New Release Dates for Three Upcoming Paramont Movies

Updated release date information is now available for the following Paramount films below:

A THOUSAND WORDS will now open on Friday, March 9, 2012 (wide).

JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME will open on Friday, March 16, 2012 (*limited*).

TITANIC in 3D will now open on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 (wide).

Review: "Sideways" is a Bit Too Pleased with Itself

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 25 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sideways (2004)
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, some strong sexual content, and nudity
DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
WRITERS: Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne (from the novel by Rex Pickett)
PRODUCER: Michael London
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Phedon Papamichael
EDITOR: Kevin Tent
Academy Award winner

COMEDY/DRAMA with elements of romance

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht, Missy Doty, M.C. Gainey, Alysia Reiner, Shake Tukhmanyan, and Duke Moosekian

Miles Faymond (Paul Giamatti), a divorced middle school teacher and struggling/failed novelist, takes his friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church), who is to be married the following weekend, on a wine tasting tour of California. Both men are reaching middle age and feel they have nothing but disappointments to show for their life, especially Miles, who is a mean drunk and takes at least two prescription anti-depressants.

Miles has taken this trip several times, and he’s looking forward to entertaining his friend before his altar-bound day. Jack, however, wants to get laid before he gets married. In that fashion, he seduces (or is seduced) Stephanie (Sandra Oh), a bartender at a winery and Jack encourages Miles to make a move on Maya (Virginia Madsen), a waitress Miles actually knows from previous trips. The results of these two flings are wildly different for each man.

Sideways is the critical darling of 2004, with some critics apparently praising it as the film of their generation. It’s entertaining and has some wonderfully poignant and romantic moments, but road trips and traveling scenes in films are sometimes viewed as a sign that the storyteller is killing time before getting to the heart of the story, except there isn’t much heart to this story. Director Alexander Payne has certainly made a good film, but ain’t much meat on the bone. Sideways may be the glossy, short-on-substance version of an art movie. Miles, the lead character, is not having an existential crisis; he’s just joyless and often boring, while Jack is a colorless cad. I found myself glad that Jack was (only) a supporting player and wanting him to be on screen as little as possible, though his colorfully bawdy conversations do liven the film.

None of the performances stand out, especially Virginia Madsen’s, which has earned her an Oscar nomination. She plays the character so downtrodden that it’s almost difficult to accept that the girl does have college ambitions. Church’s performance, which also earned him a Oscar nod, is okay, but not worth wasting a lot of words on. Some feel Paul Giamatti was robbed as he didn’t get an Oscar nomination, but he basically played a better-dressed version of his Harvey Pekar character from American Splendor. I do give him credit for making a bore endearing, but Giamatti has a nice guy quality. I blame the character problems on the writing, that it needs Giamatti to make Miles intriguing even when the material is a little light and not well done. There are moments in Sideways when Giamatti lifts this film on his shoulders and makes the story compelling, even when his character is just being annoying. Giamatti isn’t the tall, dark, and handsome type, but he has something that works on the big screen. Maybe, that alone is enough of a reason for Oscar to come calling… eventually.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Michael London), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Alexander Payne), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Thomas Haden Church) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Virginia Madsen)

2005 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor)

2005 Golden Globes: 2 wins: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor); 5 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Alexander Payne), “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Rolfe Kent), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Paul Giamatti), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Thomas Haden Church), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Virginia Madsen)

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

Zoe Saldana Acts "Colombiana" Out of Action Movie Ghetto

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Colombiana (2011)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, intense sequences of action, sexuality and brief strong language
DIRECTOR: Olivier Megaton
WRITERS: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
PRODUCERS: Luc Besson and Pierre-Ange Le Pogam
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Romain Lacourbas (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Camille Delamarre
COMPOSERS: Nathaniel Méchaly and Craig Walker

ACTION with elements of drama

Starring: Zoe Saldana, Cliff Curtis, Jordi Mallà, Beto Benites, Lennie James, Michael Vartan, Amandla Stenberg, Callum Blue, Jesse Borrego, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ofelia Medina, and John McConnell

Colombiana is a 2011 action movie from French filmmaker, Luc Besson. An American and French co-production, Colombiana is another of Besson’s films featuring a fight girl or action chick (my terms). These lovely ladies appear in such Besson films as Nikita (1990) and The Fifth Element (1997).

