Amazon Announces Fourth Season for "Mozart in the Jungle" and a Last Season for "Red Oaks"

Amazon Studios Greenlights a Fourth Season of the Golden Globe Award-Winning Series Mozart in the Jungle and a Final Season of Hit Comedy Series Red Oaks

Both series are expected to premiere later this year on Prime Video in the US and UK, and additional territories in the future

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon Studios today announced it has green lit a fourth season of the Golden Globe award-winning series Mozart in the Jungle, and a final, third season of the hit comedy series Red Oaks. Both are scheduled to premiere later this year on Prime Video in the US and UK, and additional territories in the future.

    “We've always hoped to send these characters off to their futures with a third and final season, so we're thrilled that Amazon has given us the opportunity to do so.”

"Amazon Studios has been built by the risky, creative genius of shows like Mozart in the Jungle and Red Oaks,” said Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy and Drama, Amazon Studios. “We are excited to see how the amazing creators, casts and crews top themselves next season.”

Roman Coppola commented on behalf of the executive producers of Mozart in the Jungle: “We’re all delighted to be back for a fourth season and to share the further tales of our orchestra and all the artists who comprise it. For the fans who have been so enthusiastic about our show, we’re so happy to have an audience that wants to see stories about the arts, music, and all these characters we’ve invented.”

Red Oaks creators Joe Gangemi and Greg Jacobs commented: "We've always hoped to send these characters off to their futures with a third and final season, so we're thrilled that Amazon has given us the opportunity to do so."

Based on the critically acclaimed memoir Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs & Classical Music by Blair Tindall, Mozart in the Jungle draws back the curtain at the New York Symphony, where artistic dedication and creativity collide with mind games, politicking and survival instincts. Starring Gael García Bernal (Neruda), and Lola Kirke (American Made), Mozart in the Jungle will begin production later this year and will continue the story of the talented musicians who perform and live with passion under the baton of its spirited conductor, best known simply as Rodrigo. Along with Bernal and Kirke, Mozart in the Jungle also stars Saffron Burrows (Night of the Lotus), Malcolm McDowell (American Satan), Bernadette Peters (Smash), and Hannah Dunne (Caring). The series is executive produced by Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom), Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited), Paul Weitz (About a Boy), and Will Graham (Alpha House).

Set in the 1980s, Red Oaks explores the comic misadventures of the misfit staffers and clueless members of a country club in suburban New Jersey. Starring Craig Roberts (Submarine: The Fundamentals of Caregiving), and Paul Reiser (Mad About You), Red Oaks will begin production later this year on its third and final season, concluding the stories of aspiring young filmmaker David Meyers and the colorful characters he’s met on his journey to adulthood. Starring alongside Roberts and Reiser is a talented ensemble cast including Richard Kind (Inside Out), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), Alexandra Socha (Cut Shoot Kill), Oliver Cooper (Office Christmas Party), Ennis Esmer (Blindspot), Gina Gershon (Staten Island Summer) and Alexandra Turschen (Boy Meets Girl). The series was created by Gregory Jacobs (Magic Mike XXL) and Joe Gangemi (Stonehearst Asylum), and is executive produced by Jacobs and Gangemi with Steven Soderbergh (The Knick) and David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express).

The fourth season of Mozart in the Jungle, and the final, third season of Red Oaks will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for members to watch via the Prime Video app for popular smart TVs, Fire TV, Fire Tablets and Android and iOS phones and tablets. Past seasons of both series are available to watch on PrimeVideo.com for Prime Video members in more than 200 countries and territories.


