Review: "Brick" is an Unconventional Conventional Mystery Film (Happy B'day, Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 188 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Brick (2005)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – R for violent and drug content
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson
PRODUCERS: Ram Bergman and Mark G. Mathis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steve Yedlin

DRAMA/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Matt O’Leary, Emilie de Ravin, Noah Segan, Richard Roundtree, Meagan Good, and Brian White

When teenager loner Brendan Fry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds his former girlfriend, Emily Kostich (Emilie de Ravin), dead in a local canal, he’s determined to find the murderer and all those involved. Brendan enlists the aid of a local stoolie, The Brain (Matt O’Leary), who seems to know everyone, their hangouts, and all their business. Through a series of intense encounters with the various cliques at his high school, Brendan finds a drug connection and enters the world of a local drug kingpin, The Pin (Lukas Haas), and his enforcer, Tug (Noah Fleiss). But with Assistant Vice-Principal Trueman (Richard Roundtree) breathing down his neck, will Brendan be ensnared in the very trap he set to catch those responsible for Emily’s death?

A hit at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, writer/director Rian Johnson’s Brick is an unconventional Film-Noir (or neo noir) set in the halls of a modern day high school situated in a semi-affluent suburbia setting. Johnson mixes the film noir detective with the gangster flick and the undercover sting. It’s a latte of The Maltese Falcon, A Fist Full of Dollars, and your pick of Martin Scorsese crime flicks. Brick is never too smart for its own good, but sometimes Rian’s concoction seems mismatched with his setting. He has all the elements of noir right (even a femme fatale or two), but those elements often ring hollow against the backdrop of a high school.

Still, it’s always good when a filmmaker can make his movie engaging and make you give a damn, and Johnson does. The film starts off very slow, but Brick is hard to ignore. I just couldn’t stop watching, and in Brendan Fry, Rian has the kind of hero the audience will follow… even into danger and other places Brendan just shouldn’t be and just shouldn’t go. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, formerly of the NBC comedy, "3rd Rock from the Sun," plays Fry with chutzpah, nerves of steel, and the wily charm of a rogue twice his age. Rian came up with a good idea for a crime story, but Gordon-Levitt gives the performance that makes it a good movie.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, August 28, 2006

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Studio Ghibli's "Nausicaa" and "Earthsea" Anime Due on DVD in March

On March 8th, Studio Ghibli's TALES FROM EARTHSEA (DVD only) and NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack) will be available to bring home.

Goro Miyazaki's directorial debut, Tales from Earthsea, features exquisite hand-drawn animation and the vocal talents of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay. Bonus material includes a behind-the-scenes look at the studio and Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge.

Nausicaa of Valley of the Wind launched the Academy Award-winning career of famed director Hayao Miyazaki! This stunning animated tale features the voices of Uma Thurman, Shia LeBeouf, and Patrick Stewart. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes look into the recording booth and the birth story of Studio Ghibli.

Nausicca Film Synopsis: For the first time ever, the magic of Blu-ray™ high definition reveals the exquisite details in Hayao Miyazaki’s epic masterpiece, Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind. Experience the film that launched the Academy Award–winning career (2002 for best animated feature, Spirited Away) of one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation.

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley Of The Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

Like Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away and Ponyo, Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind will dazzle your senses with its intricately imagined storytelling and stunning animation.

U.S. Release Date: March 8, 2011
(Direct Prebook January 11, 2011/ Distributor Prebook January 25, 2011)
Rating: US-PG; Canada-PG
Feature Run Time: Approximately 118-minutes
Release Format: Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray Disc™ + DVD)
Suggested Retail Pricing: 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (BD+DVD) = $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada
Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus World of Ghibli including
Features: Behind the Studio
Enter the Lands
Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge
Original Japanese storyboards
General Blu-ray & DVD Behind the Microphone
Bonus Features: The Birth Story of Studio Ghibli
Original TV trailers

Talent/Cast: Uma Thurman (Kill Bill: Vol 1, Kill Bill: Vol 2, Pulp Fiction, Gattaca), Shia LeBeouf (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Tranformers, Surf’s Up), and Patrick Stewart (Gnomeo & Juliet, Bambi II, Chicken Little)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke)
Producers: Michio Kondô (Nausiacaä and the Valley of the Wind)
Isao Takahata (Castle in the Sky, Nausiacaä and the Valley of the Wind)
Yasuyoshi Tokuma (Spirited Away, Pulse, Ritual)

Tales from Earthsea:
Film Synopsis: From Disney and Studio Ghibli comes the epic animated adventure Tales From Earthsea, directed by Goro Miyazaki, and featuring the voices of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay.

