TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Review: "Hero" or "Ying Xiong," by Any Name is Great

Hero (2004)
Original title: Ying Xiong (2002)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China/Hong Kong; Language: Mandarin
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for stylized martial arts violence and a scene of sensuality
DIRECTOR: Yimou Zhang
WRITERS: Feng Li, Bin Wang, and Yimou Zhang
PRODUCERS: Bill Kong and Yimou Zhang
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Christopher Doyle
EDITORS: Angie Lam and Ru Zhai with Vincent Lee
Academy Awards nominee

MARTIAL ARTS/ACTION/DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Daoming Chen, and Donnie Yen

If you liked Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you may like Ying Xiong, better known by its English title, Hero. However, the two movies aren’t exactly alike. Crouching Tiger is an epic love story in which the romance is intertwined with political intrigue, betrayal and mystery. Hero is both a love story and a revenge tale, but both of those elements are ultimately submerged for a philosophical and spiritual message of national heritage. They are similar in this: I thought Crouching Tiger was by far and away the best film of 2000, and I think Hero is better than the vast majority of films that have been released domestically in the time since Hero first appeared theatrically in China (2002). Hero was also a 2003 Oscar® nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.

In the story, the Nameless Hero (Jet Li) seeks to murder the King of the province Qin (Daoming Chen). Decades earlier, the King’s forces massacred Nameless’ people in the province of Zhao as part of his campaign to unify the lands that would eventually become China. Nameless reaches the Emperor’s palace and shares the story of his journey up to that point. There is, however, another facet to the story. Nameless also takes on the challenge of defeating three swordsmen, Sky (Donnie Yen) and the assassin couple, Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), who also plot to kill the Emperor. Or as the Emperor of Qin discovers, is there more to the story of Nameless and three assassins than Nameless is telling the Emperor.

Although Hero will draw comparisons to the aforementioned Crouching Tiger, the film shares more with Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon in terms of narrative and Wong Kar-Wai’s Ashes of Time in terms of its visual appearance and its spirit. Regardless of what other films it may resemble, Hero is an exemplary feat of filmmaking that is both thrilling and poignant. Awash in colors and emotion, Hero has beauty that will make your head swoon. The writing defines the lead characters so well, and the cast plays them with such furious conviction that you can’t help but live vicariously through them.

To enjoy such thrilling characters that you can’t help but feel their joy and sorrow, their triumph and noble resignation, or feel their boldness for martial confrontation and feel like you are in battle with them is what we ask of great movie characters. And to find such great characters in a movie that lives up to the promise of its players is an infrequent treat. To find a movie that delves into history and sends a message to the present that makes us realize the importance of the past is all the more rare.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2003 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film” (China)

2003 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film” (China)

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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Review: "Pieces of April" is a Potent Thanksgiving Drama (Happy B'day, Katie Holmes)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pieces of April (2003)
Running time: 80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language, sensuality, drug content and images of nudity
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Peter Hedges
PRODUCERS: Alexis Alexanian, John Lyons, and Gary Winick
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tami Reiker (D.o.P)
EDITOR: Mark Livolsi
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/FAMILY with some elements of comedy

Starring: Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, John Gallagher, Jr., Alice Drummond, Lillias White, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., and Sisqó

We’re all familiar with Christmas movies or even the generally labeled “holiday movie,” which (I guess) is supposed to cover the entire “holiday season,” ostensibly Thanksgiving to New Years Day. Are there films we can label as genuine Thanksgiving Day films – films dedicated to that day and have little or nothing to do with Christmas?

Now, Peter Hedges’ Pieces of April can join any existent shortlist of great Thanksgiving Day films. It’s the story of April Burns (Katie Holmes), who invites her family to Thanksgiving dinner at her teeny apartment on New York’s Lower East Side. April has a history of bad behavior, petty crimes, and (really) bad boyfriends, but she’s starting to get her act together. Her father, Jim (Oliver Platt), reluctantly gets his family together for the long trip to NYC, perhaps sensing that this is the last time he will have his entire little family together. His wife Joy (Patricia Clarkson, who earned an Academy Award nomination and won several post season film awards for her performance here), is dying of breast cancer, and Joy and her daughter April have a history of terrible confrontations and hard feelings.

