Laika Returns Stop-Motion Animated Film, "CORALINE," to Theaters for Halloween

LAIKA Sets Coraline Limited-Time Return Engagement for Halloween Starting October 31st Through Fathom and Trafalgar Releasing

Award-winning studio’s debut film garnered over $53M in Global Box Office in Theatrical Return over the Summer

HILLSBORO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After a summertime return to theaters that grossed over $53M in global box office, LAIKA’s acclaimed 2009 stop-motion animated film, Coraline, returns to theaters for a special Halloween engagement starting on October 31st, 2024. In partnership with Fathom in the US and Trafalgar Releasing internationally, the film is offered in stunning, newly remastered 3D as well as 2D formats.

“Everyone at LAIKA is elated by the global success of the Coraline re-release and we’re delighted to offer one more chance to see it this year during Halloween festivities”

In addition to the U.S., the Halloween engagement of Coraline includes the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Austria, and Ecuador with more territories to follow. France and Italy will also begin their Coraline 15th Anniversary engagements this November.

Fans attending Coraline will be treated to an early glimpse of LAIKA’s upcoming film, Wildwood.

The 15th Anniversary theatrical re-release of Coraline this past August was an astonishing success, surpassing all estimates.

Since its re-release on August 15th, 2024, Coraline has brought in over $53M* at the global box office:

Highest lifetime US gross box office of all time for a stop-motion animated feature, beating The Nightmare Before Christmas and Chicken Run.

Highest-grossing re-release in the US in the past decade.

Highest-grossing release (new and re-releases) in Fathom’s 20-year history.

Highest-grossing re-release in the past 25 years in the UK, beating the 25th anniversary of Titanic and the 20th anniversary of ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.

Highest-grossing re-release in Mexico’s history, surpassing the 25th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and the 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Film surpassed its original 2009 box office throughout Latin America, including Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Bolivia.

Tickets go on sale in the US starting Friday, October 4, 2024. For information and to buy tickets, please visit: www.coraline.com.

“Everyone at LAIKA is elated by the global success of the Coraline re-release and we’re delighted to offer one more chance to see it this year during Halloween festivities,” said David Burke, LAIKA’s Chief Marketing & Operations Officer. “In addition to becoming Fathom’s highest-grossing release in the US, Coraline set box office records in multiple international territories, including the UK and Mexico, through our partnership with Trafalgar Releasing. We are humbled by the millions of fans around the world who came out to experience Coraline in dazzling remastered 3D on the big screen this summer, making the 15th anniversary a cultural phenomenon.”

Coraline is a wondrous and thrilling, fun and suspenseful animated adventure. Coraline was written and directed by stop-motion auteur Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Wendell & Wild) and stars Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Teri Hatcher, Keith David, John Hodgman, and British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The film was nominated for the Oscar® and Golden Globe; won the Cristal Award at Annecy and was named one of the best films of the year by AFI. It won three Annie Awards for Best Music, Character Design and Production Design.

11-year-old Coraline Jones (Fanning) is feisty, curious, and intrepid beyond her years. She and her parents (Hatcher, Hodgman) have just relocated from Michigan to Oregon. Missing her friends and finding her parents to be distracted by their work, Coraline tries to find some excitement in her new environment but seriously doubts that her new home can provide anything truly intriguing to her. But when she walks through a secret door in her living room and ventures down an eerie passageway, she discovers an alternate version of her life and existence. On the surface, this parallel reality is similar to her real life – only much better. The adults, including the solicitous Other Mother (Hatcher), seem much more welcoming to her. Even the mysterious Cat (David) now regards her as the center of attention. She begins to think that this Other World might be where she belongs. But when her wondrously off-kilter, fantastical visit turns dangerous and Other Mother schemes to keep her there, Coraline musters all of her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home – and save her family.

*Comscore

About LAIKA:

LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon by President & CEO Travis Knight. The studio’s five films Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019) have all been nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA® Award for Best Animated Film and received an additional Oscar® nomination for Visual Effects. Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Film. LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. LAIKA is currently in production on its next animated film Wildwood. The studio is developing the animated feature films The Night Gardener, from an original idea by Bill Dubuque, creator of the hit series Ozark, and Piranesi, based on the NYT bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. LAIKA has launched a Live Action subsidiary with a range of projects in development including feature films based on the action thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow and an original script Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield with Phil Lord and Chris Miller producing. Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Dune) will write and make his directorial debut on another original live action film project. www.laika.com

About Fathom Events:

Fathom Events is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L), Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit FathomEvents.com.

About Trafalgar Releasing:

Trafalgar Releasing, the global leader in event cinema distribution, harnesses the power of cinema to bring fans together in more than 15,000 cinemas across 132 countries. A subsidiary of Trafalgar Entertainment, Trafalgar Releasing’s operations include production, acquisition, marketing, and distribution of live or pre-recorded content to cinemas worldwide led by an international team based in the UK, US and Germany. Featuring live concerts, music documentaries, world-class opera, award-winning theatre, and more from leading names in entertainment such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS, Metallica, Oasis, Coldplay, Billie Eilish, the Royal Opera House and others, Trafalgar Releasing has repeatedly shattered event cinema box office records, most recently with international distribution for TAYLOR SWIFT | THE ERAS TOUR, the highest-grossing concert film of all time. Information about Trafalgar Releasing can be found at www.trafalgar-releasing.com.

-------------------------

Review: "HEAD OF STATE" was Ahead of its Time

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 157 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Head of State (2003)

Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug references

DIRECTOR:  Chris Rock

WRITERS:  Ali LeRoi and Chris Rock

PRODUCERS:  Ali LeRoi, Chris Rock, and Michael Rotenberg

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Donald E. Thorin (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Stephen A. Rotter

COMPOSER:  DJ Quik and Marcus Miller

COMEDY

Starring:  Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Dylan Baker, Nick Searcy, Lynn Whitfield, Robin Givens, Tamala Jones, James Rebhorn, Keith David, Tracy Morgan, and Nate Dogg

Head of State is a 2003 political comedy from director Chris Rock.  The film is Rock's feature film debut as a director, as he had previously mainly been an actor, writer, and producer.  Head of State focuses on a minor politician who steps into the void left after the death of a presidential candidate and enters the 2004 U.S. Presidential race.

Chris Rock’s first directorial effort, Head of State, plays to his strengths as a comedian and (and although many people seem to have forgotten this) as a political commentator.  Although Rock and his co-writer Ali LeRoi (“The Chris Rock Show”) take the political and social commentary to the extreme and even to farcical levels, they certainly make their point, and what they have to say is actually dead on and funny.

The story begins late in a presidential race.  When the opposition party’s (ostensibly the Democrats) ticket dies in a double plane crash, the party leaders need to throw a candidate to the wolves, someone who will lose this race and allow the party powers-that-be to get ready for the next race in four years.  Party leader, Senator Bill Arnett, (James Rebhorn) who wants to run in the next election, picks a defrocked Washington D.C. alderman Mays Gilliam (Rock) to run against incumbent Vice-President Brian Lewis (Nick Searcy).  Arnett assigns Mays two handlers (Dylan Baker, Lynn Whitfield) and sends him on the campaign trail.  When Mays popularity begins to grow, the Washington establishment moves to destroy him.  They’re doing a good job until Mays calls in a ringer as his running mate, his brother Mitch (Bernie Mac).

