Review: "Being John Malkovich" is Wildly Original (Happy B'day, John Malkovich)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Being John Malkovich (1999)
Running time: 112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and sexuality
DIRECTOR: Spike Jonze
WRITER: Charlie Kaufman
PRODUCERS: Steve Golin, Vincent Landay, Sandy Stern, and Michael Stipe
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lance Acord
EDITOR: Eric Zumbrunnen
COMPOSER: Carter Burwell
Academy Award nominee

FANTASY/COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Ned Bellamy, Catherine Keener, Reggie Hayes, Orson Bean, and John Malkovich

We’ve all read the reviews that describe particular movies as inventive, witty, original, unique, or some other hyperbole used to describe cinematic “brilliance.” Whether many of those movies deserved such praise is debatable, but Being John Malkovich is the real deal – original and stunningly, painfully unique. It’s not perfect, but it is so mind-numbingly brilliant: I’m not sure if I even know how to watch it again. I’m afraid to think what this film would be like if it were perfect.

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a talented puppeteer with a failed career and an (seemingly) unhappy marriage to a frumpy animal lover (Cameron Diaz). When finances finally get too tight, Craig gets a job sorting files for the peculiar Dr. Lester (Orson Bean). He becomes hopelessly infatuated with Maxine (Catherine Keener), a sharp-tongued woman who works on the same floor. On one particular day of drudgery, Craig accidentally discovers a door to a portal that leads literally into the head of John Malkovich (John Malkovich). After Craig shares the secret with his wife Lottie, she can’t get enough of being John Malkovich, which, of course, leads to a maze of confusion and conflicting desires that both destroys and redefines relationships and creates new pairings.

Directed by award-winning and acclaimed music video director Spike Jonze, Malkovich defies an accurate description. It is alternately a fantasy, a comedy, a romance, and a drama; it is a story that both crosses and breaks genres. The film derives its brilliance from writer Charlie Kaufman; the script is a masterwork and one of the finest original screenplays of the last few decades. That Jonze could make a coherent and entertaining film of a story that it so philosophical, surrealistic, avant garde, and abstract foretells that the creativity seen in his music videos, he will carry over to film – lucky, lucky us.

The performances are all very good; everyone seemed more than up to the task of translating Kaufman’s eccentricity and brilliance to drama. Cusack once again affirms both his coolness and his talent. It’s pointless to praise Malkovich, and Ms. Keener only showed a more attentive audience the skill she’d already showed in films with smaller audiences. If no one will, I will toot Ms. Diaz’s talent. Her beauty merely accentuates her talent. She buried herself in this role as the frumpy lovelorn Lottie; she can do the method thing, so where’s the props?

Brilliant, smashing, exhilarating, ingenious, hilarious, hysterical, and wildly original – all have been said before, but these praises were made whole with Being John Malkovich. The film does seem to run out of energy late in the story, and the sci-fi/fantasy element seems to go overboard. Still, it is a film that has to be seen, if for no other reason than because Being John Malkovich is a fresh look at individuals and their need for and of other people. Run see this thing.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2000 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Catherine Keener), “Best Director” (Spike Jonze), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Charlie Kaufman)

2000 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Screenplay – Original” (Charlie Kaufman); 2 nominations: “Best Editing” (Eric Zumbrunnen) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Cameron Diaz)

2000 Golden Globes: 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical,” “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Cameron Diaz), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Catherine Keener), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Charlie Kaufman)

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"The King's Speech" Rules the British Independent Film Awards

Created in 1998, The British Independent Film Awards (as they describe it) celebrates merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking, honor new film talent, and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

2010 Winners

Best British Independent Film
The King's Speech

Best Director of a British Independent Film
Gareth Edwards for Monsters

The Douglas Hickox Award
Clio Barnard for The Arbor

Best Screenplay
David Seidler for The King's Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film
Carey Mulligan for Never Let Me Go

Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film
Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

