Review: First "CHICKEN RUN" Runs Wild at the End

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 54 of 2023 (No. 1943) by Leroy Douresseaux

Chicken Run (2000)

Running time:  84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)

MPAA – G

DIRECTORS:  Peter Lord and Nick Park

WRITERS:  Karey Kirkpatrick; from a story by Peter Lord and Nick Park

PRODUCERS:  Peter Lord, Nick Park, and David Sproxton

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dave Alex Riddett (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Mark Solomon

COMPOSERS:  Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell

BAFTA nominee

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring:  (voices):  Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Tony Haygarth, Jane Horrocks, Miranda Richardson, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, and Benjamin Whitrow

Chicken Run is a 2000 stop-motion animated fantasy and comedy film directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park.  It is a British, French, and U.S. co-production produced by Pathe and Aardman Animations in partnership with DreamWorks Animation.  Chicken Run was Aardman's first feature-length animated film and, as of this writing, remains the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film in worldwide box office history.  Chicken Run is set at a British chicken farm where the chickens hope that an American chicken can help them escape the farm's vicious owners.

Chicken Run opens in post World War II England, specifically at an egg farm that is run like a prisoner-of-war camp.  The farm is owned and operated by the cruel Mrs. Malisha Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) and her submissive husband, Mr. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth), who eat and kill any chicken that is no longer able to lay eggs.  Inside the chicken yard, a rebellious chicken, Ginger (Julia Sawalha), is constantly engaged in escape attempts.  Her goal is to help all her fellow chickens escape the farm and find a new home in the land that lies behind a hill some distance from the Tweedy's farm. 

One night, Ginger witnesses a rooster glide over the coop's fences.  She learns that he is an American rooster, Rocky Rhodes (Mel Gibson), a.k.a. “Rocky the Flying Rooster” a.k.a. “Rocky the Rhode Island Red.”  Believing that Rocky can fly, Ginger begs him to help teach her and the other chickens how to fly so that they can escape the farm.  Rocky is not quite what he seems, however, and time is running out as Mrs. Tweedy has devised a new way to get more money out of the farm's large population of chickens.

I have been putting off seeing Chicken run for 23 years.  Then, I discovered that a sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, was set to debut on Netflix December 15, 2023, so I decided to finally watch it.  I am a fan of the later feature-length animated films that Aardman Animations produced in partnership with DreamWorks Animation, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and Flushed Away (2006).  I have also enjoyed a few of Aardman's animated short films, including A Grand Day Out with Wallace & Gromit (1989) and Wallace & Gromit in the Wrong Trousers (1993).

In the end, I like Chicken Run, not as much as I like other Aardman works I've seen.  Chicken Run takes some inspiration from director John Sturges 1963 war and adventure film, The Great Escape.  Chicken Run is also described as an adventure film, but it is really a sedate comedy and drama that only occasionally plays with its edgier elements.  Honestly, I think the storytellers under-utilize the Tweedys who are delightfully menacing and are endlessly funny as a dysfunctional couple.  The film is filled with interesting characters, inventive production design, and a novel plot, but the filmmakers seem to keep holding back the narrative's energy for the big ending – more than they need to as far as I'm concerned.

Chicken Run does not really live up to its comic and adventure potential until the last 20 minutes of the story before the end credits start.  The film suddenly seems to wind up and then explode in a final act of flying contraptions, determined poultry, and maniacal farmers.  In fact, the finale is the first time in the film that Mel Gibson's Rocky does not seem like an extraneous character.  I will try to see the sequel on Netflix, but for the time being, finally seeing Chicken Run seems to be the only run I really need to make at the story.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, December 16, 2023

NOTES:

2001 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (Peter Lord, David Sproxton, and Nick Park) and “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Paddy Eason, Mark Nelmes, and Dave Alex Riddett)

2001 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical”

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

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Review: Steven Spielberg's "EMPIRE OF THE SUN"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2023 (No. 1916) by Leroy Douresseaux

Empire of the Sun (1987)

Running time:  153 minutes (2 hours, 33 minutes)

MPAA – PG

DIRECTOR:  Steven Spielberg

WRITER:  Tom Stoppard (based on the novel by J.G. Ballard)

PRODUCERS:  Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Allen Daviau (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Michael Kahn

COMPOSER:  John Williams

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring:  Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano, Leslie Phillips, Masato Ibu, Emily Richard, Rupert Frazer, Peter Gale, Takataro Kataoka, and Ben Stiller

Empire of the Sun is a 1987 wartime drama and historical film directed by Steven Spielberg.  The film is based on the 1984 semi-autobiographical novel, Empire of the Sun, from author J.G. Ballard (1930-2009).  Empire of the Sun the film focuses on a young English boy who is separated from his parents and then, struggles to survive the Japanese occupation of China during World War II

Empire of the Sun opens in 1941 in the “International Settlement,” an enclave of British and American citizens in Shanghai, China.  James “Jamie” Graham is the only child of an British upper middle class couple, John Graham (Rupert Frazer) and Mary Graham (Emily Richard).  Jamie enjoys a privileged life in the International Settlement, but he keeps an eye on the activities of the Japanese who have encroached on Shanghai.  After their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese begin their occupation of the settlement.  During the family's bid to escape, Jamie is separated from his parents.

