Review: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Shockingly Good

Oh

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence
DIRECTOR: Rupert Wyatt
WRITERS: Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (based upon the novel, La planète des singes, by Pierre Boulle)
PRODUCER: Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Conrad Buff and Mark Goldblatt
COMPOSER: Patrick Doyle

SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Tyler Labine, Jamie Harris, and David Hewlett

Apparently, 20th Century Fox is going to produce a new Planet of the Apes film series. The first film, Planet of the Apes, appeared in 1968 and was based upon the 1963 French science fiction novel, La planète des singes, by Pierre Boulle. The 1968 film spawned four sequels, beginning with Beneath the Planet of the Apes in 1970 and ending with Battle for the Planet of the Apes in 1973. Tim Burton directed a remake of the original film that was released in 2001, and although that film was successful, no sequels were made from it.

Instead, 20th Century Fox decided to reboot the franchise. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a 2011 science fiction drama film, is reportedly intended to act as the origin story for a new series. Rise of the Planet of the Apes focuses on a hyper-intelligent chimpanzee who leads his fellow apes on a revolutionary path that introduces them to freedom and to intelligence that they have never known.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set in modern-day San Francisco, which is also the location of biotechnology company, Gen-Sys. There, Dr. William “Will” Rodman (James Franco) is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which is personal to him because his father, Charles Rodman (John Lithgow), has the disease. Will is testing his new gene therapy, ALZ-112, on chimpanzees, which seems to make them smarter.

One of them, a female, gives birth to a male chimp; to keep the baby from being destroyed, Will takes him home, where his father, who lives with him, names the baby, Caesar. Caesar’s intelligence grows by leaps and bounds, which eventually gets him into trouble. As Caesar (Andy Serkis) watches how the world treats him and his fellow apes, he plots a revolution that threatens the status quo.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a monkey movie! Seriously, this film is about the apes. The human characters sometimes come across as place holders for the apes, while the story takes a brief detour in human territory before going back to the characters it really loves – the apes. That is not to say that the human characters are not interesting, or that the actors do not give good performances. As usual, James Franco seems effortlessly good, and Freida Pinto is excellent as Will girlfriend and the film’s moral center and voice of warning, Caroline Aranha. David Oyelowo surprisingly steals scenes as Will’s greedy boss, Steven Jacobs. Also, I was surprised with how powerful John Lithgow is in the small role of Will’s father, Charles. You can’t help but feel sorry for Charles because Lithgow’s depiction of him suffering the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease has an uncanny ring of authenticity.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the great slave rebellion movies, and that is because of the film’s visual effects, which creates credible oppressed characters. CGI characters: characters created, rendered, and animated using computer software, often don’t hold up to intense scrutiny. The longer you look at them, the less they seem authentic and the more phony they look. The CGI apes here don’t have that problem because there aren’t a lot of times in this movie when I thought that the apes looked counterfeit or just plain fake (although there are a few).

Here, the apes are created using performance capture, which involves filming actors in special suits and then, taking that performance and building the CGI character on or over the performance. The technology of performance capture has evolved to the point that in Rise of the Planet of the Apes the apes show a wide range of emotions. The depth of character has delicacy rather than the gaudiness seemingly inherent in CGI characters in many live-action movies.

To that end, Andy Serkis, who provides the performance capture performance for Caesar, is overdue for some kind of special Oscar trophy. Caesar carries the movie as if he were a flesh and blood, acclaimed, veteran actor. He has that “It,” the x-factor that stars have. I happily followed Caesar through trials and tribulations and fought with him in the epic battle that girds the last act. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a fantastic film because its star is an ape with star appeal. You’ll laugh and cry with Caesar; you’ll cheer him on.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2012 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, and Daniel Barrett)

2012 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Special Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, and R. Christopher White)

Monday, May 14, 2012

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

Adult Swim Announces New Series for 2012-13 Season

Adult Swim Announces Largest Programming Schedule Ever for 2012-13

Basic Cable’s #1 Network In Total Day With Adults 18-34 and 18-49 Offers Up 9 New Series/Specials, 8 Pilots and 10 Returning Series

Childrens Hospital Spin-off Newsreaders and Animated Harold & Kumar Make The List

Fan Favorite Toonami Returns to Saturday Nights

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adult Swim, basic cable’s #1 network with young adults for seven consecutive years, sets out to “control” the night by announcing a slate of new and returning programming at its annual Upfront presentation in New York City. Hours before their annual event featuring a scheduled performance by Grammy Award-winning rap artist T.I., the network announced the largest programming commitment in Adult Swim’s history, which includes new and returning series, pilots and specials.