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch, and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:

•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Amazon Channels: Over 100 channel subscriptions that Prime members can add to their membership, including HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV and more, plus Anime Strike – the first curated on-demand subscription by Amazon Channels. To view the full list of channels available, visit www.amazon.com/channels
•     Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new-release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers
•     Instant Access: Instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream
•     Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalogue with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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Amazon Offers "Mozart in the Junge" Free This Weekend

In Celebration of Golden Globe Wins, Amazon is Making All Episodes from Seasons One and Two of Mozart in the Jungle Free to Watch – No Membership Required

Starting Friday January 15, at 9:00 p.m. PT and concluding at 11:59 p.m. local time, Sunday January 17, everyone can watch Mozart in the Jungle for free via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/mozartinthejungle

Amazon will also offer Amazon Prime for just $73 starting this Friday at 9:00 p.m. PT in celebration of its wins at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon announced that in celebration of its two Golden Globe wins, it will make seasons one and two of the Amazon Original Series, Mozart in the Jungle available for free for everyone this weekend. Anyone can watch the first and second season of Mozart in the Jungle at no cost starting Friday January 15, 2016, at 9:00 p.m. PT and concluding at 11:59 p.m. local time, Sunday January 17, 2016, using the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/mozartinthejungle. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream. Also starting Friday January 15, at 9:00 p.m. PT and concluding at 11:59 p.m. local time, Sunday January 17, and in celebration of Mozart in the Jungle’s multiple wins at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, Amazon Prime will be available for just $73. New members can sign-up for this limited-time Prime offer at www.amazon.com/MozartPrime.

    “What an incredible honor to be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press two years in a row”

Mozart in the Jungle took home the 2016 Golden Globe award for Best Musical or Comedy Series, while its lead star, Gael García Bernal, earned the coveted title of Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series. This year’s win marks four total Golden Globe awards for Amazon, following last year’s double win for Transparent in the same categories, and also makes Amazon the first network in a decade to win Best Musical or Comedy Series and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series in back-to-back years for different shows.

“What an incredible honor to be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press two years in a row,” said Roy Price, Vice President of Amazon Studios. “We are incredibly proud of Gael, Jason, Roman, Paul and everyone involved in the making of Mozart in the Jungle – it’s gratifying and exciting to see the success of this series.”

Based on the critically acclaimed memoir Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs & Classical Music by Blair Tindall, the multi-award winning Amazon Original Series, Mozart in the Jungle draws back the curtain at the New York Symphony, where artistic dedication and creativity collide with mind games, politicking and survival instincts. The series is executive produced by Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom), Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited) and Paul Weitz (About a Boy) and stars Gael Garcia Bernal (Rosewater), Saffron Burrows (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Hannah Dunne (Frances Ha), Lola Kirke (Gone Girl), Malcolm McDowell (The Mentalist), Peter Vack (I Just Want My Pants Back) and Bernadette Peters (Smash).

In addition to SD and HD, the series is also available in 4K Ultra HD on Amazon Fire TV and compatible Samsung, LG and Sony smart TVs and in High Dynamic Range (HDR) on compatible Samsung and LG smart TVs. Prime members can also download the series for offline viewing on iOS, Android, and Fire devices at no additional cost.


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video offers customers unlimited access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including award-winning Amazon Original Series, through Amazon Prime; monthly subscriptions to SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more; and hundreds of thousands of titles including new-release movies and current TV shows for rent or purchase.

The entire range of selection can be instantly accessed through the Amazon Video app on TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.

Prime Video, included in Amazon Prime, enables Prime members to enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as the multi-Golden Globe winning series from Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Mozart in the Jungle, the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated series Transparent, the breakout hit The Man in the High Castle, based on Philip K. Dick’s novel, the hour-long drama Bosch, based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling books, and the comedy created by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, Catastrophe, in addition to HBO favorites like The Sopranos, True Blood and Girls, and popular primetime series including 24, Downton Abbey, Extant, Falling Skies, Grimm, Hannibal, Justified, Orphan Black, Teen Wolf, The Americans, and Under the Dome. Prime members also have access to an exclusive collection of kids shows now airing including Amazon Original Series’ Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue’s Clues. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/primevideo.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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Review: "Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness" is Rather Tame

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux (support on Patreon)

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness (2015) – Video
Running time:  72 minutes (1 hour, 12 minutes)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:  Paul McEvoy
WRITER:  Mark Banker
EDITOR:  Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER:  Andy Sturmer

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring:  (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Diedrich Bader, Eric Bauza, Jeff Bennett, Jennifer Hale, Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Fred Tatasciore

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness is a 2015 straight-to-video, animated, comic mystery film.  It is also the 23rd animated movie in the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation, which began in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.  In Moon Monster Madness, Mystery Inc. travels to an elaborate moon base where they attempt to unravel the mystery of an alien monster.