Most Promising Newcomer
Joanne Froggatt for In Our Name

Best Achievement In Production
Monsters

The Raindance Award
Son of Babylon

Best Technical Achievement
Gareth Edwards for Monsters

Best British Documentary
Enemies of the People

Best British Short Film
Baby

Best Foreign Independent Film
A Prophet

The Richard Harris Award
Helena Bonham Carter

The Variety Award
Liam Neeson

The Special Jury Prize
Jenne Casarotto

For a complete list of the nominees: http://bifa.org.uk/nominations/2010

Review: "An American Werewolf in London" Will Howl Forever (Happy B'day, Rick Baker)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 85 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Running time: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – R
WRITER/DIRECTOR: John Landis
PRODUCER: George Folsey Jr.
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Paynter
EDITOR: Malcolm Campbell
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein

HORROR with some elements of comedy and romance

Starring: David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine, Anne-Marie Davies, and Frank Oz

I remember when my late father had to actually go to the ticket window and physically purchase a ticket for me to see John Landis’s comedy/horror classic, An American Werewolf in London, because it was an R-rated movie. At the time, the local sheriff was forcing the theatre I frequented to abide by the MPAA ratings system. In the early 80’s, there were so many (fairly) hardcore teen-oriented films with strong sexual and violent themes, but I’m sure it was the sex that was bothering any influential locals who might have protested to the sheriff. I think the area was just starting to understand that the less attractive aspects of the sexual revolution were coming to visit us.

However, the “inconvenience” to my father was worth it, at least to me. An American Werewolf in London truly is a great horror film. I recently watched the movie in its entirety for the first time in over 20 years, and I still liked it as much as I did the first time. Even the special makeup effects by SFX maestro Rick Baker (who won an Oscar for his groundbreaking work here) for the first werewolf transformation that we see is as stunning, shocking, hilarious, frightening, and quite intense as it was when it first wowed audiences.

In the film two American college students, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne), on a walking tour of England are attacked by a werewolf (Paddy Ryan) near a small rural village on the moors. David survives the attack, which the superstitious town folks hastily cover up. While recovering in a London hospital, David falls for his nurse, Alex Price (Jenny Agutter), and she takes him how so they can bop each other’s brains out. However, David receives a gruesome surprise when Jack returns as an undead apparition that only David can see. According to Jack, David carries a curse, and during the next full moon, he will transform into a werewolf and kill more people. Only David’s death will end the curse, free Jack’s soul, and save others from a brutal death in the jaws of the lycanthrope.

From Animal House to Blue Brothers, writer/director John Landis showed his gift for sheer lunacy, which he combined with a rich sense of humor. Granted that American Werewolf’s has some story holes (didn’t the neighbors hear all the racket David made the night he transforms and how did he leave Alex’s apartment after he transformed?), but the movie is such fun. It’s creepy, but not in a dreadful sort of way. It’s inventive, especially in the dream sequences and scenes where Jack and other undead visit David. It’s spectacular in Rick Baker’s surreal and near supernatural display of make up wizardry. Werewolf is hilarious and goofy; it has a B-movie spirit of winks and nudges with just enough gore to place it firmly in the pantheon of “serious” horror films.

I liked the acting because all the actors played their parts with such aplomb. Although I really liked David Naughton’s frantic portrayal of the doomed David, I also liked Griffin Dunne’s turn as the sarcastic and deadpan Jack. What more do I need to say? If you like horror movies, especially the one’s in which the comedy is intentional, and a good old-fashioned thriller, An American Werewolf in London is the film for you. It stood out amongst the flood of crass slasher films of its time, and it has a special quality that would make it stand out today. And I love Rick Baker even more!

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
1982 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Makeup” (Rick Baker)

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Walt Disney's Bambi Arriving on Blu-ray in March 2011

DISNEY ADDS A NEW GEM TO THE BLU-RAY™ DIAMOND COLLECTION

Walt Disney’s BAMBI Diamond Edition

Releases From The Disney Vault on March 1, 2011

Burbank, Calif., December, 2010 – The Walt Disney Studios proudly announces the addition of BAMBI to its coveted, cutting-edge Blu-ray™ Diamond Collection line-up of Disney’s greatest animated-classics. Released from the Disney vault for a limited time only, BAMBI Diamond Edition features the loveable and adorable wide-eyed fawn and his forest friends in Blu-ray high-definition on March 1, 2011.