After having its most-watched broadcast season-to-date in its history with adults 18-34, Adult Swim has ordered second seasons of new hit shows China, IL and Loiter Squad. The top-rated series Childrens Hospital returns with a spin-off in tow and an animated pilot based on the Harold & Kumar films is in development. Additionally, in response to overwhelming fan enthusiasm and devotion, the beloved anime programming block Toonami will make its return Saturday, May 26.

New original series and specials:

•NEWSREADERS – Newsreaders is a satire of the network television newsmagazine genre, from the creative team behind Adult Swim’s highly successful comedy Childrens Hospital. Based upon the “Newsreaders” episodes of Childrens Hospital which aired during seasons two and three, Newsreaders will explore the vital issues that actually don’t affect us every day, from hard-hitting investigations to harder-hitting heartwarming profiles. Created by Childrens Hospital executive producers Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the upcoming films Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Butter), Jonathan Stern (The Ten; NTSF:SD:SUV::) and David Wain (Wanderlust, Wet Hot American Summer, Superjail!, upcoming films They Came Together and Dr. Dan), with Jim Margolis (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) serving as showrunner, Newsreaders will deliver unparalleled award-eligible reporting every week. The series is produced by Abominable Pictures and Warner Bros. Television Group’s Studio 2.0.

•THE ERIC ANDRE SHOW – The series premieres on Sunday, May 20, at 12:30 a.m. (ET/PT) The Eric Andre Show may be the most manic and unorthodox late night talk show ever made. The show’s traditional talk show format quickly devolves into chaos as its inept and bipolar host Eric Andre, along with his apathetic co-host Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, SNL), subvert all late night conventions. Taking place on a dingy public-access TV channel within an alternate reality, The Eric Andre Show creates its own distorted pop culture universe by conducting interviews with an unpredictable mix of actual celebrities, “fake” celebrities and extreme real-life weirdos. These interviews are broken up with deranged man-on-the-street segments, surreal flashes of inexplicable studio chaos, talk show desk-pieces and the general deconstruction of late night's most beloved tropes in every quarter-hour episode. The Eric Andre Show is produced by Abso Lutely and executive produced by Eric Andre, Andrew Barchilon, Kitao Sakurai, Daniel Weidenfeld (China, IL), and Dave Kneebone (Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!).

•BLACK DYNAMITE – Premiering in July and based on 2009’s critically-acclaimed feature film, Black Dynamite, the animated series, further chronicles the exploits of the central character, Black Dynamite, and his crew. Under the direction of head writer Carl Jones (The Boondocks), the series features the voice talent of Michael Jai White (For Better or Worse, The Dark Knight, Why Did I Get Married?), Tommy Davidson (In Living Color, Bamboozled), Kym Whitley (The Cleveland Show, Brian McKnight Show) and Byron Minns (Mongo Wrestling Alliance), all of whom starred in the feature film. Black Dynamite, the animated series, is being produced by Ars Nova. Jon Steingart, Carl Jones, and Jillian Apfelbaum are executive producers. Brian Ash is co-executive producer. Scott Sanders, Michael Jai White and Byron Minns are producers. Monica Jones is associate producer. Lesean Thomas is creative producer/supervising director. Original music by Adrian Younge. Black Dynamite is being animated by Titmouse, Inc.

•TOONAMI – Beginning Saturday, May 26, Adult Swim brings back Toonami, the network’s popular block of anime programming. Airing weekly from midnight to 6 a.m. (ET/PT), in addition to the return of previous series featured in Toonami, Adult Swim is also developing new original anime programming for fans.

•HOT PACKAGE – Premiering this fall on Adult Swim, Hot Package is a live-action fictional Canadian entertainment news program in vein of "Entertainment Tonight," "EXTRA," or "E! News.” Hot Package is created by and stars Derrick Beckles (TV Carnage), produced by Abominable Pictures, with Jon Stern and Derrick Beckles as executive producers.