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness introduces the billionaire Sly Baron (Malcolm McDowell).  His latest venture is to make “space tourism” more readily available.  To that end, Baron and his brother, Hudson (Fred Tatasciore), create the first space cruise ship, the “Sly Star One.”  Baron has picked an elite crew to accompany him on the Sly Star One's maiden voyage:  hero astronauts: Zip Elvin (Mark Hamill) and Colt Steelcase (Jeff Bennett); rising astronaut star, Shannon Lucas (Jennifer Hale); self-proclaimed alien hunter, Ridley (Jennifer Hale); football star, Uvinious Botango a.k.a "U-Boat" (Kevin Michael Richardson); and H.A.M. (Diedrich Bader), a robot who just wants to be useful and to be liked.

Baron also creates the “Sly Me to Space” sweepstakes, a lottery that give the last 5 seats on the Sly Star One to ordinary folks.  And the winners are Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard), and Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker).  The cruise is not filled with fun, however, as rivalry, jealousy, and hero worship cause trouble.  And the space tourists soon discover an alien monster wants to ruin their trip to end their lives.

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness is somewhat inventive.  It is sometimes funny.  It references and has allusions to famous science fiction movies and films about space travel, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), and The Right Stuff (1983).  The problem is that Moon Monster Madness just does not come together.  It is a little too long; has too many guest or supporting characters; and does not fully utilize many of the characters or sub-plots and themes.  Personally, I would have liked more screen time for “U-Boat” and H.A.M.

To be honest, it is also possible that I had high expectations for Moon Monster Madness coming off the previous Scooby film, Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy, which I loved so much, to an extent that still surprises me.  Still, I will recommend Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness, because... well... I always recommend Scooby-Doo movies.

5 of 10
B-

Monday, May 25, 2015


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

Rob Zombie's "Halloween" Fueled by Brutal Violence

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 8 (of 2009) by Leroy Douresseaux


Halloween (2007)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong brutal bloody violence and terror throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Rob Zombie
WRITER: Rob Zombie (based upon the movie written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill)
PRODUCERS: Malek Akkad, Andy Gould, Rob Zombie, and Andy La Marca
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Phil Parmet (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Glenn Garland

HORROR

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Daeg Faerch, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Hanna Hall, Ken Foree, Lew Temple, Danny Trejo, Danielle Harris, Kristina Klebe, Pat Skipper, Dee Wallace, and Tyler Mane

In 2007, musician turned movie director Rob Zombie already had two brutal horror films to his credit, House of 1000 Corpses and its sequel, The Devil Rejects, when he unleashed Halloween, a remake and re-imagining of director John Carpenter’s 1978 classic horror film of the same name. Zombie’s film followed the now familiar storyline, but went into the past to reveal some origins.

It’s Halloween, and 10-year-old Michael Myers (Daeg Faerch) goes on a murderous rampage in the quiet town of Haddonfield, Illinois. He spends the next 17 years in the Smith’s Grove Sanitarium under the care of noted child behaviorist, Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell). Loomis seems to be the only person who can truly understand the evil of Michael’s nature.

After 17 years, the adult Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) escapes from the mental facility on the day of Halloween and begins a bloody trek back to Haddonfield. He stalks a high school girl, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton), and her friends, Annie (Danielle Harris) and Lynda (Kristina Klebe). When Dr. Loomis hears about Michael’s escape, he races to Haddonfield and joins Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) to find Michael and to put an end to Michael’s reign of terror. There, Loomis discovers that Myers and Laurie Strode have ties to a similar past.