Based on the classic “Earthsea” fantasy book series by Ursula Le Guin, Tales from Earthsea is set in a mythical world filled with magic and bewitchment. Journey with Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk, a master wizard, and Arren, a troubled young prince, on a tale of redemption and self-discovery as they search for the force behind a mysterious imbalance in the land of Earthsea; crops are dwindling,dragons have reappeared, and humanity is giving way to chaos.

Featuring a timeless story and magnificent hand-drawn animation, Tales From Earthsea is must-have DVD for every film enthusiast’s collection.

U.S. Release Date: March 8, 2011
(Direct Prebook January 11, 2011/Distributor Prebook January 25, 2011)
Feature Run Time: Approximately 115-minutes
Release Format: DVD
Suggested Retail Pricing: 1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
DVD The World of Ghibli including:
Bonus Features: Behind the Studio
Enter The Lands
Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge

Talent/Cast: Timothy Dalton (Toy Story 3, The Tourist, The Informant), Willem Dafoe (John Carter of Mars, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Spider Man), Cheech Marin (Cars, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Spy Kids), and Mariska Hargitay (TV’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order)

Director: Goro Miyazaki (directorial debut)
Producers: Toshio Suzuki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke)

"Big Momma's House 2" a Plain House

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 125 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual humor and a humorous drug reference
DIRECTOR: John Whitesell
WRITER: Don Rhymer (based upon the characters created by Darryl Quarles)
PRODUCERS: David T. Friendly and Michael Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin
EDITOR: Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Razzie Award nominee

COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Emily Procter, Zachary Levi, Mark Moses, Kat Dennings, Chloe Grace Moretz, Marisol Nichols, Jascha Washington, Josh Flitter, and Preston Shores and Trevor Shores

Eddie Murphy began his career as a standup comic and shot to fame as a cast member of NBC’s venerable sketch comedy variety series, “Saturday Night Live,” in the early 1980’s. By 1982, he had a hit movie, and by the late 1984 release of the film, Beverly Hills Cop, he was a certified movie star. Although he hit a dry patch at the turn of the decade in 1990, he redefined himself by appearing in family friendly live action films like The Nutty Professor and Dr. Doolittle franchises (both remakes of older films) and doing voiceover work in hit animated films such as Walt Disney’s Mulan and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek franchise.

Martin Lawrence also began his career as an edgy “urban contemporary” or black comedian. The late 1980’s and early 1990’s found him in supporting roles and ensemble parts in several films. He had a hit show on the FOX Network, “Martin,” beginning in 1992. At the turn of the century, he had two big hit movies, one of them, 2000’s Big Momma’s House, was a surprise blockbuster hit. Then, the walls came tumbling down with a series of stumbles that began in 2001 with What’s the Worst That Could Happen? and Black Knight and continued with 2003’s National Security, before Bad Boys II righted Lawrence’s ship later that same year.

Martin has also recently remade himself from a formerly edgy comedian to one who now makes family friendly films. The first one, Rebound in 2005, was a misfire, but earlier this year, Martin once again donned the drag getup of an obese black matron in the (relatively speaking) surprise box office hit, Big Momma’s House 2. We find our intrepid hero, Malcolm Turner (Lawrence), married to Sherri (Nia Long), the target of his undercover investigation in the first film. Not only is he a stepfather to Sherri’s son, Trent (Jascha Washington), but he and Nia are expecting a baby in just a few weeks.