Although I didn’t really go for Hedges documentary-style or the film’s grainy, digital camera realism, the technique does bring the audience directly into the actors. It’s a visceral experience to get in so close to them; it takes sharing the emotions of the characters beyond merely being a vicarious experience. The performances are, for the most part, all good (Derek Luke and Sean Hayes are shaky), and makes being so intimate with the characters a rewarding experience. In fact, the actors don’t show their hands. They make the characters so real that you ignore the fact that they’re playing. It’s like being a fly on the wall or an invisible man privy to an intimate and intensely private, personal family drama.

So maybe Hedges (one of the screenwriters on About a Boy), made all the right choices, and whatever one might question about his choice of visual style, it makes what could have been a pedestrian, feel good, disease of the week, family melodrama, TV movie into a fine film.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Patricia Clarkson)

2004 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Patricia Clarkson)

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About this Movie: TRON: Legacy

Press release:

TRON: LEGACY (In Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D)

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Website: Disney.com/TRON
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/TRON
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/TronLegacy
Genre: Action-Adventure
Rating: PG
U.S. Release Date: December 17, 2010

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Michael Sheen

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Producers: Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Steven Lisberger
Executive Producer: Donald Kushner
Written by: Eddy Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (credit not final)
Based on characters created by: Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird

“TRON: Legacy” is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winner Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade—a signal that could only come from his father—he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Kevin has been trapped for 20 years. With the help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe—a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape. Presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and scored by Grammy® Award-winning electronic music duo Daft Punk, “TRON: Legacy” hits U.S. theaters on Dec. 17, 2010, in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D.

Notes:
· Producer Steven Lisberger co-wrote and directed the original “TRON” (1982).

· Jeff Bridges, winner of both the Oscar® and Golden Globe® for his role in “Crazy Heart,” reprises the role of Kevin Flynn, which he originated in “TRON” (1982).

· Bruce Boxleitner reprises the roles of Alan Bradley and Tron, which he originated in “TRON” (1982).

· Grammy® Award-winning Daft Punk is composing the music for “TRON: Legacy.”

· “TRON: Legacy” forges a new frontier in filmmaking with its avant-garde, cutting-edge technology—set to blow away today’s audiences. Among the film’s firsts: it is the first 3D movie to integrate a fully digital head and body based upon an existing actor, creating the younger version of Jeff Bridges’ character; it’s the first movie to make extensive use of self-illuminated costumes; it’s the first movie to create molded costumes using digital sculpture exclusively, creating molds directly from computer files using CNC (Computer Numerical Cutting) technology; it’s the first 3D movie shot with 35mm lenses and full-35mm chip cameras; and it’s the first movie to record uncompressed HD Video to Hard Drive.

· The world of “TRON: Legacy” has an exciting, pulsing vibe that sets its lifestyle apart from any other on or off the planet. From electric light suits to state-of-the-art hair and makeup, elements of the trend-setting world of “TRON: Legacy” are showing up on fashion runways, and companies such as Hurley, adidas, Oakley and Burton are featuring “TRON”-inspired lines targeted for the young male consumer in collaboration with Disney Consumer Products.

