Review: "DOCTOR STRANGE" Sequel is Pure Sam Raimi Goodness

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 of 2022 (No. 1840) by Leroy Douresseaux

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Running time:  126 minutes (2 hours, six minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language
DIRECTOR:  Sam Raimi
WRITER:  Michael Waldron (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Mathieson
EDITORS:  Bob Murawski and Tia Nolan
COMPOSER:  Danny Elfman

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/HORROR/ACTION

Starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez; Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Julian Hilliard, Jett Klyne, Sheila Atim; Ako Mitchll, John Krasinski, Anson Mount, Hayley Atwell, Lashana Lynch, Charlize Theron, and Patrick Stewart

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a 2022 superhero, action, and horror-fantasy film directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Marvel Studios.  It is the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is also a sequel to the 2016 superhero movie, Doctor Strange.  Both films focus on the Marvel Comics character, Doctor Strange, who first appeared in the comic book, Strange Tales #10 (cover dated: July 1963), and who was created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.  In the new film, Doctor Strange battles to protect the Multiverse and a young woman who can travel through it.

As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is plagued by dreams in which he finds himself involved with a mysterious young woman.  But life goes on.  Wong (Benedict Wong), Strange's friend and mentor, is now Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.  Also, Stephen's former lover, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), is getting married, and he is attending the wedding.

During the wedding, an octopus demon wreaks havoc in the neighborhood, and Stephen meets the young woman again.  Her name is America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and she can travel through the Multiverse by punching doorways through dimensions.  Demonic forces are tracking her, and Strange believes that only the Book of Vishanti can stop these demons.  Dr. Strange turns to an expert for help, the former Avenger, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).  However, the mastermind behind the attacks on America is quite powerful, and the identity of this attacker is quite surprising.

And things only get worse.  Dr. Strange must face his old adversary, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) … something called “the Illuminati” … and multiple versions of himself.

I have come across complaints that Marvel Studios' films are formulaic and complaints that the studios' films are not “director-driven” (whatever that means).  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not like other Marvel films, and at least to me, it seems “director-driven.”

The director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Sam Raimi, who is best known for directing Sony/Columbia Picture's first trilogy of Spider-Man films (2002-07).  Before then, Raimi's best known work was the “Evil Dead” trilogy, comprised of Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1993).  And Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems like a superhero film built on the aesthetic or, at least, the sensibilities of the “Evil Dead” trilogy.  In fact, this Doctor Strange film is like an Evil Dead movie with the budget of a … well, Marvel Studios movie.  Even more than his Spider-Man films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the truest Sam Raimi superhero movie to date.

I don't want to spoil much more than I already have, but I can say that the VFX in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not only superb, but also inventive and imaginative.  Of course, the productions values are quite good; once again, I must say that everything looks like it would in a Raimi Evil Dead movie with mega-event, tent-pole film's budget.  Also, Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen give superb performances, especially Olsen.

In spite of what Marvel Studios and Disney may say, however, I am not sure what the impact of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actually is.  I really like this movie because it really IS a Sam Raimi movie, and I love his movies.  But, is this Doctor Strange film as consequential to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Spider-Man: No Way Home seems to be...?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems most important because of what it promises – new tomorrows, new worlds, new heroes, new movies … and hopefully more Sam Raimi Marvel movies.  I am thankful that Marvel Studios allowed him to make this movie.  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is better than the original film, and it is Marvel's weirdest movie to date – a thrill ride of delightful and inspired wackiness.  Plus, it gives some of us what we hoped that the original would – a true dark fantasy/horror Doctor Strange movie.

[Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has one mid-credit scene and one end-credit scene.]

8 of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, May 6, 2022


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

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Review: "Spotlight" Deserved All the Praise it Received and More

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Spotlight (2015)
Running time:  128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language including sexual references
DIRECTOR:  Tom McCarthy
WRITERS:  Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy
PRODUCERS:  Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, and Michael Sugar
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Masanobu Takayanagi
EDITOR:  Tom McArdle
COMPOSER:  Howard Shore
Academy Award winner including “Best Picture”

DRAMA with elements of a biopic

Starring:  Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian d'Arcy James, Stanley Tucci, and Billy Crudup

Spotlight is a 2015 drama from director and co-writer Tom McCarthy (The Visitor).  Part biographical, Spotlight is based on a true story and is a dramatic retelling of The Boston Globe's efforts to uncover child sex accuse in the Boston area that was perpetrated by Roman Catholic priests.  At the 88th Academy Awards (Sunday, February 28, 2016), Spotlight won the Oscar as the “Best Picture of 2015.”

Spotlight focuses on the editors, reporters, and employees at the venerable newspaper, The Boston Globe, which has a small group of journalists known as the “Spotlight” team.  Spotlight is the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative unit in the United States.  The Spotlight team works on investigative newspaper articles that take months to research and write before they are published.

In 2001, The Boston Globe hires a new editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber).  Baron meets with Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), the editor of the Spotlight team. Baron had read a Globe column about a lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), who works with adults who were victims of childhood sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests and also the parents and their children who are currently being abused.  Garabedian says that the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law (Len Cariou), knew that the priest, Father John Geoghan, sexually abused children and did nothing to stop the abuse.

Robinson gathers his Spotlight team:  Michael Rezendes (Mike Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) and begins the investigation.  However, they discover a scandal of child molestation and  a cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese that is massive, widespread, and older than they could ever imagine.  In order to uncover this conspiracy, the Globe and Spotlight will have to shake the cultural, political, social and spiritual foundations of a city and a church that is determined to keep its darkest secrets hidden.

Spotlight is one of the best films that I have seen over the first 16 years of this 21st century.  I do remember early in my “career” as a “serious” movie watcher reading the writings of people who took American films seriously, and they often talked about “important movies.”  Such films focused on topical or historical matters of importance to America; or were based on true stories that once resonated with Americans or still did to some extent; or they were about racism, bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination based on skin color, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ethnicity, etc.; or they were about terrible events in history, such as wars or genocide (in particularly, the Holocaust).

Then, there seemed (to me at least) to be a backlash against “serious movies.”  Audiences supposedly hated movies with messages or movies in which the filmmakers used the characters as mouthpieces for their believes and agendas.  To me, the result was fewer films like Silkwood, The Killing Fields, and Platoon and more escapist fare like Back to the Future, Armageddon, and Pirates of the Caribbean and like films which have dominated movie theaters for the better part of four decades.