Colombiana opens in Bogota, Colombia in 1992. Nine-year-old Cataleya Restrepo (Amandla Stenberg) sees her parents killed by gunmen working for the drug lord, Don Luis Sandoval (Beto Benites). With the help of the U.S. Embassy, Cataleya escapes to the United States, where she is reunited with her uncle, Emilio Restrepo (Cliff Curtis). The girl insists that he train her to be a killer.

The story moves to 2007 and finds the adult Cataleya (Zoe Saldana) working as a killer-for-hire for Emilio, but Cataleya leads a double life. First, she has a boyfriend, Danny Delanay (Michael Vartan), an artist. Secondly, she is a tag killer, murdering various criminal types and leaving messages on their bodies, messages directed to Don Luis. Meanwhile, her activities have attracted the attention of FBI Special Agent James Ross (Lennie James), who is trying to learn the identity of the tag killer. When Don Luis decides to pay attention to Cataleya’s messages to him, he sends his right hand man, Marco (Jordi Mallà), to send a message back to Cataleya.

Colombiana is a good revenge action flick. I won’t say great because the screenplay leaves Cataleya as a cipher. It’s cool that in the movie, the other characters don’t know much about her, but the audience should get to know her more than we actually do. Still, the action scenes with both young Cataleya and the sexy older Cataleya are stimulating and visceral. Zoe Saldana proves two things: that her beauty and presence make her a movie star and that she has the acting chops to elevate even B-movie material like this. Young Amandla Stenberg as young Cataleya also shows some acting chops and even a bit of “it” factor.

Colombiana isn’t high cinema, but it delivers on what it is. This is titillation cinema that pays off.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2012 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Actress” (Zoe Saldana)

2012 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” (Zoe Saldana)

Friday, February 03, 2012

"Rango" Dominates 2012 Visual Effects Society Awards

On its website, the Visual Effects Society (VES) says that it is the only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners in the entertainment industry. This is includes artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos and games. The VES has 2,300 members in 26 countries.

The 10th Annual VES Awards winners in motion picture categories:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Cyndi Ochs, Kurt Williams

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Hugo: Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning, Rob Legato, Karen Murphy

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango: Tim Alexander, Hal Hickel, Jacqui Lopez, Katie Lynch

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Caesar: Daniel Barrett, Florian Fernandez, Matthew Muntean, Eric Reynolds

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango – Rango: Frank Gravatt, Kevin Martel, Brian Paik, Steve Walton

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 155 Wacker Drive: Giles Hancock, John Hanson, Tom Martinek, Scott
Younkin

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango - Main Street Dirt: John Bell, Polly Ing, Martin Murphy, Russell Paul

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture
Hugo: Martin Chamney, Rob Legato, Adam Watkins, Fabio Zangla

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Rango – The Dirt Saloon: Colin Benoit, Philippe Rebours, Nelson Sepulveda, Nick Walker

Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Driller: Tim Brakensiek, Kelvin Chu, David Fogler, Rene Garcia

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture
Captain America: The First Avenger – Skinny Steve: Casey Allen, Trent Claus, Brian Hajek, Cliff Welsh

See the complete list here, at least for the time being.

The 10th Annual VES Awards will air exclusively on REELZCHANNEL Sunday, February 19 at 10pm ET/7pm PT with encore presentations throughout February. For more information on the VES Awards and the Visual Effects Society please visit http://www.visualeffectssociety.com/.

Bill Hinzman, First Zombie in "Night of the Living Dead," Dies at 76 (Bits and Bites Extra)

Bill Hizman essentially played "zombie alpha," the first zombie to appear in George A. Romero's classic film, Night of the Living Dead (as seen in the above still image from the film).

Bill Hinzman has died of cancer at age 76. He played the gaunt-faced, lumbering zombie that is sometimes referred to as the "Cemetery Zombie."  This is the zombie that brother and sister, Johnny and Barbra, see in the film's opening graveyard scene.  Hinzman's zombie attacks and kills Johnny after the young man taunts his (too easily) frightened sister with the warning, “They’re coming to get you, Barbra.”