•UNTITLED HELL PROJECT – This new live-action series from Adult Swim is a workplace comedy about Gary, an associate demon, as he competes on the corporate ladder of the underworld. A Williams Street production, the show is created and directed by Dave Willis (Squidbillies, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Casper Kelly (Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1, Squidbillies, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law).

•ROBOT CHICKEN DC COMICS SPECIAL – Coming this fall, the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special brings you the awesomeness of the DC Comics universe of characters as only Robot Chicken can, with amazing guest stars and the stop-motion sketch comedy you've come to love after five seasons of the popular Adult Swim series. The special features many Robot Chicken favorites including the Robot Chicken Nerd, the Humping Robot, Composite Santa, and the Mad Scientist who will be joined by characters of the DC Comics universe to poke fun at those with the most impressive powers and the lesser ones who can't really be called superheroes. The all-star cast includes Seth Green as Batman, Robin and the put-upon Aquaman, Paul Reubens as The Riddler, Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face, Alfred Molina as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern, Megan Fox as Lois Lane, Breckin Meyer as Superman, plus Abe Benrubi, Alex Borstein, Clare Grant, Tara Strong, Matt Senreich, Tom Root, Zeb Wells, and Kevin Shinick as the narrator. The Robot Chicken DC Comics Special is executive produced by Stoopid Monkey's Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, Buddy Systems' John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner along with DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, and Warner Bros. Animation's Executive Vice President and Creative Affairs, Sam Register.

•VENTURE BROTHERS HALLOWEEN SPECIAL – This October on Adult Swim, the Venture Family fills your Halloween goody bag with fun-sized Truth. Created and directed by Jackson Publick and written by Publick and Doc Hammer, both of whom also provide voices for the special, the Venture Brothers Halloween Special is being animated by Titmouse, Inc.

•BEFOREL OREL – A Moral Orel special that sheds light on the origin of Orel’s religious nature and the birth of his brother, Shapey. Beforel Orel is created by Dino Stamatopoulos (Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole and Mr. Show).

Pilots:

•Untitled Animated Harold & Kumar Project (In Development) - An animated version of the eponymous blockbuster stoner comedy series. Produced by Lionsgate.

•Rick & Morty – A genius inventor grandfather and his less than genius grandson, and the journeys in life they share. From Dan Harmon (Community, Channel 101) and Justin Roiland. (30-minute animated)

•Colonel Wallace (Working Title) – An eccentric southern fried chicken magnate and his adventures with his family. Created by Greg Cohen (Conan O’Brien, King of the Hill, TV Funhouse). (15-minute animated)

•Coffin Dodgers – A group of misfit grumps get into fraternity-style trouble at a cozy suburban retirement home. From Dave Silverstein and Matt Jeser (Drawn Together). (30-minute animated)

•Green Bench: The American Day Dream – A group of friends have pooled their money to buy a large office space for their business. The only problem is they haven’t quite figured out what that business is. In the meantime, it’s an awesome headquarters where their petty, self-centered, and mischievous minds can wander. From the internet sketch comedy sensation Green Bench and produced by Dakota Pictures. (30-minute live-action)

•Freestyle Love Supreme – These I.T. guys work on their freestyle rapping at the office, much to the annoyance of their co-workers. Starring Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights). From Ars Nova (Black Dynamite). (30-minute live-action)

•King Star King – King Star King is a modern day he-man who’s half-warrior, half-idiot. From artist JJ Villard (Monsters Vs. Aliens) and Eric Kaplan (Big Bang Theory). (15-minute animated)

•Rolling With Dad – A brilliant, but disabled man deals with his much less intelligent family. From Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter; Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows; The Hard Times of RJ Berger) and David Katzenberg (The Hard Times of RJ Berger). (30-minute animated)

Ridiculous and Absurd Infomercials (That Sell You Nothing):

•NTSF:SD:SUV::Home Security System – The state of the art home security system has arrived. Protect your home from every type of terrorist invasion. Through the installation of electrified moats, attack leopards, gun turrets, and even a mini detention center, NTSF:SD:SUV::HSS is the only type of security to make sure that your mailman is who he says he is and your next store neighbor is as friendly as they seem. Never have a surprise guest again. Be prepared for the worst with the best security money can buy. Produced by Abominable Pictures.

