Review: Fine Actors Kick "Coriolanus" Up a Notch

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 51 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Coriolanus (2011)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.K.
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – R for some bloody violence
DIRECTOR: Ralph Fiennes
WRITER: John Logan (based on the play Coriolanus by William Shakespeare)
PRODUCERS: Ralph Fiennes, John Logan, Gabrielle Tana, Julia Taylor-Stanley, and Colin Vaines
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Barry Ackroyd
EDITOR: Nicolas Gaster
COMPOSER: Ilan Eshkeri
BAFTA nominee

DRAMA/WAR

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain, John Cani, Paul Jesson, James Nesbitt, Dragan Micanovic, and Harry Fenn

The subject of this movie review is Coriolanus, a 2011 military drama starring Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler. The film is based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Coriolanus, which was based on the story of a legendary Roman general. The film is Fiennes’ directorial debut and is the story of a banished Roman hero who joins Rome’s enemy to take his revenge on the city.

Coriolanus is set in “a place calling itself Rome” (but the movie was filmed in Serbia). General Caius Martius (Ralph Fiennes) leads the forces of Rome to victory against Volsces and the leader of its forces, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Martius should be the hero of Rome, beloved by all, but the citizens of Rome are hungry. He may be a great soldier, but Martius despises the people for whom he supposedly fights. Martius is elected as a consul to the Roman Senate, but his inflexible self-belief and extreme views present an opportunity for his enemies. Before long, Martius finds that some of his friends have turned to enemies, but some of his enemies may become his friends.

Throughout my schooling, teachers told me that Shakespeare’s work was timeless, and Coriolanus certainly has contemporary parallels. Caius Martius’ story is a familiar one. He is the proud warrior who saves the state, but who is despised by the citizenry and politicians. The politicians wish to exploit him and have little or no use for him otherwise. Those politicians also loath that he fought when they did not – either because they could not or chose not to.

As a director, Fiennes makes smart choices, including having the accomplished John Logan as his screenwriter. He also surrounds himself with a strong supporting cast; Brian Cox as Menenius and Venessa Redgrave as Volumnia (Martius’ mother) are just plain great. Fiennes’ inexperience as a director, however, shows in some scenes, especially those that make up the first hour of the film. This first half of Coriolanus drifts and the use of Shakespeare’s dialogue seems out of place in the film’s modern Eastern European setting.

The second half of the film is strong and passionate, and that’s where Fiennes’ talents show. He knows great performances and first-rate acting, and he gets that from his cast. Fiennes lets Gerard Butler do what he does best – smolder. Coriolanus is not the best film adaptation of Shakespeare, but the good acting and the subject matter make it one worth watching in these times.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2012 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer” (Ralph Fiennes-director)

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

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"Tiger & Bunny" English Voice Cast at Anime Expo 2012

VIZ MEDIA WELCOMES TIGER & BUNNY JAPANESE PRODUCER AND ENGLISH VOICE CAST FOR ANIME EXPO 2012

Producer Masayuki Ozaki and Top English Voice Actors Including Yuri Lowenthal, Patrick Seitz and Others Join

VIZ Media for Panel Discussion on the Hit Anime Action Series

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, marks its highly anticipated return to Anime Expo® 2012 with the announcement that it will welcome special show personal appearances by the Japanese Producer along with several top American voice actors from the hit anime action series, TIGER & BUNNY.

Anime Expo is the nation’s largest anime convention and will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA from June 29th to July 2nd. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 1401. Information on Anime Expo is available at: http://www.anime-expo.org/.

VIZ Media will welcome TIGER & BUNNY Producer Masayuki Ozaki as its exclusive guest for a very special panel discussion to be held on Saturday, June 30th, 12PM to 1:30PM in Room LP1. Masayuki Ozaki began his anime career in 2004 at Sunrise, Inc., where he was a planning manager for Mobile Suit Z Gundam. He went on to play an important role in producing anime features including Dinosaur King, INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT (distributed by VIZ Media), and Gintama: The Movie. In addition to producing anime, Mr. Ozaki produces a variety of live music events, musicals and other areas of show business.