Rob Zombie’s Halloween is a prequel, a re-imagining, a reinvention, and a remake of the original film. This new film is partly a prequel because Zombie, as both writer and director, chose to begin the story earlier in Michael Myer’s life than the writers of the original movie, John Carpenter and the late Debra Hill, did. That the story begins before the scene in which Michael puts on the mask and kills his sister, which is where the first film began. Zombie’s film begins Halloween morning, at the breakfast table of a highly dysfunctional “white trash” family. The audience sees Myers the “perfect storm” as Dr. Loomis calls it: Myers’ destructive home environment and his murderous tendencies.

Zombie re-imagines the film in the way he presents Michael Myers. Michael is not something of supernatural force, as the first film suggest, but he is simply a human monster – a psychopath. In the original film and its sequels (in which John Carpenter was involved to some extent) Carpenter suggested that Michael Myer’s evil was in some way a reflection of the darkness that existed at the heart of small towns like Haddonfield. Zombie provides no such social context or metaphor. Myers is simply a bad-ass, evil killer dude.

The film is a re-invention of sorts because it presents the violent slasher film as sort of a reality show in which all the gushing fluids of violent murder must be on display before the voyeuristic audience. In the original Halloween, Carpenter showed no blood, although Myers’ attacks on his victims were quite violent. In Zombie’s hands, the attacks are rude and crude – exercises in blood and mayhem and in bloody mayhem.

This film remains a respectful remake. Scenes, sequences, and even certain shots are repeated from the original or are only slightly altered. Halloween 2007 can stand on its own. The acting wasn’t great, but Zombie chose a nice mixture of character actors for the major parts and some famous faces and somewhat cult figures to fill in the bit parts and cameos, and that works out well.

Towards the end, the film seems out of control, both in terms of Zombie’s usual excesses and the fact that the ending seems padded. Still, Halloween is a scary movie, a celebration of raw violent horror, and true to Zombie’s rebel spirit. It is scandalous and disrespectful of those “our values” about which so-called conservatives like to preach. It’s funny and scary – a black comedy and horror movie that is stained dark with a lot of blood.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Review: "Star Trek: Generations" Does Not Stray Far from the TV Series

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 211 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: David Carson
WRITERS: Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga; from a story by Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, and Rick Berman (based on the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER: Rick Berman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John A. Alonzo
EDITOR: Peter E. Berger, A.C.E.

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Malcolm McDowell, James Doohan, Walter Koening, William Shatner, Alan Ruck, Tim Russ, and Whoppi Goldberg

In 1994, the seventh film in the Star Trek movie franchise debuted in theatres, but unlike the previous six films, this one featured a new incarnation of the U.S.S. Enterprise (Enterprise-D) and a new crew, led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Star Trek: Generations starred the cast of the second Trek series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which ran for seven seasons from 1987-1994 in syndication.

While investigating a disaster at an outlying observation station, the crew of the Enterprise finds that the catastrophe’s sole survivor is Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), an intense man insistent that he be allowed to complete his work on the station. Soran turns out to be of the same race as the Enterprise’s bartender, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg, who did not receive a screen credit in the film), the El Aurian. Soran has malevolent plans for a roaming energy field called The Nexus, which involves the destruction of the Veridian solar system. When Picard tries to intervene, he becomes caught in the Nexus and meets a man presumed-dead the last time a U.S.S. Enterprise (Enterprise-B) tangled with The Nexus, the retired Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

Star Trek: Generations is a good, but not great film, which is the same way one can categorize it as part of the Trek pantheon – good, but not great. Perhaps, it needs to grow on the audience; in fact, I certainly liked it much more the second time I saw it than I did the first. Generations is simply an extended version of the TV show, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” put in the context of a feature film, meaning a longer story, better special effects, and improved production values (even a few scenes of exceptional cinematography).