The Diamond Edition debut of BAMBI, Walt’s fifth full-length animated classic, is an endearing tale about a young prince of the forest who learns valuable life-lessons about friendship, love, and the miracle of life. The movie is a must-own coming-of-age story that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has especially packaged with families in mind - providing the ultimate, interactive hi-def home entertainment experience with a newly enhanced digital restoration, enhanced picture and sound, games, activities and more.

The new BAMBI Diamond Edition will be available as a 2-Disc Disney Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) for the suggested retail price of $39.99 US/$46.99 Canada, a High Definition Movie Download for the suggested retail price of $19.99 US/$39.99 Canada, and/or a Standard Definition Movie Download for the suggested retail price of $14.99 US/$24.99 Canada. Those who wish to own the standard definition DVD version of BAMBI will need to wait seven additional weeks – until April 19, 2011.

Disney’s new “Second Screen” technology, which is being introduced for the very first time on the BAMBI Diamond Edition release, will further transform the at-home movie watching experience by empowering viewers with the ability to engage with film content on multiple media platforms and bring them to life in their own hands at the touch of a button. By simply downloading the new Disney Second Screen App onto an internet-connected computer or iPad™* and synching it to the movie, consumers will instantly be able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with fun interactive elements like animated flipbooks, galleries, photos, trivia and more.

Film Synopsis: As morning light breaks across the meadow, a young deer named Bambi is born and hailed as ‘Prince of the Forest.’ Soon Bambi emerges from the thicket on wobbly legs, much to the delight of his new friends, Thumper, the playful rabbit, and Flower, the bashful yet lovable skunk. But the fun of nibbling on fresh blossoms and frolicking through the woods is only the beginning. Exploring his new world, and guided by the wisdom of Friend Owl, Bambi learns valuable life lessons with every adventure – experiencing the power of friendship, family, and love along the away.

The Making of the Film: BAMBI was Walt Disney’s fifth animated full-length feature film which released in 1942 during World War II and took approximately five years in the making due to the exquisite artwork and attention to detail of each and every scene, character and figure. The artwork itself was created by some of the legendary “nine old men,” including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl and Eric Larson and in order to achieve the film’s unprecedented level of realism, animators modeled anatomical studies using live animals (including a pair of fawns named Bambi and Faline) and imbued each with a uniquely endearing personality. Bambi’s delightful forest home received the same painstaking attention to detail, as background artists painted hundreds of landscapes based on extensive field research and nature photographs.

Walt Disney broke the longstanding animation tradition by casting child actors in the roles of Bambi’s young animals, including Bobby Stewart as Baby Bambi, Donnie Dunagan as Young Bambi, Hardie Albright as Adolescent Bambi and Peter Behn as Young Thumper. The cast also includes Sam Edwards as Adult Thumper, John Sutherland as Adult Bambi, Paula Winslowe as Bambi’s Mother and Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book’s Kaa, the snake) as Adult Flower.

Film Accolades: BAMBI was nominated for three Academy Awards® for Best Song (“Love Is a Song,”), Best Sound Recording, and Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. To date, BAMBI is No. 3 on the list of American Film Institute’s Top 10 Animated Films of All Times. And in 2004, the movie was commemorated with a first-class U.S. postage stamp and in the 1990’s the film inspired astronomers to name a pair of asteroids after the adorable characters – Thumper (April 20, 1993) and Bambi (October 17, 1995).

Bonus Features:
Backstage Disney:
· Inside Walt’s Story Meetings-Enhanced Edition - A fascinating, multi-tiered, interactive story-telling experience. Go back in time with dramatic voice re-enactments of the moments with Walt that led to the creation of this classic film.
· 2 Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes
· Deleted Song: “Twitterpated”
· Blu-ray Galleries—A collection of the extraordinary images originally created as part of the design process for BAMBI.