Well, the important movie is back and the result is Spotlight, a film that not only concerns something of great importance, but is also greatly entertaining.  By now, dear reader, you have heard that Spotlight is supremely directed, excellently written, superbly acted, and just an all-around great freakin' film, and that is all true.  I could not stop watching Spotlight.  I think director Tom McCarthy's biggest achievement in this film is to give this story a hypnotic power that holds the viewer in vice-like grip until the credits role and the end of the film.

However, I think Spotlight's true power and achievement are in its indictment of us.  How does great evil “get away with it” in the end?  The fault is not only on the institution which commits and covers up crime, in this case the Roman Catholic Church in general and the Archdiocese of Boston specifically.  The fault is also with basically an entire society, in this case Boston, as the social, political, and economic order down even to the personal level either looks the other way or mitigates the fact that horrible crimes are being committed against that society's most vulnerable members, the children.

It seems that much, if not all, of Boston found a way to avoid punishing, to say nothing of stopping, a group of men (priests and bishops) who basically had the faith, respect, and worship of everyone from raping and sexually abusing children.  The Spotlight is not on why it happened, but is (1) on the people who let it happen, let it keep happening, and let it go unpunished and (2) on the people who decide that it is time to stop the abuse, the abusers, and their apologists and sympathizers.

10 of 10

Tuesday, December 6, 2016


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


NOTES:
2016 Academy Awards, USA:  2 wins:  “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, and Blye Pagon Faust) and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy); 4 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Mark Ruffalo), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Rachel McAdams), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Tom McCarthy), and “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Tom McArdle)

2016 Golden Globes, USA:  3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Tom McCarthy), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer)

2016 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Original Screenplay” (Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer); 2 nominations: “Best Supporting Actor” (Mark Ruffalo) and “Best Film” (Steve Golin, Blye Pagon Faust, Nicole Rocklin, and Michael Sugar)

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Shooting Begins on "Game Night" with Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams

It’s Game On as Shooting Begins on New Line Cinema’s “Game Night”

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on New Line Cinema’s action comedy “Game Night,” starring Jason Bateman (the “Horrible Bosses” films, TV’s “Arrested Development”) and Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams (“Spotlight,” “Dr. Strange”). Filming began on location in Atlanta, Georgia, under the direction of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, marking their second film as co-directors following “Vacation.”

Joining Bateman and McAdams in the cast are Billy Magnussen (“Bridge of Spies,” TV’s “American Crime Story”), Sharon Horgan (Amazon’s “Catastrophe”), Lamorne Morris (TV’s “New Girl”), Jesse Plemons (“Black Mass,” TV’s “Fargo”), Kylie Bunbury (TV’s “Pitch,” “Under the Dome”), Michael Cyril Creighton (“Spotlight”) and Kyle Chandler (“Manchester by the Sea,” TV’s “Bloodline”).

Bateman and McAdams star as Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max’s charismatic brother, Brooks (Chandler), arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it’s all part of the game…right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this “game”—nor Brooks—are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. With no rules, no points, and no idea who all the players are, this could turn out to be the most fun they’ve ever had…or game over.

Goldstein and Daley are directing the film from an original screenplay by Mark Perez (“Accepted”). John Davis (“Joy”) and Jason Bateman are producing, with Marc S. Fischer, John Fox and James Garavente serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Barry Peterson (“Central Intelligence,” “We’re the Millers”), Oscar-nominated production designer Michael Corenblith (“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Apollo 13”), editors Jamie Gross (“Vacation”) and David Egan, and costume designer Debra McGuire (“Vacation,” “Ted”).

“Game Night” is a New Line Cinema presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

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Review: "Doctor Strange" Shows Potential for Future Strange Movies

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Doctor Strange (2016)
Running time:  115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence
DIRECTOR:  Scott Derrickson
WRITERS:  Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill (based on the comic books created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ben David (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Sabrina Plisco and Wyatt Smith
COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino
Academy Award nominee

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, and Stan Lee

Doctor Strange is a 2016 superhero and fantasy film directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Marvel Studios.  The film focuses on the Marvel Comics character, Doctor Strange, who first appeared in Strange Tales #10 (cover dated: July 1963) and who was created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.  Doctor Strange the movie focuses on a former neurosurgeon whose journey of healing takes him into the fantastic world of the magic and mysticism.

Doctor Strange introduces Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), an acclaimed neurosurgeon and scientist and also an arrogant and conceited  person.  After being in a terrible car accident, Strange discovers that his hands are damaged and rendered useless in performing the delicate surgical procedures for which he is celebrated.  He obsessively searches for a surgery that will make his hands like they were before, but when he cannot, he turns bitter, even rejecting his co-worker and former lover, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).

Strange learns of a place called “Kamar-Taj” in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he can be cured.  What he discovers is The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and sorcerers like Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor).  They introduce him to other dimensions, to the astral plane, and to the mystic arts, but there is a darker side to this that Strange will be forced to confront.

The cast of Doctor Strange includes three actors with at least one Academy Award nomination and also one winner (Tilda Swinton).  Oscar-nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor appeared in the Oscar-winning “Best Picture,” 12 Years a Slave, and Oscar-nominated Rachel McAdams appeared in this previous year's “Best Picture” Oscar-winnner, Spotlight.  Mads Mikkelsen (who plays this film's villain, Kaecilius) has appeared in at least two films that were nominated for foreign-language film Academy Awards.

Doctor Strange needs that acting pedigree because its screenplay is soft and a little weak.  Cumberbatch and company go beyond merely making the best of the screenplay.  They create character drama, conflict, and tension where it is weak or where there is none in the story.  But we know what people are wondering about... the superhero action.

The filmmakers could have taken the material from Marvel Comics Doctor Strange comic books and made something crazy, and they did not play it safe and did indeed make something crazy.  Doctor Strange takes the visual effects of Christopher Nolan's 2010 film, Inception, with its shifting buildings and hallways and turns it into something far more nutty.