•You’re Whole - Michael Ian Black introduces viewers to the best, most economical system for taking your life to the next level now available on 27 DVDs. Produced by Abominable Pictures.

•Swords, Knives, Very Sharp Objects and Cutlery (Working Title) – A typical knife/sword infomercial and call-in show goes horribly wrong for host Dragon Shumway when the studio is suddenly attacked by bad guys and our host finally gets to realize the full potential of his weaponry by unleashing each one on his enemies. Created by and starring Rob Huebel and produced by Abominable Pictures.

Adult Swim Announces Return of "The Boondocks" and Others for 2012-13

Returning series:

•AQUA SOMETHING YOU KNOW WHATEVER – What happens when three wisecracking roommates go from chasing tail to the diaper pail? You'll find out, when Frylock, Meatwad, and Master Shake try their hands—and hearts—at raising a baby. But smelly diapers aren't the only thing changing this season—Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 has been put to bed for a long nap and replaced by Aqua Something You Know Whatever, the show where Meatwad and the gang can get down to some serious parenting. This season, the Aqua Somethings find an ancient treasure map and follow it all the way to Argentina, where they're shocked to discover an orphaned baby on the 'x' that marks the spot. Outraged, Master Shake begins to throw the child off a steep embankment but one look into the baby's eyes, and the only thing getting thrown off a steep embankment is Shake's heart. Introducing Pepe the Pepper, the newest member of the Aqua Something You Know Whatever family—and boy is he a handful! Find out what happens when three not-so-eligible bachelors catch a case of baby fever, and the only cure is snuggle time. The only nipples these guys will be touching are gonna have a bottle on the other end. Aqua Something You Know Whatever premieres in June on Adult Swim. Aqua Something You Know Whatever is created by Dave Willis (Squidbillies) and Matt Maiellaro (12 oz. Mouse).

•THE BOONDOCKS – Since the debut of the first season in 2005, The Boondocks has been one of Adult Swim’s most popular and critically acclaimed series. The Peabody Award-winning animated series is based on Aaron McGruder’s comic strip by the same name. Produced by Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television, The Boondocks returns with a new season on Adult Swim.

•CHILDRENS HOSPITAL – This August, Childrens Hospital returns for its fourth season and continues to live up to its reputation as the greatest hospital drama in the history of recorded media. Applauded for its tight stories and medical accuracy, this season reaches new heights: an airborne virus threatens to destroy the hospital and perhaps society, a search for the mysterious PA announcer Sal Viscuso reveals an undercurrent of evil powering the hospital, the origins of Chief's handicaps are revealed, a beloved regular character dies a couple of times, and Sy gets a dog! Also, from across the pond, we bring you the British version of Childrens Hospital (subtitled). Finally, 30% more story and character development! For free! The show’s creative team is led by Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and fellow executive producers/writers Jonathan Stern (The Ten; NTSF:SD:SUV::) and David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Wanderlust, Superjail!). Childrens Hospital is produced by Abominable Pictures and Warner Bros. Television Group’s Studio 2.0, and distributed by Warner Bros. Television.

•CHINA, IL – Renewed for a second season, China, IL is about the worst school in America, where the teachers are crazy and the students just want to learn. In this second season of new half-hour episodes, we'll continue to follow the Professor Brothers, Frank & Steve Smith, as well as their TA Pony Merks & their man-child friend Babycakes, along with a host of other teachers, students and townies. Some examples of stories we'll see this season are Baby Cakes's Joe McCarthy-esque witch hunt for actual wizards and witches, Frank & Ronald Reagan's quest for Thomas Jefferson's legendary Crystal Castle, and a god who descends down on China, IL, turning it into a surfer town. China, IL was created by Brad Neely and is executive produced by Neely and Daniel Weidenfeld.

•THE HEART, SHE HOLLER – Renewed for a second season, The Heart, She Holler is a live-action soap opera about folk who ain’t never used soap or seen an opera. It’s a satire on the emotional Hee-Hawification of America, set in a town so inbred, the folks have become almost supernaturally wrong. The series is produced by PFFR, and stars Patton Oswalt, Kristen Schaal and Heather Lawless.