Family Play: Games & Activities:
· Disney’s Big Book of Knowledge: BAMBI Edition— An interactive educational gaming experience that uses the film as a learning tool. Players can customize their own Big Book of Knowledge and learn all about forest creatures, seasons andmore! Each time a player completes a task, they are rewarded with new stickers to decorate their Big Book of Knowledge.

Digital Exclusive:
· The Golden Age

Classic DVD Bonus Features:
· The Making Of BAMBI: A Prince Is Born—A comprehensive look at the making of BAMBI covers the story, the characters, the actors, the art design, the music and the history of Walt Disney’s classic film using behind the scenes footage, production stills, animation, artwork and multiple interviews withperformers and behind the scenes participants.
· Tricks of the Trade (excerpt)—In an episode from the 1957 Disneyland TV show, Walt narrates the story of the multiplane camera, an animation innovation crucial to the production of BAMBI.
· Inside the Disney Archives—Disney Supervising Animator Andreas Deja guides viewers through Disney’s Animation Research Library, where artwork from past Disney animated feature films is stored, including early story sketches of Bobo the rabbit,” (who became Thumper), glass paintings made for the multiplane camera and more.
· The Old Mill—Winner of the 1937 Academy Award® for Best Short Subject/Cartoon, The Old Mill was a testing ground for several techniques critical to Walt’s artistic vision for BAMBI, including the multiplane camera, animating realistic animals and experimenting with such natural occurrences such as wind, rain and lightning.
· DisneyPedia: Bambi’s Forest Friends


About Disney’s Blu-ray™ Diamond Collection:
Disney’s Blu-ray™ Diamond Collection represents The Walt Disney Studio’s most prestigious animated classics. The Collection will be comprised with many of Walt Disney’s most treasured animated classic titles to be released through 2016. These titles represent the highest level of picture and sound, feature groundbreaking, state-of-the-art immersive bonus content, and include unprecedented levels of interactivity, personalization and customization, made possible because of Blu-ray technology.

About The Walt Disney Studios:
For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company (DIS: NYSE) was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Touchstone Pictures and Marvel. Through the Home Entertainment division, innovative distribution methods provide access to creative content across multiple platforms. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced under Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE! For more information, please visit http://www.disney.com/.

"Red" is Riotous, Entertaining and Damn-good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 100 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Red (2010)
Running time: 111 minutes (1 hour, 51 minutes)
MPAA – R for intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language
DIRECTOR: Robert Schwentke
WRITERS: Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (based upon the graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner)
PRODUCERS: Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Florian Ballhaus
EDITOR: Thom Noble

ACTION/COMEDY with elements of drama and romance

Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Rebecca Pidgeon, Julian McMahon, Jacqueline Fleming, James Remar, and Ernest Borgnine

Bruce Willis is one of the world’s biggest movie stars of the last quarter century. Perhaps, that status makes people forget that not only is Willis a great action movie star, but he is also a fine actor, also comfortable with character drama and comedy. At least, I think so. In his recent, Fall-released action comedy, Red (based upon the comic book miniseries of the same name by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer), Willis shows all his sides – subtle drama, deadpan humor, and action flick stud.

Red focuses on Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent living a quite, idyllic life of retirement in the suburbs. When he feels lonely, he chats with Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker), a customer service agent at the office that sends out Frank’s pension checks. When an assassin squad comes gunning for him, however, Frank is forced to go on the run, with Sarah in tow. Frank is RED – retired, extremely dangerous, and someone powerful wants him dead. Frank needs answers.

To survive, Frank tracks down members of his old black-ops squad. There is his old mentor, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), living in a retirement home in New Orleans, someone who can give Frank information. Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) is a paranoid conspiracy theorist, who can give him more information. Victoria (Helen Mirren), a wetwork agent (assassin), can give comfort and aid. Then, there is William Cooper (Karl Urban), who is the CIA agent assigned to hunt and kill Frank. Cooper is kind of like a younger version of Frank, and he won’t let anything stop him.

Red is one of those films that can be described as “a non-stop thrill ride,” which it is for the most part. The car chases, shootouts, fights, and other action scenes are quite good, and often funny, not because they are parody, but because the action always manages to embody the absurdity of this story.