Every inch of floor, wall, street, bridge, building, structure – everything, y'all, is flipped, shifted, twisted, melted, divided, and sometimes broken.  The world of Doctor Strange is like Rubik's cube undergoing an earthquake; Salvador Dali on purple drank, and ice cream cone turned into ice cream dots.  Well, you have to see it for yourself, and you should see Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange is Marvel's weirdest movie; it is the outsider making not only its own corner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also its own shifting realities.  Director Scott Derrickson is known for making low-budget horror films like Insidious.  He proves that he can play in the bigger sandbox that is Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures.  Doctor Strange is not perfect, but it tries to be as “out there” as a Marvel movie can be and still be part of a universe that includes the Avengers, Iron Man, and Captain America movies.  There is so much going on in Doctor Strange that I need to see it again.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, November 6, 2016

NOTES:
2017 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nominations: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, and Paul Corbould)

2017 BAFTA Awards:  3 nominations: “Best Production Design” (John Bush and Charles Wood), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Jeremy Woodhead), and “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Richard Bluff, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, and Jonathan Fawkner)


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 7th, 2017 - Update #37

Support Leroy on Patreon.

ECO - From YahooNews:  A zombie apocalypse would wipe out humanity in 100 days.

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Comedy duo, Key and Peele, bring back one of their most popular routines, the "Obama anger translator," for one last hurrah.

----------
LGBT - From Variety:  Sony Pictures Classics buys hot gay love story, "Call Me by Your Name," before it makes its Sundance 2017 debut.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  After battling a mysterious illness, Val Kilmer makes his first red carpet appearance in over a year.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Laurie are joining Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's "Holmes and Watson."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Keegan-Michael Key joins the cast of "The Predator" (the reboot of the Predator film franchise).  The film is due February 2018.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Kirsten Dunst will star and executive produce with George Clooney a dark comedy for AMC, entitled "On Becoming a God in Central Florida."

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OBIT - From Variety:  The actress Francine York has died at the age of 80, Friday, January 6, 2017.  She has more than 150 film and TV credits.  That includes an appearance in the cult film, "The Doll Squad" and playing Lydia Limpet, the hench-woman of the Bookworm on the 1960s "Batman" TV series.

From Variety:  Veteran Indian actor, Om Puri, has died at the age of 66, Friday, January 6, 2017.  You might recognize a younger him in the Oscar-winning "Gandhi."

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POLITICS - From NYDailyNews:  Ann Coulter hits rock bottom, but at least we learn that she is a Nazi-Bitch.

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CELEBRITY-STAR WARS - From YahooCelebrity:  "People" offers details into the memorial for Carrie Fisher held, Thursday, January 5, 2016.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  In "Thor: Ragnarok," Thor and Hulk will fight in the gladiator ring.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Sterling K. Brown, who had a star-making turn in FX's "The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," has joined the cast of Marvel Studios' "Black Panther."

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The team behind the TV series, "Jane the Virgin," is working on a reboot of "Charmed," The WB TV series that ran from 1998 to 2006.

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CELEBRITY - From People:  Jessica Biel and husband Justin Timberlake's antics at a recent Los Angeles Lakers game cause a stir.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Writers Guild of America has announced its WGA nominees for 2016.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Rachel McAdams and Jason Batemon are teaming for the comedy, "Game Night."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Sylvester Stallone and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens") are teaming for the film project, "Tough as They Come."

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OBIT - From Variety:  George Kosana has died at the age of 81, Monday, January 2, 2017.  Kosana's most famous role was as "Sheriff McClelland" in "Night of the Living Dead."  He was also one of 10 investors originally involved in the film.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Although Angelina Jolie has agreed to Brad Pitt's request to keep divorce documents concerning child custody sealed, she says that he is terrified that the truth will come out.  What truth, girl?

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CELEBRITY - From YahooNews:  There was apparently a fight at the funeral of comedian Ricky Harris on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.  Comedian/actress Sherri Shepherd filmed the bout.  Harris, known for his recurring role on "Everybody Hates Chris," died Monday, December 26, 2016.

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CELEBRITY - From CNN:  50-year-old Janet Jackson has given birth to a baby boy.

----------
LGBT - From YahooNews:  Anti-gay bigot, Kim Burrell, will not appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" as scheduled.

----------
NEWS - From YahooNews:  FOX News hosts Megyn Kelly is moving to NBC.

From YahooNews:  Is Kelly's departure a catastrophe for Fox?

----------
STAR WARS - From YahooNews:  Actress Joely Fisher, sister of Carrie Fisher, says "We lost our hero."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Rogue One" won the three-day New Year's weekend box office, 12/30/2016 to 1/1/2017, with an estimated take of $49.5 million.  Over the four-day New Year's holiday weekend, which includes Monday, 1/2/2017, "Rogue One" took in $64.3 million.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  Leslie Jones, of "Saturday Night Live" and the recent "Ghostbusters" reboot, is campaigning to be Ryan Reynolds sidekick in "Deadpool" sequel.

----------
COMICS-ANIMATION - From BleedingCool:  Miles Morales (the "Black" Spider-Man) and Spider-Gwen are featured prominently in merchandising for upcoming Spider-Man Disney XD animated series.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Ben Affleck seems ambivalent about directing his superhero movie, "The Batman," according to some.

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COMICS-FILM - From SlashFilm:  Just two months off his big screen debut, Marvel's Doctor Strange has been confirmed to appear in Marvel Studios' "Thor: Ragnarok."

----------
MOVIES - ThePlaylist:  Ridley Scott worries about the future of cinema. Says that he has been asked several times to direct superhero movies.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Don Cheadle talks about his 10-year quest to bring the life of Miles Davis to the big screen.

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  A photo gallery of film, TV, and media people who died during 2016.

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BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "Rogue One" ($50 million) and "Sing" ($41.4) are topping the New Year's Day holiday weekend so far.

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OBITUARY - From Variety:  The actor William Christopher has died at the age of 84, Saturday, December 31, 2016.  He was best known for playing "Father John Mulcahy" on the long-running TV series, "M*A*S*H."

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DISNEY - From BleedingCool:  Tyrus Wong, an acclaimed Disney artist, has died at the age of 106, Friday, December 30, 2016.  Named a "Disney Legend" in 2001, Wong's paintings were the inspiration for Walt Disney's animated feature film, "Bambi."

TRAILERS AND VIDEOS:

From YouTube: The video for "In My Foreign," the lead single from the "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" soundtrack.

From YouTube:  Just cause I like it, here is another chance to see A.O.A.'s "Afraid of Americans," a remake of a 1990s David Bowie song.