“TRON: Legacy” is a 3D high-tech adventure about a father and son (Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund) who embark on a life-and-death journey of escape across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Hit Movie "Despicable Me" is Now a Home Entertainment Hit

Press release:

Minion Madness Explodes Across The Country as Despicable Me Dominates on Blu-ray and DVD Ringing In $25 Million its First Day in Stores

Universal’s $500 Million Comedy Sensation is on Track to Become the Second- Biggest Animated Home Entertainment Release of 2010

Universal City, California, December 15, 2010 – The world’s funniest evil genius saw his plans for world domination come true when Despicable Me made off with first-day sales on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download of nearly $25 million on December 14. Fueled by the exclusive debut of three all-new mini-movies on DVD Double Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and 3D Combo Pack starring the film’s wildly popular Minions, the mega-hit animated family comedy sold well over one million units to consumers (excluding rentals) in its first 24 hours of release and is poised to become the second biggest-grossing animated home entertainment title of the year.

“Despicable Me is one of the most creative, beloved and successful animated features of all time, as evidenced by its resounding critical acclaim and extraordinary global box-office earnings of over half a billion dollars,” said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “In providing consumers with exceptional all-new mini-movies and the greatest choice of platforms across DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, Despicable Me has rocketed to the top of everyone’s gift list and has assumed the coveted position as the must-own release of the holiday season.”

The title’s explosive first-day sales were also aided by Universal’s groundbreaking “Minion Madness” promotion, a points-based reward and social media program spotlighting the film’s beloved mischief-makers, the Minions. Fans can register to participate in creative interactive activities that earn points toward prizes ranging from gift cards to all-expense-paid vacations. To date, registered users have earned more than one million minion points and shared thousands of pieces of fan art, fan photos and more at http://www.minionmadness.com/. Running through January 2011, “Minion Madness” will award more than 15,000 prizes to registered users.

Despicable Me is the hilarious tale of Gru, the self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Villain,” whose plot to pull off the craziest crime of the century is turned upside down by three adorable orphans. The latest film from producer Chris Meledandri (Ice Age, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!), it features an unforgettably funny all-star voice cast including Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Academy Award® winner Julie Andrews, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer and Jemaine Clement.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Review: "Greenberg" is an Excellent Character Study

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 103 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Greenberg (2010)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for some strong sexuality, drug use, and language
DIRECTOR: Noah Baumbach
WRITERS: Noah Baumbach; from a story by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Noah Baumbach
PRODUCERS: Jennifer Jason Leigh and Scott Rudin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Harris Savides (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Tim Streeto

DRAMA

Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, and Jennifer Jason Leigh

Greenberg is the most recent film from filmmaker Noah Baumbach, the writer/director of the Oscar-nominated films, The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding. Greenberg focuses on a New Yorker returning to Los Angeles, the place where he grew up, to figure out some things.

Fresh out of a mental institution, 40-year-old Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) travels to L.A. to housesit for his brother, 15 years after he left the city. At a crossroads in his life, Roger, a carpenter, hopes to fix his wreck of life, while he fixes some things around his brother’s house. Roger meets his brother’s personal assistant, Florence Marr (Greta Gerwig), a sweet and considerate, but naïve 20-something. Roger needs Florence because he doesn’t drive, and the two begin an awkward relationship. Roger, however, has a quick temper, over-analyzes everything, and does not have a sense of humor when it comes to himself. Can Roger really fix himself?

Greenberg seems more like an extended chapter in a longer story than it does a self-contained film narrative. I have to give Baumbach credit for presenting a character like Greenberg who seems broken beyond repair and who is also funny, but mostly unlikable. I give him even more credit for writing a script and creating a visual narrative that makes Roger Greenberg so interesting and then dares to tackle his complicated ways.

Ben Stiller seems to shape his performance as Greenberg in a way to make readers always want to know more about the character, including his past and even his future. Stiller really sells the idea that Greenberg is broken and in need of repair. Greta Gerwig and Rhys Ifans are also quite good, creating engaging characters whose own stories matter well beyond their connections to the lead, Greenberg.