Eventually, Jamie is taken prisoner and moved into an internment camp.  He survives by befriending the American expatriate and hustler, Basie (John Malkovich), and also the kindly Englishman, Dr. Rawlins (Nigel Havers).  Now, called “Jim” by everyone, he establishes a successful trading network that keeps him with food and necessities.  As World War II drags on, however, Jim realizes that he no longer remembers what his parents look like.

Last year, I began watching and, in some cases, re-watching early Steven Spielberg films, such as Duel, Jaws, and 1941, in anticipation of Spielberg's autobiographical film, The Fabelmans, which was released in 2022.  The film has long since completed its theatrical run, but there remained Spielberg films I wanted to see.  I had been putting off watching Empire of the Sun for 36 years, and my best resource to see it, DVDNetflix, is closing soon.  So why not see Empire of the Sun now?

What can I say?  Empire of the Sun is not one of Spielberg's better films.  It does not really have a narrative center, and the plot is unfixed.  The film plays like a series of anecdotes – many, many, many anecdotes – played over a film that runs nearly two and a half hours long.  Some of the scenes have great emotional impact, such as Jim's reunion with his parents and even that last shot of the suitcase in the water.  Still, overall, the film lacks dramatic heft and emotion.  It's too cold and is disjointed.  Instead of feeling like a narrative that flows from beginning to end, Empire of the Sun feels like individual pages from a children's picture book.

If Empire of the Sun is a coming-of-age story and a boys' adventure tale, then, the film needs a great boy.  That is what actor Christian Bale is for this film.  All of 13-years-old when filming began, Bale carries Empire of the Sun with the tenacity and acting chops of an actor more than twice his age.  Bale embodies the emotional depth and dramatic depth that this film lacks as a whole.  None of the other actors' performances approach his, not because they are bad, but because neither Spielberg nor Tom Stoppard's script gives them the space and material.

Spielberg makes this film seem as if its true purpose is to be about a boy and his wartime adventures.  Thus, none of the Japanese elements really feel as if they have the force of an empire behind them.  Still, the focus on Jim Graham works because Christian Bale is the child emperor of Empire of the Sun.

6 of 10

B

★★★ out of 4 stars

Sunday, June 25, 2023

NOTES:

1988 Academy Awards, USA:  6 nominations:  “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Norman Reynolds and Harry Cordwell), “Best Costume Design” (Bob Ringwood), “Best Sound” (Robert Knudson, Don Digirolamo, John Boyd, and Tony Dawe), “Best Film Editing” (Michael Kahn), and “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams)

1989 BAFTA Awards:  3 wins: “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Score” (John Williams), and “Best Sound” (Charles L. Campbell, Louis L. Edemann, Robert Knudson, and Tony Dawe); 3 nominations:  “Best Screenplay-Adapted” (Tom Stoppard), “Best Costume Design” (Bob Ringwood), and “Best Production Design” (Norman Reynolds)

1988 Golden Globes, USA  2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Original Score-Motion Picture” (John Williams)

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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 17th to 23rd, 2019 - Update #26

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The opening weekend box office estimate for Jordan Peele's new horror flick, "Us," which is coming at $68 million+, would be a record opening for an original horror film concept.

From Patreon:  A review of "Us" by yours truly (Leroy Douresseaux, boo!).

From TheNewYorker:  Richard Brody reviews "Us."

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POLITICS - From CNN:  John Hickenlooper is the former governor of Colorado who is currently running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president.  During a town hall on CNN, he recounted he took his mother to a movie theater to see an "X-rated" movie.  The movie was "Deep Throat."

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COMICS-FILM - From Newsarama:  Director Todd Phillips shares a new image of Joaquin Phoenix from their "Joker" film, which is due October 4, 2019.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  The 2019-2020 season of The CW's long running sci-fi-fantasy-horror series, "Supernatural," will be its final season, according to an announcement made by three of its stars, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins.  "Supernatural" is The CW's longest running series.  It is the longest running sci-fi-type series in American television history.