Gotham Awards Names "Spotlight" as the "Best Feature" of 2015

Honoring independent films, the Gotham Awards are the first major awards of the film awards season.  The Gotham Awards are presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), an organization which helps independent filmmakers by connected artists with resources at all stages of film development and distribution.

This year, the 2015 Gotham Awards kicks off the 2015-16 season.  The Gotham Awards ceremony was held on Monday, November 30, 2015 at Cipriani Wall Street.

The 2015 IFP Gotham Independent Film Award winners:

Best Feature
Spotlight
Tom McCarthy, director; Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Blye Pagan Faust, producers (Open Road Films)

Best Documentary
The Look of Silence
Joshua Oppenheimer, director; Signe Byrge Sørensen, producer (Drafthouse Films)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Jonas Carpignano for Mediterranea (Sundance Selects)

Best Screenplay
Spotlight, Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Open Road Films)

Best Actor*
Paul Dano in Love & Mercy (Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and River Road Entertainment)

Best Actress*
Bel Powley in The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Sony Pictures Classics)

Breakthrough Actor
Mya Taylor in Tangerine (Magnolia Pictures)


* The 2015 Best Actor/Best Actress nominating panel also voted to award a special “Gotham Jury Award” jointly to Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, and Brian d’Arcy James for their ensemble work in Spotlight. (Open Road Films).

Spotlight on Women Directors ‘Live the Dream’ Grant
For the sixth consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Directors ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs or IFP’s Screen Forward Lab. In 2015, Screen Forward Lab directors have been included in this opportunity for the first time. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film or episodic series. The nominees are:

Chanelle Aponte Pearson, director, 195 Lewis - WINNER


Gotham Independent Film Audience Award
IFP members will determine the 7th Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award with nominees comprised of the 14 nominated films in the Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award categories. All IFP current, active members at the Individual Level and above will be eligible to vote.  Voting will take place online from November 18th at 12:01 AM EST and conclude on November 25th at 5:00 PM EST. In addition, IFP will be scheduling screenings of the nominated films for IFP members in the theater at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Brooklyn. These screenings will take place from November 4-11. The winner of the Audience Award will be announced at the Gotham Awards Ceremony on November 30, 2015.

Tangerine
Sean Baker, director; Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou, Marcus Cox & Karrie Cox, producers (Magnolia Pictures) - WINNER

Gotham Appreciation Award
A Gothams Appreciation Award is given to Ellen Cotter for her contribution to theatrical distribution, including leadership of the Angelika Film Centers.

Breakthrough Series – Longform
:
A continuing or limited series with episodes running 30 minutes or longer.



Mr. Robot, Sam Esmail, creator (USA Network)
 (WINNER)
Breakthrough Series – Shortform:
A continuing or limited-series new digital media programming comprising five or more episodes with the majority under 20 minutes.  



Shugs and Fats, Nadia Manzoor and Radhika Vaz, creators (ShugsandFats.TV) (WINNER)


Gotham Tributes
The Gotham Independent Film Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

The "Film Tribute Awards" went to Steve Golin; Todd Haynes; Helen Mirren; and Robert Redford

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Second Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" Surpasses First in Cash Made

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” Bests Its Predecessor, Nabbing Global Tally of $529 Million and Counting

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” has hit the $529 million benchmark in global box office, with an estimated $186.7 million on the domestic side and $342.3 million internationally, surpassing its predecessor’s worldwide gross of $524.4 million. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The film has drawn large opening crowds and repeat business since its late December debut, continuing its momentum as it rolled out internationally. In the U.S., “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” opened at #1 and spent six weeks in the U.S. top ten. Internationally, it was the #1 film for three straight weeks (January 8 - January 23).

“Our successful box office continues to prove the appeal of Sherlock Holmes, especially in the hands of guy Ritchie and his amazing cast, led by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law,” Fellman said. “The film had outstanding results throughout the holidays and continued to gain traction well into 2012.”

“Rolling out this film internationally has been tremendously exciting, as the film has clearly resonated with audiences around the globe,” Kwan-Rubinek added. “The first ‘Sherlock Holmes’ was such a tremendous success overseas, and to surpass that number in these same markets is truly a remarkable achievement. We congratulate the filmmakers and cast, as well as our international teams, on these excellent results.”

“‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ gave moviegoers another opportunity to experience Guy Ritchie’s fun and inventive take on the legendary detective,” said Sue Kroll, the Studio's President, Worldwide Marketing. “The movie is a great adventure—complete with action, humor and great characters. Congratulations to the filmmakers and cast, who were truly our partners in bringing Sherlock Holmes back to an enthusiastic worldwide audience.”

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective. Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his sinister plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returned to direct “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.” The sequel reunited producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman and Steve Clark-Hall served as executive producers. The film also stars Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly, and Rachel McAdams. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” The film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

http://www.sherlockholmes2.com/

Review: Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" is Magical and One of the Year's Best Films

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 106 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Midnight in Paris (2011)
Running time: 94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – R for some sexual references and smoking
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Woody Allen
PRODUCERS: Letty Aronson, Jaume Roures, and Stephen Tenenbaum
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Darius Khondji with Johanne Debas
EDITOR: Alisa Lepselter

ROMANCE/COMEDY/DRAMA/FANTASY

Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Michael Sheen, Nina Arianda, Carla Bruni, Corey Stoll, Alison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Yves Heck, Kathy Bates, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, Adrien Brody, Sonia Rolland, Adrien de Van, and Léa Seydoux

Midnight in Paris is a 2011 romantic comedy/drama and fantasy film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film focuses on a struggling novelist who has magical experiences in Paris which begin each night at midnight. Midnight in Paris is the first high-quality Woody Allen film since Match Point (2005), and it is his best film since the early to mid 1990s, certainly the best since Bullets Over Broadway (2004).

Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a successful Hollywood screenwriter, but he hates the kind of movies with which he is usually involved. He travels to Paris with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), and her wealthy, conservative parents, John (Kurt Fuller) and Helen (Mimi Kennedy), for a vacation. Gil is struggling to finish his first novel, and he believes a permanent move to Paris would be a good thing. Inez, who wants to live in Malibu, sees this desire as a foolish romantic notion, and this disagreement is but one of many of the couple’s divergent goals.

