Review: Third Time is Not a Charm for Washington/Scott in "Deja Vu"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 251 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Déjà vu (2006)
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images and sensuality
DIRECTOR: Tony Scott
WRITERS: Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio
PRODUCER: Jerry Bruckheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Paul Cameron
EDITOR: Chris Lebenzon
Black Reel Award nominee

SCI-FI/THRILLER/MYSTERY with elements of action

Starring: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton, Adam Goldberg, and Jim Caviezel, Bruce Greenwood, Erika Alexander, Matt Craven, and Elden Henson

Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), ATF agent, is investigating a cataclysmic explosion of a New Orleans ferry that is possibly a terrorist attack. Carlin also happens upon the homicide of a young woman named Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton) that may be tied to the ferry bombing, and that’s when Carlin begins to believe that he has some kind of emotional connection to Claire. It’s déjà vu – that unsettling feeling that he knows someone he’s never met and recognizes a place he’s sure he’s never been.

Then, Carlin meets FBI Agent Andrew Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) and a small team of physicists who have apparently opened a window through which they can view the past. That’s when Carlin falls down the rabbit hole (or through a wormhole, so to speak) that will point him to the identity of the bomber and bring he and Claire closer. But by tampering with the past, will Doug Carlin save Claire’s life or will he cost them both their lives?

Déjà Vu is the third collaboration between Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott (after Crimson Tide and Man on Fire), and because they have such a good rapport, this preposterous sci-fi, mystery thriller manages to be a tasty popcorn flick in spite of the holes in the plot. The film is by-the-book Scott and Washington. Déjà Vu looks like Scott’s usual work, complete with burnished photography and lots of fancy editing and camera cutting. Washington does his usual determined, confident, cocky-but-sensitive law enforcement/military type. This movie isn’t Oscar bait; it’s a Denzel Washington action/thriller vehicle helmed by a director and producer (Jerry Bruckheimer) who both know how to do action/thriller vehicles for A-list movie stars.

As for the science fiction (time travel) behind Déjà Vu: it’s the kind material we get from movies on the Sci-Fi Channel. The difference is Déjà Vu has a bigger budget and big Hollywood names behind it instead of the usual Sci-Fi Channel suspects: some minor character actors and a team of filmmakers that generally works on the periphery of the movie industry. Déjà Vu gives lots of thrills and edge-of-your-seat suspense, but it all seems so predictable and ill conceived that it might well be a made-for-TV sci-fi movie that got lucky and received a theatrical run. In the end, this movie may be remembered for its absurd and outlandish sci-fi concept and not much else. Otherwise, Déjà Vu is a Denzel Washington movie that even Washington fans can wait for on DVD.

5 of 10
C+

Saturday, December 16, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Breakthrough Performance” (Paula Patton)

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All-Stars Join Steven Soderbergh for "Contagion"

Press release:
An All-Star Ensemble Cast Begins Filming on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Contagion” under the Direction of Steven Soderbergh

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ global thriller “Contagion,” being directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”).

The film brings together a stellar international ensemble cast, including Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose,” “Inception”); Academy Award® winner Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting,” the “Bourne” films); Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “The Matrix”); Oscar® nominee Jude Law (“Cold Mountain,” “Sherlock Holmes”); Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow (“Shakespeare in Love,” “Iron Man”); and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (“The Reader,” “Titanic”).

“Contagion” follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.

The original screenplay is written by Scott Z. Burns (“The Bourne Ultimatum,” “The Informant!”). “Contagion” is being produced by Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher (“World Trade Center”), and Gregory Jacobs (“The Informant!”).

Collaborating with Soderbergh behind the scenes are production designer Howard Cummings (“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”), Oscar®-winning editor Stephen Mirrione (“Traffic”), and costume designer Louise Frogley (“Quantum of Solace,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”).

Filming will take place on location around the world, including sites in Hong Kong, Macao, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Abu Dhabi, London and Geneva.

“Contagion” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The film is slated for release in October 2011.

