Review: "The Cave" is B-Movie Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Cave (2005)
Running time: 97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense creature violence
DIRECTOR: Bruce Hunt
WRITERS: Michael Steinberg and Tegan West
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Andrew Mason, Michael Ohoven, Tom Rosenberg, and Richard Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ross Emery
EDITOR: Brian Berdan

HORROR/ACTION/THRILLER with elements of sci-fi

Starring: Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian, Daniel Dae Kim, Rick Ravanello, Marcel Iures, Kieran Darcy-Smith and Lena Heady and Piper Perabo

Deep in the Romanian forest, scientists have discovered the ruins of a 13th century abbey. What they don’t know is that 30 years earlier, the abbey was till intact when a group of mercenaries entered it to find something the scientists are now about to discover for themselves. The abbey was built over the entrance to a giant underground cave system.

Local biologists hire seasoned cave explorers, led by the enigmatic Jack (Cole Hauser), to guide them on what should be a routine deep-cave dive and expedition of this cave system beneath the Carpathian Mountains. The expedition suddenly turns deadly when the cavern they’re surveying collapses. Being trapped isn’t the end of the world for this team, as the explorers themselves would rank as the number one rescue party were a similar thing to happen to some other group. However, getting out becomes complicated when they discover that weird and monstrous creatures occupy the cave and these beasts have an evil hunger for human flesh.

Savaged by critics and reviews, The Cave may have in the minds of many moviegoers the reputation of being something really awful. The truth is that it’s a rather thrilling monster movie. Think of it as Alien set in the alien world that is the world of deep caverns, but without the cinematic pedigree. The film’s producers hired a many actual cave explorers as consultants for the film, so the characters, their equipment, and technology ring as true. The film is also dimly lit and awash in a drowning world of blackness and deep shadows in which even strong light can’t make much of a dent. That really adds to our sense of dread for the characters. We hear the growls, roars, and assorted noise of the monsters. We hear the characters running and searching for a way out, but it is often hard to see key moments clearly. Director Bruce Hunt uses that to create an exciting and invigorating sense of paranoia.

But all that really needs to be said is that The Cave is a fun monster movie. It has more scares and thrills than cheese, and the filmmakers took their project seriously enough to make a surprisingly effective horror movie. For those who like the idea of monstrous animals creeping in the shadows our world and waiting to eat us, this is for you.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, January 14, 2006

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VIZ Cinema Announces Anime and Drama at New People for February

NEW PEOPLE PRESENTS SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENTS FOR THE GARDEN OF SINNERS, KIM KI-DUK’S BREATH AND GANTZ IN FEBRUARY

 

VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE, the nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese and Asian film, presents a trio of special movie events taking place at the venue in February. Trailers, screening times and tickets are available at www.VIZCinema.com. The venue is located inside NEW PEOPLE at 1746 Post Street in San Francisco’s Japantown.

The month begins as Aniplex of America, Inc. and NEW PEOPLE present the U.S. premiere of the anime feature film, THE GARDEN OF SINNERS, on February 5th, to be followed by a discussion panel with key members of the movie’s production staff. This one-day-only event will celebrate the highly anticipated release of the film’s Blu-ray Box Set which will be released in North America on February 8th (a week after the Japanese release).

Also slated to screen on February 19th will be the acclaimed Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s romantic prison drama, BREATH, which will be followed by a reception with The Red Lantern: Bay Area Asian Cinephiles, based in San Francisco and the world's largest Meetup group for Asian films - http://www.meetup.com/sf-asian-film.

Finally, by popular demand, VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE will offer a special one-night-only screening on February 19th of the live-action sci-fi thriller GANTZ (in Japanese with English subtitles). GANTZ is based on the smash hit manga and anime series and was world-premiered at 334 theatres nationwide in January.

THE GARDEN OF SINNERS
Saturday, 2/5 at 1:30pm – ONE DAY ONLY! Tickets: $15.00
(Directed by Ei Aoki, Takuya Nonaka, Shinsuke Takizaw, Japan, 49min, 58min, and 119min, Digital, Japanese with English subtitles)

After spending two years in a coma caused by a traffic accident, Shiki Ryougi awakens with amnesia. Inexplicably, she finds that she has also obtained the “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception” in which she can see the invisible lines of mortality that hold every living and non-living thing together. Working for a small independent agency, Shiki attempts to unravel the baffling mystery behind a series of abnormal, horrifying incidents, but are they a foreshadowing that leads to something even more tragic and ominous? Things are not what they appear to be on the surface, but what dark revelations lie underneath? This is a modern occult-action thriller where Shiki must tackle supernatural incidents with her special abilities while searching for a reason to live.

This screening will be immediately followed by a special discussion session with key members of the movie’s production staff.