The characters are okay, but the actors are the ones that make them better. Performers like Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich are so good that they can both give life to flat characters and play up the comic aspects of a scene or situation with ease. They make the often-extremely violent Red seem witty and effervescent. Yes, even Bruce Willis has done this kind of character (the killer) in other movies (like The Whole Nine Yards), but here, he is cool like a movie star should be. This is the kind of movie that needs a movie star lead, and Willis provides that.

Red is not perfect. Sometimes, it doesn’t know if it wants to be extremely dangerous or extremely funny, but action comedies like this: more snarky than smart and filled with comic violence that actually looks like real action movie violence, don’t come around often enough. Red is probably the best action comedy of the year.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, December 06, 2010

VIZ Cinema Wraps Up 2010 with Films from China and Japan

PERCEPTIONS OF REALITY ARE EXPLORED IN DECEMBER FILMS AT VIZ CINEMA  
More Than 20 Films Present Engaging Documentaries, Anime, Romantic Comedies, A Special New Year’s Samurai Celebration, And A Free Screening For Seniors
 
VIZ Cinema wraps up 2010 with a December roster of screenings that introduce various ways to look at reality. Trailers, screening times and tickets are available at http://www.vizcinema.com/. VIZ Cinema is located inside NEW PEOPLE at 1746 Post Street in San Francisco’s Japantown.

December offers more than twenty films, featuring new titles as well as encore presentations of some of the most popular movies to play at the theatre this year. Included will be a pair of unique film festivals - the 8x8x8 Film Festival presented by The Hub, and also China Underground, which offers a range of documentaries that focus on a variety of controversial topics such as homosexuality, the role of women in society, the forced relocation of citizens which preceded the 2008 Beijing Olympics, drug use, and the inner workings of Chinese law enforcement, are examined in unflinching detail in 7 documentaries. Also scheduled for December is Mifune x Kurosawa, a mini-festival offering 8 films directed by the great Akira Kurosawa and starring the incomparable Toshiro Mifune. Included will be a special New Year’s screening of the classic Seven Samurai.

Anime is always a favorite and VIZ Cinema is proud to offer encore screenings of the fast-paced, futuristic racing film, Redline, as well as a live-action adaptation of the popular The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Also not to be missed is the romantic comedy Cast Me If You Can, which was featured as “Japan’s answer to Woody Allen” in Metropolis magazine. Director Atsushi Ogata’s globetrotting comedy combines wit, humor, romance and family relations. Finally, VIZ Cinema welcomes San Francisco’s senior community for a special free showing of Ping Pong, a charming comedy built around the sport of table tennis.

8x8x8 Film Festival Presented By The Hub; Thursday, 12/2 at 7:00pm, San Francisco Premiere!
The Hub presents the 8 x 8 x 8 Film Festival screening 8 short films, supported by Schmaltz Brew Company and Dynamo Donuts. Films are curated by the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.

Reception / Food: 7:00 pm • Screening: 8:00 pm • Tickets: $12.00

China Underground; Friday, 12/3 – Sunday, 12/5, San Francisco Premiere!
This series focuses on a new vanguard of Chinese independent filmmakers, whose innovative uses of digital filmmaking deliver provocative insights into the world’s largest nation. All of the documentary films to be shown at the festival were made outside the official Chinese film system – unauthorized, uncensored, and totally independent. These groundbreaking films introduce a new generation of filmmakers who represent the future of Chinese cinema, using new technology to present a vision of China as never seen before.

Queer China, ‘Comrade’ China, Friday, 12/3 at 7:15pm
(Directed by Cui Zi’en, China, 2008, 60min, Mandarin with English subtitles)

China’s most prolific queer filmmaker opens the festival with a comprehensive historical account of the queer movement in modern China. Unlike any before, this film explores the historical milestones and ongoing advocacy efforts of the Chinese LGBT community. Preceded by a screening of Digital Underground in the People’s Republic (18 mins, Dir: Rachel Tejada), a look at the Chinese independent film scene as documented firsthand by dGenerate Films. The screening will include a Q&A session with several guest speakers and an after-party that will immediately follow. Tickets are $15.00.