One night, a drunken Gil wanders the streets of Paris. At the stroke of midnight, an antique car pulls up and the passengers, who are dressed in 1920s clothing, beckon Gil to join them. Gil soon finds himself in a bar enjoying a performance by Josephine Baker (Sonia Rolland), watching Cole Porter (Yves Heck) sing and play the piano, having a meeting of the minds with Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), and chatting up Zelda (Allison Pill) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston). Gil realizes that he has been transported back to Paris of the 1920s, an era he idolizes. He visits the home of Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), where he meets Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo) and Picasso’s mistress, a young woman named Adriana (Marion Cotillard). Gil and Adriana are quickly attracted to each other, but their strange romance also reveals their unhappiness with their current personal situations.

In a broad sense, Midnight in Paris specifically deals with nostalgia as a theme, especially people’s nostalgia for a time that existed before they were born – a golden age. For instance, Gil yearns for the 1920s, which occurred decades before he was born. Allen’s script allows Gil to revel in his ability to go back into the past, which is perhaps the only way for Gil to come to grips both with reality and with his idealization of a time in which he didn’t live. Allen resolves this in a way both sensible and satisfying.

On a personal and character drama level, Midnight in Paris plays with themes of denial and cognitive dissonance. The characters have desires and find ways to sabotage or sully their desires when they find them difficult to obtain or perhaps too costly. Both in his script writing and directing, Allen subtly tells us that only those who are honest with themselves about what they want can be happy.

Beyond that, I have to say that Midnight in Paris is just an utterly magical film. There are fantasy films that only feel like Hollywood action movie product and lack a sense of enchantment. Then, there are others that, when you watch them, you can feel the magic emanating and oozing from the screen. That’s how Midnight in Paris is, and Darius Khondji’s shimmering, golden-hued, ember-infused cinematography is a big reason why Midnight in Paris looks like one big enchanted holiday. This movie moves, sounds, looks, and feels like a romantic film.

I am a big fan of Woody Allen and have been for nearly 30 years. I love his films that take place in the past, like Radio Days (1987), which is set in a period when my parents would have been small children or toddlers. I also like his films that are infused with magic, like Alice (1990). For me, Midnight in Paris is the best of both those worlds. A lot of people may dismiss Allen, but they would have to be honest after seeing this film. Few feel-good movies feel better than Midnight in Paris.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, December 25, 2011

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" a Familiar, But Fun Game

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 105 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
Running time: 129 minutes (2 hours, 9 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
WRITERS: Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney (based on the characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle)
PRODUCERS: Susan Downey, Dan Lin, Joel Silver, and Lionel Wigram
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Philippe Rousselot
EDITOR: James Herbert
COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer

ACTION/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Paul Anderson, Kelly Reilly, Rachel McAdams, Geraldine James, and Eddie Marsan

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 Sherlock Holmes film and action/mystery movie. It is a direct sequel to the 2009 film, Sherlock Holmes, which brought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective back to the big screen as an in-your-face, two-fisted genius. A Game of Shadows finds Holmes taking on his greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty.

A year after the events of the first film, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.), the renowned "consulting detective,” is investigating a seemingly unrelated series of crimes around Europe, including a bombing in London and the murder of prominent physician. Holmes believes the crimes are tied to the criminal mastermind, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris), who is just as smart as Holmes and more ruthless. Meanwhile, Holmes’ trusted ally and physician, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), is set to marry Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly).

It is Watson’s stag (bachelor) party that brings Holmes into contact with Sim (Noomi Rapace), a gypsy fortune teller marked for death by Moriarty. Holmes and Watson follow Sim to Paris where they discover the far-reaching implications of Moriarty’s plot. With his brother, Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry), providing some assistance (from a distance), Holmes tries to stop a possible war. But in Moriarty, Holmes may have met an opponent that even he cannot overcome.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadow offers the same thrills, chills, laughs, and mind games of the first film, except this new movie is more intense than wry. It is darker, has more action, and plays more on the razor’s edge than the first film, which was clever and loose, whereas this film is cunning and taut. You get the idea that the well-being of the world is on the line if Holmes’ slips up, and Moriarty is so damn formidable, Holmes is often outmaneuvered in this story. The best thing director Guy Ritchie gets out of the script is that the action in this story really matters.

Good performances abound. Watching Robert Downey, Jr. play Holmes, I got the feeling that if his brain were not firing on all cylinders, it was close. Downey’s performance was like mixing a high wire act with juggling and being on the receiving end of a knife-throwing act. Jared Harris is superb as Moriarty; I’ve never been more in awe and more afraid of this villain, and I wish Harris’ take on Moriarty had more screen time. Noomi Rapace makes the most of her role as Sim, a character whose screen time exceeds her importance.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows sticks with the winning formula of the first film with some refinement. It delivers glossy, high-caliber entertainment with a clever edge that puts it above the typical Hollywood fast food, movie product. I’m already ready for a third Robert Downey, Jr.-Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Soundtrack Now Available

WaterTower Music to Release Soundtrack for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on December 13

Soundtrack Composed by Oscar®, Grammy & Golden Globe Award-Winning Composer Hans Zimmer

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music has announced the release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with an original score by Oscar®, Grammy and Golden Globe Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Knight, Gladiator and The Lion King) at physical and digital retailers on December 13, 2011.

The creation of this album brought Zimmer—who also scored the blockbuster Sherlock Holmes, for which he received an Oscar® nomination—all the way to Slovakia to capture the traditional sounds of the Roma people and bring an authentic musical accompaniment to the picture.

In addition to receiving the 18 tracks on the album, fans who purchase the soundtrack will also be able to download three free additional tracks from the film, along with a video chronicling Mr. Zimmer’s journey to Slovakia to record the music of the Roma people. “While visiting Roma settlements in Slovakia, I discovered unbelievable musicianship,” said Zimmer. “We heard a few bands, loved their playing and invited them to Vienna, where we went into a tiny recording studio and started making music. I don’t speak Romani, and they can’t speak German or English, but when we sat down and started playing, there was no question about what language we needed to speak,” continued Zimmer.

Hans Zimmer has received nine Academy Award® nominations for his scores for Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Gladiator, The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt, As Good As It Gets, The Preacher’s Wife, Rain Man and The Lion King, winning the Oscar® for the last. His more recent film credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Rango.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows stars Robert Downey Jr., reprising the title role of the world’s most famous detective, and Jude Law as his friend and colleague, Dr. John Watson.

