. They eventually trek the ship to an island with a highly active volcano. Here, Samson and his friends are confronted by something new to them – a dark foreboding jungle – the wild.

Disney apparently had been preparing for the day that their relationship with Pixar Animation Studios, the makers of such computer animated smash hits as the Toy Story franchise, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, among others, might end. However, Disney and Pixar announced their merger a few months ago (as of this writing), but before the happy nuptials, Disney had produced two computer animated feature films independently of their esteemed partners at Pixar. The first, Chicken Little, debuted early last fall. Mid-April 2005 sees the arrival of the second film, The Wild.

The Wild has some high quality computer animation, not Pixar quality, but as good films such as Blue Sky Animation’s (Fox) Ice Age and PDI’s (DreamWorks) Shark Tale. The opening scenes – a fantasy/dream sequence – are electric and alive. The texture and fur on the animals, especially on Samson, Benny, and Nigel is superb. When the narrative reaches “the wild,” the movie comes alive in a world of diverse, vibrant, and rich colors. The characters move with fluidity and grace, and the action sequences are as good as Pixar’s work up to Monster’s Inc.

On the other hand, the script is dust bowl dry and sandpaper scratchy, from the beginning until the heroes reach “the wild.” By then, it would almost be too late to save the movie, except the film’s action and the array of creatures during the last third of the story reach a fever pitch. Most non-Pixar computer animated features generally fail in the story department, and this one barely gets an average grade. In fact, The Wild is embarrassingly (for Disney) similar to DreamWorks late spring 2005 hit, Madagascar. Both films have a lion in an identity crisis as the lead character. Both films also have New York Zoo creatures suddenly tossed back into their jungle (or “wild”) habitats after a forced Atlantic Ocean voyage.

As nice as the film looks, the voice acting is not so nice a listening experience. Kiefer Sutherland’s distinctive voice is lost in a poor character. In fact, Samson is often just the straight guy to Jim Belushi’s Benny, a good character well played by Belushi. Eddie Izzard’s unique vocal style, which works best when he’s on stage doing standup comedy, is neutered as the voice behind a cartoon character. Izzard’s performance here is a good example of why it is not always a good idea to get well-known screen and TV actors to do voice over work for animation. Sometimes a big movie star’s voice and acting style just doesn’t work without the face, so the studios would do better hiring actors who specialize in doing voiceover work for animation.

Overall, The Wild is a B-movie computer animated feature because of story and character, but its technical quality is noteworthy. I’d like to see director Steve “Spaz” Williams and his crew give it another shot, but like the makers of Chicken Little, there may be no place for them at the new Disney, now that Pixar will be calling the cartoon shots for the famed movie studio long into the foreseeable future.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Review: "Half Baked" is All Good (Happy B'day, Dave Chappelle)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Half Baked (1998)
Running time: 83 minutes (1 hour, 23 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive drug content, language, nudity, and sexual material
DIRECTOR: Tamra Davis
WRITERS: Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan
PRODUCER: Robert Simonds
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steven Bernstein
EDITOR: Don Zimmerman, A.C.E.

COMEDY

Starring: Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, Guillermo Diaz, Rachel True. Laura Silverman, and Clarence Williams III, Tommy Chong, Rick Demas, Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Stephen Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Willie Nelson, Jason Blicker, Dave Nichols with (uncredited) Janeane Garofalo, Bob Saget, and Steven Wright

Before Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan created the popular “Chappelle’s Show” for the Comedy Central cable network in 2003, the duo collaborated on the script for the hilarious pro-marijuana comedy, Half Baked. Although it appeared a good four years before the Chappelle Show likely began production, the film was an introduction to some of the kind of humor that Dave and Neal would feature on the show.

Dave is Thurgood Jenkins, a pot smoker since he was 15-years old. He lives with his three friends Scarface (Guillermo Díaz), Brian (Jim Breuer), and Kenny Davis (Harland Williams), with whom he was introduced to weed, in a ratty apartment in which the boys spend their non-working hours puffin.’ However, when Kenny is arrested for (accidentally) killing a police officer (a diabetic horse he overstuffed with junk food), the trio has to find a way to raise Kenny’s enormous bail so that the can get out of prison before someone invades the sanctity of his virgin butthole, i.e. save him from the trauma of homosexual rape.