Super, Girls! Saturday, 12/4 at 1:00pm
(Directed by Jian Yi, China, 2007, Documentary, 73min. Mandarin with English subtitles)

SUPER, GIRLS! follows ten teenagers on their quest to become superstars on China’s biggest tv show. Through candid interviews and footage of nail-biting auditions, SUPER, GIRLS! offers a fascinating look inside what the Chinese media have dubbed “the Lost Generation.” Tickets are $10.00.

Meishi Street, Saturday, 12/4 at 2:45pm
(Directed by Ou Ning, China, 2006, Documentary, 85min, Mandarin with English subtitles)

MEISHI STREET shows ordinary citizens taking a stand against the planned destruction of their homes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Acclaimed at over two dozen museums and galleries around the world, Meishi Street, by renowned visual artist Ou Ning, works as both art and activism, calling worldwide attention to lives being demolished in the name of progress.

Tickets are $10.00.

Using, Saturday, 12/4 at 4:45pm
(Directed by Zhou Hao, China, 2008, Documentary, 105min, Mandarin with English subtitles)

A twisted relationship develops between an urban Chinese couple struggling with heroin and a filmmaker chronicling their addiction, in this provocative documentary on drug abuse, filmmaking and friendship. Zhou’s unflinching depiction of his friends’ repeated attempts to quit blurs the line between filmmaker and subject, and raises provocative questions about the ways in which each uses the other. Tickets are $10.00.

Ghost Town, Saturday, 12/4 at 7:15pm
(Directed by Zhao Dayong, China, 2008, Documentary, 169min, Mandarin, Nu, & Lisu dialects with English subtitles)

Zhiziluo is a town barely clinging to life. Tucked away in a rugged corner of Southwest China, the village is haunted by traces of China’s cultural past while its residents piece together a day-by-day existence. “Directed with scrupulous attention to detail” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times), Ghost Town, which debuted at the New York Film Festival, “is one of the most important films to have emerged from the booming (but still unexplored) field of Chinese independent documentaries (Dennis Lim, Moving Image Source).Tickets are $10.00.

1428 Sunday, 12/5 at 1:00pm
(Directed by Du Haibin, China, 2009, Documentary, 117min. Mandarin and Sichuan dialects w/ English subtitles)

Du Haibin’s award-winning documentary of the earthquake that devastated China’s Sichuan province in 2008 explores how victims, citizens and government respond to a national tragedy. Du depicts a world in chaos, both material and moral. “Without judgment but with a deep compassion for their subjects, the filmmakers of 1428 bring us a myriad of individual stories of absurdity, confusion and grief.”(Cherise Fong, CNN). Tickets are $10.00.

Crime and Punishment, Sunday, 12/5 at 3:30pm
(Directed by Zhao Liang, China, 2007, Documentary, 122min, Mandarin with English subtitles)

“Zhao’s artistry is instantly apparent.” (Robert Koehler, Variety)

A prime example of how independent documentaries are on the vanguard of Chinese cinema, Crime and Punishment is an unprecedented look at the everyday workings of law enforcement in the world’s largest authoritarian society. With penetrating camerawork, Zhao Liang (Petition, 2009 Cannes Film Festival) patiently reveals the methods police use to interrogate and coerce suspects to confess crimes – and the consequences when such techniques backfire.

Tickets are $10.00.

Before the Flood, Sunday, 12/5 at 5:45pm
(Directed by Li Yifan and Yan Yu, China, 2005, Documentary, 147min. Mandarin and Sichuan dialects with English subtitles)

A landmark documentary following the residents of the historic city of Fengjie as they clash with officials forcing them to evacuate their homes to make way for the world’s largest dam. Shot over two years, Before the Flood is a breathtaking achievement in verité-style documentary filmmaking. This profound film shows the human effects of one of history’s grandest social engineering projects, reflecting on the loss of both home and heritage. Tickets are $10.00.