More than anything else, Head of State is very funny, and quite often hilarious.  Rock is himself, sharp as ever, and he doesn’t shy away from being himself.  It’s his act, his shtick that sells, and he’s smart to know that his act is the axis upon which the film turns.  Being a directorial novice, he wasn’t able to make the film seamlessly flow from one scene to another, but established directors have done far worse.  He makes up for the bumps and stops by letting his cast of excellent character actors (Rebhorn, Baker, Searcy, and Ms. Whitfield clearly stand out) play the roles to their utmost ability.  He’s smart enough not to force them into being straight the entire time, and all of them have at least a few bright comedic moments, even the usually dour Rebhorn.

Head of State is probably Bernie Mac’s best and funniest turn as an actor.  He seems comfortable, and the character is a natural fit in that it seems so much like his public and professional persona, especially the one he uses on the comedy stage.  In fact, Mac’s performance here is light years ahead of his crippled turn in Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle, where he seemed to be forcing his act and presence and where the filmmakers clearly didn’t know how to use him.  HOS doesn’t treat him like a token, and Angels seem to go out of its way not to treat him thusly, which only made it more obvious that he was.

People who like Chris Rock should like this film.  Its take on politics is so funny, and much of it has a grain of truth.  That Rock’s take on how to fix our government is unrealistic in the real world is actually the saddest thing about the movie.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Edited: Saturday, September 7, 2024

NOTES:

2004 Image Awards (NAACP):  1 nomination: “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Bernie Mac)

2004 Black Reel Awards:  1 nomination: “Film: Best Screenplay-Original or Adapted (Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi)

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------------

------------------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 15th to 21st, 2023 - Update #24

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION/POLITICS - From Deadline:  President Joe Biden‘s 15-minute, Oval Office address on Thursday night (Oct. 19th) drew an estimated 20.3 million people across 10 networks.  The President called for U.S. support for international crises in Israel and Ukraine.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  NBC has given a series order to "Dr. Wolf," a medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.  Because of the ongoing actors' strike, it is not known if it will be a midseason replacement or be held for the 2024-25 television season.

MOVIES - From Variety:  By skipping movies studios and partnering directly with AMC Theatres to distribute "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," Christopher Nolan says Swift has shown studios how "incredibly valuable" movie theaters are.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Wall Street is hot over Netflix's latest quarterly earnings report.

STREAMING - From Variety:  Director Baz Luhrmann took the over two million feet of film he shot for his 2008 film, "Australia" (starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman), and is turning that film into a six-part series, "Faraway Downs."  Series debuts November 26th on Hulu.

TELEVISION - From THR:  For the first time, the Walt Disney Company is revealing how profitable its sports network, ESPN, is.  In fiscal 2022, the worldwide leader in sports made $16 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in profit.  In comparison, the rest of the "entertainment division" made $2.1 billion from $39.6 billion in revenue.

From Variety:   The Walt Disney Company is plotting to move ABC's "Good Morning America" from its Times Square studios.

MOVIES - From Variety:  In an interview, Austin Butler (Elvis) says that fellow Oscar-nominee, Tom Hardy (Venom), liked to joke around on the set of Jeff Nichols' motorcycle drama, "The Bikeriders."  However, when the "Action!" was called, Butler says that Hardy turned very intense.  The film's release may be delayed by the SAG-AFTRA strike.

DISNEY - From Variety:  Rick Riordan, the author of the "Percy Jackson" book series, says that he is honored that some of his fans call him "Uncle Rick."  He talks about bringing Percy Jackson to Disney+ and fighting racist trolls and reviving the series after 20th Century Fox's failed Percy Jackson film series, which began with 2010's "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson ("Rain Man") will direct Oscar-winning actor, Al Pacino ("Scent of a Woman"), in "Assassination," a JFK-thriller written by David Mamet (Ronin).

SCANDAL - From Variety:  New Mexico prosecutors will present a new case against Alec Baldwin in regards to his involvement in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

ANIMATION - From Variety:  The English-dub voice cast of "The Boy and the Heron," the new film from the legendary Japanese director of animated film, Hayao Miyazaki, has been announced.  The big names include Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Willem Dafoe, Mark Hamill, and Robert Pattinson, to name a few. Miyazaki's last film was 2013's The Wind Rises.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Idris Elba is narrating and producing a National Geographic documentary series with the tentative title, "The Color of Victory: Heroes of WW2." The series will focus on people of color who fought in World War II.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  According to a recent interview she gave, actress Millie Bobby Brown is ready to move on from her breakthrough series, Netflix's "Stranger Things."  She says that it is preventing her from telling stories that she is passionate about.

ANIMATION - From Variety:  Adult Swim's hit animated series, "Rick and Morty," debuts new voice actors. Ian Cardoni is the new voice of "Rick Sanchez" and Harry Belden is "Morty Smith." Their names appeared in the credits for the Season 7, which premiered last night (Sun., Oct. 15th).  Cardoni and Belden replaces series co-creator, Justin Roiland, who voiced both characters before he was fired in January 2023 by Adult Swim.

POLITICS - From MeidasTouch:  Former Manhattan DA prosecutor, Karen F. Agnifilo, put together a comprehensive list of nearly all of Donald Trump’s threats against judges, witnesses, prosecutors and more ahead of his gag order hearing today.  The list begins with Trump's Sept. 29th, 2020 debate call for the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Recently, comedian Jerry Seinfeld teased a reunion of his beloved former NBC sitcom, "Seinfeld" (1989-98). Once of his co-stars from the series, Emmy-winning actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Elaine Benes") says that she does not know what the hell Jerry is talking about.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 10/13 to 10/15/2023 weekend box office is AMC Theatres/Variance Films' "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" with an estimated total 97 million dollars.

AMAZON/ANIMATION - From Variety:  Keith David, Stephanie Beatriz, and Kimiko Glenn are set to star in the new adult animated series “Hazbin Hotel.” The first season will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in January 2024.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Focus Features says that it will release "Lisa Frankenstein," the Diablo Cody-written horror film, Feb. 9th, 2024.  Cody won an Oscar for writing the film, "Juno."

OBITS:

From Variety:  American television actress, author, and businesswoman, Suzanne Somers, has died at the age of 76, Sunday, October 15, 2023.  Somers was best known for the role of Chrissy Snow on ABC's former hit sitcom, "Three's Company."  ABC fired her from the program in a contract dispute after the series' fifth season.  She also starred in the syndicated sitcom, "She's the Sheriff" (1987-89) and on the long-running former ABC-CBS sitcom, "Step by Step" (1991-98).  She earned a single Daytime Emmy nomination for her talk, "The Suzanne Show" (Lifetime, 2013).

From Variety:  American film and television actress, Piper Laurie, has died at the age of 91, Saturday, October 14, 2023.  Laurie was best known for roles in such films as "The Hustler" (1961), "Carrie" (1976), and "Children of a Lesser God" (1986), the three films for which she earned her three Oscar nominations.  Her eight Primetime Emmy nominations came for her roles in such series as "The Thorn Birds" (1983), "St. Elsewhere," and "Twin Peaks."  She won her lone Emmy for her role in the 1986 TV movie, "Promise."

----------------------------

ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher says that the offer from top-earning Hollywood actors to chip in some money to help end the strike "isn't legally compatible with the union's contract.