BREATH
Saturday, 2/19 at 5:00pm – ONE NIGHT ONLY! Tickets: $12.00
(Directed by Kim Ki-duk, Korea, 83min, 2007, Digital, Korean with English subtitles)

On a cold winter day, after learning her husband has found a new woman, Yeon absent-mindedly heads for a prison where an inmate name Jin is confined. Although she doesn’t know him personally, repeated news of his suicide attempts on TV have subconsciously grown in her mind which now is leading her to seek him. Jin has no visitors and normally would not agree to meet a complete stranger, but hearing that it’s a woman, he accepts her request out of curiosity. Their first encounter is awkward. Yeon treats Jin like an old friend whereas Jin doesn’t open up so easily. To Jin’s surprise, Yeon comes back for a second visit…One day her husband follows her to the prison and witnesses an intimate exchange between Yeon and Jin. The jealous husband drags her home and tries to separate the new couple. While forced to be apart, time winds down for Jin’s execution. But the two are already attached to one another more than her husband assumed – more than life and death. And desperate Yeon finds a way to elude her husband and help Jin out of his misery.

GANTZ (English Subtitled Version)
Saturday, 2/19 at 7:15pm – ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Tickets: $12.00 (attendees will also receive a special GANTZ poster)
(Directed by Shinsuke Sato, Japan, 129min, 2011, Digital, Japanese with English subtitles)

GANTZ is based on a hit manga series created by Hiroya Oku and stars leading Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City). The film tells the story of two childhood friends that are accidentally killed while trying to save another man’s life. Rather than find themselves in the hereafter, however, they awaken in a strange apartment in which they find a mysterious black orb they come to know as “GANTZ.” Along with similar abductees, they are provided with equipment and weaponry and manipulated into playing a kind of game in which they are sent back out to the greater world to do battle with alien beings, all while never quite knowing whether this game is an illusion or their new reality.

VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE 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.

Review: Angelina Jolie's "Salt" is Good For You

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Salt (2010)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action
DIRECTOR: Phillip Noyce
WRITER: Kurt Wimmer
PRODUCERS: Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Elswit
EDITOR: Stuart Baird, John Gilroy, and Steven Kemper
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard
Academy Award nominee

ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl, Hunt Block, Andre Braugher, and Olek Krupa

Written by Kurt Wimmer, the writer/director of the film Equilibrium, Salt was originally about a male character named “Edwin A. Salt,” and Tom Cruise initially wanted to play the character. A little more than half a decade later, the character became a woman, now played by Angelina Jolie. The resultant film is, in the hands of the supremely skilled director, Philip Noyce, one of 2010’s best movies.

Salt focuses on Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), a CIA agent recently released from a North Korean prison. Salt’s plans to celebrate her wedding anniversary with her husband, arachnologist Michael Krause (August Diehl), is interrupted by a sudden turn of events at the CIA. Vassily Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), a Russian defector, arrives with shocking secrets. During Salt’s interrogation of him, Orlov reveals details about “Day X,” a Russian plot to destroy the United States by using highly-trained, English-speaking, Russian sleeper agents. And Orlov claims that Salt is one of those sleeper agents.

Suddenly, a rogue CIA agent, Salt is on the run, and she uses every tactic, accent, and disguise she knows to elude her pursuers, clear her name, and find her now-missing husband. Her CIA supervisor, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), believes that she may not be an enemy, but U.S. counter-intelligence agent, Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor), absolutely believes that Salt is an enemy. To save herself, however, Salt may end up doing the very things Orlov said she would.

Salt has two stellar supporting actors in the talented Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who both deliver their usual good work in this film. Outside of Asian cinema, no one is capable of delivering terrific work in both dramatic films and action movies the way Angelina Jolie does. Jolie makes Evelyn Salt the kind of secret agent/spy who is every bit the man James Bond or Jason Bourne is.

Salt is a magnificent CIA/spy film, however, because of the work of director Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm, Clear and Present Danger). The Australian director is a master of the thriller: action thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, social thriller, suspense thriller, and thriller thriller. From the beginning of Salt, it was as if Noyce threw a rope around me and dragged me along for a ride, and what a great ride Salt was. Its action is so visceral and its narrative so visually powerful that you might choose to ignore the set pieces that seem way, way farfetched. I can find very little about which to complain or criticize.

At times, Salt is like a comic book superhero story, and it occasionally seems as much a fantasy as it is a CIA thriller. Noyce took his more-than-capable dramatic action star, Angelina Jolie, and spun what will hopefully be the beginning of a beautiful new spy thriller franchise.

8 of 10
A

NOTE:
2011 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Jeffrey J. Haboush, William Sarokin, Scott Millan, and Greg P. Russell)

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"The Dark Knight Rises" Adds Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Quite a bit of info and news has been trickling out about Christopher Nolan's third Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," which is due July 2012.  Deadline is reporting that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who appeared in Nolan's Oscar-nominated Inception, is in talks to join the new Batman flick.  No word on what role Gordon-Levitt will play.
At the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Nolan revealed that DKR will start shooting in May of this year and that he and David Goyer had been working on the script for "a long time."

At /Film, in a short article Christopher Nolan's Director of Photographer Wally Pfister says that DKR's script is phenomenal.  He gave no details, but did talk about plans for photographing the film.

For Those About to Bubblegum Rock: Justin Bieber Movie Tickets on Sale

ADVANCE TICKETS FOR THE “JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER” MOVIE ON SALE!