Redline, Monday, 12/6 – Thursday 12/9
(Directed by Takeshi Koike, 2010, 100 min, Digital, English Subtitles)

Redline is a racing film created by studio Madhouse (Paprika, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars). The toughest and the most destructive underground car race in the universe, REDLINE, has just begun! JP is a reckless driver oblivious to speed limits, and Sonoshee, one of his competitors with whom JP is secretly in love with, is a hot girl determined to do whatever it takes to stand on the winner’s podium. They’re up against the craziest drivers with their heavily armed and awesome road-tearing vehicles. On top of that, during the race, they have to avoid military crackdown by the government because the race is actually prohibited in Roboworld. The only help JP wants is the engine obtained and custom tuned by his long time buddies, Frisbee the mechanic and Mogura Oyaji the junk shop. While cars crash and burn into flames, the race course becomes a merciless hell and JP whips his ride into a dead heat. Who will survive to win in this mass-destruction race? Tickets are $10.00.

Cast Me If You Can, Friday, 12/10 – Sunday, 12/19
(Directed by Atsushi Ogata, 2010, 97min, Digital, Japanese with English subtitles)

A sold-out film at Mill Valley Film Festival and a charming romantic comedy written and directed by Atsushi Ogata, Cast Me If You Can comes to VIZ Cinema for a special Bay Area limited theatrical release, following its popular recent theatrical run in Japan.

Featured as “Japan’s answer to Woody Allen” in Metropolis magazine, globetrotting comedy director Atsushi Ogata combines wit, humor, romance and family relations, in collaboration with veteran Japanese star actors and an international crew, to present a romantic comedy which transcends national and cultural borders. Cast Me If You Can is Ogata’s feature film debut.

Premiering at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival in June, Cast Me If You Can also screened at festivals in California, New York, Indiana, Korea and India, won prizes for “Best Title Sequence” and “Best Original Score” in Los Angeles, and has also been adapted into a novel and published in Japan by Takeshobo Co. Ltd. Tickets are $10.00.

The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya, Friday, 12/17 at 7:15pm
(Directed by Jun-ichi Mori, 2010, 163min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Don’t miss the special encore screening of mega hit anime movie “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya” in association with Bandai Entertainment! Ten days before Christmas, Haruhi came up with another one of her crazy ideas to hold a Christmas party in the club room. The next day, however, Kyon woke up to a world in which Haruhi didn’t exist and no one besides him had any memory of her. How can someone like Haruhi Suzumiya who’s supposed to be the center of the universe just vanish? Tickets are $10.00.

Mifune x Kurosawa, Saturday, 12/18 – Thursday 1/6

Toshiro Mifune graced Japanese cinema with his good looks, fierceness, and charisma. VIZ Cinema brings you Akira Kurosawa’s films featuring Mifune at his finest moments. Tickets are $10.00.

Red Beard, Saturday, 12/18 – Sunday, 12/26
(1965, 185 minutes, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Red Beard (Akahige) chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director. Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance as the dignified yet empathic director who guides his pupil to maturity.

The Idiot, Saturday, 12/18 – Thursday, 12/23
(1965, 185 minutes, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

The Idiot, an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s nineteenth-century masterpiece about a wayward, pure soul’s reintegration into society—updated by Kurosawa to capture Japan’s postwar aimlessness—was a victim of studio interference and, finally, public indifference.

The Lower Depths, Sunday, 12/19 – Monday, 12/27
(1957, 125 minutes, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Mifune and Kurosawa transform Maxim Gorky’s classic proletariat play The Lower Depths in their own way firmly situated in the postwar world. Remaining faithful to the original with its focus on the conflict between illusion and reality, their film making styles converge to create unique masterpieces.

High And Low, Monday, 12/27 – Thursday, 1/6
(1957, 125 minutes, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa’s highly influential High and Low, a compelling race-against-time thriller and a penetrating portrait of contemporary Japanese society.

Stray Dog, Tuesday, 12/28 – Thursday, 1/6
(1949, 122min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

When a pickpocket steals a rookie detective’s gun on a hot crowded bus, the cop goes undercover in a desperate attempt to right the wrong. Kurosawa’s thrilling noir probes the squalid world of postwar Japan and the nature of the criminal mind.