The acting is more or less the same as in the TV show with a moment here and there of more thoughtful performances. Malcolm McDowell brings a welcome jolt of viciousness as the single-minded Soran. The actors playing the Klingons also bring the same kind of intensity to their performances, as did the actors who played the aliens in the earlier installments of the franchise. Even director David Caruso seems to spring to life when the Klingons are involved.

The best parts of the film are those that take place in the past and involve the only three cast members from the original “Star Trek” television series and films to appear in Star Trek: Generations. Seeing Shatner, Koening, and Doohan made me sad because for all intents and purposes, their Trek can only exist as artifacts from a long time ago.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

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"A Clockwork Orange" Arrives on Blue-ray May 31st

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ON BLU-RAY™ MAY 31

Star Malcolm McDowell Feted Worldwide

Special Anniversary Screenings at Cannes Film Festival and New York’s The Museum of Modern Art

Burbank, Calif., March 31, 2011 – Stanley Kubrick was one of the great filmmakers of our time and his profound influence on motion pictures continues to this day. His 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, starring Malcolm McDowell, portrayed an oppressive lawless society where man was reduced to little more than a machine. The film introduced into popular culture the concept of “ultra-violence,” as singing, tap-dancing, derby-topped hooligan Alex (McDowell) has a “good time” – at the tragic expense of others. His journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen and back again forms the dynamic arc of Kubrick’s future-shock vision of Anthony Burgess’ novel.

This was a powerful film made by a director at the height of his artistry and its impact generated worldwide controversy. Forty years later, the world is a different place but the film’s power still entices, shocks and mesmerizes today.

On May 31, Warner Home Video will honor Kubrick and the film with A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray ($34.99 SRP). The two-disc release includes two newly-produced bonus features: Turning Like Clockwork, a 25-minute documentary about the film’s “ultra-violence” and its cultural impact, and a short documentary where Malcolm McDowell reminiscences on working closely with the legendary director. This two-disc edition will also contain the feature-length documentaries, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures and O Lucky Malcolm! The 40th Anniversary Edition will be packaged in a 40-page Blu-ray book withrare photos and production notes.

McDowell’s Never Apologize will also be released on May 31 for the first time on DVD in the U.S. This spirited documentary pays tribute to British director Lindsay Anderson, who directed the actor in his films If and O Lucky Man and is based on his entertaining London and Edinburgh one-man stage shows. The film weaves McDowell’s experience of working with Anderson as well as tales of Sir Alan Bates, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Princess Diana, John Ford and Lillian Gish. Never Apologize will sell for $19.97 SRP.

This will be a big year for Malcolm McDowell and A Clockwork Orange. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival will launch the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece with a special screening of a digitally restored copy of the film, joined by McDowell, Kubrick’s widow Christiane and brother-in-law Jan Harlan, executive producer on several of Kubrick’s films.

Anniversary screenings will continue with a special event May 25 at New York’s The Museum of Modern Art with McDowell participating in a panel discussion. In the early fall, Malcolm McDowell will be feted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences which will include a screening of A Clockwork Orange at AMPAS, Los Angeles.

McDowell stars in the upcoming film Vamps, directed by Amy Heckerling, opening later this year. And Franklin & Bash, the new TNT comedy-drama TV series debuting this summer features McDowell as the head of a buttoned-down law firm joined by two young, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants street lawyers who cause a seismic culture clash within the firm. He will also be featured in the upcoming film Silent Hill Revelation, the sequel to the 2006 hit Silent Hill.

Continuing the celebration, WHV will also release the Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection on Blu-ray ($148.95 SRP) May 31 -- an unprecedented 9-film, 10-disc collection, which contains every film the director made since1960. The collection features the film and bonus content from A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition, the Blu-ray debuts of Lolita and Barry Lyndon, as well as the feature films Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. The Blu-ray collection will be elegantly boxed in new book-style premium packaging and will include a 40-page hard-cover book that explores the breadth of genres and themes in Kubrick’s work. The same group of films will be available on DVD in Stanley Kubrick: The Essential Collection ($74.92 SRP), which also includes a 40-page book.