Like Baumbach’s other films, Greenberg is inimitably human, balancing the fragile with the sturdy and the mundane with the humorous. Baumbach and Stiller give us a wild adventure into the personality and connectivity turmoil of a complicated, complex character. The only problem is that sometimes, writer/director and lead actor hide too much of Greenberg’s nature and thoughts behind a wall of eccentric behavior and petulance. Still, such an all-too-human character in the cinematic world of vapid characters is welcomed.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, December 17, 2010

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Review: "The Squid and the Whale" Finds Comedy in Pain

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 90 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Running time: 81 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexual content, graphic dialogue, and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Noah Baumbach
PRODUCERS: Wes Anderson, Charlie Corwin, Clara Markowicz, and Peter Newman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert D. Yeoman
EDITOR: Tim Streeto
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/COMEDY

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Jesse Eisenberg, Laura Linney, Owen Kline, William Baldwin, Anna Paquin and Halley Feiffer

16-year old Walt Berkman (Jesse Eisenberg) and his 12-year old brother, Frank (Owen Kline), find themselves caught in the middle of their parents’ separation. Their dad, Bernard (Jeff Daniels), is a Brooklyn professor and writer who seems well past his prime as an author. Their mother, Joan (Laura Linney), is a writer with a burgeoning career. In fact, Joan is on the brink of stardom as she has a book deal, and The New Yorker is publishing an excerpt from her novel.

With their lives headed in different directions, Bernard and Joan are acrimonious about the past, present, and future of their relationship. As soon as their parents announce their separation to them, Walt and Frank’s steady foundation crumbles, and not only are the boys relegated to alternating days and a jumbled calendar when it comes to visitation, but their confusion and conflicted feelings also began to manifest in odd and troubling behavior. Walt passes off a song from a famous band as his own, and Frank begins to drink alcohol and chronically masturbate.

The Squid and the Whale is writer/director Noah Baumbach’s fictional account of his own parents; divorce. Of course, that sounds like an interest-killer, but Baumbach’s film is free of the kind of phony and cloying melodrama that often hampers even the best movies about divorce (or TV movies, that matter), simply because the filmmakers usually have “the best intentions” and “mean well” when such films. What probably makes The Squid and the Whale so good is that it is not only brutally frank and sometimes too frankly honest, but the film is also excruciating even in moments of levity. Divorce can be (very) destructive and painful, and just tears at the confidence and self-image of those involved. Baumbach is not out to provide cures, but to tell a riveting story.

The performances are… strong – no need of any special adjectives; they’re just strong. Jeff Daniels, more talented than most A-list stars, but lesser known than some “B-listers,” is haunting and hilarious as an academic whose fortunes have been on their way down for years. His Bernard Berkman (based on Baumbach’s father, the author Jonathan Baumbach) is hilarious in his intellectual snobbery and pathetic in his absolute belief that one shouldn’t engage in any endeavor unless there is the absolute guarantee of being an elite. Laura Linney’s Joan Berkman is a bit difficult to read. Complex and revealing her long held streak of independence, Linney’s Joan is one of the best and most fully realized female characters in recent memory. Joan is neither villain nor hero, but a person who wishes to have a life of her own not impeded by the sensitivities of insecure males.

The real stars of this film are Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline (the son of Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline) as the Berkmans’ children. Jesse ably creates Walt as a mimic of his father, and then shows him struggling to gain his own footing and identity, even as he seems to have whole-heartedly bought into Bernard’s superiority and snobbery. Owen is so intriguing as Frank, a sly imp as curious as a cat and one who dispenses information with the cunningness of a Beltway reporter.

As well made as The Squid and the Whale is, the film has an impeccable blueprint in its screenplay. Baumbach’s writing is the family drama as farce, but with an honest examination of love, family bonds, and dependency is jeopardy. There are no villains, just people, and if the film via its script has a weakness, it’s that it is so narrow. The end of the film shows promise for even richer characters and story, but still, what The Squid and the Whale does give us is extraordinary – an almost divine human comedy.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Noah Baumbach)

2006 Golden Globes: 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Jeff Daniels), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Laura Linney)

Sunday, April 23, 2006

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