VIZ Media will augment the TIGER & BUNNY fun at the Saturday panel discussion by also welcoming the talented voice actors that brought the characters to life for North American fans. VIZ Media plans to release the TIGER & BUNNY series on Blu-ray and DVD in 2013. Anime Expo attendees won’t want to miss the opportunity to meet and question the English cast members in attendance, including:

•Laura Bailey (Dragon Kid)
•John Eric Bentley (Fire Emblem)
•Yuri Lowenthal (Barnaby Brooks Jr. / Bunny)
•Tara Platt (Agnes)
•Patrick Seitz (Sky High)
•Travis Willingham (Rock Bison)

Also on Saturday, catch Mr. Ozaki and the TIGER & BUNNY voice actors at the South Hall Autograph Area at 3:30pm, where fans will have the opportunity to meet everyone at an in-booth signing session.

TIGER & BUNNY (rated TV-14) is set in Stern Bild, a metropolitan city where superheroes called NEXT help to maintain peace. Sporting sponsor logos on their suits, these heroes work to solve cases and save people’s lives in order to earn Hero Points, while also helping to improve the public image of their corporate sponsors. Their activities are documented and broadcast by the popular show “HERO TV,” in which each superhero strives to become the “King of Heroes” of the year.

One such hero is Wild Tiger (real name Kotetsu T. Kaburagi), a veteran superhero who relies on his years of experience and instincts to fight crime. Though obligated to work for his boss’s best interest, Kotetsu follows his own code of honor and is even willing to cause destruction to public property for the sake of protecting the lives of his fellow citizens. Over time, he has grudgingly earned the nickname “Crusher for Justice.” Now, Kotetsu suddenly finds himself forced to team up with rookie hero Barnaby Brooks Jr.

For more information on TIGER & BUNNY and other animated titles from VIZ Media please visit http://www.vizanime.com/.

The Artist Fafi Creates Limited Edition "Katy Perry: Part of Me" Poster

Katy Perry and the artist known as "Fafi" have teamed up to produce the poster you see above this text for her new documentary and concert movie Katy Perry: Part of Me.  Apparently, fans who sign up for early screenings of the movie will receive this limited edition poster when they attend. The movie will reportedly screen in 100 locations around the United States and Canada before its full release date, July 5, 2012.

For more information, visit www.katyperrypartofme.com/Sneak.  On his website, Perez Hilton posted that by putting the hash tag, #KP3D Movie Sneak, in your tweets, you will get an alert about signing up for screenings of the Katy Perry movie.

New Images from "Katy Perry: Part of Me" - Katy Eats!

Katy Perry does a pizza chow down.

Katy Perry live and in candy-coated living color.

http://www.katyperrypartofme.com/sneak

"Cloud Atlas" Set for October 2012 with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

Warner Bros. Pictures Sets October 26, 2012 for Domestic Release of “Cloud Atlas”

Studio Also Acquires Distribution Rights for Major International Markets

Oscar® Winners Tom Hanks and Halle Berry Lead an International All-Star Cast

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures has officially slated the epic “Cloud Atlas,” from acclaimed filmmakers Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski, for domestic release on October 26, 2012. In addition, the Studio has acquired rights for the film in the major markets of the UK, France, Spain, Australia, and Japan, with plans to release it in those territories in early 2013. The joint announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Fellman stated, “Audiences who have seen an early screening of ‘Cloud Atlas’ have been elated by its powerful and inspiring story, as well as its breathtaking visuals. An October release in North America is the perfect window to showcase this epic film.”

Kwan Vandenberg said, “We are proud to be distributing this remarkable motion picture in a number of key markets. We look forward to working with these visionary filmmakers and the other international distribution partners to bring ‘Cloud Atlas’ to moviegoers around the world.”

Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) and Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) lead a stellar international cast that includes Oscar® winner Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun and Keith David, with Oscar® winner Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and Hugh Grant. Each member of the ensemble appears in multiple roles as the stories move through time.

“Cloud Atlas” explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

The film is written for the screen and directed by Lana Wachowski & Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski. The Wachowskis previously teamed as writers/directors of the groundbreaking “Matrix” trilogy, which earned more than $1.6 billion, combined, at the worldwide box office. Tom Tykwer won an Independent Spirit Award and earned a BAFTA Award nomination as the director/writer of “Run Lola Run,” and more recently directed the award-winning thriller “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.”

Based on the celebrated best-selling novel by David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas” is produced by two-time Oscar® nominee Grant Hill (“The Thin Red Line,” “The Tree of Life”), three-time BAFTA Award nominee Stefan Arndt (“The White Ribbon,” “Goodbye Lenin!,” “Run Lola Run”), Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski. Philip Lee, Uwe Schott and Wilson Qiu serve as executive producers, with Peter Lam, Tony Teo and Alexander van Duelmen co-producing, and Gigi Oeri as associate producer.