Drunken Angel, Wednesday, 12/29 – Wednesday, 1/5
(1948, 98min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

In this powerful early noir from the great Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune bursts onto the screen as a volatile, tubercular criminal who strikes up an unlikely relationship with Takashi Shimura’s jaded physician.

Seven Samurai, Sunday, 1/2 at 1:30pm
(1954, 207 minutes, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Kick-off 2011 with one of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai! This three-hour ride featuring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire eponymous warriors to protect them from the invading bandits. Screening will include a special New Year’s reception party.

VIZ Cinema’s last SENIOR FREE MOVIE DAY of the year is our all-time-favorite film Ping Pong!

Ping Pong ; Wednesday, 12/22 at 1:30pm
(Directed by SORI, 2002, 114min, Digital, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Best friends Peco and Smile have been playing ping pong since they were little kids. While the unique and brazen Peco plays to win and loves the sport, the quiet and introverted Smile thinks of it as just a way to kill time with friends, but plays only because he looks up to Peco as his hero. And though Smile is the more talented player, he frequently and intentionally loses to Peco out of a misguided sense of friendship

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.


About NEW PEOPLE
NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: http://www.newpeopleworld.com/.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" a Miscast Spell

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 99 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language
DIRECTOR: Jon Turteltaub
WRITERS: Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; from a screen story by Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, and Matt Lopez
PRODUCERS: Jerry Bruckheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bojan Bazelli
EDITOR: William Goldenberg

FANTASY/ACTION

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Omar Benson Miller, Monica Bellucci, Alice Krige, and Jake Cherry

Released this past summer, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a fantasy/adventure film based, in part, on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment of Walt Disney’s 1940 animated film, Fantasia (which itself is based on earlier source material). In this new film, a centuries-old, former apprentice of Merlin must take an apprentice of his own – a young man barely out of boyhood who must save the world.

The film opens in 740 A.D., as the sorcerer Merlin (James A. Stephens) battles the evil sorceress, Morgana le Fay (Alice Krige). One of Merlin’s three apprentices, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina), sides with Morgana. Merlin’s other two apprentices, Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) and Veronica Gorloisen (Monica Bellucci), are forced to stop Morgana and Maxim, but not before Morgana mortally wounds Merlin. Merlin charges Balthazar with finding his successor, known as the Prime Merlinian, the only one who can put an end to Morgana.

In present day Manhattan, Balthazar is a master sorcerer and shop owner when he encounters New York University student, David “Dave” Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential. Dave becomes Balthazar’s reluctant protégé and begins a crash course in the art and science of magic. However, Dave has more than magic on his mind; he’s in love with a former school chum and fellow NYU student, Rebecca “Becky” Barnes (Teresa Palmer). Even the return of Balthazar’s mortal enemy, Horvath, cannot get Dave to focus on magic. Can the sorcerer’s apprentice survive his training, help his master save New York City from Horvath, and finally get the girl?

As a film narrative, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a good idea. Actually, it is a movie with a lot of good ideas, but much of it is badly done. The movie is also largely miscast. Nicolas Cage feels wrong as a sorcerer and Jay Baruchel is just plain wrong as a sorcerer’s apprentice. It is almost pointless to get into the acting because it is bad. What the hell is Nicolas Cage doing in this film, because it can barely past as pretending, let alone performing?

The script is filled with substandard dialogue, or does it just seem that way because of Cage and Baruchel’s bad acting? Or maybe bad dialogue isn’t the culprit because the wonderful-as-usual Alfred Molina does well with it, making the most of everything this story and script offers him. His Horvath is genuinely a menacing guy, and he will make you dread his appearances on screen – in a good way.

Poor Teresa Palmer: I don’t even know what Becky Barnes is doing in this movie. The character defines extraneous.

As a Nicolas Cage fan, I was determined to find good in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Most of the first 40 minutes of the movie is dynamite entertainment, but the final act is a welcomed sign that this movie is coming to a conclusion. What more can I say? The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has such potential, and those few times it meets that promise, the movie offers light-hearted fun – just not enough to save the rest of the movie.

4 of 10
C

Sunday, December 05, 2010