From Deadline:  Top earning Hollywood actors want to chip in some money to end the SAG-AFTRA strike.

From Deadline:  George Clooney, Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry and Scarlett Johansson were among a group of top talent guild members that spoke Tuesday (Oct. 17th) with guild president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland for a detailed debrief, we hear.

From Deadline:  The movie studios via AMPTP have suspended their talks with striking actors via SAG-AFTRA.  The snag seems to be that actors want "2 precent of potential profits" on streaming.

From Variety:  SAG-AFTRA (the actors) and AMPTP (the studios) are to resume strike talks Wed., Oct. 11th, as the actors strike enters Day 88.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood studios CEOs met for strike talks for the first time since the actors went on strike July 14th. They plan to meet again, Wed., Oct. 4th.

BREAKING - From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels.

From WGAContract:  The WGA contract page has additional information on the settlement.

From WGAContract:  A summary of the new agreement.

------

From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

--------------------

Review: "DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS" is an Amusing Diversion ... for Children

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 of 2022 (No. 1872) by Leroy Douresseaux

DC League of Super-Pets (2022) - animated
Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG for action, mild violence, language and rude humor
DIRECTOR:  Jared Stern
WRITERS:  Jared Stern and John Whittington (based on characters appearing in DC Comics)
PRODUCERS: Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Patricia Hicks, and Jared Stern
EDITORS:  David Egan and Jhoanne Reyes
COMPOSER:  Steve Jablonsky
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Warner Animation Group/Animal Logic

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/FANTASY

Starring:  (voices) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Marc Maron, Olivia Wilde, Jameela Jamil, Jemaine Clement, John Early, Daveed Diggs, Dascha Polanco, Maya Erskine, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Winona Bradshaw, and Keith David

DC League of Super-Pets is a 2022 3D computer-animated, superhero fantasy and action-comedy film directed by Jared Stern with CGI animation produced by Animal Logic.  The film is based on characters and concepts appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.  DC League of Super-Pets focuses on Superman's dog and a group newly super-powered shelter animals who must stop a conspiracy hatched by a guinea pig that is an evil genius.

DC League of Super-Pets opens with the story of how baby Kal-El and a Labrador Retriever-like pup left the planet Krypton, as it was in the throes of destruction, in a space ship headed to Earth.  Decades later, the baby is now Superman/Clark Kent (John Krasinski) and his pet, Krypto the Superdog (Dwayne Johnson).  All is well between Superman and his super-best friend until Clark decides to take his relationship with Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), a fellow reporter at “The Daily Planet,” to the next level.  Krypto suddenly feels that his relationship with Superman is threatened.

Meanwhile, LexCorp CEO and Superman's enemy, Lex Luthor (Marc Maron), has hatched a plot to bring a meteorite of “orange kryptonite” to Earth.  Superman and Krypto easily stop the plot with the aid of the Justice League:  Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), Aquaman (Jemaine Clement), Flash (John Early), Green Lantern (Dascha Polanco), Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), and the Batman (Keanu Reeves).

At LexCorp, Lex used guinea pigs as test subjects.  One of them, Lulu (Kate McKinnon), is also an evil genius.  She has reeled in her own piece of orange kryptonite, having discovered that it gives super-powers to animals.  Now empowered by flight and telekinesis, Lulu is determined to free the now imprisoned Lex Luthor and to destroy Superman and the Justice League.  Now, only Krypto and a ragtag band of shelter animals:  Ace a boxer dog (Kevin Hart), PB the potbellied pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the slider turtle (Natasha Lyonne), and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna), are left to stop Lulu's plot and save Superman.

DC League of Super-Pets is cute, and I imagine that it may be a hit with certain young viewers.  While watching it, I couldn't wait for it to be over.  The first 56 minutes of the film is formulaic superhero movie drivel, except for a moment here and there, such as the baby Kal-El and puppy Krypto's exodus from a dying Krypton.  The film does not have another emotional moment that feels real until Kevin Hart's Ace tells his tragic story.  When the other shelter pets tell their story, those stories don't work as well as Ace's.  Also, I wasn't crazy with the design and art direction for this film.  Everything looks like second-rate retro and draw-by-number art deco.

Perhaps, I have mixed feelings about this movie because I have mixed feelings about the voice performances.  Dwayne Johnson is okay as Krypto; to me, his personality seems wrong for Krypto.  Keanu Reeves is good as Batman, mainly because he captures the humorous angle written for the character.  Kevin Hart is quite good as Ace; actually, Hart's Ace would have been a better lead character.  [Maybe, we can get an “Ace the Bat-Hound” movie.]  Kate McKinnon is also really good as Lulu, and she makes a character that probably shouldn't work dominate much of this movie.  No other voice performances in this film really move me.

The last act of DC League of Super-Pets offers a satisfying superhero battle with a victory for the heroes.  McKinnon is so good at making Lulu evil that I cheered when she receives her comeuppance.  I can recommend this movie to fans of superhero films, especially fans of films based on DC Comics characters, and to young audiences.  For the most part, it is like the average DreamWorks Animation or Illumination Entertainment anthropomorphic animal movie.  There are many superhero films that I watch repeatedly, but I doubt DC League of Super-Pets will be one of them.

[This film includes an end credits scene featuring Black Adam, his dog (Anubis), Superman, and Krypto.]

5 of 10
C+
★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, October 12, 2022


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

-------------------

--------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Review: Yep! Keke Palmer Steals Weird and Scary "NOPE"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 of 2022 (No. 1856) by Leroy Douresseaux

Nope (2022)
Running time: 135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – R for language throughout and some violence/bloody images
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Jordan Peele
PRODUCERS:  Jordan Peele and Ian Cooper
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Hoyte Van Hoytema
EDITOR:  Nicholas Monsour
COMPOSER: Michael Abels

HORROR/SCI-FI/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun, Wrenn Schmidt, Donna Mills, Eddie Jemison, and Keith David and Jacob Kim

Nope is a 2022 science fiction horror film and mystery-thriller written and directed by Jordan Peele.  The film focuses on two siblings who witness something uncanny and terrifying on and around their family's ranch.

Nope introduces Otis “OJ” Haywood, Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya) and his younger sister, Emerald “Em” Haywood (Keke Palmer), who own and operate “Haywood Hollywood Horses,” on their family's ranch where they train horses to perform on film and television.  Things have been difficult since their father, Otis Haywood (Keith David), died several months earlier in a mysterious accident in which random objects fell from the sky.

Since then, uncanny occurrences – strange sounds and odd sightings – have been happening in and around their isolated town with increasing frequency.  When OJ and Em begin to suspect they have an idea of what the abnormal events happening on their ranch are, they decide to capture video evidence of an unidentified flying object.  A local tech store employee, Angel Torres (Brandon Perea), injects himself into the siblings' situation.

However, the involvement of Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun), the owner of a local amusement park, “Jupiter's Claim,” takes the mystery to a new level.  Now, OJ, Em, and Angel may come close to filming their own demise.

I am a big fan of the first two films Jordan Peele wrote and directed, the Oscar-winning Get Out (2016) and Us (2019).  I am also a fan of the 2021 sequel/reboot, Candyman, which Peele co-wrote and co-produced.  Nope isn't quite as good as his early directorial efforts, but it is not like them, nor is it like any film I have ever seen.