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TELEVISION - From Collider:  Oscar-winning screenwriter Steve Zallian is working on a TV series based on the "Tom Ripley" novels by the late author, Patricia Highsmith.  The novels have previously made it to the big screen, with the best known being 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooEntertainment:   Zachary Levi, star of Warner Bros.' "Shazam," took to social media to defend Marvel Studio's "Captain Marvel" star, Brie Larson.  The character Shazam was once known as Captain Marvel before some trademark issues.

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SCANDAL-CULTURE - From MarieClaire:  The perils of having a name that is the same or similar to the name of an infamous or famous person.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Writer-director Macon Blair ("Murder Party") has been tapped to write and direct a reboot of Troma's "The Toxic Avenger."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Emily Blunt will star in the feature film, "Not Fade Away," which will be produced by David O. Russell and Blunt's husband, John Krasinki.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Noah Centineo is in talks to play the lead, He-Man, in Sony and Mattel Films "Masters of the Universe" film.

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MOVIES - From Truthout:  Shane Burley examines the new film, "Lord of Chaos," the book upon which it is based, and it cultural context in the tide of white nationalism.

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MOVIES - From GeekTyrant:  Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter announce that "Bill & Ted Face the Music," the long-awaited third installment of the "Bill & Ted" franchise, will be released August 21, 2020.

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MOVIES - From Collider:  The site is reporting that Robert Pattinson is joing John David Washington in Christopher Nolan's secretive July 2020 film.

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DISNEY - From Variety:  At 12:02 a.m. EST, Disney will complete its 71 billion dollar acquisition of  21st Century Fox.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Sources tell "Variety" that actor John David Washington ("BlacKkKlansman") will play the lead in director Christopher Nolan's still secret "event film" due July 17, 2020.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Miranda Richardson is joing HBO's pilot for its "Game of Thrones" prequel.

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STREAMING - From ThePlaylist:  Matthew McConaughey being eyed to appear in director Park Chan-wook's ultra-violent Western "The Brigands of Rattlecreek" for Amazon.

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COMICS-FILM - From ThePlaylist:  DCEU producer Peter Safran talks about James Gunn, "Suicide Squad" reboot, and ending the "silly Marvel/DC rivalry."

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated "The Irishman" will not be ready to be screened at Cannes.

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SCANDAL - From THR:  CEO and Chairman of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Kevin Tsujihara has stepped down, likely because it has been made public that he was favoring his ho.

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BLM - From Truthout:  "We Need a New Declaration of Rights for Black Americans."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 3/15 to 3/17/2019 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel" with an estimated take of 69.3 million dollars.

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MOVIES - From GeekTyrant:  "Transformers"producer Lorenzo Di Boneventura confirms that there will be a "Bumbleee"sequel and a "big Transformers" movies sequel to "The Last Knight."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Actor Aaron Paul, who won multiple Emmy Awards for his role in AMC's TV series, "Breaking Bad" talks a "what if" concerning a sequel to the series.

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STREAMING - From Forbes:  Netflix has gotten the official green light from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), Britain's independent film regulatory agency, to start setting its own age ratings for its films and television series.  This marks the first time the BBFC has granted a company the stamp of approval to determine its own age ratings.

OBITS:

From CNN:  Rock guitarist, Dick Dale, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, March 16, 2019.  Dale is most famous for pioneering the thundering California "surf rock" genre.  His most famous song is "Misirlou" (1963), which Quentin Tarantino played over the opening tracks of his seminal film, "Pulp Fiction."

From Variety:  Influential recording artist and drummer, Hal Blaine, died at the age of 90, Monday, March 11, 2019.  Blaine was a member of the legendary studio musician group, the "Wrecking Crew."  He is considered a trend setter for rock 'n' roll drumming.

London Film Critics Circle Names "Boyhood" the 2014 "Film of the Year"

The London Film Critics’ Circle is part of a larger organization, The Critics’ Circle, which makes an annual award for Services to the Arts.  This circle is comprised of the five sections:  dance, drama, film, music, and visual arts.

The Critics’ Circle Film Section held its 35th annual awards ceremony on January 19, 2015 at the May Fair Hotel.  The 35th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards featured sponsorship by The May Fair,  Audi, Hardy's, Albion Racing Club, Viru, Voss and Cameo Productions.