Review: "Man on Fire," the Second Tony Scott-Denzel Washington Joint

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 58 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Man on Fire (2004)
Running time: 146 minutes (2 hours, 26 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and strong violence
DIRECTOR: Tony Scott
WRITER: Brian Helgeland (from the novel by A.J. Quinnell)
PRODCUERS: Lucas Foster, Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Paul Cameron (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Christian Wagner
Image Award nominee

DRAMA/CRIME/THRILLER with elements of action

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Gianni, Rachel Ticotin, Jesús Ochoa, Mickey Rourke, and Angelina Peláez

The new Tony Scott-directed Denzel Washington-starrer, Man on Fire, is not two movies disguised as one film, nor is it simply a revenge film, as many have said early in the film’s release. It’s as much a drama about a man fighting for something and someone he loves as it is a pay-back-the-bastards flick.

Washington is John Creasy, a burnt out alcoholic counter insurgency, military type who takes a job protecting Pita (Dakota Fanning), the young daughter of a wealthy man in Mexico City. The city has seen a wave of kidnappings of rich people, where upon the kidnappers extort millions of dollars from the victims’ families. But Creasy and Pita are ambushed; the kidnappers shoot Creasy and escape with the child. After the money drop off is botched, the kidnappers claim to have killed the girl in retaliation. Still recovering from his wounds, Creasy goes on a mission to find everyone involved in the kidnapping, from top to bottom, and kill them all.

In the early part of the film, we meet Creasy, but learn very little about him. Director Tony Scott quickly shows us just enough of the growing relationship between Creasy and Pita in hopes of getting us to believe that the soldier of fortune becomes attached to the precocious child he’s supposed to protect. If their bonding, we’ll also buy that Creasy is going to become an angel of death to all those involved in harming Pita. Scott, who has a history of directing flashy action pictures like Top Gun, True Romance, and Crimson Tide, actually succeeds in weaving a fairly touching short story of a killer bonding with innocence. It’s the rest of the cast that gets in the way.

From the parents to the cops, it’s a parade of characters who are just barnacles on the interplay between the veteran Washington and the newcomer Fanning’s character interplay. Sometimes, it also seems as if the story either can’t live up to its premise or to the fact that the leads can pull off the story.

The second half of the film, the alleged revenge movie, is not so much on fire as it is on simmer. It’s a cool burn with some very effective scenes, and Man on Fire is at this point probably one of the quietest intense thrillers in a decade. As fancy as the camera work and film editing is, Washington makes the “man on a mission” part of the film work. The photographic tricks and effects are just the icing on Denzel’s cake. He plays his character as quiet and patient, but also relentless and ruthless. He’s surprises and shocks. It’s fun to watch an actor work a post-MTV revenge flick like a cool 70’s Eastwood payback movie. If you can’t get into what he’s doing in this film, you’re jaded.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2005 Image Awards: 2 nominations: “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Denzel Washington) and “Outstanding Motion Picture”

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Free Ultra-Maniac Anime

VIZ Media announces the launch of ULTRA MANIAC (rated TV-14) available now from the iTunes Store in the U.S. and Canada (http://www.itunes.com/), as well as the streaming content provider HULU (http://www.hulu.com/) and VIZAnime.com, the company’s premier website for anime.

Starting today, iTunes will offer the first part of ULTRA MANIAC season one (dubbed episodes 1-13) for the Download-To-Own (DTO) price of $1.99 (U.S.) each, and a Download-To-Rent (DTR) price of $0.99 (U.S.) each. As a special treat for viewers, ULTRA MANIAC episode 1 is available to download for FREE until November 23rd. Beginning December 6th, ULTRA MANIAC season one part two (episodes 14-26) will also be available for DTO and DTR.

VIZAnime.com and HULU will stream FREE episodes 1-5 of ULTRA MANIAC (subtitled). Two additional new episodes will launch each Monday.

ULTRA MANIAC is based on the popular shojo manga of the same name (also published by VIZ Media, rated ‘A’ for All Ages) by creator Wataru Yoshizumi. Ayu Tetsushi is in her second year of junior high and is known as the cool popular tennis club girl that all the girls idolize. Then, Ayu meets Nina, a transfer student whose strange personality leaves Ayu a little perplexed. Soon, Ayu discovers that Nina is a witch that came from the Kingdom of Magic to study abroad!

To learn more about ULTRA MANIAC anime and manga series, please visit VIZAnime.com or ShojoBeat.com.

