Review: "Fair Game" Got Game... Sorta

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fair Game (2010)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some language
DIRECTOR: Doug Liman
WRITERS: Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (based on the books The Politics of Truth by Joseph Wilson and Fair Game by Valerie Plame)
PRODUCERS: William Pohlad, Janet Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jez Butterworth, Akiva Goldsman, and Doug Liman
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Doug Liman (D.o.P.) and Robert Baumgartner
EDITOR: Christopher Tellefsen

DRAMA with elements of a thriller

Starring: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ashley Gerasimovich, Quinn Broggy, David Andrews, Adam LeFevre, Bruce McGill, Ty Burrell, and Sam Shepard

Valerie Plame Wilson and her husband Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson are real people. About four months after the beginning of the Iraq War, Wilson wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times entitled, “What I Didn’t Find in Africa,” which disputed claims President George W. Bush made during the run up to the invasion of Iraq.

In retaliation, operatives within the Bush administration leaked sensitive information to Bush-friendly press toadies. This sensitive information was the disclosure of Valerie Plame’s identity as a United States CIA Operations Officer. This revelation and the subsequent scandal the revelation caused came to be known as “Plamegate” or “the Valerie Plame Affair.” Eventually, the Wilsons would detail their ordeal and experiences in two books, Valerie Plame’s Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House and Joseph Wilson’s The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir.

The 2010 film, Fair Game, directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity), is a fictional account of the “Plame affair.” The film’s screenplay is based on both Wilson and Plame’s books.

As the movie begins, Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) travels around the world for the CIA, pursing nuclear nonproliferation – stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and the material and technology used to make them. Soon, her work gets caught up in the White House’s need to prove that President of Iraq Sadam Hussein is pursuing the creation of WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). After the United States leads an invasion of Iraq, Plame’s husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), writes an op-ed column for the New York Times, in which he accuses the administration of President George W. Bush of misleading the public to justify invading Iraq. In retaliation, figures inside the administration leak Plame’s status as an agency operative for the CIA. Now, not only is Plame’s career in jeopardy, but also the safety of her family and her marriage to Wilson.

Fair Game seems to want to be either a human drama or a political suspense thriller or both. It is muddled, sometimes being a character drama inside a political thriller and other times being a thriller inside drama. It also has elements of a war movie and of a political melodrama. The narrative struggles to balance a desire to be a fact-based biopic (because this film is about real people and is based on very recent events) and the need to be a taut political thriller, because of box office considerations. Fair Game ends up being all over the place.

This movie is not bad. Actually, some of it is good (Naomi Watts), and some of it is average (Sean Penn’s performance) to a little above average (the last half hour of the movie). Fair Game is not standout material, and if the “Plame affair” is going to be a movie, then that movie needs to be standout – in my (not really) humble opinion. Fair Game is ordinary rather than prominent, but it has its moments.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, April 10, 2011

--------------------

Happy Birthday, Liz

Belated, of course.  Where did the weekend go?!

Pixar's "The Incredibles" On Blu-ray Tuesday

Everyone’s Favorite Family of Undercover Superheroes Bursts Into High-Definition

Academy Award®-Winning Animated Feature Disney•Pixar’s THE INCREDIBLES Makes Its Highly-Anticipated Blu-ray™ Debut On April 12th

BURBANK, Calif., February 10, 2011 – THE INCREDIBLES, everyone’s favorite family of undercover superheroes and Disney•Pixar’s two time Academy Award®-winning animated feature film (2004 Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement in Sound Editing), makes its highly- anticipated Blu-ray™ debut on April 12, 2011. Releasing as a 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (2 Blu-ray Discs + 1 DVD + 1 Digital Copy), this superset has something for everyone – from the discerning enthusiast who demands nothing less than the highest-quality home entertainment experience, to the family who enjoys the interactive and engaging bonus features that only Blu-ray can provide – making this a “must add” to every home entertainment collection across the nation.

From the creative minds behind the Toy Story films and Ratatouille, comes the hilarious, action-packed animated adventure about a seemingly ordinary family with an incredible secret. Releasing for the first time ever in high-definition and in its original theatrical wide screen version, THE INCREDIBLES has been packed to include fascinating audio commentary by Academy Award®-winning director Brad Bird and his fellow filmmakers, exclusive new bonus features, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes features, hilarious bloopers and much, much more.

An explosion of fun, comedy and action-packed adventure, THE INCREDIBLES 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack will be available at retailers nationwide for the suggested price of $45.99 U.S./$52.99 Canada.

BONUS FEATURES:

Blu-ray:
Includes The Following All-New Bonus Features Plus All The Classic DVD Features:

• The Incredibles Revisited – A roundtable discussion with Writer/Director Brad Bird, Producer John Walker, Story Supervisor Mark Andrews, Supervising Technical Director Rick Sayre, Production Designer Lou Romano, Character Designer Teddy Newton, and Supervising Animator Tony Fucile.