Wanting to spend more time with his family and stay out of danger for them, Malcolm took a desk job that sometimes finds him doing PR for the FBI (like dressing in a giant chicken costume and teaching children safety). However, an FBI agent and friend is murdered while investigating Tom Fuller (Mark Moses), a computer programmer who is creating a “worm,” that will allow foreign agents and outside enemies computer access into the most sensitive areas of government security information. Malcolm wants in on the investigation, but his superiors hold him to his request for desk duty.

But the story can’t stop there, especially when opportunity gives Malcolm a way back onto the job. The Fullers need a nanny, and Malcolm retrieves his fat suit, prosthetic face, and granny dresses from the closet. Before long, Hattie Mae Pierce aka “Big Momma” is back on the job and has wiled her way into Tom’s wife, Leah’s (Emily Procter), heart and becomes the Fuller’s nanny. Big Momma immediately starts searching the house for information on Tom’s activities, but before long Big Momma finds herself attached to the three Fuller children: teen goth girl with an attitude, Molly (Kat Dennings); unconfident cheerleader, Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz), and three-year old Andrew (played by twins Preston and Trevor Shores), who hasn’t yet spoken a word, jumps from heights, and eats Brillo® pads and sand. Now, Malcolm as Big Momma is determined to help the Fuller kids through their difficulties and make their career-oriented parents spend more time with them. But will that comprise Malcolm’ mission and keep him from discovering the whereabouts of the worm Tom is creating and discovering the identity of the enemy agents trying to buy it?

I neither liked nor hated Big Momma’s House 2. It’s occasionally, mildly funny, although the last 20 minutes are actually the first time the film comes out of its stupor for something resembling a rousing ending. The first film really showcased Martin Lawrence’s talent for getting in costumes to create a variety of eccentric and wildly comic characters (of which we saw a lot in his series “Martin”). The sequel comes across as a cheap copy that mostly spins its and Martin’s wheels. The Big Momma act seems tired and desperate, even more so under the weight of the dull comedy written by Don Rhymer, the co-writer of the first film. There are times when Martin actually seems emotionally drained by returning to this role. It’s a look in his eyes.

Big Momma’s House 2 is a domestic comedy set in the home of an upper middle class family. The FBI half of the pic, which stretches the limits of suspension of disbelief and is full of holes, is just filler material for the family-based comedy and for Martin Lawrence’s new act – that of a family friendly black comedian. Big Momma is the beloved black matron teaching the nice white family how to come together and just love one another. Big Momma’s philosophy of “jus’ put it in the Lawd’s hand”-southern black Christianity and homespun wisdom are the essence of the quintessential black matron or mammy – a Hollywood and, let’s face it, American social fantasy.

That said, Lawrence gives Big Momma’s relations with the child characters more traction than this lame film deserves. There are times when she’s helping the family or rescuing one of the members when it looks like at least an ember of the old Big Momma fire is still there. Big Momma’s House 2 is a family flick, in spite of the sexual innuendo and assorted crudeness. So don’t see it expecting the madcap romp we got the first time. See it for what it is – a kids' movie with loads of potty humor.

4 of 10
C

Tuesday, June 6, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Prequel or Sequel”

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Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett Joins Cast of Upcoming David Chase Film

BRAD GARRETT JOINS “THE UNTITLED DAVID CHASE PROJECT" AS CHASE ROUNDS OUT CASTING FOR HIS FEATURE FILM DEBUT AT PARAMOUNT

James Gandolfini, Bella Heathcote Christopher McDonald, Molly Price and Lisa Lampanelli Also Attached

HOLLYWOOD, CA – David Chase rounds out the cast for his upcoming film debut for Paramount Pictures. The creator and producer of the multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning critically acclaimed series The Sopranos, announced today that Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett will be featured in the director's music-driven story set in 1960's suburbia. James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Bella Heathcote (Beneath Hill 60, Neighbors), Christopher McDonald (Boardwalk Empire, Harry’s Law), Molly Price (Bionic Woman, Third Watch) and comedian Lisa Lampanelli also join the film, which is set to begin principal photography in New York.

Said Chase, "Brad brings a funny, wry intelligence to his role as a composer / music producer.”