The Ultimate Golden Ticket Will Be Awarded To One Lucky Fan

Movie Opens in RealD 3D, Digital 3D and 2D Nationwide on February 11, 2011

HOLLYWOOD, CA (January 31, 2011) - Paramount Pictures announced today that advance tickets for the upcoming movie JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER will go on sale today, Tuesday, February 1st. Tickets will be available online and at participating theatre box offices across North America.

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER is the inspiring true story and rare inside look at the rise of Justin from street performer in the small town of Stratford, Ontario to internet phenomenon to global super star culminating with a dream sold out show at the famed Madison Square Garden in 3D. It is directed by Jon M. Chu and produced by Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber, Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Usher Raymond IV, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz.

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER opens in RealD 3D, Digital 3D and 2D nationwide on Friday, February 11th.

Moviegoers who purchase tickets on Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com will be automatically entered to win "The Ultimate Golden Ticket Sweepstakes", in which one lucky person from each site will win a date with Justin for their very own hometown screening of JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER for them and their friends. No purchase necessary. For details and restrictions, see Official Rules at http://www.fandango.com/ and http://www.movietickets.com/.

For more information go to: http://www.justinbieberneversaynever.com/


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

Review: "Burn After Reading" is the Best Moron Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Burn After Reading (2008)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence
WRITERS/DIRECTORS: The Coen Brothers
PRODUCERS: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Emmanuel Lubezki
EDITORS: Roderick Jaynes (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
COMPOSER: Carter Burwell
Golden Globe nominee

COMEDY

Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons, Olek Krupa, Michael Countryman, Kevin Sussman, Elizabeth Marvel, and David Rasche

I certainly like Coen Brothers movies like No Country for Old Men and True Grit. These are classically formal, traditional Hollywood tales of murderous men and frontier justice done in the Bros.’ idiosyncratic style. These are the kinds of movie that will appeal to broad audiences and attract Oscar attention.

However, I prefer to watch the Bros.’ films that reflect their assumed quirky sensibilities: movies like The Big Lebowski, Intolerable Cruelty, and the 2008 flick, Burn After Reading. “Quirky” may not necessarily be the appropriate word. Coen Bros.’ films like Burn After Reading and the Academy Award-winning Fargo seem strange because, from top to bottom, the characters in these movies are unusually fascinating, especially compared to the characters that appear in most American movies.

Burn After Reading takes place in Washington D.C. It begins with Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), a CIA analyst who quits his job in a huff and decides to write his memoirs. A compact disc copy of the memoirs ends up in the hands of two moronic employees of Hardbodies gym. After perusing the contents of the disc, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) decide that Cox should pay them money to get it back. Meanwhile, Osbourne’s wife, pediatrician Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton), is having an affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a womanizing U.S. Marshal and agent of the U.S. Treasury. When Osbourne refuses to pay them, Chad and Linda try to sell the disc to the Russian embassy, but that only makes things worse.

Joel and Ethan Coen are supernaturally good at creating characters that seem eccentric, odd, and even peculiar. When you look at them closely, however, you may discover how maddeningly, poignantly, and hilariously human they seem to be. Their motivations are petty and absurd, but oh-so familiar. Their lives are exciting, strange, and sometimes boring, and the characters are as dull as they are fascinating. The Coens fill Burn After Reading with such characters. This tale of Washington D.C. insiders and outsiders playing a poorly executed game of espionage is an unforgettable farce because of them.

As usual, the Coens get excellent performances from the cast, acting that brings such atypical screen characters to life. Once again, George Clooney is dead-on as (for the third time) a Coen Bros. fool. Frances McDormand’s sparkling dramatic turn is pitch-perfect for this farce, and she has marvelous screen chemistry with Brad Pitt, who once again proves that he is exceptionally good in supporting roles and character parts.

Burn After Reading creates a confederacy of dunces for our entertainment. This savage comedy about vain idiots who always think they have the goods on everyone else may one day be an American classic. Today, it is a slice of America that captures the entire American pie.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2009 BAFTA Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Screenplay – Original” (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen), “Best Supporting Actor” (Brad Pitt), and “Best Supporting Actress” (Tilda Swinton)

2009 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Frances McDormand)

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

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Henry Cavill is the New Superman

27-year-old Brit, Henry Cavill has been cast in the dual role of Superman and Clark Kent in the 2012 movie that will reboot the Superman film franchise.  The movie is reportedly entitled, "The Man of Steel."

 

Apparently, this is not the first time that Cavill has been considered for the role.  He was the leading candidate before Brandon Routh was chosen to play the star in Superman Returns (2006).  Cavill was supposedly considered for the role of James Bond before it went to Daniel Craig.

 

Here, is the Warner Bros. press release announcing Cavill as the new Superman:

 

Henry Cavill Will Take on the Dual Role of Clark Kent / Superman in the New Film from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

 

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Henry Cavill has won the coveted role of Superman, the iconic superhero.

 

The film will be directed by Zack Snyder, who stated, “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”

 

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

Cavill recently wrapped production on “The Cold Light of Day” and stars in the upcoming “Immortals,” opening this fall.

Targeted for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. [END]