• Paths To Pixar: Story Artists – Continuing the popular bonus feature series that viewers have seen on many other Disney•Pixar releases, this exciting new feature showcases multiple Pixar story artists giving viewers exciting insight into their work, their inspiration and the personal paths that eventually led them to a career at Pixar.

• Studio Stories: Gary’s Birthday – Trying to make a movie when there are not enough work days and too many birthday parties? This feature showcases how The Incredibles crew solved that problem.

• Ending With A Bang: Making The End Credits – Interview with Director of Photography Andy Jimenez and Character Designer Teddy Newton about the process of creating the end credits for the film.

• “The New Nomanisan” Island Redevelopment Plan – A guided tour of Nomanisan Island, post- Syndrome, pitching the island as a vacation resort paradise.

Classic DVD Features:
The DVD in the 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack Includes:
• The Incredibles feature film
• The original short film Jack-Jack Attack
• Pixar’s Academy Award®-nominated short film Boundin’ (2003 Best Animated Short)

BLU-RAY COMBO PACK TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Street Date April 12, 2011
Direct Prebook February 8, 2011
Distributors Prebook February 22, 2011
Suggested Retail Price 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (2 Blu-ray Discs + 1 DVD + 1 Digital Copy Disc) = $45.99 U.S./$52.99 Canada
Feature Run Time Approximately 115 Minutes
Rated USA: “PG” (For Action Violence); Canada: “G” (For Violence) *Bonus materials not rated
Technical 2.39 (Presentation Size: 16X9)
Sound English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Sound, Eng 2.0 DVS
Languages English, French and Spanish
Subtitles English SDH, French and Spanish


ABOUT THE FILM:
THE INCREDIBLES follows the adventures of a family of former superheroes who are rediscovering the true source of their powers—in one another. Once one of the world’s top masked crime fighters, Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible) fought evil and saved lives on a daily basis. But 15 years later, he and his wife Helen (the former Elastigirl) have been forced to take on civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs.

Today they, and all superheroes, live as mere mortals. Bob and Helen lead all- too-ordinary lives with their children, Violet and Dashiell “Dash” Parr, who go out of their way to appear “normal,” and new baby Jack-Jack As a clock-punching insurance man, the only thing Bob fights these days is boredom and a bulging waistline. Itching for action, the sidelined superhero gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top-secret assignment. Now, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the family must come together and once again find the fantastic in their family life.

ABOUT THE CAST & CREW:
THE INCREDIBLES, features a top-notch list of voice cast talent that includes Craig T. Nelson (TV’s “Parenthood,” “Coach”) as Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, Holly Hunter (TV’s “Saving Grace,” 1993 Academy Award®-winning Best Actress for The Piano) as Helen Parr/Elastigirl, Samuel L. Jackson (The Other Guys, Iron Man 2) as Lucius Best/Frozone, Jason Lee (TV’s “My Name is Earl,” Almost Famous) as Buddy Pine/Syndrome, Spencer Fox (The Groomsmen, and the voice of Mudbud in Air Buddies) as Dashiell Parr (Dash), Sarah Vowell (author and noted radio show commentator on public radio’s “This American Life”) as Violet Parr, Jean Sincere (TV’s “Glee,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Frasier”) as Mrs. Hogenson, John Ratzenberger (TV’s “Cheers,” the Toy Story films) as the Underminer, Wallace Shawn (TV’s “Gossip Girl,” The Princess Bride) as Gilbert Huph and many more.

THE INCREDIBLES is produced by John Walker (The Iron Giant) and executive produced by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker and chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios John Lasseter (The Toy Story films, Cars, Monsters, Inc.). Kori Rae is associate producer, and Katherine Sarafian is production manager. Written and directed by Academy Award®-winning Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Iron Giant, TV’s “The Simpsons”). And playing a major role in creating the film’s retro-futuristic style and exuberant mood is Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Up, Ratatouille and TV’s “Lost”).

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/.

VIZ Media Offers More Anime for Streaming Through Netflix

VIZ MEDIA EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH NETFLIX TO OFFER POPULAR ANIME TITLES AVAILABLE TO WATCH INSTANTLY FROM NETFLIX

Popular Series BLEACH, NARUTO, INUYASHA and More Become Available Starting April

San Francisco, CA, April 4, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that several of its most popular anime series will be offered to U.S. audiences by Netflix, Inc., the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. Starting in April, BLEACH, NARUTO, and INUYASHA are among the popular titles which can be instantly streamed from Netflix. More titles will be announced shortly.