Nope is scary and thrilling, but also offbeat and really weird.  I want to emphasize weird, especially because the mystery the Haywoods are chasing is and isn't what they (or we) think it is.  I found myself trying to unravel the weirdness and the mystery as much as I found myself being scared.  Jordan Peele is so imaginative and inventive that he fills Nope with enough ideas and subplots for four movies.  That is something of a problem, as Nope often feels unfocused.  But I find it brilliant anyway.

Attentive viewers will notice that Nope has similarities to a number of films.  I noticed elements of two Steven Spielberg classics, Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Kind (1977).  There is a touch of M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002).  Thematically, Nope brushes against Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993), and Peele mentioned the influence of The Wizard of Oz (1939) on him while writing Nope's screenplay, which I don't see.  The last act does recall Alien 3 (1992) for me.

Nope does feature the kind of great characters and superb character writing that defined Peele's earlier efforts.  All the characters, especially OJ and Emerald, feel like characters that have a long history before this film and will have a life beyond the confines of Nope's narrative and run time.  Daniel Kaluuya does intense and laid back with equal aplomb; in this quasi-Western film, he makes OJ Haywood a true cowboy hero.  However, I think the actress and character that get the most mileage out of this film are Keke Palmer and Emerald Haywood.  This is the first time that I have seen Palmer play a real adult woman who has lived a life that is complex in its tribulations, but is also filled with good times, even some wild times.  Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, and child actor, Jacob Kim, are quite good in their roles, but Nope is the Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer show.

Nope has a lot of lovely cinematography, especially involving the open sky and clouds.  The sound design is also absolutely good and frequently gave me a feeling of unease.  I think that in some ways Nope is trying to make us uncomfortable, and it proves that Jordan Peele is the master of making films that get at the fault lines of America.

However, in his bid to mystify us and to get at us, Peele might have gone a bit too far this time.  Nope is a brilliant work that is as weird and obtuse as it is thrilling.  With Nope, Jordan Peele is like Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part One); he is too good for the own good of his film.

8 of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, July 22, 2022


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

-------------------------

--------------------------

Review: Her Performance in "Nina" Means Zoe Saldana Has No Reason to Cry

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Nina (2016)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  United Kingdom
Running minutes:  90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Cynthia Mort
PRODUCERS:  Ben Latham-Jones, Stuart Parr, and Barnaby Thompson
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mihai Malaimare Jr.
EDITORS:  Mark Helfrich, Susan Littenberg, and Josh Rifkin
COMPOSER:  Ruy Folguera

DRAMA/BIOPIC/MUSIC

Starring:  Zoe Saldana, David Oyelowo, Ronald Guttman, Mike Epps, Keith David, Ella Joyce, Stevens Gaston, Jessica Oyelowo, Kevin Mambo, and Yasmine Golchan

Nina is a 2016 biographical dramatic film written and directed by Cynthia Mort.  The film offers a fictional account of Nina Simone, the Black woman who was an American singer-songwriter, jazz musician, classical pianist, and Civil Rights activist and whose career began in the late 1950s.  Nina takes place over a decade late in her life and examines her relationship with the young man who is suddenly thrust into the position of being her manager.

Nina opens in 1988 and finds beloved singer Nina Simone (Zoe Saldana) alcoholic, mentally unstable, and financially shaky.  After an incident involving a gun, Nina is committed to a Los Angeles psychiatric hospital.  There, she befriends a young nurse, Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo), who is also a fan of hers.  When she leaves the hospital, Nina hires Clifton as her personal assistant, and he accompanies her back to her home in Bouc-Bel-Air, France.

Once there, Clifton discovers that Nina is not only difficult and confrontational, but that she also refuses to take her medication and prefers drinking alcoholic beverages over eating.  Clifton attempts to salvage Nina's career, but her decades of ill will and a bad reputation among music business players and heavy hitters may derail Clifton's plans for a Nina Simone comeback.

Simply put, Nina is a poorly written movie.  Ostensibly, it is one of those stories about a great, famous, or important person who salvages the wreckage of her life to rekindle an famous public career.  What we get is mostly Nina Simone being stubborn and self-destructive with Clifton Henderson standing by her side, looking sad, angry, or exasperated.

I think Zoe Saldana gives a great performance as this film's Nina Simone.  I say “this film's Nina Simone” because there was a lot of controversy about her casting – especially concerning Saldana's skin tone and physical appearance compared to the real-life Nina Simone's physical characteristics.  Saldana seems to bury her true self in the make-up in order to become a dark-skinned Black woman and emerges as a character who is a fighter fiercely protecting what she believes she has left of herself.  Whatever one might say of this film, I think that there is no doubt that Saldana proves that she is an actress capable of playing the “great roles.”

The problem is that this role is not great, mainly because the writing and directing can only deliver what is barely an average film.  Writer-director Cynthia Mort even finds a way to waste the highly-skilled actor, David Oyelowo.  The passion, artistry, and professionalism he brings to his performances are absent here mainly because Clifton literally just waits around for Nina to throw an over-the-top tantrum.  The screenplay gives Saldana enough material to really be showy with Nina, but that same script gives Oyelowo very little he can use to show off.

I am not a Nina Simone expert, but I know enough about her to know that she is hugely respected and much beloved among music fans, historians, and critics.  In no way does this film come close to doing this kind of woman justice.  Watching this film, I have to wonder what the filmmakers of Nina were thinking.  Luckily, the passion that Saldana obviously brings to this project results in a performance that makes Nina worth watching.

5 of 10
C+

Sunday, November 13, 2016


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Review: "Transporter 2" Offers Good Fight Scenes, Little Else

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 141 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Transporter 2 (2005)
Running time:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, sexual content, partial nudity, and brief language
DIRECTOR:  Louis Leterrier
WRITERS:  Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen (based upon characters created by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen )
PRODUCERS:  Steve Chasman and Luc Besson
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mitchell Amundsen
EDITOR:  Walter Mauriot, Christine Lucas Navarro, and Vincent Tabaillon
COMPOSER: Alexandre Azaria

ACTION/MARTIAL ARTS/THRILLER

Starring:  Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Katie Nauta, Matthew Modine, Jason Flemyng, Keith David, Hunter Clary, Shannon Briggs, François Berléand, and Raymond Tong

Transporter 2 is a 2005 French action thriller from director Louis Leterrier and maestro Luc Besson and stars Jason Statham in the title role.  It is a sequel to the 2002 film, The Transporter.  In Transporter 2, mercenary Frank Martin is in Miami, Florida where he is implicated in the kidnapping of  the young son of a powerful U.S. government official

Transporter 2 is set in Miami, Florida.  There, ex-Special Forces operative, Frank Martin (Jason Statham), lives in retirement, but is still providing services as a transporter.  Martin is a professional driver with almost-supernatural driving skills in a supa dupa car who can transport anyone or anything – no questions asked.  For the past month, Frank has been the driver for the wealthy Billings family, driving young Jack Billings (Hunter Clary) back and forth to school.

When Gianni (Alessandro Gassman), a powerful gun-for-hire and criminal operative, has Jack kidnapped, Frank rushes to the rescue.  However, Jack has been injected with a deadly virus as a ploy to poison his father, Jefferson Billings (Matthew Modine), and in turn spread the deadly virus, killing Mr. Billings’ government and business associates.  Frank defies and eludes the FBI, who believes that he is behind the plot, while he tries to uncover Gianni’s master plan and stop a disastrous epidemic.