Review: Frank Darabont's Take on "Stephen King's The Mist" Has a Sh*tty Ending

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 138 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Stephen King’s The Mist (2007)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, terror, gore, and language
DIRECTOR: Frank Darabont
WRITER: Frank Darabont (based upon the novella by Stephen King)
PRODUCER: Frank Darabont and Liz Glotzer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ronn Schmidt
EDITOR: Hunter M. Via

HORROR/DRAMA with elements of sci-fi

Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Sternhagen, Alexa Davalos, Chris Owen, Sam Witwer, Robert C. Treveiler, David Jensen, and Nathan Gamble

Writer/director Frank Darabont has previously adapted two Stephen King works of fiction into movies: the multiple Oscar-nominated films, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. His latest King-to-film work is the horror flick, Stephen King’s The Mist, and it’s the kind of horror film that will still be on your mind quite a while after you leave the theatre, if not for a good long time afterwards.

The setting of The Mist is a pretty, Maine village populated by simple, rustic folks, but it is also the home of wealthy New Yorkers seeking a pastoral refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city life that has done well by them. Following a violent thunderstorm, a peculiar white mist creeps towards the small town community. Artist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his son, Billy (Nathan Gamble), are getting emergency supplies at a grocery store in the local shopping center when this unnatural mist moves in to cover the entire area.

Unusual as the mist is, the store’s occupants soon discover that there may be something monstrous prowling inside the thick, white mess. The customers barricade themselves inside the grocery story, and Drayton and a small band of customers plot survival and eventually escape after creatures in the mist start attacking the store. However, Drayton and company soon find themselves in a test of wills and a small war with Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden), a local self-proclaimed psychic, who insists that only a blood sacrifice to the “God of Israel” will save them all. Her congregation of fear, formed out of the customers who have fallen under her sway, is all too willing to kill for her. Then, there’s the enemy outside that they can’t even see and that is attacking with increasing frequency.

The Mist, the film, is like “The Mist, the novella upon which is based (and which first appeared in the 1980 horror fiction anthology, Dark Forces), is about more about the conflicts among the occupants of the grocery store than it is about the supernatural boogeymen waiting in the mist outside. The monsters certainly are terrifying, even when their CGI creators make them look somewhat comical, perhaps, because Darabont maintained an element about which King was clear in the original story – these beasts hiding in that thick, mean mist are so very lethal. Their constant attacks on the grocery store’s structural integrity make this slightly two-hour-plus film actually seem lean, mean, and spry.

However, Darabont captures the most delicious aspect of King’s story and transforms his film from yet-another-King-adaptation into something memorable – a brutish and shockingly pessimistic human drama. Darabont suggests that the humans are just as capable of being killers as the creatures outside are. What can bring about the change? It’s fear, because as the movie’s tagline says – “Fear changes everything.”

All the mist does is quickly peel back the thin veneer of civility and civilization to reveal the ugly side of people just waiting to show itself the first time the comforts of modern life – utilities and machines – stop working. Whether it is the hellfire, hellfire, and more hellfire with a side of brimstone Mrs. Carmody and her demands for expiation (making amends to God via blood sacrifice) or Andre Braugher’s loud-mouthed NYC attorney, many of the characters take their fears and insecurities and use that to separate the customers into two groups, “them” and “us.”

The only thing really disappointing about the movie (well, besides the really downer of an ending) is not the execution of the movie. It is the fact that when a disaster, natural or supernatural, starts to break down institutions like the family, local authority, community bonds, etc., then, many of us will act pretty much the way the characters in this gem of a horror flick do  And that's not the movie's fault, is it?

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, November 25, 2007

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Lawrence Kasdan's Stephen King's Dreamcatcher

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dreamcatcher (2003)
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA - R for violence, gore and language
DIRECTOR: Lawrence Kasdan
WRITERS: William Goldman and Lawrence Kasdan (based upon the novel by Stephen King)
PRODUCERS: Lawrence Kasdan and Charles Okun
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Seale (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Raul Davalos and Carol Littleton
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

HORRO/SCI-FI with elements of a thriller

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore, Donnie Wahlberg, Mikey Holekamp, Reece Thompson, Giacomo Baessato, Joel Palmer, and Andrew Robb

I understand that in adapting novels to screen, elements including plot, events and character, might have to be removed for various reasons including being able to adapt the novel into a two hour movie. I also understand that sometimes filmmakers make changes for the sake of making changes; some even believe they can even improve the novel’s story by making changes.