VIZ Media series (Uncut and Subtitled) to be offered by Netflix include:

BLEACH: Episodes 1-109 (Seasons 1-2; Rated TV-14)

NARUTO: Episodes 1-104 (Seasons 1-2; Rated TV-14)

HIKARU NO GO: Episodes 1-75 (Complete Series; Rated TV-G)

HONEY AND CLOVER: Episodes 1-36 (Complete Series; Rated TV-14)

NANA: Episodes 1-47 (Complete Series; Rated TV-MA)

INUYASHA: Episodes 1 – 167 (Seasons 1 – 7; Rated TV-14)

“VIZ Media is excited to bring some of our bestselling animated properties to its Netflix subscribers in the U.S.,” says Brian Ige, Senior Director, Animation. “Netflix is the market leader and the availability of these new VIZ Media titles through the service will give fans the flexibility to choose how and when they want to consume their favorite anime. We look forward to expanding our relationship with Netflix to include additional titles in the near future.”

“We are pleased to partner with VIZ Media as a means to offer popular anime series to our members,” said Lisa Nishimura, VP of Content Acquisition. “It is our goal to add a wide variety of content to our growing library of movies and TV shows, and building relationships like this, helps us move forward in our efforts.”

Review: "Heavy Metal" Still a Fantastic Movie (30 Years Later - 1981)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Heavy Metal (1981)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
Running time: 86 minutes (1 hour 26 minutes)
Rating:  MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Gerald Potterton
WRITERS: Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum, from stories by Dan O’Bannon, Richard Corben, Juan Gimenez, Angus McKie, Thomas Warkentin, and Berni Wrightson
PRODUCER: Ivan Reitman
EDITORS: Janice Brown, Ian Llande, Mick Manning, and Gerald Tripp
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein

ANIMATION/SCI-FI with elements of action and horror

Starring: (voices) John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, and Percy Rodrigues

Originally released in 1981, Heavy Metal is an animated science fiction film named after a magazine of the same title. It is an anthology film made of several animated short films, with each short film connected to the others by an overall storyline. That storyline involves the quest for a mysterious, powerful object.

Some of the animated short films in Heavy Metal were adapted from science fiction, fantasy, and horror comics that appeared in Heavy Metal magazine in the 1970s. A few of the other animated short films appearing in this movie were original stories done in the spirit of the kind of comics found in Heavy Metal (which is still published today).

Heavy Metal the movie begins with an astronaut returning home to his young daughter. He shows her something he brought back, a glowing, green crystalline ball, which kills him as soon as he removes it from a carry case. Calling itself “the sum of all evils,” the green orb begins to tell the terrified daughter a series of stories about how it has influenced people and societies throughout time and space.

The audience learns that the green orb is called the Loc-Nar and also watches as people try to control it or as it controls people. A sweeping story of the battle of good against evil is told through this anthology that follows several characters over 8 short films. These include Harry Canyon, a cabbie in futuristic New York City. There is Dan, a nerdy teenager. The Loc-Nar transforms Dan into Den, a muscular barbarian (with a huge “dork”), and transports him to the world of Neverwhere. The final short film focuses on Taarna, a beautiful warrior woman who takes on a band of vicious, murderous men and monsters created by the Loc-Nar.

As an animated film, Heavy Metal is a wonder. Sure, the character animation in a few of the short films is awkward, but it is quite good in others, like the Taarna story. Heavy Metal’s designers and animators grabbed the art and graphics from Heavy Metal magazine and brought them to motion picture life with vivid, stirring animation. I cannot call Heavy Metal great, but this visually striking animated film is one-of-a-kind and an absolute delight to watch – especially if you are a comic book or science fiction fan.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, April 08, 2011

-----------------------------------

Comic Books Take "Black Dynamite" to Slave Island

Some of you may remember the film Black Dynamite, the Michael Jai White send-up of black exploitation films.  I reviewed it last year.  Ape Entertainment is publishing a comic book sequel entitled, Black Dynamite: Slave Island, which I review at my other blog, I Reads You.

There are several online retailers that may carry the comic book, including mycomicshop.com, milehighcomics.com, and tfaw.com (Things from Another World).

The Beau Garrett TRON: Legacy Q&A

After playing lots of supporting roles, actress Beau Garrett now has a main role on the CBS television series, "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior."  She also appears in TRON: Legacy as "Gem."

AN INTERVIEW WITH BEAU GARRETT FOR TRON: LEGACY

How does it feel to be part of TRON: Legacy?

BEAU: It feels amazing to be part of the TRON universe. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first signed up for this role because I hadn’t seen the original TRON movie. I was born in 1982, which is the year that the first movie was released, but I’d never heard about it until I signed up for TRON: Legacy. I didn’t know anything about this amazing, futuristic world. It was completely new to me.

How would you describe the movie?