“Cloud Atlas” will be released in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland by X-Filme-Verleih; in China by Dreams of the Dragon Pictures; in Hong Kong by Media Asia Group; in Singapore and Malaysia by Ascension Pictures; in Korea by Bloomage Company; in Taiwan by Long Shong Group; in Russia and Eastern Europe by A Company; and in other territories through Focus Features International.

cloudatlasmovie.com

2nd Annual Critics' Choice Television Award Winners - Complete List

Broadcast Television Journalists Association Announces Winners of the 2nd Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), an offshoot of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, today announced the winners of the 2nd annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards. The star-studded gala awards dinner to acknowledge and honor the best in television was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel earlier this evening.

Homeland took home the prize for Best Drama Series while Community won in the Best Comedy Series category. Best Reality Series went to Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, while Best Reality Show-Competition went to The Voice. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was honored as Best Talk Show, Archer was honored as Best Animated Series, and Sherlock was honored as Best Movie/Miniseries. NBC was the most awarded network with five wins followed by ABC and AMC, which tied with three wins each.

Actors Bryan Cranston and Louis C.K. won Best Actor in a Drama Series for Breaking Bad and Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Louie, respectively. Claire Danes was honored as Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Homeland while Zooey Deschanel and Amy Poehler tied for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for their roles in New Girl and Parks and Recreation, respectively. Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series went to Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks for the second year in a row. Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito was named Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Julie Bowen took home the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy and Ty Burrell won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for their roles in Modern Family. Lucy Liu won Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series for Southland, and Paul Rudd won Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series for his role on Parks and Recreation.

Dancing with the Star’s Tom Bergeron and So You Think You Can Dance’s Cat Deeley tied for Best Reality Host. Benedict Cumberbatch was recognized as Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for his work in Sherlock, while Julianne Moore was named Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries for her role in Game Change. In addition, The Following, The Mindy Project, Nashville, The Newsroom and Political Animals were honored as Most Exciting New Series.

Acting category nominees in attendance included: Gillian Anderson (Great Expectations), Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Alison Brie (Community), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys), Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance), Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Cheryl Hines (Suburgatory), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Gillian Jacobs (Community), Phil Keoghan (The Amazing Race), Regina King (Southland), Lucy Liu (Southland/Elementary), Justin Long (New Girl), Joel McHale (Community), Julianne Moore (Game Change), John Noble (Fringe), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Carrie Preston (The Good Wife), Danny Pudi (Community), Ashley Rickards (Awkward), Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy), Eden Sher (The Middle), Maggie Siff (Sons of Anarchy), RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag U), Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Endings), Chloe Webb (Shameless) and Casey Wilson (Happy Endings).

Presenters included: Beth Behrs (Two Broke Girls), Chris Colfer (Glee), Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time), Emily Deschanel (Bones), Patrick Duffy (Dallas), Donald Faison (The Exes), Sharon Gless (Burn Notice), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time), Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town), Stana Katic (Castle), Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope), Robert Patrick (True Blood), Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), Busy Philipps (Cougar Town), Hannah Simone (New Girl), Kate Walsh (Private Practice) and Shane West (Nikita).

Stars of the five shows acclaimed as Most Exciting New Series were also in attendance including: Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project), Chris Messina (The Mindy Project), Olivia Munn (The Newsroom), Hayden Panettiere (Nashville), Thomas Sadoski (The Newsroom) and Natalie Zea (The Following).

The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) also partnered with thalo Magazine to recognize Smash with the thalo’s Critics’ Choice Inspiration Award, which honors a television show for illuminating the fine arts in its subject matter and production methods, along with the individuals who infuse those productions with their artistic passions.

The Critics’ Choice Television Awards honored programs and performances that aired between June 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012, except for the Most Exciting New Series, which are shows premiering after June 1, 2012. Six new categories debuted this year including Best Movie or Mini-series, Best Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series, Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series, Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series, Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series and Best Animated Series. The full winners tally is included below.

The 2nd annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards were executive produced by Bob Bain for Bob Bain Productions.