There was no reason for a sequel to 2002’s The Transporter, other than that it was an international box office hit.  Transporter 2 is not as good as the first, mainly because the original had Frank Martin in a romantic entanglement that was the humanizing element of the film against its manic martial arts-inspired fight sequences and unrelenting gun violence.  Corey Yuen, the director of the first film, is back for Transporter 2 only as the fight choreographer, and while his successor, Louis Leterrier, benefits from Yuen’s work on the fight scenes, Leterrier didn’t inherit anything else from the original.  Thus, Transporter 2’s fight sequences are excellent in keeping with the spirit of The Transporter, but there just ain’t no soul.  I was only mildly entertained with this as a movie, but I bet electronic games fans would get a kick out of this as a video game.  We shouldn’t buy tickets to the cinema to see a flick and get instead a video game.  The child character, Jack Billings, could have been the soul of this film, they way the love interest was in the original, but Jack is just the object that starts the ball rolling towards a series of violent, supernatural, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Hero martial arts fight scenes.

Jason Statham has a nice film personality, but this time he wears Frank Martin as if he’s just a video game character and Transporter 2 is just the latest installment in a video game franchise.  If you waited to see the first film on home video, it would only be right to wait for Transporter 2 on DVD and home video, as it is inferior and should not be honored with the movie ticket purchase you didn’t give the first film.  This might sound nerdy and pretentious, but Transporter 2 is a pedestrian fight movie with great fights, but the kind of story that shows up in made-for-cable action movies.

5 of 10
C+

Revised: Thursday, September 3, 2015


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

Production Begins on Shane Black's "The Nice Guys"

Silver Pictures’ “The Nice Guys” in Production

Cameras roll on Shane Black’s detective thriller starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, with additional cast set to star, including Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger and more

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on Silver Pictures’ upcoming detective thriller “The Nice Guys,” from director Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “Iron Man 3”). The film, which stars Oscar winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator,” “Man of Steel”) and Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson,” “Drive,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”), is shooting in Atlanta and Los Angeles. It is being produced by Joel Silver (“Non-Stop,” “The Matrix” series, the “Sherlock Holmes” series).

Recently added to the cast are Matt Bomer (“Magic Mike,” HBO’s “The Normal Heart”), Oscar winner Kim Basinger (“L.A. Confidential”), Angourie Rice (“These Final Hours”), Beau Knapp (“Super 8”), Keith David (“Pitch Black,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) and Margaret Qualley (HBO’s “The Leftovers”).

“The Nice Guys” takes place in 1970s Los Angeles, when down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Gosling) and hired leg-breaker Jackson Healy (Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.

Black directs from an original screenplay he wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi. Silver is producing under his Silver Pictures banner, with Ken Kao of Waypoint Entertainment, Hal Sadoff, and Michael Malone serving as executive producers. Waypoint is co-financing, and Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s BLOOM is handling international sales.

The creative team behind “The Nice Guys” includes director of photography Philippe Rousselot (the “Sherlock Holmes” series, “Big Fish”), production designer Richard Bridgland (“Serena,” “Unknown”), editor Joel Negrón (“21 Jump Street”), and costume designer Kym Barrett (“The Matrix” series).

“The Nice Guys,” set for release on June 17, 2016, will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.


About Silver Pictures
Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures is one of Hollywood’s leading producers of action motion pictures. The company’s most recent project, “Non-Stop,” starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, opened in February 2014. The film has earned more than $200 million at the worldwide box office. Silver Pictures recently wrapped production on the much buzzed about “Autobahn,” starring Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley. Additionally, the company is currently in post-production on “The Gunman,” starring Sean Penn, Javier Bardem and Idris Elba and directed by Pierre Morel. In 2012, Silver signed a 5-year non-exclusive distribution deal with Universal Pictures. Silver has produced more than 70 films which have earned more than $13 billion in worldwide revenue. Past credits include the “Sherlock Holmes” franchise, starring Robert Downey Jr., which has earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office, the Academy Award-winning “The Matrix” trilogy, the blockbuster “Lethal Weapon” franchise and seminal action films “Die Hard” and “Predator.”

About Waypoint Entertainment
Waypoint Entertainment is a film and television development, production, and finance company cofounded by Ken Kao in 2010. Waypoint’s upcoming slate includes Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Andrew Driver and Ken Watanabe, and Terrence Malick’s next two films, “Knight of Cups,” with Christian Bale, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett, and an untitled film featuring Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett.

About BLOOM
BLOOM represents and curates a diversified slate of films ranging from commercial, talent-driven, wide release movies, to specialty films from proven and trusted filmmakers, all the while keeping an eye towards fresh and emerging talent. Alex Walton and financier and producer Ken Kao partnered to form BLOOM, a sales, production and financing outfit which launched just prior to Cannes with two-time Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant’s “Sea of Trees,” starring Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award nominees Ken Watanabe and Naomi Watts, which recently wrapped principal photography. Upcoming projects include Michael Apted’s “Unlocked,” starring Noomi Rapace, Academy Award winner Michael Douglas, and Orlando Bloom; Renny Harlin’s “Skiptrace,” starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville; and “The Hunters,” which will be directed by John Moore. The existing slate includes Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel “Dark Places,” starring Charlize Theron; “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” starring Liam Neeson; “The Woman in Black: Angel of Death”; “Pele,” the biopic about the legendary Brazilian soccer player; “Jane Got a Gun,” starring Natalie Portman; and “Out of the Dark,” starring Julia Stiles and Scott Speedman.

Review: "Delta Farce" Tries (Happy B'day, Danny Trejo)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 134 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Delta Farce (2007)
Running time:  89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sexual humor
DIRECTOR:  CB Harding
WRITERS:  Bear Aderhold and Thomas F.X. Sullivan
PRODUCERS:  Alan Blomquist and J.P. Williams
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Tom Priestley, Jr.
EDITOR:  Mark Conte
COMPOSER:  James S. Levin

COMEDY/ACTION

Starring:  Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, DJ Qualls, Keith David, Marisol Nichols, Glenn Morshower, Michael Papajohn, and Danny Trejo

The subject of this movie review is Delta Farce, a 2007 action-comedy starring comedians, Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall.  The film follows three bumbling Army reservists who are bound for Iraq, but instead are accidentally dropped near a Mexican village besieged by bandits.

After being mistaken for Army reserve troops, Larry (Larry the Cable Guy), Bill (Bill Engvall), and Everett (DJ Qualls), three small-town losers who are also National Guardsmen, find themselves introduced to angry Sgt. Kilgore (Keith David).  After berating them for their slovenliness, Kilgore eventually hustles the trio onto a transport plane bound for Iraq.

During the flight, the pilots unwittingly drop Larry, Bill, Everett, and Kilgore in Mexico.  After burying Kilgore whom they believe was killed by the drop, Larry, Bill, and Everett begin liberating what they think are Iraqi civilians.  When they discover that they are in Mexico, the trio finds itself saving the small Mexican village of La Miranda from a gang of bandits led by the man who calls himself the “real Carlos Santana” (Danny Trejo).