That said, I continue to fail to understand why Stephen King allows his novels to be turned into films. The heart of a King novel are the characters, especially the relationship between characters. The supernatural element, usually something horrific, is part of the characters’ environment, but how the characters deal with the supernatural allows us to see into them and usually depth of characterization is more interesting than the supernatural horror. As frightening as the horror was in a novel like Pet Sematery, the really scary crap, the true intensity in that story, was the interpersonal and familial relationships. Getting to see what was behind the closed doors and inside people’s head was a heck of a lot more frightening than the angry dead. The film adaptation of that novel, which was enough of a minor hit to call for a sequel, completely missed that point.

So while watching Lawrence Kasdan’s Dreamcatcher, I pretty much figured that while Kasdan and co-adaptor screenwriter William Goldman may have got the point of King’s Dreamcatcher, they did what most everyone who has adapted King to film have done: drop some characters and character points and favor the boogey men. I haven’t yet read Dreamcatcher, but I assume that the relationship between the four lead characters in the book is something spectacular. The movie only hints at the depth of their relationship; indeed, the viewer has to assume that these men are close.

Dr. Henry Devlin (Thomas Jane), Joe “Beaver” Clarendon (Jason Lee), Gary “Jonesy” Jones (Damian Lewis), and Pete Moore (Tom Olyphant) are four troubled friends who reunite for a camping trip. They’re all still affected by their relationship with Douglas Clavell (Donnie Wahlberg), a strange, seemingly handicapped child they saved 20 years earlier. That boy, whom they named Duddits, weighs heavily on their minds during their trip. Strange things begin to happen when the friends, in separate pairs, encounter lost hunters in the snow bound Maine woods. As a vicious snow storm sets in, a strange and unknown menace stalks the forest. Meanwhile, a military force led by a dangerous commander (Morgan Freeman) has closed off the area because of an alleged contagion, and the friend’s only hope may be an independent thinking soldier (Tom Sizemore).

Dreamcatcher summons up the ghosts of others “King” films and television movies, including Stand by Me and It. Most of all, Dreamcatcher the movie is a re-imagining and de facto remake of John Carpenter’s superb (and almost lost) film The Thing, but Dreamcatcher lacks Carpenter’s film’s intensity and eye popping gore. The first half hour of set up does intrigue, creating anticipation and whetting the appetite for hot supernatural action. It is somewhat stunted and clumsy in that you can pretty much figure out that the film is trying to tell us a lot, but doesn’t have the time to tell us in detail, so all we’re left with is vagueness.

When the crap does hit the fan – the scary stuff starts to happen, Dreamcatcher delivers the chills and thrills quite well. I was literally on the edge of my seat, and I was certain I could feel my heart racing and stopping with each new bump and chill. The film gives a good scare for quite a while, but as the film heads towards the homestretch, the sci-fi element unravels just enough to hamstring the film.

Because the acting is good and some of my favorite actors are in the film made watching Dreamcatcher fairly pleasant. Thomas (Deep Blue Sea and The Sweetest Thing) is a star in the making. I don’t think that he has the action movie chops of say Bruce Willis. I think his forte will probably be to play the leading man in comedies and dramas, but whenever he’s on the screen, I think the viewer naturally gravitates towards his character. Tom Sizemore continues to be the solid supporting guy, and Freeman, one of the best American actors of the last fifteen years, can play a really cool nasty guy. And when you see Donnie Wahlberg’s name in the credits, you still won’t believe it’s him.

Dreamcatcher is by no means a great thriller. However, sometimes it’s very good, and for a long time, it delivers some fairly effective chills, and that is good enough. The characters are engaging, and the creatures, except for a few moments of looking ridiculous, are pretty scary and threatening. Yeah, I think Carpenter’s aforementioned The Thing is a better and more satisfying version of this story, but Dreamcatcher, imperfect as it is, has enough good moments to make it a fairly decent thriller, worth watching if you like the scary stuff.