A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition is also available On Demand and for Download from iTunes™, including bonus iTunes™ extra content. Additionally, Lolita, Barry Lyndon, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, and Never Apologize will be available On Demand and for Download.

For further information log onto https://www.facebook.com/StanleyKubrickFilms

A Clockwork Orange 40TH Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray
Causing major controversy when first released, the film garnered four Academy Award® nominations – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Screenplay – and is #4 on AFI’s Top 10 List of Best Science Fiction Films of All Time.

Disc 1:
· Feature Film
· New Bonus Features
o Malcolm McDowell Looks Back: Malcolm McDowell reflects on his experience working with Kubrick on one of the seminal films of the 1970s
o Turning like Clockwork considers the film’s “ultra-violence” and its cultural impact
· Plus
o Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman
o Documentary Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange
o Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange
o Theatrical trailer

Disc 2:
· Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (Produced and directed by Jan Harlan, the brother of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow). Kubrick’s career comes into sharp focus in this compelling documentary narrated by Tom Cruise. Fascinating footage glimpses Kubrick in his early years, at work on film sets and at home, augmented by candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family.
· O Lucky Malcolm! Documentary about the life and career of actor Malcolm McDowell produced and directed by Jan Harlan and edited by Katia de Vidas.

A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Book
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$34.99 SRP
Catalog # 1000169336
UPC # 883929157761

Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection (Blu-ray)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$148.95 SRP
Catalog # 1000175414
UPC # 883929165834

Stanley Kubrick: The Essential Collection (DVD)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$74.92 SRP
Catalog # 1000175413
UPC # 883929165827

Never Apologize (DVD)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$19.97 SRP
UPC # 883929166565

Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.

Warner Home Video Blu-ray™ Discs offer resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and color and beautifully crisp sound. The format also provides a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film.


About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) brings together WarnerBros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHEG oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHEG distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com.


Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection [Blu-ray]

Review: Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" Still Great 40 Years Later

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 145 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

A Clockwork Orange (1971)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – R (original rating – X)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick
WRITER: Stanley Kubrick (based upon the novel by Anthony Burgess)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Alcott
EDITOR: Bill Butler
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/DRAMA

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Sheila Raynor, Philip Stone, Adrienne Corri, Mariam Karlin, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke, James Marcus, Anthony Sharp, and Godfrey Quigley

The occasion upon which a film surpasses its source material both in terms of quality but in its points, ideas, and implications is indeed rare. That the late Stanley Kubrick’s (1928-1999) A Clockwork Orange is one of those occasions is so astounding because its source material, the novel by the late British novelist and critics, Anthony Burgess (1917-1993), A Clockwork Orange (1962), is itself an important work of fiction.

In a near future, gangs of amoral young boys roam the streets of England beating each other and searching out victims for robbery and rape. Alex de Large (Malcolm McDowell), a teddy-boy hooligan who wears a derby as part of his gang costume, stomps, whomps, steals, sings, and tap-dances while he violates others. A leader of a gang of droogs (his mates), Alex accidentally kills a woman at the beginning of a planned night of violent debauchery, and his droogs turn on him leaving him wounded for the police. While in prison, Alex volunteers for an experimental program that, through drugs and video shock therapy, brainwashes him to feel intense nausea and an urgent need to die, whenever he has ideas about sex and violence – an experiment which raises hard questions in a society rife with criminal violence and political corruption.

In A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick used vivid sets, music, words, and feelings to create a tour de force of pointed social satire. The innovative way of using light and flamboyant color cinematography to heighten the intensity of the violent scenes made A Clock Orange highly controversial when it was first released in 1971. Although the film is marked by good performances, one of them being particularly good, that of Malcolm McDowell as Alex, A Clockwork Orange is completely and totally Stanley Kubrick’s film. His presence, his touch, his demands, his direction, and his will bleed from the pores of every frame.