How do you take two funny comedians and turn them into listless joke machines delivering dry one-liners?  You try to make them actors, which is what the film Delta Farce does.  Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall are best known as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, although Larry the Cable Guy, as a solo act, is currently the most successful touring comedian in terms of tickets sold.  They’re funny guys, and Larry is especially talented.  But turn them into actors, and their comedy becomes strained.

The film Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector played to Larry’s strengths by fashioning a flimsy movie scenario and basically letting him perform his stage act with the rest of the movie’s cast playing off him.  His voiceover performance in Disney/Pixar’s Cars was basically Larry being Larry.

In Delta Farce, Larry and Bill not only have to play characters; they also have to move the narrative.  That requires a performer to do more acting than just pretending.  It’s more than telling jokes, performing skits and routines, and saying silly things.  Larry and Engvall are good at delivering one-liners and saying a few funny things, but this comic duo often seems out of place in the context of film narrative.  Ultimately, they’re not bad, and what they do in Delta Farce should appease their fan base.

On the other hand, DJ Qualls, a pretty good comic actor, and Keith David, a fine and under-utilized character actor, fit comfortably.  Qualls and David actually play comic characters and when they perform, it’s like acting and not a stand-up comedy routine.

Delta Farce is harmless and is for the most part funny.  It actually could have been much better, but the directing by C.B. Harding, who helmed Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie and the TV follow ups, is abysmal.  The film is largely apolitical, though odd “support the troops” comments pop up here and there.  As is, Delta Farce is decent entertainment for fans of the various cast members, especially Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall.

4 of 10
C

Updated: Friday, May 16, 2014


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

Review: "The Chronicles of Riddick" is Epic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 95 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Running time:  119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action and some language
DIRECTOR:  David Twohy
WRITER:  David Twohy (based upon characters created by Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat)
PRODUCERS:  Vin Diesel and Scott Kroopf
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Hugh Johnson (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Martin Hunter and Dennis Virkler
COMPOSER:  Graeme Revell

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Colm Feore, Thandie Newton, Judi Dench, Karl Urban, Alexa Davalos, Linus Roache, Yorick van Wageningen, Nick Chinlund, and Keith David

The subject of this movie review is The Chronicles of Riddick, a 2004 science fiction and action-adventure film from writer-director David Twohy.  Starring Vin Diesel in the title role, this film is a sequel to the 2000 science fiction thriller, Pitch Black.

Five years after the incidents in the movie Pitch Black, the dark hero Riddick (Vin Diesel) is a hunted man, but mercenaries aren’t just hunting Riddick to send him back to prison.  A fellow survivor of Pitch Black, Imam (Keith David), seeks Riddick because the Imam’s home world needs Riddick’s kind of evil to fight evil.  In The Chronicles of Riddick, the title character takes on the world conquering Necromongers and their vicious, quasi-supernatural leader, the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore).  Apparently, the Lord Marshal and Riddick have a mutual past.  Riddick learns that his people were known as the Furians, and a prophecy said that the Lord Marshal would die at the hands of a Furian.  Thirty years after the Lord Marshal’s pogrom against the Furians, the most contrary and stubborn of them all, Riddick, comes looking for payback.

The Chronicles of Riddick isn’t by any means a great movie, but it’s rather a very entertaining macho movie.  Despite the sci-fi trappings, the film and its title character are basically throwbacks to the kind of action movies and muscular heroes that stomped the shit out silver screen bad guys in films like the Rambo, Die Hard, and Terminator franchises.  Visually, the production design is as dark as The Empire Strikes Back and The Crow, so TCOR is very much the work of talented artists, craftsman, and photographers and CGI artists.

Beyond that, director David Twohy has put together a fun film full of explosions and (relatively) gore free wrestling matches.  TCOR may look like a video game, but it’s futuristic fisticuffs in which the dark champion speaks with the force of muscular body and wins by guile and savvy.  Vin Diesel may not be a solid actor, but he’s game to throw testosterone around a movie set, and the lead doesn’t need to be a great actor when a fine stage actor like Colm Feore (he was the bad guy Andre Linoge in the TV mini-series Stephen King’s “Storm of the Century”) plays the villain.

I had a good (if not great) time, and when it comes down to it, The Chronicles of Riddick is a slugfest man’s movie for the guy who’ll watch any half decent action movie.  And this one is a lot better than half decent.  Some ladies might get a kick out of it, too.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2005 Razzie Awards:  1 nomination: “Worst Actor” (Vin Diesel)

Updated:  Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Read the Pitch Black review and The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury review.

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

Review: "The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury" Fast and Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004) – Video
Running time:  35 minutes
Not rated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR:  Peter Chung
WRITERS:  Brett Mathews; from a story by David Twohy (based upon characters created by Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat)
PRODUCERS:  John Kafka and Jae Y. Moh
EDITOR:  Ken Solomon
COMPOSERS:  Machine Head with Tobias Enhus and Christopher Mann
ANIMATION STUDIOS:  Sunwoo Entertainment and DNA Animation

ANIMATION/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring:  (voices) Vin Diesel, Rhiana Griffith, Keith David, Roger Jackson, Tress MacNeille, Julia Fletcher, Nick Chinlund, and Dwight Schultz

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a 2004 made-for-DVD, animated short film.  It is directed by Peter Chung, the Korean-American best known for creating the animated series, Æon Flux.  Dark Fury acts as a bridge between the films, Pitch Black (2000), and its sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury takes place shortly after the events depicted in Pitch Black.  The last survivors of the Hunter-Gratzner spacecraft:  Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), Jack (Rhiana Griffith), and Imam Abu al-Walid (Keith David), are aboard the shuttle they used to leave the planet upon which the transport ship crashed.

They find themselves the target of a Mercenary spacecraft (“Merc ship”), after the mercenaries realize that Riddick, a wanted man with a huge bounty on his head, is aboard the shuttle.  Riddick discovers that he has piqued the interest of Antonia Chillingsworth (Tress MacNeille), the Merc ship’s owner, and this crazy woman has some crazy plans in store for Riddick.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is one of the best made-for-DVD animated films that I have ever seen.  It is true to the spirit and nature of the two feature-length Riddick films and the characters, especially Riddick.  Dark Fury’s script is as well-written and as imaginative as the scripts for Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick.

The voice acting is also superb.  Whatever Vin Diesel may lack as an actor in live-action films, he has as a voice actor for an animated character:  nuance, affect, and richness and the ability to create a depth of character.  It goes without saying that Keith David is good, and Rhiana Griffith makes Jack a lively character that brings energy to Dark Fury every time she opens her mouth.

Dark Fury is further proof that Peter Chung is one of the true visionary animators, character designers, and directors of animated film of the last quarter-century.  Dark Fury needs a buddy.  There should be more animated Riddick films or maybe a television series, especially if Chung were to be the hands guiding animated (or anime) Riddick.  No Riddick fan should miss The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, September 01, 2013

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

Read Pitch Black review.