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returned to direct Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, the follow-up to the smash hit Sherlock Holmes. The sequel also reunited producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman and Steve Clark-Hall served as executive producers. The film also stars Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. The film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and some drug material.

http://www.sherlockholmes2.com/

Review: Anna Faris Saves "The Hot Chick" (Happy B'day, Anna Faris)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 8 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hot Chick (2002)
Running time: 104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for appeal for crude and sexual humor, language and drug references
DIRECTOR: Tom Brady
WRITERS: Rob Schneider and Tom Brady
PRODUCERS: Carr D'Angelo and John Schneider
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tim Suhrstedt
EDITOR: Peck Prior
COMPOSER: John Debney

COMEDY/FANTASY/ROMANCE

Starring: Rob Schneider, Anna Faris, Matthew Lawrence, Eric Christian Olsen, Robert Davi, Rachel McAdams, Alexandra Holden, Maritza Murray, Tia Mowry, Tamara Mowry, Fay Hauser, and Jodi Long, Melora Hardin, Michael O’Keefe, and Dick Gregory with Adam Sandler

The Hot Chick is a 2002 American body-switching comedy starring Rob Schneider, Anna Faris, and Rachel McAdams. Adam Sandler served as one of the film’s executive producers and has a small role in the film for which he did not receive screen credit.

The Hot Chick seems to send you a warning from beyond the movie poster – Warning! This is really lowbrow trash! Luckily, movie is very funny, and Rob Schneider has that gift to make you look past the bad story material, the same kind of material upon which his career seems to thrive.

Jessica (Rachel McAdams) is the hot chick, the most beautiful girl in school, but also the cruelest, and she just can’t help herself when it comes to being full of herself. A pair of ancient, mystical earrings (please, don’t question it) causes her to switch bodies with Clive (Rob Schneider). So Clive’s body contains Jessica’s essence and personality, while Jessica’s body belongs to the soul of Clive, a low rent, dumb criminal.

Jessica reveals her new body to her close friend, April (Anna Faris), and, of course, April slowly comes to love Clive. Perhaps, the strangest thing is that so many come to easily accept Jessica’s predicament once it’s revealed to them. I guess it just makes for more characters to be in on the joke, more people to suffer the cruel fate of this movie’s pratfalls.

Schneider and co-writer/director Tom Brady pile the script with so many sight gags and so much gross humor, bodily functions, and sexual innuendo that there’s bound to be quite a few things to laugh at. Relentless, they don’t give the viewer enough time to focus on the holes in the plot. So what? It’s a cheap laugh. How many times do bad movies, especially this kind of cheap comedy, payoff and give make us laugh literally from its beginning to the its very ending?

Besides, I’m really in love with Anna Faris. I’d see this movie again just for her.

5 of 10
C+

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Review: "Wedding Crashers" Marries Raunch and Romance

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 115 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Wedding Crashers (2005)
Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – R for sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: David Dobkin
WRITERS: Steve Faber and Bob Fisher
PRODUCERS: Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy, and Andrew Panay
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Julio Macat
EDITOR: Mark Livolsi

COMEDY with elements of romance

Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher Walken, Bradley Cooper, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, Ron Canada, Jenny Alden, Ellen Albertini Dow, and Will Ferrell with James Carville and John McCain

Flowing with raunchy and rich language, Wedding Crashers is hilarious counter programming in a Summer 2005 movie season filled with superhero, sci-fi, and horror special effects-flick madness. Vince Vaughn, who once upon a time Hollywood seemed to be grooming to play the leading man, has turned out to be a mad comic actor; he alternates his slacker-wiseguy between being sometimes overbearing and sometimes playing the big, old teddy bear, and we get a little of both here. Owen Wilson’s cool, slow burning, man of bliss doesn’t wear thin, even in bad movies, and Wedding Crashers is by no means bad. The reason is simple: Wilson and Vaughn fit together like a classic comedy duo, playing the best insincerity since Bill Murray and Chevy Chase charmed their way through adversaries, hapless partners, and beautiful gals back in the 70’s and 80’s.

John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Klein (Vince Vaughn) are divorce mediators who spend a few weekends out of the year crashing weddings. At these weddings, they’re always on the lookout for Ms. Right, but only to bed her for the night before disappearing back to their straight lives. John convinces Jeremy to take on their biggest crash, the social event of the year, the wedding of the daughter of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, William Cleary (Christopher Walken), where they’ll pretend to be somewhat distant relatives of the family, the Ryan brothers, venture capitalists. There, John falls in love at first sight with Cleary’s already-engaged daughter, Claire (Rachel McAdams). The duo gets roped into spending a weekend at the Cleary family’s palatial waterfront estate, but soon find themselves over their heads. Jeremy has caught the eye of Claire’s loopy, sex-crazed sister, Gloria (Isla Fisher), and Owen has to compete with Claire’s rich, jerk fiancé, Sack (Bradley Cooper), who is determined to discover the “Ryan boys” real identities.

Wedding Crashers is both witty and fearless when it comes to taking on the idea of marriage. It’s not exactly cynical, but it’s far from treating marriage and family with reverence. Still, like Old School did a little more than two years ago, Wedding Crashers goes all mushy in the third act as Jeremy gets serious for the first time about a real and deep relationship and John pouts over true love lost. Wedding Crasher’s turn towards the profound doesn’t ring hollow like Old School’s did. The film seems to suggest in a natural and unforced fashion that the boys can’t keep up the ultra-immature routine for the rest of their lives; they must eventually become mature men. They’re too old to act so adolescent and unripe and so callously towards people for their own gratification – certainly not at an occasion where families come together for an event that (usually) unites two families and promises to enlarge them both and continue their lines into the future.

Besides Wilson and Vaughn, most of the rest of the cast is D.O.A. Bradley Cooper does a good turn as the “villain,” and his character begs the audience to know him more, but he’s ultimately tossed aside for the happy ending. Ron Canada as the butler, Randolph, and Ellen Albertini Dow as the harshly frank Grandma Mary are also shortchanged, which ultimately shortchanges the audience. There is a sorry streak in this film’s script that keeps the other madcap characters muzzled because the film must in due course affirm American family’s values. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is OK for our entertainment and art to tear at our institutions as often as they enforce them.

Not that Wedding Crashers doesn’t remain a bit unhinged even to the end – Will Ferrell’s cameo appearance in the last act allows the film to retain a nice big chunk of its pitiless nature. That makes this flick more than just a guilty pleasure, it is knock down, sidesplitting, riotous, totally freaking funny movie.