2015 / 35th London Critics' Circle Film Award Winners:

FILM OF THE YEAR
Boyhood (Universal)

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Leviathan (Curzon Artificial Eye)

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Under the Skin (StudioCanal)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Citizenfour (Curzon Artificial Eye)

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Keaton - Birdman (Fox)

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Julianne Moore - Still Alice (Curzon Artificial Eye)

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
JK Simmons - Whiplash (Sony)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood (Universal)

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Timothy Spall - Mr Turner (eOne)

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl (Fox) & What We Did on Our Holiday (Lionsgate)

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Alex Lawther - The Imitation Game (StudioCanal)

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Richard Linklater - Boyhood (Universal)

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel  (Fox)

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILMMAKER
Yann Demange - '71 (StudioCanal)

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Under the Skin - Mica Levi, score (StudioCanal)

DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Miranda Richardson

TOP 10 FILMS of 2014
1. Boyhood

2. Birdman

3. Under the Skin

4. Whiplash

5. Mr Turner

6. Leviathan

7. The Grand Budapest Hotel

8. Ida

9. Nightcrawler

10. The Theory of Everything

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Helena Bonham Carter Wins "Best Supporting Actress" BAFTA

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

HELENA BONHAM CARTER The King’s Speech WINNER

AMY ADAMS The Fighter

BARBARA HERSHEY Black Swan

LESLEY MANVILLE Another Year

MIRANDA RICHARDSON Made in Dagenham

Review: Emily Blunt Powers Tasty "Young Victoria"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Young Victoria (2009)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK/USA
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild sensuality, a scene of violence, and brief incidental language and smoking
DIRECTOR: Jean-Marc Vallée
WRITER: Julian Fellowes
PRODUCER: Sarah Ferguson, Tim Headington, Graham King, and Martin Scorsese
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hagen Bogdanski (director of photography)
EDITOR: Jill Bilcock and Matt Garner
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/HISTORICAL/ROMANCE

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Thomas Kretschmann, Mark Strong, Jesper Christensen, Harriet Walter, Jeanette Hain, Julian Glover, Michael Maloney, and Michiel Huisman

Some period dramas are classy affairs. They are pretty to look at because of the lush production values, from sumptuous costumes to lavish sets. They can also be quite boring. Then, there are period dramas like the Oscar-winning Dangerous Liaisons and Shakespeare in Love, which are beautiful and lavish productions. They are also highly entertaining. Seeing them is to understand why some critics and reviewers sometimes describe movies as “delicious.”

The Young Victoria is one of those tasty period dramas. This film boasts an impressive list of producers, including Martin Scorsese, Graham King, and Sarah, Duchess of York (among others). It is a romantic dramatization and partly fictional account of the events preceding and following the coronation of Queen Victoria.

The 18-year old British royal, Victoria (Emily Blunt), is destined to ascend to the throne because her three uncles, the sons of King George III, do not have any surviving legitimate children. As her uncle, King William IV (Jim Broadbent), nears death, people plot to control Victoria. Victoria’s mother, Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson), and her private secretary, Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong), bully Victoria to allow them to form a regency government, which would put them in control, but she resists.

Meanwhile, her uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium (Thomas Kretschmann), plots to influence the future queen by marrying her to one of his nephews, Prince Albert (Rupert Friend), who is also Victoria’s cousin. Albert is willing to court Victoria solely for political motives, but he soon finds himself falling for her. However, Victoria is determined to rule as her own woman, but a constitutional crisis forces her to reconsider her feelings for Albert.

When Emily Blunt delivered her acclaimed performance as “Emily Charlton,” the snide assistant to Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, many thought she was a star in the making. Blunt, certainly a fine actress, delivers on that promise in The Young Victoria, and she depicts all sides of the young Queen with aplomb and skill. Blunt’s performance is rich, and she gives Victoria such depth, presenting the young royal as playful, petulantly, brave, grim, and even romantic as Victoria finds her heart ensnared by Prince Albert.

Director Jean-Marc Vallée relies on Blunt because it is her performance that sells the political intrigue. Although the romance between Victoria and Albert is nice, The Young Victoria is really about palace intrigue, political machinations, and the lust for power. Vallée deftly uses all the scheming offered by Julian Fellowes’ screenplay to transform what could have been a staid period drama into a rollicking costume drama. Laugh at the scandal; gasp at the political scheming, and cry at the romance and reconciliation.

Marked by good performances throughout – especially Paul Bettany as Lord Melbourne and Miranda Richardson as Duchess of Kent, The Young Victoria relies less on subtlety and more on power – the power of the darker side of human nature – lust and wanting after power and control. The Young Victoria reveals that royalty is just like rabble. Both will stab you in the back; the royals are just better dressed. Yes, being bad looks so good on film.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2010 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Sandy Powell); 2 wins: “Best Achievement in Art Direction” (Patrice Vermette-art director and Maggie Gray-set decorator) and “Best Achievement in Makeup” (John Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore)

2010 BAFTA Awards: 2 win: “Best Costume Design” (Sandy Powell) and “Best Make Up & Hair” (Jenny Shircore)

2010 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Emily Blunt)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

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