As previously reported, Chase and Gandolfini are re-uniting on this film, after an acclaimed six-year collaboration on The Sopranos. Elaborating on Gandolfini’s role, Chase said, "It is so great to be working with Jim again. He is the perfect actor for this part – a postwar, post-Depression era parent who has given his kid every advantage that he didn't have growing up, but now can’t help feeling jealous of the liberated, more adventurous destiny his son is able to enjoy."

Price will portray the boy’s mother in the movie, with Lampanelli playing his Aunt. Christopher McDonald plays the father of his love interest (Bella Heathcote).

Chase previously announced that actors John Magaro and Will Brill, as well as Jack Huston, who has been recently receiving acclaim for his role as Richard Harrow – the man with the shattered face – on HBO's Golden Globe®-winning Boardwalk Empire, will star in the movie, to be released by Paramount Vantage. Chase, who wrote the original script, will produce alongside Oscar®-winning producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man, The Chronicles of Narnia). Steven Van Zandt is an Executive Producer and will serve as the film’s Music Supervisor.

Brad Garrett is repped by WME Entertainment, Raw Talent Management and Gendler & Kelly, APC. James Gandolfini is repped by CAA and Sanders Armstrong Caserta Management. Bella Heathcote is repped by WME Entertainment and Jackson-Medavoy Entertainment. Christopher McDonald is repped by The Gersh Agency and Brillstein. Molly Price is repped by Gersh. Lisa Lampanelli is repped by CAA and Parallel Entertainment.


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.

Original "Big Momma's House" is a Fun House

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Big Momma’s House (2000)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude humor including sexual innuendo, and for language and some violence
DIRECTOR: Raja Gosnell
WRITERS: Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer; from a story by Darryl Quarles
PRODUCERS: David T. Friendly and Michael Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael D. O’Shea
EDITORS: Kent Beyda and Bruce Green
Image Awards nominee

COMEDY

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Paul Giamatti, Jascha Washington, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Ella Mitchell, Cedric the Entertainer, and Tichina Arnold

FBI Agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) is a master of disguise, but to catch an escaped convict, he’ll have to pull off his greatest masquerade. Murderer and bank robber Lester Vesco (Terrence Dashon Howard) has escaped from prison. Vesco is looking for his old girlfriend, Sherry Pierce (Nia Long), long suspected by the police to be Vesco’s accomplice because she worked at the bank he robbed, and also suspected of knowing where the money from the robbery, which was never recovered, is. Panicked by news of Lester’s escape, Sherry takes her young son, Trent Pierce (Jascha Washington), and heads to the home of Big Momma, Sherry’s massively fat grandmother, Hattie Mae Pierce (Ella Mitchell), in Cartersville, Georgia.

Malcolm and his partner, John (Paul Giamatti), also head to Georgia and put Big Momma’s house under surveillance in hopes of discovering whereabouts of both Lester Vesco and the Sherry is allegedly hiding the money. When an emergency suddenly calls Big Momma away from her house for a week or so, Malcolm and John are afraid that Sherry will change her plans to stay at Big Momma’s house. Malcolm, using his and John’s fantastic abilities at creating prosthetics and masks, disguises himself as Big Momma. He, however, doesn’t count on falling in love with Sherry while pretending to me Big Momma. Will the romance and the effort it takes to maintain the disguise cause Malcolm to miss the arrival of Vesco and the return of the real Big Momma.

There’s something appealing about a man playing a woman. It’s especially interesting if the man is playing a woman for comedy, but there is something really attention-grabbing when a black man plays a fat black woman, which is what actor/comedian Martin Lawrence does in Big Momma’s House. Just seeing Martin in that get-up as a morbidly obese, black Southern matron elicits raucous laughter, so one sees Big Momma’s House strictly for the comedy. Martin is damn funny in drag, although he can disguise himself quite well to play a variety of comical male roles, as he does here, early in the film playing an older Asian hood.