•LOITER SQUAD – Renewed for a second season after a top-rated premiere this March, Loiter Squad will continue to wreck havoc on Adult Swim. Loiter Squad is a 15 minute live-action show that features sketches, man on the street segments, pranks and music from Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. The cast, featuring the Los Angeles collective of rappers, artists, and skateboarders, channel their multi-faceted creative talents in this off-the-wall showcase. Loiter Squad is produced by Dickhouse Entertainment—the Hollywood production partnership of Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze who have been the creative power behind hits including Jackass, Nitro Circus, Rob & Big, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, The Birth of Big Air and Wildboyz. Jeff Tremaine, Shanna Zablow, Dimitry Elyashkevich, and Lance Bangs from Dickhouse Entertainment are executive producers.

•NTSF:SD:SUV::— This August on Adult Swim, terrorism is back and better than ever. Join Special Agent Trent Hauser and his elite counter-terrorist unit, NTSF:SD:SUV:: (National Terrorist Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle) for a second season of passionate yelling, pregnant pauses, and even more civilian casualties than last season! There will be Time Traveling, Robot Murders, Food Stealing Swedes, Talking Dogs, a Killer Santa Claus and a wedding. Terrorists—you've been warned—again! NTSF:SD:SUV:: is created by Paul Scheer and stars Scheer, Rebecca Romijn, Rob Riggle, Kate Mulgrew, Brandon Johnson, June Diane Raphael, Martin Starr and Peter Sarafinowicz as the first sentient robot on television. NTSF:SD:SUV:: is produced by Abominable Pictures, Inc. Paul Scheer (The League, Human Giant), Jonathan Stern (The Ten; Childrens Hospital) and Curtis Gwinn (Fat Guy Stuck in Internet) are executive producers.

•ROBOT CHICKEN— Premiering its sixth season this fall on Adult Swim, Robot Chicken uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. The Emmy Award®-winning series began airing in February 2005 and remains among the top-rated original series on Adult Swim. Robot Chicken is created and executive produced by Stoopid Monkey Productions' Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, Buddy Systems' John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner, also serve as executive producers. Green and Senreich also write, voice and with Zeb Wells, direct the multiple Annie Award-winning series. Robot Chicken head writers/co-executive producers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root are joined by season six writers Matthew Beans, Rachel Bloom, Mike Fasolo, Jessica Gao, Breckin Meyer, Jason Reich, Mehar Sethi, Tom Sheppard, Erik Weiner and Wells. For season six, Robot Chicken welcomes Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Chalke, Kat Dennings, Sam Elliott, Ben Foster, Whoopi Goldberg, Lucas Grabeel, Megan Hilty, Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Levi, J.B. Smoove, Liev Schreiber, Jon Stewart, Patrick Stewart, Stanly Tucci, Olivia Wilde, and Alex Winter.

•SQUIDBILLIES – Premiering its sixth season this July, Adult Swim welcomes you back to the North Georgia Mountains, birthplace of hell raising and inhalant huffing. At the epicenter of this rural paradise is Dougal County, home to crippling gambling addictions, murderous corporations, sexual deviants, and the authentic southern mountain squid. Early Cuyler continues his reign as America’s favorite cephalopod in season six of Squidbillies, filled with love, murder, sobriety, and the secrets of the Catfish Kingdom. This time around Rusty tackles fatherhood, Early defends his reputation as the town’s biggest badass, Granny helps the Sheriff solve a series of butt thefts, Lil embraces the boring life of sobriety, and the Sheriff finds love east of the Iron Curtain. Come watch the Cuylers chase the southern dream of a rewarding job in the food service industry, all while using violence and alcohol to tackle life's toughest problems. It's good clean family fun, if your family is in the 18-35 demographic! Squidbillies is written and produced by Dave Willis (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Jim Fortier (Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Brak Show).

•SUPERJAIL! – This fall on Adult Swim, Superjail! slams back in general population for a third season of destruction. Triple the insanity. Triple the crazy. Triple the pain of being kicked in the guts really hard. Superjail! is produced at Titmouse Studios in N.Y. Series creators and executive producers Christy Karacas (Cartoon Sushi, Robotomy) and Stephen Warbrick (Beavis and Butthead, Celebrity Deathmatch) have teamed up again to take this over-the-top animated series to the next level.