Thurgood comes across a scheme to sell high-quality cannabis he steals from a pharmaceutical research lab, and he, Scarface, and Brian do quite well in their little enterprise. However, they earn the ire of Samson Simpson (Clarence Williams III), a drug dealer who wants a cut of their take. Thurgood must also keep his bud-selling enterprise a secret from his new girl friend, Mary Jane Potman (Rachel True), a young woman who hates drug dealers because her father was one and is currently in prison. Can Thurgood keep his new sweetie off the trail of smoke, and can he and his buddies save Kenny’s ass?

Half Baked is simply flat out funny. I liked everyone in the sometimes droll and often vulgar laid back comedy. In fact, Chappelle actually does not steal the show from his cast, especially the hilarious and talented trio of Díaz, Breuer, and Williams. Clarence Williams also shines in a very small part, one of the few times his versatile comedy skit talent comes to life on screen.

Half Baked also features several amusing cameos, but even without them, this movie is… dope and doped up. The film deserves its “R” rating, as it’s actually a “hard” R because of the frequent drug references and a prison shower scene featuring several fully nude men and the threat of prison rape. Still, that should not dissuade mature audiences looking for grown up juvenile comedy, and it might actually attract some folks.

8 of 10
A

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Review: "Ratatouille" is a Tasty Pixar Classic (Happy B'day, Brad Bird)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 107 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Ratatouille (2007)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: Brad Bird
WRITERS: Brad Bird; from a story by Brad Bird, Jim Capobianco, and Jan Pinkava with additional story material by Emily Cook and Kathy Greenberg
PRODUCER: Brad Lewis
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Robert Anderson (D.o.P.) and Sharon Calahan (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Darren Holmes
Academy Award winner

ANIMATION/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar, John Ratzenberger, Teddy Newton, Tony Fucile, Jake Steinfeld, and Brad Bird

In its latest feature-length, computer-animated gem, Pixar presents Ratatouille, the story of a plucky, ambitious rat and a shy garbage boy who forge a friendship out of mutual need. Directed by Oscar-winner Brad Bird (The Incredibles), the film follows the struggle to keep the bonds of family and friendship alive under the most trying circumstances.

Born with a gifted sense of smell that helps him appreciate the ingredients that go into a great dish, Remy (Patton Oswalt) longs to be a great French chef, but he is a rat, and cooking is a highly rodent-phobic profession. Living in the French countryside, Remy’s dreams put him at odds with his father, Django (Brian Dennehy), and his brother, Emile (Peter Sohn). Fate, however, soon places Remy in the sewers beneath Paris, and he finds himself near Gusteau’s, the restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, the late chef Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), whose motto was “anyone can cook.”

Remy strikes an unlikely bargain with Linguini (Lou Romano), a down-and-out garbage boy at Gusteau’s, and together they become unlikely popular chefs. Remy discovers that by pulling tuffs of Linguini’s hair he can control the young chef as if he were a puppet – Linguini’s clumsy body channels Remy’s creative brain. Their dreams, however, may come to an end thanks to the efforts of Skinner (Ian Holm), the man who now runs Gusteau’s. He has his eyes on Linguini, and he’s planning on denying the boy what is rightfully his.

Ratatouille is everything that makes Pixar animated films so great. The animation is beautifully textured and inventively designed, presenting Paris as a gaslight romance. The characters, sets, art direction, lighting, etc are all outstanding – the hallmark of Pixar. The film is full of physical comedy and acrobatic hijinx with the cast of characters dashing, leaping, chasing, and catapulting. All of it works because of the tightly choreographed comic timing.

Don’t let the witty banter and slapstick comedy fool you. Ratatouille, like the other Pixar films (such as Finding Nemo), touches on emotionally resonant themes that are relatable to the audience, young and old and regardless of socio-economic standing. The film repeatedly hits on the notion of honesty. Don’t steal, and don’t make excuses for stealing. Give credit where credit is due, and look not on others with prejudice so inflexible that you fail to see their gifts. It’s all so simply put and not preachy. Ratatouille is an uproarious comedy, but also a poignant tale about being oneself and loving family and friends, and committing to colleagues. Wrapped up in such a grandly beautiful package, it is thus far on the short list of best films the year 2007 has to offer.