Big Momma’s House if filled with sidesplitting comedy and a generous helping of belly laughs. The film falls apart when it tries the romantic comedy angle between Malcolm Turner (without his Big Momma getup) and Sherry Pierce; it’s dry and rings hollow. The actual police procedural (or what tries to be) doesn’t amount to much, so Paul Giamatti’s John is wasted. It’s hard to tell if Lawrence and Giamatti have any real screen chemistry, but something’s definitely there when they’re on screen together.

With its generous helping of laugh-out-loud comedy and a generous side of flatulence and juvenile humor for the kids, Big Momma’s House is simply a comedy that works. Add Martin Lawrence’s Big Momma to the list of great comic performances by actors in drag.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2001 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstand Actress in a Motion Picture (Nia Long)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

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TRON and TRON: Legacy on DVD and Blu-ray April 5th

THE ULTIMATE ACTION-PACKED, FUTURISTIC ADVENTURE COMES TO LIFE ON STUNNING BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF AND BLU-RAY 3D™

Disney's TRON: LEGACY Hits The Grid - Tuesday, April 5th

TRON: THE ORIGINAL CLASSIC SPECIAL EDITION TO ALSO DEBUT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON BLU-RAY

BURBANK, CA, February 11, 2011 – The Walt Disney Studios is proud to announce the release of its high-tech, action-packed adventure TRON: Legacy, available April 5th on multiple home entertainment platforms, including Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital Copy, Movie Download and On-Demand. Also making its long-awaited Blu-ray debut on April 5th is TRON: The Original Classic Special Edition.

Sure to light-up fans this Spring, TRON: Legacy providesconsumers with the ultimate Hi-Def Blu-ray experience with breathtaking 1080p visuals and superior 7.1 surround sounds that bring to life the visually stunning world of TRON. Taking you further behind the grid, are also in-depth bonus features on the making of the film (i.e., creating the futuristic vehicles and world of TRON, storyline mythologies, actors/characters and more) and the all-new Disney Second Screen interactive experience.

Disney Second Screen transforms the movie watching experience by allowing viewers to explore the story behind the film perfectly synched on a second device, like an iPad™ or laptop, without interrupting their enjoyment of the movie. By simply accessing the Disney Second Screen companion application on their Internet-connected device, consumers are able to dive deeper into the film by engaging with elements including 360-degree vehicle turnarounds, interactive progression reels, and more. Disney Second Screen directions and access codes can be found inside the Blu-ray Disc packaging.Audio synching is powered by TVPLUS.

The original motion picture score for TRON: Legacy, released by Walt Disney Records on December 7, 2010, was composed and produced by the iconic and critically acclaimed Grammy® Award–winning French duo Daft Punk. The album peaked at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and was the highest charting score soundtrack in over a decade. Walt Disney Records will be releasing TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED, an album featuring 14 remixes of the original motion picture score on April 5th.

TRON: THE ORIGINAL CLASSIC SPECIAL EDITION FACT SHEET
Film Synopsis: Experience the original landmark motion picture that inspired a new generation of digital filmmakers and became a favorite of fans and critics across the world. Relive the electrifying thrills of TRON with an all-new, state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high-definition sound.

When a brilliant video game maker named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing. Complete with never-before-seen bonus materials, it’s an epic adventure that everyone will enjoy!

U.S. Release Date: April 5, 2011
Release Format: Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital Download & On-Demand
Rating: US-PG
Canada-PG
Feature Run Time: Approximately 96-minutes
Talent/Cast: Jeff Bridges (TRON: Legacy, True Grit, The Big Lebowski), Bruce Boxleitner (TRON: Legacy, Transmorphers: Fall of Man), David Warner (Planet of the Apes, Titanic, The Omen), Cindy Morgan (Caddyshack, TV’s “Falcon Crest”)
Director: Steven Lisberger (TRON: Legacy, Hot Pursuit)
Producer: Donald Kushner (TRON: Legacy, Monster)


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, visit www.disney.com.