Kubrick also wrote a great script. Not only are particular words important, but also their placement and context within a given line of speech, how the actor delivers them and when determines the character, setting, and plot down to the smallest details. Words are as brilliantly, visually descriptive as the sets, lighting, and photography. What we hear in the words and how we hear and perceive them are as important as what we see.

The film may be the best English language satirical film ever made. A Clockwork Orange examines the family unit, crime and punishment, how governments often shape law enforcement so that it serves their interests rather than that of the public good, and examines free will among others things. Perhaps, the film saves its most pointed commentary for the struggle between the selfish individual unit and group unit that demands conformity. It’s a war of clumsy skirmishes and bloody battles, but there is no end to this conflict. There aren’t any answers, easy or otherwise. Because Kubrick tackled such ideas about society and individual freedom with such visual originality, A Clockwork Orange remains one of the great works in cinematic history.

10 of 10

NOTES:
1972 Academy Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Picture” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Director” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Film Editing” (Bill Butler), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium” (Stanley Kubrick)

1973 BAFTA Awards: 7 nominations: “Best Art Direction” (John Barry), “Best Cinematography” (John Alcott), “Best Direction” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Film,” “Best Film Editing” (Bill Butler), “Best Screenplay” (Stanley Kubrick), and “Best Sound Track” (Brian Blamey, John Jordan, and Bill Rowe)

1972 Golden Globes: 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” and “Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama” (Malcolm McDowell)

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Malcolm McDowell’s Documentary “Never Apologize” on DVD May 31

Malcolm McDowell’s Never Apologize will also be released on May 31 for the first time on DVD in the U.S. This spirited documentary pays tribute to British director Lindsay Anderson, who directed the actor in his films If and O Lucky Man and is based on his entertaining London and Edinburgh one-man stage shows. The film weaves McDowell’s experience of working with Anderson as well as tales of Sir Alan Bates, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Princess Diana, John Ford and Lillian Gish. Never Apologize will sell for $19.97 SRP.

McDowell stars in the upcoming film Vamps, directed by Amy Heckerling, opening later this year. And Franklin & Bash, the new TNT comedy-drama TV series debuting this summer features McDowell as the head of a buttoned-down law firm joined by two young, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants street lawyers who cause a seismic culture clash within the firm. He will also be featured in the upcoming film Silent Hill Revelation, the sequel to the 2006 hit Silent Hill.

Never Apologize (DVD)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$19.97 SRP
UPC # 883929166565


Never Apologize

Emma Stone Gets an A for "Easy A"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 106 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Easy A (2010)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen sexuality, language and some drug material
DIRECTOR: Will Gluck
WRITER: Bert V. Royal
PRODUCERS: Zanne Devine and Will Gluck
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Grady
EDITOR: Susan Littenberg
Golden Globe nominee

COMEDY

Starring: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Aly Michalka, Penn Badgley, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Bryce Clyde Jenkins, Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Dan Byrd, Cam Gigandet, Fred Armisen, and Malcolm McDowell

The recent teen comedy, Easy A, takes as its inspiration the classic American novel, The Scarlet Letter (1850), written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Easy A focuses on a clean-cut high school student who uses rumor and innuendo to improve her social status at school.

At Ojai North High School, no one really notices Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone), except her bitchy best friend, Rhiannon Abernathy (Aly Michalka). It is to Rhiannon that Olive lies about losing her virginity to a college student, and, in what seems like an instant, that little white lie is all over campus. This causes Olive to run afoul of the campus Christian crusader, Marianne Bryant (Amanda Bynes). Olive compounds that first lie by helping Brandon (Dan Byrd), her gay friend who is being bullied, stage an act to trick their fellow students into believing that Dan is now straight. Soon, however, Olive learns that being the talk of the school isn’t necessarily a good thing – especially when the talk is that you are easy and a whore.

Although it belongs to the well-worn teen comedy genre, Easy A is fresh and spry. Much of the credit for that should go to the film’s star, Emma Stone, who comes across as being much more mature than her age (22) would suggest. This film’s plot, pacing, and philosophy flow through her, and Stone handles it with ease, talent, and uncommon professionalism for an actress her age.