Born S. William Hinzman in 1936, the actor also appeared in other Romero films and directed two movies of his own (FleshEaters and The Majorettes).

R.I.P. Mr. Hinzman.

Review: Strong Performances Lift "Peaceful Warrior" (Happy B'day, Nick Nolte)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 101 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Peaceful Warrior (2006)
Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)
MPAA – PG-13 for sensuality, sex references, and accident scenes
DIRECTOR: Victor Salva
WRITER: Kevin Bernhardt (based upon a novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman)
PRODUCERS: Mark Amin, Robin Schorr, David Welch, and Cami Winikoff
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Sharone Meir
EDITOR: Ed Marx

DRAMA

Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart, Tim DeKay, Ashton Holmes, Paul Wesley, B.J. Britt, Agnes Bruckner, and Ray Wise

An exceptionally skilled and endowed gymnast, Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) has everything he wants, plus a shot at the Olympics. He meets a mysterious gas station attendant whom he dubs, “Socrates” (Nick Nolte). Socrates tries to show Dan how to reach a greater potential as an athlete, but Dan eventually brushes off Socrates. Later, Dan is in an accident and sustains a horrible injury that could take away his ability to be a gymnast. During his recovery, he turns to Socrates and Joy (Amy Smart), a young woman somehow connected to Socrates, to heal. Socrates unlocks a world of sage wisdom and spiritual understanding that will teach Dan to live in “the now,” and just maybe this journey will bring him back to being a champion gymnast.

Director Victor Salva’s (Powder, the Jeepers Creepers movies) Peaceful Warrior is a lovely inspirational film, and while it doesn’t break any new ground, Salva creates moments in time that transform the film from mere motivational sports movie into a compelling narrative about appreciating the present. Inspired by true events, this spiritually-oriented film is based on the book by the real Dan Millman, who mixed fiction, metaphor, and symbolism with the facts of his life to create an inspirational philosophical story.

In Peaceful Warrior (which was initially released in 2006 and then again in 2007), Salva successfully sells the idea that non-religious spiritual thought and experience are real things and that the two can benefit, comfort, and improve the lives of practitioners. When he convinces the audience to buy into the idea that each moment is important, and the one in which we currently live is not less than the ones that have passed or the ones to come, then, Peaceful Warrior succeeds. Salva also mixes in some excellent scenes of gymnastic events.

Nick Nolte gives a beautiful performance that is so smooth and easy going. Scott Mechlowicz is nearly pitch-perfect as the arrogant, ambitious, and conflicted college athlete. Together they forge the wonderful teacher/student relationship that is the strong and brilliant heart of this film.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, July 06, 2007

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

"Harry Potter" Wins Big at 2012 Art Directors Guild Awards

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) is an American labor union and also a branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) that represents motion picture and television professionals. Among the ADG’s sponsored activities are a film society and the Annual ADG Awards.

The ADG has announced the nominations for their 16th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The winners were announced Saturday, February 4, 2012.

16th Annual (2012) Excellence in Production Design Awards winners:

Period Film:
HUGO Production Designer: Dante Ferretti

Fantasy Film
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 Production Designer: Stuart Craig

Contemporary Film
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt

In addition, the guild
• presented a lifetime achievement award to Tony Walton
• inducted Robert Boyle, William Darling and Alfred Junge into its hall of fame

This year's Art Directors Guild Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to the principal team behind the Harry Potter films, including producers David Heyman and David Barron; directors Christopher Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriters Steve Klove and Michael Goldenberg; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont; and set decorator Stephenie McMillan.

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION:

One-Hour Single Camera Television Series
"Boardwalk Empire" (Episode: 21) Production Designer: Bill Groom

Television Movie or Miniseries
"Mildred Pierce" Production Designer: Mark Friedberg

Episode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series
"Modern Family" (Episode: Express Christmas) Production Designer: Richard Berg

Episode of a Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series
"Saturday NIght Live" (Episode: host Justin Timberlake) Production Designers: Keith Ian Raywood, Eugene Lee, Leo Yoshimura, N. Joseph De Tullio

Awards, Music, or Game Shows
83rd Annual Academy Awards Production Designer: Steve Bass

Commercials and Music Videos:
"Activision: Call of Duty" (Episode: Modern Warfare 3) Production Designer: Neil Spisak