Returning acquisitions:
•AMERICAN DAD
•BLEACH
•CLEVELAND SHOW
•FAMILY GUY
•FULL METAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD
•KING OF THE HILL

Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s network offering original and acquired animated and live-action series for young adults. Airing nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET/PT), Adult Swim is basic cable’s #1 network with persons 18-34 and 18-49, and is seen in 99 million U.S. homes.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Donna Summer Has Died at the Age of 63

Back in the day, I loved, loved, loved me some Donna Summer.  I'm still a fan.  The Wrap has confirmed that she died sometime this morning (Thursday, May 17, 2012).  Her family released the following statement:

"While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy," the statement reads. "Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."

I will miss the five-time Grammy winner, still known as the "Queen of Disco."  Rest in peace, Donna Summer

Happy Birthday, Albert

Or Happy Birthday, Al, as I've pretty much always called you since we first met 28-freaking-years-ago this coming August.  I can't remember your age, but it's really more a state of mind, innit?

"Music of the Vampire" an Average Scooby-Doo Toon

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012) – Video
Running time: 78 minutes (1 hour, 18 minutes)
DIRECTORS: David Block
WRITER: Tom Sheppard
PRODUCERS: Spike Brandt and Tom Cervone
EDITOR: Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER: Andy Sturmer
ANIMATION STUDIO: Digital Emation Inc.

ANIMATION/ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY/MUSICAL

Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Jim Cummings, Jeff Bennett, Mindy Sterling, Christian Campbell, Rob Paulsen, Jim Wise, Julianne Buescher, Obba Babatunde, and Robert Townsend

Beginning in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Warner Bros. has released direct-to-video animated movies based on the Scooby-Doo cartoon franchise. Except for a few years when two movies have been released, there has been at least one movie a year. Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire is the 17th movie in this direct-to-video series. It is also the second musical in the series, following Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (2008).

After battling a giant cockroach monster, the Mystery Inc. gang: Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard), Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), and, of course, Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker), are in need of a vacation – a monster-free vacation. They hop in the Mystery Machine and end up in bayou country (Louisiana?) where they eventually come to Petit Chaure Sourie Ville, which means “Little Bat Town.”

They have been invited to the small town by Vincent Van Helsing (Jeff Bennett), a direct descendant of the famed vampire hunter, Abraham Van Helsing. Vincent has a museum and a parcel of land that he leases to a traveling vampire-themed festival owned by the unscrupulous Lita Rutland (Mindy Sterling). Part of this traveling show is Fangenschanz, a cheesy version of Cirque du Soleil with actors dressed as vampires. During a performance, the Fangenschanz troop apparently awakens a centuries-old vampire, Lord Valdronya (Jeff Bennett). Now, that he is awake, Valdronya wants a bride, and Daphne is the bride he wants.

For the past few years, I’ve been looking forward to each new Scooby-Doo direct-to-DVD movie. However, I didn’t have high hopes for Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire, especially after learning that it was a musical. The eight songs (two of which are reprised) aren’t bad, but they aren’t exceptionally good, either. I have seen some good Scooby-Doo movies; this isn’t one of the particularly good one, although it does have some nice moments. My niece, who was visiting recently, watched it numerous times during this just-passed Mother’s Day weekend. I don’t like Music of the Vampire as much as she apparently does, but she is currently in an I-love-everything-Scooby-Doo phase.

What else can I say? I am guessing that children that like Scooby-Doo will like Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire. Adults who are down with the Doo may not like this, or, like me, they will try to find things in Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire to like.

5 of 10
C+

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

"Scooby-Doo" the Movie is Kinda Doo-Doo

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Scooby-Doo (2002)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some rude humor, language and some scary action
DIRECTOR: Raja Gosnell
WRITERS: James Gunn; from a story Craig Titley and James Gunn (based upon the characters created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera)
PRODUCERS: Charles Roven and Richard Suckle
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Eggby (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Kent Beyda
COMPOSER: David Newman

COMEDY/FAMILY/FANTASY/MYSTERY with elements of action

Starring: Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Rowan Atkinson, Isla Fisher, Miguel A Nunez, Jr., Neil Fanning (voice), Scott Innes (voice), J.P. Manoux (voice)

Why does there need to be a feature-length, live action, movie based on the long running “Scooby-Doo” animated series? There are a number of reasons. It’s an exploitable “intellectual” property owned by a giant corporation. It’s a recognizable property and brand name, and frankly, only in recent years has the property owner begun to maximize the licensing potential of this property. Also, most movies from the larger film studios are notoriously expensive; “new” ideas are risky, but remakes and adaptations of stories from other media are the way film studios go when they want to play it safe. To many people, however, both young and old (after all, the Scooby-Doo cartoon concept is over 30 years old), this isn’t a property; it’s Scooby-Doo, man, so a lot of moviegoers were eagerly awaiting the 2002 “live” action debut of Scooby-Doo. And I place live in quotation marks because our favorite cartoon dog is one of many things in this film that isn’t exactly live.