BEAU: TRON: Legacy is a classic adventure where a guy called Sam Flynn gets transported to a world we don’t know anything about. The new world is very seductive and dream-like – and it’s filled with danger.

Does the audience have to know much about TRON to enjoy the sequel?

BEAU: No, and that’s why it’s such a great movie. This movie stands alone, so you don’t have to know anything about TRON to understand the story of the sequel.

What attracted you to the role of Gem?

BEAU: I was shown loads of wonderful pictures of the TRON world when I first met with the director [Joseph Kosinski] and producer [Steven Lisberger]. The pictures depicted how they wanted this amazing, futuristic lair to look – and I was blown away by the imagery. I jumped at the chance to work on the project. This has been such an exciting experience for me. I’d never done anything like this before with all the special effects, crazy wardrobe and fantastic makeup. It was really fun to step into this futuristic world and play something completely different.

What can you tell us about your character?

BEAU: When I first met the movie’s director, he described Gem as a half-robot, half-woman character. She is emotionless and curious. She is sensual in a lot of ways and she’s very aware, but she’s a little robotic in her movements. She’s a program in the futuristic world of TRON.

What went through your mind when you saw the finished film for the first time?

BEAU: I was overwhelmed. I was blown away. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so proud to be part of something so amazing. It took them a year and a half to finish the film after we shot it because they had so much CG work to do. It took my breath away when I finally saw it.

What was your biggest challenge on the set of the movie?

BEAU: I would definitely say that my costume was a huge challenge because it was extremely constraining. It’s a beautiful costume that lights up and it was an amazing feeling to walk onto the set wearing something like that. It was such a strange and powerful feeling, but it was also incredibly constricting at times. At first, I struggled just walking around in the suit. It even gave me bunions and my feet hurt because the shoes were incredibly high. I couldn’t take the outfit off all day, so it was a physical challenge that became a mental challenge, too. It was tough to focus in the beginning, but it became awesome. It looks stunning on screen, so it was worth the pain.

Did the costume help you get into character?

BEAU: As soon as the suit was on, I became Gem. A lot of the other actors on the movie had to work on green screen, but I was lucky because most of my scenes were in the club and they’d built a practical set for those sequences. The club set amazing and there was a crazy attention to detail. We had hundreds of extras on the set and Daft Punk were playing in the DJ booth. It immediately took everyone away to this modern, high-tech world. It blew everyone away.

How long did it take you to get ready for Gem every day?

BEAU: Getting into the costume was a hugely detailed process that took about six hours every day. Some days we’d get it down to five hours, but usually it was more like six hours in hair, makeup and wardrobe.

Can you take us through your daily routine?

BEAU: The first step to creating Gem involved her wig. They would spend an hour working on my hair. Then I’d head over to the Makeup Department where they would ‘white out’ my skin so that you couldn’t see any lines on my face. After that, it was back to the Hair Department to finish the wig. That whole process would take two and a half hours and I wasn’t even in costume yet.

When did you get into costume?

BEAU: The costume would come next. Well, part of the costume anyway. I’d get into the base of Gem’s suit, but then I would head back to Makeup for more touch ups. It took so much patience to get into the costume every day, and that’s something I struggled with. It was also painful. The wig was extremely heavy and there were bobby pins sticking into my skin. It was tough.

Was it easy to get out of the suit at the end of the day?

BEAU: It was easier to take it all off, but it still took a long time. The suit had four layers, including a corset and various other parts. I hung out in it a lot because once I was in it; I was in it for the whole day. They actually redesigned it at one point because it became too much. Originally, the shoes were attached to the rest of the costume. It was a huge one-piece, but they ended up separating the shoes so that I could take them off and relieve my feet during the breaks in filming. That was a huge relief.

What was the atmosphere like on the set of the movie?

BEAU: The atmosphere was electric. Everybody on the set was extremely excited and they gave 110 per cent. There were people who were willing to say, “Yes, take off my eyebrow for the character. Do whatever you want!” It was amazing.

What was it like to work with Jeff Bridges on the movie?

BEAU: Working with Jeff Bridges was fantastic. I only had to do a few scenes with him, but he is such a doll. He’s the easiest of people to work with. It never felt intimidating to work with him; it was easy and fun.

And what was it like to work with the director, Joseph Kosinski?

BEAU: Joe has created a film that will blow people away. He is a genius. He had a great vision for this movie and he gave us loads of freedom to play around with our characters, so it was a really collaborative process. This is Joe’s first movie and he’s nailed it. He’s got a quiet, strong presence about him, but he’s created an incredibly detailed and mysterious world. I was overwhelmed when I saw the first finished shots. The music takes you away and the visuals are amazing. You’re going to love it!

TRON: LEGACY is now available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Movie Download.