6 of 10
B

"The Ghost Writer" Leads Nominations for European Film Awards

Press release:

Nominations for the 23rd European Film Awards

At the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announced the nominations for the European Film Awards 2010.

The more than 2,300 EFA Members will now vote for the winners which will be presented during the Awards Ceremony on 4 December in Tallinn/Estonia.

European Film Awards Nominations:

EUROPEAN FILM 2010:
BAL (Honey), Turkey/Germany
directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu
written by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Orçun Köksal
produced by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Johannes Rexin

DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX (Of Gods and Men), France
directed by Xavier Beauvois
written by Etienne Comar & Xavier Beauvois

THE GHOST WRITER, France/Germany/UK
directed by Roman Polanski
written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski

LEBANON, Israel/Germany/France
written and directed by Samuel Maoz
produced by Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Uri Sabag, Einat Bickel, Benjamina Mirnik & Illan Girard

EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS (The Secret in their Eyes), Spain/Argentina
directed by Juan José Campanella
written by Eduardo Sacheri & Juan José Campanella
produced by Gerardo Herrero, Mariela Besuievsky & Juan José Campanella

SOUL KITCHEN, Germany
directed by Fatih Akin
written by Fatih Akin & Adam Bousdoukos
produced by Fatih Akin & Klaus Maeck

European Director:

Olivier Assayas, “Carlos”
Semih Kaplanoglu, “Bal” (““Honey”) 

Samuel Maoz, “Lebanon”
Roman Polanski, “The Ghost Writer” 

Paolo Virzi, “The First Beautiful Thing”

European Actress:

Zrinka Cvitesic, “Na Putu”

Sibel Kekilli, “When We Leave”

Lesley Manville, “Another Year”

Sylvie Testud, “Lourdes”

Lotte Verbeek, “Nothing Personal”

European Actor:

Jakob Cedergren, “Submarino”

Elio Germano, “La Nostra Vita”
Ewan McGregor, “The Ghost Writer”
George Pistereanu, “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle” 

Luis Tosar, “Cell 211”

European Screenwriter:

Jorge Guerricaechevarria & Daniel Monzon, “Cell 211” 

Robert Harris & Roman Polanski, “The Ghost Writer”

Samuel Maoz, “Lebanon”

Radu Mihaileanu, “The Concert”

Carlo di Palma European Cinematographer Award:

Giora Bejach, “Lebanon”

Caroline Champetier, “Of Gods and Men”

Pavel Kostomarov, “How I Ended this Summer”
Baris Oezbicer, “Honey”

European Editor:

Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier, “Carlos”

Arik Lahav-Leibovich, “Lebanon”

Herve de Luze, “The Ghost Writer”

European Production Designer:
Paola Bizzarri & Luis Ramirez, “I, Don Giovanni” 

Albrecht Konrad, “The Ghost Writer”

Markku Paetilae & Jaagup Roomer, “The Temptation of St Tony”

European Composer:
Ales Brezina, “Kawasaki’s Rose” 

Pasquale Catalano, “Loose Cannons” 

Alexandre Desplat, “The Ghost Writer” 

Gary Yershon, “Another Year”

European Discovery (FIPRESCI Prize):

“The Double Hour”

“If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle”

“Lebanon”

“Nothing Personal”

”When We Leave”

European Film Academy Animated Feature Film:

“The Illusionist”

”Planet 51”

“Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage”

European Film Academy Documentary:

“Armadillo”

“Nostalgia for the Light”
“Steam of Life”

European Film Academy Short Film:
“Amor”
“Diarchy”
“The External World”
“Hanoi – Warsaw”
“Here I Am”
“Joseph’s Snails”
“Lights”
“The Little Snow Animal”
“Maria’s Way”
“Out of Love”
“Rendez-Vous in Stella-Plage”
“Stay, Away”
“Talleres Clandestinos”
“Tussilago”
“Venus vs Me”

Watch the 23rd European Film Awards: 4 December 2010 live stream on http://www.europeanfilmawards.eu/

The European Film Awards 2010 are presented by the European Film Academy e.V. and EFA Productions gGmbH with the support of European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011, Estonian Ministry of Culture, the City of Tallinn, Estonian Cultural Endowment, Enterprise Estonia, Estonian Public Broadcasting, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and BDG.

http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/