Review: "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" Retains Its Innocence"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG for sci-fi action/violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: George Lucas
PRODUCER: Rick McCallum
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Tattersall (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Ben Burtt and Paul Martin Smith
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE with elements of a thriller

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Pernilla August, (voice) Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Oliver Ford Davies, Hugh Quarshie, (voice) Ahmed Best, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Terrence Stamp, Brian Blessed, Andrew Secombe, Ray Park, (voice) Lewis Macleod, Steven Spiers, Silas Carson, Ralph Brown, and Samuel L. Jackson

The 1999 film, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, is the fourth release in the Star Wars film franchise. It is also the first film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, a series of three movies in which the stories take place before the events depicted in the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). The Phantom Menace has been recently re-released as a 3D feature.

Back in 1999, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was highly-anticipated release, and although it was a tremendous success at the box office, the movie received mixed reviews from professional film critics and reviewers. The Phantom Menace received criticism from Star Wars fandom, some of it intense. However, I am a fan of The Phantom Menace, and it is my favorite of the three prequel films. My feelings about it are similar to a statement that Ewan McGregor, who starred in the film, made, and that is that The Phantom Menace is just a little fairy tale about a group of people running from one side of the galaxy to the other, having adventures. And I like going along with them on these adventures.

Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are two Jedi Knights who must help Queen Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) save her planet Naboo from the Trade Federation, which is determined to take it. Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) is a Naboo outcast who joins the Jedi on their quest. After the group escapes from a Trade Federation-controlled Naboo, they land on the planet Tatooine, where they meet Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a boy with the potential to be a powerful Jedi. Dark forces, however, hunt them in the guise of Darth Maul (Ray Park), an apprentice of the Sith, the Jedi’s ancient enemies.

Directed by George Lucas, The Phantom Menace is the first of three prequels to the original Star Wars movies (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). Lucas doesn’t give his cast the room to stretch their characters, and his dialogue is mostly wooden and awkward. It is often painfully obvious in how unpolished both the acting and the writing is. Neeson has the most room to roam, but McGregor’s talent is sadly wasted. The driest performance has to be that of Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker, he his moments. Jar Jar Binks is a computer-generated character, and while Best does excellent work in creating a unique voice for the character, Jar Jar is an annoying character.

Other than that, TPM is a blast. In a way, it is like a fairy tale in which the cast runs from one hot spot to another, barely staying ahead of the bad guys. In the pod race sequence that occurs in the middle of the film, one can see Lucas’s ability to craft scenes of breath taking intensity that match the best car chases and chase scenes with the flair of the movie serials of Hollywood’s bygone era. Maul’s attack on Qui-Gon and, later, the final battle between the two Jedi and the Sith apprentice are exciting and beautifully staged. In fact, the action sequences are so good that they make up for TPM’s duller moments.

Although it doesn’t recall the excitement of Star Wars or have the dramatic impact of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is fun. It doesn’t try to be quality filmmaking so much as it dares to be quality, lightweight entertainment. And at that, it is very good.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
2000 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott Squires, and Rob Coleman), and “Best Sound” (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Shawn Murphy, and John Midgley)

2000 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott Squires, and Rob Coleman) and “Best Sound” (Ben Burtt, Tom Bellfort, John Midgley, Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, and Shawn Murphy)

2000 Razzie Awards: 1 win: “Worst Supporting Actor” (Ahmed Best, the voice of Jar-Jar Binks); 6 nominations: “Worst Picture” (20th Century-Fox), “Worst Director” (George Lucas), “Worst Screen Couple” (Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman), “Worst Screenplay” (George Lucas), “Worst Supporting Actor” (Jake Lloyd), and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Sofia Coppola)

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9th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards Takes Place Feb. 11th

IRISH FILM & TELEVISION AWARDS - ALL EYES ON THE EMERALD ISLE - 11th February 2012

Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Dana Delany, AJ Buckley, Armand Assante, Stephen Rea, Brenda Fricker, Maria Doyle Kennedy and more at the Irish Film & Television Awards

(Dublin Ireland) – February 10, 2012: Ireland’s finest screen creative talent descend this weekend on Dublin, Saturday 11th of February 2012, for the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards celebrations, taking place at the spectacular Convention Centre Dublin (CCD).

The President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins leads the celebrations, showcasing Ireland’s screen talent with IFTA Awards presented in categories across film and television. IFTA 2012 will see Ireland’s directors, writers, actors, craftspeople and television programme makers in attendance.

Guests scheduled to attend include Brendan Gleeson (The Guard), Michael Fassbender (Shame), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Brenda Fricker (Albert Nobbs), Brían F. O'Byrne (Mildred Pierce, Prime Suspect), Stephen Rea (Underworld Awakening), Ruth Negga (Shirley, Misfits), Maria Doyle Kennedy (The Tudors, Albert Nobbs), Liam Cunningham (The Guard), Emmett J. Scanlan (Charlie Casanova), Amy Huberman (Threesome, Stella Days), Brendan O’Carroll (Mrs Brown’s Boys), Antonia Campbell Hughes (Lead Balloon), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Martin McCann (The Pacific), Charlene McKenna (RAW), Olivia Tracey (Agnes Browne), Allen Leech (Downton Abbey), Pat Shortt (Garage), Marcella Plunkett (Stella Days), Bronagh Gallagher (Albert Nobbs).

Veteran Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan (Some Mother’s Son, The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, LOST) is to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Academy on the night and international guests presenting top Awards include Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives), Armand Assante (Gotti) and AJ Buckley (CSI NY).

Hosted by Simon Delaney (The Good Wife) the Irish Film & Television Awards show will broadcast primetime on Irish television RTÉ One at 9.40pm GMT.

Speaking ahead of the 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards this weekend, IFTA Chief Executive Áine Moriarty said: “Despite economic setbacks, Ireland can be proud of its creative talent who continue to deliver world class production, entertaining audiences both at home and around the world. The 9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards promises to be a terrific evening of entertainment for the viewers at home, and a very special night of celebration for the 2012 nominees and Ireland’s film and television industry.”

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)

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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.