10 of 10

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Brad Bird); 4 nominations: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Michael Giacchino), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Randy Thom and Michael Silvers), “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Randy Thom, Michael Semanick, and Doc Kane), “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Brad Bird-screenplay/story, Jan Pinkava-story, and Jim Capobianco-story)

2008 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Animated Film” (Brad Bird)

2008 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Animated Film” (Brad Bird)

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Review: Excellent "Dogma" Falters Badly in Last Act

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dogma (1999)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong language including sex-related dialogue, violence, crude humor and some drug content
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kevin Smith
PRODUCER: Scott Mosier
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Yeoman (director of photography)
EDITOR: Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith
COMPOSER: Howard Shore

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Chris Rock, Janeane Garofalo, George Carlin, Jason Lee, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek, Alanis Morrissette, Jason Mewes, and Kevin Smith

Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino) is the last known descendant of Jesus Christ. Metatron the voice of God (Alan Rickman) sends her on a quest to stop two renegade angels from exploiting a loophole in Roman Catholic law to regain entry into heaven, an act that will cause existence to cease. Joining her on her quest are Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (the director Kevin Smith), and the forgotten black 13th Apostle, Rufus (Chris Rock). The two angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), are encouraged in their destructive quest by a fallen angel/muse, Azrael (Jason Lee).

Directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks.), Dogma is meant to be satire of or, at least, poke fun, at Roman Catholic Dogma, and it succeeds at pointing out some of the Church’s eccentricities, although many of the complaints could be applied to Christianity in general, or most other faiths, for that matter. Dogma’s points are mostly complaints that one could hear from any armchair observer or frustrated Sunday mass-goer. The real pleasure of this film, and there are, surprisingly, many pleasures, is the execution of the film and raucous comedy.

Despite moments of long-winded and awkward soliloquies, the dialogue is pointed and funny. Often harsh and abrasive, it ranges from being hilarious and uproarious to smart and dead on in some of the film’s more opinionated moments. Dogma is an unusual film, a comedy that is very much steeped in the fantastique. However, its witty and ribald repartee engages the viewers and draws him through some of the film’s quirkier moments.

The acting is good from top bill to supporting cast, and they all manage to be quite convincing even when choking on mouthfuls of the verbose Smith’s dialogue. The characters Jay and Silent Bob are as funny as ever, and the make excellent sidekicks to the main players and story. Ms. Fiorentino makes a dramatic, but wry, turn as the downtrodden Bethany, she of shaky faith; she is surprisingly good although, at first glance, she seems an odd choice for a Kevin Smith film. Chris Rock also makes a rather nice appearance as Rufus; he manages to both be true to his shtick and to the film.

For all it’s fun, Dogma falls apart in the end. The last half hour’s violence is careless and special effects are not impressive seem a little cheap. Alanis Morissette’s appearance as God is the final straw in the film’s dismal closing chapter.

Oh, well. They almost had it. Watch Dogma for all its fun, especially if you’re familiar with Kevin Smith’s brand of comedy, but expect to pay for the fun with a poor ending.

5 of 10
B-

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Janeane Garofalo Has One-Hour Special on EPIX

Janeane Garofalo: If You Will Takes EPIX Stage

Premieres Saturday, June 26 at 10:00 pm EDT

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Janeane Garofalo brings her comedic observations to a one-hour special premiering Saturday, June 26 at 10:00 pm EDT on the multiplatform premium entertainment service, EPIX. Featuring Garofalo’s unique insights and hilarious riffs on life, culture and politics, the performance was filmed live in front of a sold-out audience at Seattle’s legendary Moore Theatre.

The television and film actress, known as much for her roles on 24 and The Truth About Cats and Dogs, as for her liberal politics on Air America Radio, is at home in her return to the comedic stage. The audience follows her every leap from the sheer perfection of Natalie Portman to her fantasy of a dog park just for firemen. And as always, some of the biggest laughs come when the comedic lens is focused inward, in her trademark self-deprecating style, in which she admits, “I cringe myself to sleep every night.”

“We’re thrilled that Janeane has chosen to do her first comedy special in over a decade with EPIX,” said EPIX President and CEO Mark Greenberg. “Janeane is a rebel with her own set of rules and that’s wildly appealing to our audience. She is the perfect fit for our growing brand of edgy, smart comedy. ”

Garofalo joins fellow comedians Lewis Black, Eddie Izzard and David Cross on a list of major artists creating original programming on EPIX.


About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available online to subscribers via its enhanced service, EPIX Megaplex, on www.EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through carriage agreements with Verizon FiOS, DISH Network, Cox Communications, Mediacom Communications, Charter Communications and NCTC.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com.