About BTJA
The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) is a partner organization to the Broadcast Film Critics Association. BTJA includes TV, radio and Internet journalists who cover television on a regular basis. For more information, visit: http://www.criticschoice.com/

WINNERS OF THE 2nd ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE TELEVISION AWARDS

Best Drama Series
Homeland – Showtime

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad – AMC

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes – Homeland – Showtime

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito – Breaking Bad – AMC

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Christina Hendricks – Mad Men – AMC

Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series
Lucy Liu – Southland – TNT

Best Reality Series
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – Travel Channel

Best Reality Series – Competition
The Voice – NBC

Best Reality Show Host - TIE
Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars – ABC
Cat Deeley – So You Think You Can Dance – FOX

Best Talk Show
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – NBC

Best Comedy Series
Community – NBC

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Louis C.K. – Louie – FX

Best Actress in a Comedy Series - TIE
Zooey Deschanel – New Girl – FOX
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation – NBC

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell – Modern Family – ABC

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Julie Bowen – Modern Family – ABC

Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series
Paul Rudd – Parks and Recreation – NBC

Best Animated Series
Archer – FX

Best Movie/Miniseries
Sherlock – Masterpiece on PBS

Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries
Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock – Masterpiece on PBS

Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries
Julianne Moore – Game Change – HBO

Most Exciting New Series
The Following (Fox/Warner Bros.)
The Mindy Project (Fox/Universal)
Nashville (ABC/Lionsgate)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Political Animals (USA/Warner Bros.)

Review: "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" is Friendly to the Viewer

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 50 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) – straight-to-video
Running minutes: 67 minutes (1 hour, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence
DIRECTOR: Sam Liu
WRITER: Stan Berkowitz (based upon the graphic novel by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness)
PRODUCER: Michael Goguen and Bobbie Page
EDITOR: Margaret Hou
COMPOSER: Christopher Drake
ANIMATION STUDIO: Lotto Animation

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of drama

Starring: (voices) Clancy Brown, Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, Xander Berkeley, Corey Burton, Ricardo Chavira, Allison Mack, John C. McGinley, CCH Pounder, Calvin Tran, Mark Jonathan Davis, and LeVar Burton

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a 2009 direct-to-video superhero animated film from Warner Bros. Animation. Starring DC Comics characters, Superman and Batman, this is also the sixth feature in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.

The film is adapted from the opening story arc of the Superman/Batman comic book series. The storyline was entitled “The World’s Finest” (Superman/Batman #1-6, October 2003 to March 2004) and was produced by writer Jeph Loeb and pencil artist Ed McGuinness. Bruce Timm acted as the film’s executive producer.

At the beginning of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Lex Luthor (Clancy Brown), Superman’s nemesis, uses a severe, nation-wide economic crisis to get himself elected President of the United States. Then, he uses the threat of a kryptonite meteor on course to strike Earth as a rationale to frame Superman (Tim Daly) as a mad criminal. Luthor hires cyborg villain, Metallo (John C. McGinley), to kill Superman, but Batman (Kevin Conroy) rescues the Man of Steel. Luthor uses the video footage of that battle to frame Superman, and he also places a one billion dollar bounty on his head.

An army of supervillains look to collect the bounty on Superman, and Luthor also sends a small group of government-employed superheroes, led by Captain Atom (Xander Berkeley), to arrest Superman. Can Superman and Batman escape their hunters, save Earth from Luthor’s plot, and stop a killer meteor?

When I first started watching Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, I didn’t like it. For one thing, the filmmakers had copied the cartoony drawing style of Ed McGuinness, who drew the comic book upon which this film is based, in their character designs for this film. I didn’t think that worked. However, McGuinness’ drawing style is a traditional one closer to the comic books published in the 1950s and 60s, and this clean style is also friendlier to adaptation as animation than other more detailed or photo-realistic comic book art styles.

So that is my way of saying that visually, the design style and graphic aspects look right for this film. They capture the physicality of the characters and the colorful and quirky costumes and armor. As for the story, it’s very fun with lots of big fights and plenty of sci-fi, save-the-world action.

I have to also say that this DC Universe Animated Original Movie has excellent voice performances from top to bottom. Clancy Brown is ominous and also melodramatic in the vein of an old movie serial villain as Lex Luthor. Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy are a magnificent team as Superman and Batman, respectively. They sound as if they belong together. I am pleased to be pleasantly surprised by Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. As this movie ended, I still wanted more.

7 of 10
B+

Tuesday, May 29, 2012