Review: "Pitch Black" Near Pitch Perfect Horror

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 94 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pitch Black (2000)
Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for sci-fi violence and gore, and for language
DIRECTOR:  David Twohy
WRITERS:  Ken Wheat & Jim Wheat and David Twohy (from a story by Ken Wheat and Jim Wheat)
PRODUCER:  Tom Engelman
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Eggby
EDITOR:  Rick Shaine
COMPOSER:  Graeme Revell

SCI-FI/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Claudia Black, Rhiana Griffith, John Moore, Simon Burke, Les Chantery, Sam Sari, and Firass Dirani

The subject of this movie review is Pitch Black, a 2000 horror thriller and science fiction film from director David Twohy.  The film puts the survivors of a cargo spacecraft on a desert planet, where they must survive an onslaught of murderous creatures, and their hope for survival rests in a dangerous criminal.

Before The Chronicles of Riddick, the character Richard B. Riddick first appeared in the movie, Pitch Black.  The film by screenwriter turned director David Twohy (Warlock, Waterworld) was a surprise, modest hit in early 2000, and is about a group of space travelers marooned on a seemingly lifeless sun-scorched world where the glaring sunlight hides a dark secret.

Riddick (Vin Diesel) is a convicted murder being transported by a bounty hunter (Cole Hauser) masquerading as a law officer.  When the space ship carrying them crashes, the two men have to temporarily put outside their conflict.  They and the rest of the ragtag band of survivors are slowly finding signs of hope that they may endure the harsh world and maybe even escape, when something begins to skitter around the shadowy edges and the dark beneath the lit surface – something vicious and hungry.

Pitch Black is a very pleasant and entertaining sci-fi, horror film.  Wrought with thrills and fraught with perilous obstacles for the characters, the film has a quick setup before rapidly plunging into non-stop frights and tension.  Though the acting isn’t noteworthy, it’s quite serviceable to the meat the story.  Twohy does an exceptional job taking what was B-movie material no more special than most “original” TV movies on the Sci-Fi Channel and turning it into a fairly entertaining B-movie film experience.  It’s not great, but when the film kick starts the humans’ battle for survival, Pitch Black becomes quite good.

The film also loses none of its potency on the small screen.  Pitch Black should please viewers who like a mixture of sci-fi and horror in the tradition of Aliens or John Carpenter’s The Thing.

7 of 10
B+

Updated:  Monday, August 19, 2013

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

Review: "Superhero Movie" a MAD Spoof of Spider-Man

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux


Superhero Movie (2008)
Running time: 85 minutes (1 hour, 25 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references, and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Craig Mazin
PRODUCERS: Craig Mazin, Robert K. Weiss, and David Zucker
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thomas E. Ackerman
EDITOR: Craig Herring
COMPOSER: James L. Venable

COMEDY/SUPERHERO

Starring: Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, Leslie Nielsen, Kevin Hart, Marion Ross, Ryan Hansen, Keith David, Brent Spiner, Robert Joy, Jeffrey Tambor, Tracy Morgan, Regina Hall, and Pamela Anderson

The subject of this movie review is Superhero Movie, a 2008 comedy spoof film from writer-director Craig Mazin. The film stars Drake Bell as a teen-turned-superhero.

Superhero Movie, which spoofs (of course) superhero movies, is not in the vein of such classic spoof films as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, but is certainly a sibling of films like the Scary Movie series, Date Movie, and Epic Movie. In fact, Superhero Movie’s writer/director, Craig Mazin, co-wrote Scary Movie 3 and 4, and like Scary Movie, Superhero Movie has enough fart jokes and necrophilia to charm all preteen and teen male demographics.

High school loser Rick Riker (Drake Bell) pines away for Jill Johnson (Sara Paxton), the prettiest girl in school, but she hardly knows that Rick exists since her eyes are on Rick’s tormentor, the school bully, Lance Landers (Ryan Hansen). After being bitten by a genetically altered dragonfly, Rick develops superhuman abilities like incredible strength and armored skin. Deciding to use his new powers for good, Rick becomes a costumed crime fighter known as “The Dragonfly.”

However, any superhero needs a super villain, and standing in the way of Rick’s destiny is “The Hourglass.” After an experiment goes wrong, Lou Landers (Christopher McDonald) develops the power to steal a person's life force merely by grabbing that person’s hand. In a dastardly quest for immortality, Landers/The Hourglass plots to kill 1000 people in a single life force assault. Will Rick/The Dragonfly, with his unimaginable strength, unbelievable speed and deeply uncomfortable tights, be able to stop The Hourglass? And will he stay a virgin forever or get with Jill?

Although Superhero Movie pokes fun at the X-Men film franchise, and to a lesser extent Batman Begins, Fantastic Four, and Superman Returns, most of this movie is a comic riff on 2002 film, Spider-Man. Think of Superhero Movie as a MAD Magazine spoof of the first Spider-Man film, but with the kind of raw gross out humor that is way too much in bad taste to ever make it into the modern MAD. Talk about un-PC: Rick’s Uncle Albert (played in his inimitable style by Leslie Nielsen) humps the corpse of a pretty girl!

But is this movie funny? The answer is very much so. Craig Mazin’s script could be seen as inspired lunacy or being so shamelessly in bad taste that he should be shunned from polite society. Sometimes, it seems as if this movie has a thousand visual gags, clever and otherwise, but they trigger belly laughs – even the jokes that Mazin and his cast and crew can’t quite pull off.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Review: "They Live" is Full of Cult Cinema Charm (Happy B'day, Keith David)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 105 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

John Carpenter’s They Live (1988)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: John Carpenter
WRITER: Frank Armitage (based upon a short story by Ray Nelson)
PRODUCER: Larry Franco
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gary B. Kibbe (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Gib Jaffe and Frank E. Jimenez
COMPOSERS: John Carpenter and Alan Howarth

SCI-FI/THRILLER

Starring: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, George “Buck” Flower, Peter Jason, Raymond St. Jacques, Jason Robards III, John Lawrence, Susan Barnes, Sy Richardson, and Wendy Brainard

The subject of this movie review is They Live, a 1988 science fiction film from writer-director John Carpenter. Carpenter wrote the film using the pen named “Frank Armitage.”

They Live is based on two works by science fiction author, Ray Nelson. The first is Nelson’s short story “Eight O’Clock in the Morning” (The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, November 1963) and the second is “Nada,” a comic book adaptation of the short story, produced by Nelson and artist Bill Wray (Alien Encounters #6 – April 1986). They Live follows a drifter who finds a pair of sunglasses that allows him to discover that aliens have taken over the Earth.

In 2003, the pop culture magazine Entertainment Weekly published a special issue devoted to what the staff considered the top 50 cult movies of all time, and John Carpenter’s They Live made the list. It’s easy to see why with a film on a low budget that only allowed for cheesy-looking monster makeup and low rent flying robots. Writing under the name “Frank Armitage,” Carpenter weaves a delirious B-movie thriller that mixes the kind of Golden Age pulp sci-fi aimed at juveniles and morons with hippy idealism, counter-culture rage, conspiracy theorists’ paranoia, and a healthy dose of the National Enquirer-inspired zeal.

Nada (Roddy Piper), a down-on-his-luck construction worker, wanders into a large metropolitan area (presumably Los Angeles) to find work. He discovers a pair of special sunglasses, that when worn, shows him that our colorful world is really a society overrun by ugly aliens. Those alien rulers bombard human minds through a radio signal with subliminal messages that encourages people to eat, sleep, obey, consume, reproduce, etc. Without the aid of the glasses, this world remains hidden. Nada convinces a fellow construction worker, Frank (Keith David), to join him, and together they seek human resistance fighters who are searching for the source of the mind-controlling signal.