7 of 10
B+

Review: "Mean Girls" Gave us Peak Lohan (Happy B'day, Lindsay Lohan)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 62 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mean Girls (2004)
Running time: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual content, language and some teen partying
DIRECTOR: Mark S. Waters
WRITER: Tina Fey (from a book, Queen Bees and Wannabes, by Rosalind Wiseman)
PRODUCERS: Lorne Michaels and Tony Shimkin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Daryn Okada
EDITOR: Wendy Greene Bricmont

COMEDY

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Lacy Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Neil Flynn, Tina Fey, Jonathan Bennett, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, Rajiv Surendra, and Daniel DeSanto

She’s been home-schooled since she was a small child growing up in Africa, but now Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is living in a small town outside Chicago, Illinois. It’s time to attend North Shore High School for her junior year, and Cady is a cultural blank slate totally unaware of the social politics of high school students. Even her time in Africa has not prepared her for how wild and dangerous things can be in high school, and Cady learns this like a cold slap in the face when she meets the “Queen Bee,” the most popular girl in high school, Regina George, (Rachel McAdams).

Regina invites Cady to join her crew, The Plastics:” three girls who rule the top of the social ladder. Cady creates havoc in the group, however, when she literally falls head over heels for Regina’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett). When Regina sabotages the budding relationship by reuniting with Aaron, Cady joins two social outcasts in a quest for revenge. Cady enjoys both being in The Plastics and hanging with the outcasts, but her fence straddling has disastrous consequences.

Although Paramount may try to sell this film as some kind of teen comedy or high school version of Legally Blonde, Mean Girls is the smartest comedy about teenagers and high school cliques since Election. Directed by Mark S. Powers, it’s a dark comedy and blunt satire of status seeking and of how cruel, hypocritical, mean-spirited, vicious, and two-faced people can be to one another. It stings all the more because we actually have to watch people who aren’t legally adults doing with relish to each other what we’d like to believe only exists in the “adult world.”

The performances are utterly on the money; rarely has a young adult ensemble been this good. Lindsay Lohan isn’t yet showing the chops of a top actress, but she has the makings of a movie star; the screen loves her face, and she looks good on the big screen. Although this won’t happen, Rachel McAdams as Regina and Lacy Chabert as Gretchen Weiners give Oscar® caliber performances, especially McAdams who chews the scenery like a natural born screen diva. It’s the kind of over-the-top supporting performance that makes a film and steals the attention from the other stars.

The film drags during a few crucial moments in the story, and the adult characters are superfluous, like grown ups in the comic strip, Peanuts. Still, it’s quite entertaining, although like the aforementioned Election, it may appeal more to an older audience, in particular because the humor is hard-edged and not the silly fluff teens and most 20-somethings prefer in their teen comedies. It’s an odd film, filled with countless hilarious and uproarious moments, but the comedy skirts being sinister. In fact, you can feel that some of the filmmakers were trying to use the film to send a message.

Mean Girls is an interesting movie, and although it winds down to a Hollywood happy ending, that same ending is off-kilter. The film is not perfect, but seeing a major Hollywood film studio throw a curve ball to the audience is worth the price of admission.

7 of 10
B+

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Wes Craven Brings Terror to the Sky in "Red Eye"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 134 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Red Eye (2005)
Running time: 85 minutes (1 hour, 25 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence, and language
DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
WRITER: Carl Ellsworth, from a story by Dan Foos and Carl Ellsworth
PRODUCERS: Chris Bender and Marianne Maddalena
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Yeoman
EDITORS: Patrick Lussier and Stuart Levy

THRILLER

Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays, and Jack Scalia

Wes Craven wants you to know that his new film, Red Eye, is not a horror film. I even saw him on a cable entertainment talk show where he emphatically stated that Red Eye was not a horror flick.

In the film, Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams), who hates to fly, has to take a plane, Fresh Air Flight 1019, from Texas (where she attended her grandmother’s funeral) back to Miami. Upon boarding her plane, Lisa is shocked to find that she’s seated next to Jackson Ripner (Cillian Murphy), a seemingly charming man with whom she earlier shared a drink. Once the plane is in the air, Jackson drops his flirtatious and charming façade and reveals to Lisa why he’s really on board the same plane with her. Jackson needs Lisa to use her pull as the desk manager of the popular Miami hotel, the Lux Atlantic, to move the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Charles Keefe (Jack Scalia), to a room in the Lux where it will be easier to assassinate him (and his family). If Lisa doesn’t cooperate, Jackson’s comrade is waiting in car parked by her father’s home, waiting to kill dear old dad, Joe Reisert (Brian Cox). Trapped at 30,000 feet in air in the confines of the airplane and unable to summon help without endangering her father, Lisa has to figure away to thwart the ruthless Jackson, who never lets her out of his sight for very long.

While not a horror film, Red Eye is just more proof that Wes Craven knows how to give people chills and thrills. Red Eye is a nifty thriller that’s part Hitchcock (the first half) and part slasher film (the second half as Jackson pursues Lisa). The film is especially taut and tense during the plane sequences; those who don’t like flying will especially feel the shivers on the back on their necks and running down their spines. The wonderful camera work by Robert Yeoman (who has photographed all of Wes Anderson’s films) and Craven’s direction ably creates a sense of panic, doom, and claustrophobia. While Red Eye wears its B-movie credentials on its proverbial sleeves, Craven executes a premise into a suspense film that simply works – making a by-the-book plot a highly engaging cat-and-mouse drama – if only the story stayed on the plane.

Earlier in Summer 2005, Steven Spielberg turned sci-fi B-movie tropes into a grisly disaster film of high pedigree with War of the Worlds. Craven falls just short of making his own thriller into a rare breed suspense flick, and he shares the blame with the script. Neither he nor his screenwriter, Carl Ellsworth, do anything novel to keep Red Eye’s last act from becoming a video fare crime thriller. Red Eye is by no means a failure; it just fails at being great although the first half of the movie had the movie on the path to excellence. Ellsworth (who wrote Red Eye’s original story with former college classmate Dan Foos) was reportedly the only screenwriter to work on Red Eye’s script, a rarity in Hollywood, but in this case, perhaps it would have been best if at least one more writer put in his two cents worth.