The other thing that makes Easy A seem different is that it is real or tells its tale by dealing with issues and situations confronted by real teenagers. Director Will Gluck and screenwriter Bert V. Royal are able to mine so much excellent comedy, humor, and satire from that realism. Easy A rips people apart for being so hypocritical and judgmental. It derives humor not only from that, but also from the fact that people are often critical of others to cover for something about themselves they don’t like.

The film understands that the complicated, rough and tumble politics of high school are a microcosm of what happens in the larger world. We all want to be accepted and loved, and yes, we will use other people and tell lies to get our way.

Easy A is brutally honest and funny. Sometimes, it isn’t as clever as the filmmakers think it is, which makes the film awkward, especially in the last act. Still, I give this movie credit for being a teen film that tackles the high school rumor mill and social ladder with such sparkling wit and lack of political correctness. Easy A envisions teen angst and the high school drama from a different angle, and the reward for watching it is a memorably good time at the movies.

7 of 10
B+

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

NOTES:
2011 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Emma Stone)

Review: "Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes" and a Good Time is Had

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 82 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010) – Video
Running time: 50 minutes
DIRECTORS: Spike Brandt and Jeff Siergey
ANIMATION DIRECTOR: Kirk Tingblad
WRITER: Earl Kress (based upon the characters created by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna)
PRODUCER: Bobbie Page
EDITOR: Robert S. Birchard

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION/MYSTERY

Starring: (voices) Jeff Bergman, Grey DeLisle, Greg Ellis, Jess Harnell, Phil LaMarr, Malcolm McDowell, John Rhys-Davies, Kath Soucie, and Michael York

Tom, a house cat, and Jerry, the brown house mouse he chases, have been cartoon stars for 70 years. In addition to appearing in over a hundred cartoon shorts and numerous television shows, Tom and Jerry have also starred in a series of straight-to-video movies, beginning with Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring in 2001. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes is the sixth in the series, and like the others, is a traditional, hand-drawn (or 2D) animated film. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes finds Tom as the assistant or companion to a beautiful dancer and Jerry as an assistant to literature’s most famous detective.

In London, a trio of bat-winged cats is stealing the city’s most precious and famous jewels. Sherlock Holmes (Michael York) and Dr. Watson (John Rhys-Davies) are on the case, with a little help from Holmes’ mouse, Jerry. Meanwhile, a beautiful club singer named Red (Grey DeLisle) and her cat, Tom, seek Holmes’ help. Red believes that she will be framed for the jewel thefts, and she needs the famous detective to prove that she is innocent. How is Red involved? Is Professor Moriarty (Malcolm McDowell), Holmes’ nemesis, involved, and if he is, how? Classic MGM cartoon characters Droopy, Butch, and Spike and his son, Tyke, join the fun.

Once again, Warner Bros. Animation delivers a high-quality, straight-to-video movie, and frankly, I was shocked by how much I liked Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes. The character animation is good, and the characters move pretty well, well enough to make the action scenes, some of which are high-flying or fast-moving, look good. The character designs are also surprisingly good, and the drawing style is reminiscent of late 1980s and early 1990s Disney television animation like Duck Tales.

Here, the people who worked on this movie certainly acted as if they were working on something just as important as a big budget, theatrical animated feature. The background art: the exteriors of building, cityscapes, a graveyard, the countryside and the interiors of houses, a church, and various businesses are not only good-looking, but also convincingly visualize this movie’s idealized Victorian era, London setting.

The most important thing, however, is whether Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes is any good, and I’m happy to say that it is indeed good in terms of quality and fun to watch. The story deftly combines Tom and Jerry’s usual antics of beating the crap out of each other with a cartoon, mystery caper full of chases and narrow escapes. These aren’t the best versions of Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty, but they will do. The appearance of classic MGM cartoon characters looking fresh, new, and lively is a bonus. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes will please both old Tom and Jerry fans and young viewers who enjoy animated films.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, October 04, 2010

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