As Scooby-Doo begins, the gang of Mystery Inc. disband due to internal strife. Fred “Freddie” Jones (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) is full of himself and believes that he is the group. Daphne Blake (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is tired of her teammates viewing her as a weak link, and Velma Dinkley (Linda Cardellini) wants credit for her intellectual contributions to the group. As the unhappy trio departs, Norville “Shaggy” Rogers (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby (a CGI character) inherit the Mystery Machine, that van that has carried the kids across continents to solve mysteries, and retire to live their lives eating rude junk food.

The gang inadvertently reunites when the owner of Spooky Island, Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) invites the former teammates separately by invitation to his island to solve the mystery behind the strange behavior of his resort island’s guests. What they find test their individual skills and forces them back together, but can they solve a mystery that might involve their past?

Scooby-Doo alternates between several phases. Sometimes, it’s really dumb, while other times it’s too lame to be dumb. It’s bad, ridiculous, and doesn’t make sense, which is odd because the creators behind the original cartoon series often went to great lengths to give plausible explanations for their often surreal, bizarre, and implausible stories. Yet, there were times when I really found some of the material to be funny. I can’t kid myself. This movie is for children, and not necessarily dumb children. It’s for children and for adults who love Scooby-Doo and are thrilled by the idea of a Scooby movie. Audiences can look forward to this kind of movie now thanks to the ability to render the strangest looking characters and give them complex movements with the aid of computer software. At one time, a Scooby-Doo movie would have meant an actor playing Scooby in an awful looking costume that wouldn’t fool anyone in believing he was Scooby. Now, computers can create an animated Scooby that looks more real and has more range of motion than the original character that was created using traditional cel animation.

Audiences are consumers, and consumers are suckers for the familiar brand names. While we might see Scooby as a beloved character, he’s a product. No studio is going to risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars in sales on a film through theatrical release, home video, television, and merchandising just to make a smart and witty movie. The Scooby cartoons were never smart and witty, anyway. Except for an occasional odd, short film from an inventive animator for the Cartoon Network during the 1990’s, the filmography of Scooby has been one of simpleminded entertainment for kids. And I have to admit that I watched lots of Scooby for over two decades.

Director Raja Gosnell, a former film editor, is a perfect choice to direct this. His knowledge of how film works allows him to create a functional film out of what amounts to a poor script. The story actually has something that’s vaguely neat and interesting – an idea here or there that might work. However, the writers seem mostly to be hacks that specialize in B movies. They’re used to doing atrocious work that is “not supposed to be taken seriously.” So I don’t know if the studio wanted this to stay dumb, or that this was dumb by either the writers’ choice or ability. Either way, they couldn’t seem to hold onto what inspiration they had, and I wonder if these guys even know how to aim it when they’re in front of a urinal.

The casting of this movie is mostly wrong. Matthew Lillard seems born to play Shaggy, and Linda Cardellini is tolerable as Velma; after a while, they all sort of grow on you like fungus, and you accept them. I have to admit that despite my reservations, I grew to like the computer generated Scooby. I thought of it as Scooby the same way I would a cel-animated Doo. I really didn’t like that the film introduced adult “personality” traits to the characters: lust, envy, insecurity, hate, revenge, anger, etc.

This film is mostly trash, something light and fluffy, a curiosity piece, in a manner of speaking, so see it for Scooby and Shaggy if for no other reason. There are some really sweet moments that I can’t reveal without spoiling the film, and the sets and costumes were really nice.

5 of 10
C+

NOTES:
2003 Razzie Awards: 2 nominations: “Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie” (Warner Bros.) and “Worst Supporting Actor” (Freddie Prinze, Jr.)