Red Eye’s lightening pace can’t quite hide the ugly truth that the script turns what is an engaging adversary, Jackson Ripner, into nothing more than just another killer who in the film’s closing act overestimates himself. Cillian Murphy, sure to be a good character actor for some time to come, chews up the scenery as long as Jackson is on the airplane. When Red Eye’s script turns the story from a button-pushing psychological thriller into a killer-on-the-loose cheapie in the second half, Cillian Murphy’s Jackson looses his wicked charm and becomes a tiresome (and not too bright) ordinary home-invading assailant. It doesn’t help that the co-star Rachel McAdams is just another pretty face, and her acting, which has won her a prestigious Genie Award in her native country of Canada, delivers a functional performance here. In Red Eye, she lacks the tasty menace that made her such a sweet adversary for Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. Here, she’s just another spunky white girl running from a bad man with a knife – no better or worse than all the other white chicks who have run from monsters and killers for Craven since he first started making scary movies over three decades ago.

In the end, Red Eye works much more often than not. An edge-of-your-seat thriller with enough wit to make you laugh out loud, it’s a guaranteed winner for people who actually want to go to the theatre to see a movie, and it’ll also be a winning choice for those who are always looking for something good to rent from the video store.

6 of 10
B

Monday, August 22, 2005

Sherlock Holmes Was Fresh for the Twenty-Oh-Nine

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images, and a scene of suggestive material
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
WRITERS: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg; from a screen story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson (based on the characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle)
PRODUCERS: Susan Downey, Dan Lin, Joel Silver, and Lionel Wigram
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Philippe Rousselot
EDITOR: James Herbert
COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer
Academy Award nominee

ACTION/MYSTERY

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Robert Maillet, Geraldine James, Kelly Reilly, William Houston, Hans Matheson, James Fox, and William Hope

At Christmas 2010, the film Sherlock Holmes brought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective back to the big screen. This new film features a Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson that are different from the most famous screen Holmes and Watson, actors Basil Rathbone (as Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (as Watson). Directed by Guy Ritchie, this Christmas 2009 Sherlock Holmes is something of an in-your-face buddy movie that is more event movie entertainment than it is detective film, but what fun it certainly is.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.), the renowned "consulting detective,” has made his reputation finding the truth at the heart of the most complex mysteries. That includes a recent case in which Holmes rescued a kidnapped young woman from the clutches of the murderous occultist, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Without a new case, Holmes is bored and also fretting over the impending marriage of his trusted ally and physician, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly).

Then, a new storm gathers over London, one bringing a threat unlike anything that Holmes has ever confronted. Although hung from the gallows for a string of brutal, ritualistic murders, Lord Blackwood has reportedly returned from the dead. Seemingly connected to dark and powerful forces, Blackwood launches a plot to change the British Empire forever, and his apparent resurrection has sent London into a panic. Somehow, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), a woman from America with whom Holmes has a tempestuous relationship, is also involved in this madness. Holmes may have found just the challenge he has been looking for.

Dynamic would be a good way to describe Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. Everything well-mannered and traditional about Sherlock Holmes has been redone as rowdy and fast-paced. This primordial classical mystery has become the classic, loud, Hollywood blockbuster, event motion picture, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sherlock Holmes satisfies, going down like a Big Mac when you’re especially hungry (and you don’t remember them tasting so good). Writer Lionel Wigram, who received a “screen story” credit for this film, is actually the writer who fashioned this reinvention of Sherlock Holmes. Wigram merely emphasized Holmes’ less social tendencies and his martial arts prowess (both part of the original Holmes stories). Is there a better way to re-imagine a Victorian era character for modern movie audiences than as a smart ass outsider who kicks ass?

Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law make this movie. Of course, Downey plays the venerable sleuth as a master of deduction who sees what is invisible to everyone else. Downey’s Holmes also engages in heart-stopping, bare-knuckle brawls, dodges explosions that would kill most, and leaps from buildings like a mad acrobat. This is Holmes as Indiana Jones, a crowd pleaser and man of the people. With a wink and a nudge, this Holmes is scruffy and frumpy, and you will not see him in a coat and tie – and forget about the deerstalker hat.

Jude Law’s genial Dr. John Watson is smart, has an eye for detail, and banters with Holmes as if the duo were an old couple. Law’s Watson, however, hides a thug beneath the whimsical, at-ease nature, and he looks as if his nice suit really hides a pair of brass knuckles and a blackjack.

Sherlock Holmes is not without its problems. One of them is that the director and the writers are so in love with their nouveau take on Holmes and Watson that they lose Lord Blackwood, an intriguing adversary whose potential is wasted. Ultimately, this film is like National Treasure with a Victorian James Bond, but is still Sherlock Holmes. Like many holiday crowd-pleasers, it is indeed forgettable. You will, however, remember that it was fun to watch, enough to want to see this Sherlock Holmes movie again – perhaps even enjoy repeated viewings on its eventual home, cable television.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, January 15, 2010

NOTES:
2010 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Art Direction” (Sarah Greenwood-art director and Katie Spencer-set decorator) and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Hans Zimmer)

2010 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Robert Downey Jr.)

Warner Bros. Announces Big Sherlock Holmes Box Office News

Sherlock Holmes Surpasses $500 Million at Worldwide Box Office

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective and Jude Law as his formidable ally Watson, has crossed the $500 million mark globally. The film, which began its worldwide rollout on Christmas day, earned $207.9 million in the United States, and is poised to cross $300 million internationally before week’s end (currently at $298.2 million), bringing its current global cumulative gross to $506.1 million.

The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures

“We’re thrilled that Sherlock Holmes has performed so spectacularly in territories around the world following its strong U.S. showing,” Kwan-Rubinek said. “These incredible results are a testament to the vision of Guy Ritchie, as well as the tremendous filmmakers and cast, led by Robert and Jude. It also speaks to the world’s continuing fascination with these indelible characters.”

Fellman added, “It’s amazing to reach this benchmark. The filmmakers, cast and crew put so much care into creating a film worthy of the name, and I think audiences have shown they succeeded across the board.”

In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, Sherlock Holmes. Ritchie directed the film from a screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg, screen story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson. Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin produced the film, with Michael Tadross and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers and Steve Clark-Hall co-producing. “Sherlock Holmes” stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly and Eddie Marsan. The film opened nationwide on Christmas Day, and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

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