Review: 2006 Oscar-Winning Best Picture "Crash" Still Powerful

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Crash (2004/2005)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, sexual content, and some violence
DIRECTOR: Paul Haggis
WRITERS: Bobby Moresco and Paul Haggis; from a story by Paul Haggis
PRODUCERS: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris, Robert Moresco, and Paul Haggis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: J. Michael Muro
EDITOR: Hughes Winborne
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Philippe, Larenz Tate, Michael Peña, Keith David, Loretta Divine, Tony Danza, Nona Gaye, Yomi Perry, Daniel Dae Kim, Bruce Kirby, and Bahar Soomekh

The lives of a diverse cast of characters from various ethnic backgrounds, of different skin colors (also known as “different races”), and including immigrants: a Brentwood housewife (Sandra Bullock) and her District Attorney husband (Brendan Fraser); two police detectives who are also lovers (Don Cheadle and Jennifer Esposito); an African-American television director and his wife (Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton); a Mexican locksmith (Michael Peña); two carjackers (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Larenz Tate); a rookie cop and his bigoted partner (Ryan Philippe and Matt Dillon) collide over a period of 36 hours.

Crash is one of the very best films of 2005 and one of the best films about America in ages not just because co-writer/co-producer/director Paul Haggis (he wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) deftly connects so many Los Angeles-based characters of different “racial” or ethnic backgrounds to a single event with such glowing intensity. It is also great because the film shows the acute problem this country has with such diversity. American’s have created so many stereotypes that they have attached as belonging to particular ethnic, religious, “racial,” and even professional groups. Those stereotypes, in turn, affect how we judge people in those groups, how we interact with others, and what we believe about others. In the end, all that pre-judging and predestination causes us nothing but trouble.

Haggis and his co-writer, Bobby Moresco, give us so many examples of the problems these characters make for themselves because of prejudice and because they make assumptions about people that are often wrong (and sometimes even dangerous), and Haggis and Moresco still manage to make a solid, engaging, and enthralling beginning to end linear (for the most part) narrative. They’ve created so many scenarios, characters, events, actions, and attitudes with which we will personally connect because every American can lay claim to bigotry and prejudice. Crash is as if Haggis and Moresco have turned the American film into a mirror and pointed it at us.

Of the many great scenes, one in particular defines why Crash is such a great American film. A Persian storeowner who is obviously an immigrant goes to a gun store with his daughter to purchase a gun that he really believes he needs to protect himself, his family, and, in particular, his business. The gun storeowner is not patient with a Persian who doesn’t speak English well, and though his daughter tries in vain to mediate the transaction, it goes badly between Persian and the “native” American storeowner – a white guy. The storeowner calls the Persian an Arab (all people from the Middle East are not Arabs), and makes the most ugly, most bigoted remarks about 9/11 connecting all Middle Easterners and/or Arab-types to the terrorist act that I’ve ever heard.

Watch that scene alone, and you’ll understand the power Crash holds in its bosom. If the film has a message, it is that sometimes we should stop and think. Despite differences in what we believe, in skin color, or in customs, we are more alike than we’d like to believe. The static of difference between us can be the thing that stops us from helping or understanding. Allowing the static to remain can lead to tragedy when we crash into each other.

That a message film can come with such powerful ideas and not be preachy, but be such a fine and intensely engaging film is what makes Crash a great one. Add a large cast that gives such potent performances (especially Matt Dillon, who redefines his career with his role as a conflicted, bigoted patrolmen, and Terrence Howard, who adds to his 2005 coming out party with this) and Crash is a must-see movie.

10 of 10

NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 3 wins: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman), “Best Achievement in Editing” (Hughes Winborne), and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Paul Haggis-screenplay/story and Robert Moresco-screenplay); 3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Directing” (Paul Haggis), and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Kathleen York-music/lyrics and Michael Becker-music for the song "In the Deep"), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Matt Dillon)

2006 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Thandie Newton) and “Best Screenplay – Original” (Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco); 7 nominations: “Best Cinematography” (J. Michael Muro), “Best Editing” (Hughes Winborne), “Best Film” (Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, and Bob Yari), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Don Cheadle), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Matt Dillon), “Best Sound” (Richard Van Dyke, Sandy Gendler, Adam Jenkins, and Marc Fishman) and “David Lean Award for Direction”( Paul Haggis)

2006 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Matt Dillon) and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco)

Wednesday, January 4, 2006

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