Carpenter’s film was more than just a science fiction and horror movie; it was also Carpenter’s commentary on the greed and rampant consumerism of the late 1980’s that was coupled with a total lack of regard on many people’s part for the growing number of people slipping into unemployment and poverty. It’s easy to dismiss They Live, what with it’s delightfully campy elements: aliens as free enterprisers who keep the majority of humans as slaves while enriching humans who turn traitors, sunglasses that allow you to see the “real world” (a decidedly William Castle idea), and a professional wrestler as the lead, among other things. The film is so silly sometimes that it makes you squirm.

However, Carpenter was clearly having fun and working within the confines of his genre. When you listen to what his characters say, a lot of things make quite a bit of sense. Lots of things, like the ugly aliens, are metaphors, granted they make silly metaphors, but they are nevertheless metaphors. Maybe Carpenter sabotages his point by using this kind of story to grind his ax about America’s materialist culture, dog-eat-dog society, and the callousness of people toward the less fortunate, but still, only someone dead set against “seeing the light” would miss the point.

I absolutely like the film’s hard, low-budget edge and the menace and gritty determination of Roddy Piper and Keith David’s characters. It’s one of my favorite Carpenter films, and it’s held up for me over repeated viewings. I also have to give credit to any film that makes a shantytown one of its major settings.

7 of 10
B+

----------------------

Review: Likeable Characters Make "The OH in Ohio" (Happy B'day, Parker Posey)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

The OH in Ohio (2006)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R for sexual content, language, and some drug content
DIRECTOR: Billy Kent
WRITERS: Adam Wierzbianski; from a story by Sarah Bird, Billy Kent, and Adam Wierzbianski
PRODUCERS: Miranda Bailey, Francey Grace, and Amy Salko Robertson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ramsey Nickell (director of photography)
EDITORS: Paul Bertino and Michael R. Miller
COMPOSER: Bruno Coon

COMEDY with elements of romance

Starring: Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton, Miranda Bailey, Liza Minnelli, Keith David, Tim Russ, and Danny DeVito

The subject of this movie review is The OH in Ohio, a 2006 indie comedy from director Billy Kent. The film stars Parker Posey and Paul Rudd as a couple whose problems with the orgasm causes them marital strife.

Pricilla Chase (Parker Posey) has fashioned the perfect life for herself. She married her high school sweetheart, biology teacher Jack Chase (Paul Rudd), and she’s a high-powered advertising executive. Pricilla, however, has left something out of her life – her orgasm, and Jack claims that her inability to have an orgasm has ruined their marriage. While Jack goes off rediscovering his manhood with a smart young coed, Kristen Taylor (Mischa Barton), Pricilla sets off to discover self-pleasure and along the way falls for the unlikeliest lover, Wayne the Pool Guy (Danny DeVito).

The OH in Ohio is an entertaining indie film, one of those that appeals to a much wider audience than the small one that had a chance to see it during a limited theatrical run and film festival showings. Although the script is funny, the strength of the picture comes from the ability of the actors to make the most of their parts – another trait of indie flicks. Each actor takes his or her part, regardless of size, and gives it some zing and zest so that the character engages the viewer and sticks in his mind throughout the movie, even if the character only appears on screen once or twice.

Credit goes to director Billy Kent for allowing his actors to make use of their ability to take characters off the written page and embellish them. Although the leads are good, Mischa Barton as Kristen Taylor and Keith David as Coach Popovitch (hilariously blunt and randy) sparkle in support of the leads. The OH in Ohio is what many indie films are – movies defined by their quirky characters (think Little Miss Sunshine), and this is a movie for people who love characters.

6 of 10
B

Monday, January 15, 2007

------------------

"Cloud Atlas" Soundtrack CD Due November 6 2012

Cloud Atlas Soundtrack Due October 23rd From WaterTower Music

Featuring Original Music by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music will release the Cloud Atlas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at all digital retailers on October 23, with a physical CD release to follow on November 6. The original music was composed by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil. Tykwer also shares screenwriting and directing credits with filmmakers Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, in bringing David Mitchell’s best-selling novel to the big screen in the October 26th release Cloud Atlas.

Music is a central part of the Cloud Atlas story, particularly in one sequence of the film’s narrative involving a young composer who struggles to complete his life’s work, entitled The Cloud Atlas Sextet. This musical theme then recurs throughout the film and helps to connect multiple threads of action together as a single story moving through time.

“It’s an ever-present melody from a simple string line to a riff in a 1970s rock piece, to a jazz sextet playing in the background at the Cavendish party. We needed something beautiful and malleable enough to take us through five centuries,” said Tykwer. “There are lots of subjective voices in the story, and we were searching for one voice that could encompass them all, to form a beautiful choir.”

Because of this the three composers began working on the music before a single frame of film was shot.

“He prefers this to using temporary music by other composers,” Heil explained. “It allows him to use the temp score without worrying about what will take its place. As the film takes shape in post-production, we see what’s missing or needs changing and re-record the final.”

In the powerful and inspiring epic Cloud Atlas, drama, mystery, action and enduring love thread through a single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over the span of 500 years. Characters meet and reunite from one life to the next. Born and reborn. As the consequences of their actions and choices impact one another through the past, the present and the distant future, one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Everything is connected.

Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) and Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) lead a stellar international cast that also includes Oscar® winner Jim Broadbent (Iris), Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David and David Gyasi, with Oscar® winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) and Hugh Grant. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the story moves through time. Cloud Atlas is produced by Grant Hill, Stefan Arndt, Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski, with executive producers Philip Lee, Uwe Schott and Wilson Qui.

The Cloud Atlas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on WaterTower Music will be available digitally on October 23, and as a physical CD November 6, 2012.

cloudatlasmovie.com


ABOUT THE COMPOSERS
Tom Tykwer is one of Germany’s most exciting filmmakers and a triple threat (writer, director, composer). In 1999, he made his international breakthrough with the adrenaline-fueled Run Lola Run, which, as well as directing, he also wrote and co-composed with Klimek and Heil. The film was both a commercial and critical success, going on to become the most successful German film of that year. He followed this with The Princess and the Warrior, and then with his first English-language film, Heaven. In 2006, Tykwer co-wrote and directed Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. His next film was the sleek thriller The International. Most recently he completed the German language film 3 (Drei).

Reinhold Heil was born in a small town in West Germany and trained to become a classical pianist. While studying at the Berlin Music Academy, Heil became Nina Hagen’s keyboardist, co-writer, and co-producer and for the next few years honed his craft in what became the legendary Nina Hagen Band. After Hagen left the group, the remaining band members formed Spliff, one of Germany’s most successful rock bands of the 1980s.

Born in Australia, Johnny Klimek paid his dues in a series of gritty pub bands before migrating to Berlin to form the ’80s pop ensemble “The Other Ones” with his siblings. He segued into the club music scene on his own in the ’90s, and, out of the latter emerged his creative marriages to both Heil and Tykwer.

Among Klimek and Heil’s credits are Killer Elite, the TV series Awake, One Hour Photo, the acclaimed TV series Deadwood, and the theme song for Without a Trace. Up next for the duo is I, Frankenstein, starring Bill Nighy and Aaron Eckhart, slated for release in February.