Review: "Vincent" is Short, But Long on Delights (Happy B'day, Tim Burton)

(A screen capture from Vincent, copyright Walt Disney Productions).

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Vincent (1982) – animated and B&W
Running time: 6 minutes
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
PRODUCER: Rick Heinrichs
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Victor Abdalov
ANIMATOR: Stephen Chiodo
COMPOSER: Ken Hilton

SHORT/ANIMATION/FANTASY with elements of comedy and horror

Starring: Vincent Price (narrator)

Vincent is a black and white, stop-motion animation film short from director Tim Burton and Walt Disney Productions. The short film is essentially Burton’s directorial debut – basically his first professional film. Vincent is included on both the Special Edition and Collector’s Edition DVDs of Nightmare Before Christmas.

Narrated by Vincent Price, the film tells the story of Vincent Malloy, a seven year-old boy fascinated (or obsessed) with Vincent Price. He constantly daydreams, imagining horrific events he wishes would occur in his life: having a dead wife that calls to him from her grave, boiling his aunt in wax, and turning his dog into a zombie, among other things. Soon, his imagination gets the best of him, and he looses himself in his macabre daydreams, and it annoys his Mother that he doesn’t know where reality begins and the horror ends.

Next to La Jatee, this is best short film I’ve ever seen. Both brilliant and biographic, it hints at many of the visual elements and themes that Burton would use in his most personal and signature films: Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride, in particular. Filmed in a shadowy black and white photography, the film’s design (by Burton) is as imaginative and as vivid as most color animated films; in fact, he uses black and white as the color of the film. Price’s narration is a subtle mixture of Dr. Seuss, Edgar Allen Poe, and oral folk storytelling. Not only does Vincent Malloy resemble Tim Burton, but also the film is obviously a quasi-biography and film essay on Burton’s own passion for Vincent Price, for the macabre, and for Gothic-inspired cartoons and illustrations.

10 of 10

Monday, January 30, 2006

SnagFilms Snags Distribution Rights to Several Acclaimed Documentaries

SnagFilms to Distribute 2012 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award Winner “The House I Live In” and 2012 SXSW Film Festival Grand Jury Award Winner “Beware of Mr. Baker”

SnagFilms Also Acquires Six Acclaimed Titles: “Harlan County USA”, “American Dream,” “Waco: The Rules of Engagement,” “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg,” “Fuel” and “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg”

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SnagFilms announced today the acquisition of domestic distribution rights to the two most honored documentaries of 2012: The House I Live In, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and Beware of Mr. Baker, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, Reagan), tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America’s war on drugs. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.

Beware of Mr. Baker, directed by Jay Bulger, is an intimate look at legendary drummer Ginger Baker, best known for his work with Eric Clapton in Cream and Blind Faith. Considered by many to be the world’s best drummer, this controversial and unforgettable musician reflects back on his life along with interviews with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts, Max Weinberg and many more.

Digital distribution is expected to cover key pay platforms and eventual ad-supported release on snagfilms.com. Richard Abramowitz’s Abramorama will handle theatrical releasing for both films.

“We’ve heard a lot about Dream Teams recently,” said Rick Allen, SnagFilms CEO. “But the year’s top two documentary winners, plus six time-honored titles, constitute the Doc Dream Team. We are honored to be bringing them to wide audiences.”

The House I Live In was directed and written by Eugene Jarecki and produced by Jarecki and Melinda Shopsin. Executive Producers are Danny Glover, Nick Fraser, John Legend, Russell Simmons, Joslyn Barnes and Sally Jo Fifer. www.thehouseilivein.org

Beware of Mr. Baker was directed and written by Jay Bulger and produced by Andrew Karsch, Fisher Stevens and Erik Gordon, executive producer Julie Goldman. http://bewareofmrbaker.com/

In addition to these two award-winning titles, SnagFilms has also acquired a slate of six acclaimed films, including Academy Award-winners Harlan County USA and American Dream; the Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winner Waco: The Rules of Engagement; Peabody and Critics Choice Award winner The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg; Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner Fuel and the critically-acclaimed Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. SnagFilms’ digital rights are exclusive for certain pay, SVOD and ad-supported platforms to commence in the coming months.

These announcements come on the heels of a string of major 2012 acquisitions by the new media platform and distributor, which have seen it add films with over 200 major awards or nominations to its library of over 3300 films. The company has increasingly taken premiering films, including the upcoming theatrical and digital release of Decoding Deepak, Gotham Chopra’s new film about his father Deepak Chopra, and The Black Tulip from filmmaker Sonia Nassery Cole, plus the upcoming digital premieres of Faces in the Mirror from musician Boyd Tinsley and We Made This Movie from “The Late Show with David Letterman” executive producer Rob Burnett.

More information about these titles:
Academy Award-winner Harlan County USA – included in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board; named as a Top Ten Film by the National Board of Review; and honored by the LA Film Critics Association. Barbara Kopple’s classic documentary details the bitter and often violent struggle between coal miners and management in Appalachian Kentucky, with a close focus on the women who actively organized and spearheaded efforts to keep the cause alive with their strength and courage.

Academy Award-winner American Dream – another classic documentary from filmmaker Barbara Kopple, recounts the months long strike of a Minnesota Hormel factory and captures working men and women making tough choices about survival during a time of economic crisis in the American Midwest. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded the Documentary Audience Award, the Documentary Grand Jury Prize, and the Documentary Filmmaker Trophy, the only non-fiction film to win all three distinctions.

The Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Waco: The Rules of Engagement – from director William Gazecki, the controversial documentary about the stand-off between an unorthodox Christian group - the Branch Davidians, under the leadership of the young, charismatic David Koresh - and the FBI and ATF in Waco, Texas.

The Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated and multiple critics’ award-winner The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg – from filmmaker Aviva Kempner, the story of Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star in the Major League.

Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winner Fuel -- from director Josh Tickell, a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is takes on big industry, big government and America’s dependence on foreign oil.

Cine Golden Eagle Award-winner, Women’s Film Critic Circle Award-winner and New York Times Critics Pick Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg -- the humorous and eye-opening story of television pioneer Gertrude Berg, also from filmmaker Aviva Kempner.


About SnagFilms
SnagFilms features free, sponsor-supported, on demand viewing of more than 3,300 award-winning, fiction and non-fiction titles from some of the greatest names in film. SnagFilms’ curated collection is viewed on its own site and a digital network of more than 110,000 affiliated sites and webpages worldwide, including partners such as Comcast's Xfinity, Hulu, the Starbucks Digital Network, IMDb, hundreds of non-profits, special interest sites and blogs — and via its applications for tablets, including Apple’s iPad (AirPlay-enabled), Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Blackberry Playbook and other Android-based tablets; Android smartphones; OTT platforms Roku, Boxee and Western Digital; connected TVs and blu-ray players from Sony, Panasonic, LG and Vizio, and soon to launch on connected TVs and blu-ray players from Samsung. SnagFilms’ titles have been featured on more than 3.5 billion pageviews across its network.

SnagFilms also offers selected titles via pay video on demand with Comcast, iN Demand (including Time Warner Cable, Cox and Bright House Networks), Verizon's FiOS and DIRECTV, as well as on iTunes, Hulu Plus, Amazon, VUDU, Xbox Live, Google Play, YouTube Movies, and will soon be launching on DISH Network and Samsung Media Hub. SnagFilms was named one of the fastest growing technology companies in Washington, DC area. Gizmodo has named SnagFilms as a “Best iPad App,” OVGuide has twice named SnagFilms a Top Site, and MovieMaker Magazine named SnagFilms to its annual list of “50 Best Websites for Moviemakers.” The SnagFilms family also includes Indiewire, for more than 15 years the web’s top source of news, reviews and information about independent film – and winner of the 2012 Webby Award as the top film and movie site.

Review: "Half Baked" is All Good (Happy B'day, Dave Chappelle)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Half Baked (1998)
Running time: 83 minutes (1 hour, 23 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive drug content, language, nudity, and sexual material
DIRECTOR: Tamra Davis
WRITERS: Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan
PRODUCER: Robert Simonds
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steven Bernstein
EDITOR: Don Zimmerman, A.C.E.

COMEDY

Starring: Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, Guillermo Diaz, Rachel True. Laura Silverman, and Clarence Williams III, Tommy Chong, Rick Demas, Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Stephen Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Willie Nelson, Jason Blicker, Dave Nichols with (uncredited) Janeane Garofalo, Bob Saget, and Steven Wright

Before Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan created the popular “Chappelle’s Show” for the Comedy Central cable network in 2003, the duo collaborated on the script for the hilarious pro-marijuana comedy, Half Baked. Although it appeared a good four years before the Chappelle Show likely began production, the film was an introduction to some of the kind of humor that Dave and Neal would feature on the show.

Dave is Thurgood Jenkins, a pot smoker since he was 15-years old. He lives with his three friends Scarface (Guillermo Díaz), Brian (Jim Breuer), and Kenny Davis (Harland Williams), with whom he was introduced to weed, in a ratty apartment in which the boys spend their non-working hours puffin.’ However, when Kenny is arrested for (accidentally) killing a police officer (a diabetic horse he overstuffed with junk food), the trio has to find a way to raise Kenny’s enormous bail so that the can get out of prison before someone invades the sanctity of his virgin butthole, i.e. save him from the trauma of homosexual rape.

Thurgood comes across a scheme to sell high-quality cannabis he steals from a pharmaceutical research lab, and he, Scarface, and Brian do quite well in their little enterprise. However, they earn the ire of Samson Simpson (Clarence Williams III), a drug dealer who wants a cut of their take. Thurgood must also keep his bud-selling enterprise a secret from his new girl friend, Mary Jane Potman (Rachel True), a young woman who hates drug dealers because her father was one and is currently in prison. Can Thurgood keep his new sweetie off the trail of smoke, and can he and his buddies save Kenny’s ass?

Half Baked is simply flat out funny. I liked everyone in the sometimes droll and often vulgar laid back comedy. In fact, Chappelle actually does not steal the show from his cast, especially the hilarious and talented trio of Díaz, Breuer, and Williams. Clarence Williams also shines in a very small part, one of the few times his versatile comedy skit talent comes to life on screen.

Half Baked also features several amusing cameos, but even without them, this movie is… dope and doped up. The film deserves its “R” rating, as it’s actually a “hard” R because of the frequent drug references and a prison shower scene featuring several fully nude men and the threat of prison rape. Still, that should not dissuade mature audiences looking for grown up juvenile comedy, and it might actually attract some folks.

8 of 10
A

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

"One Piece" Anime Sails into Neon Alley Fall 2012

VIZ MEDIA BRINGS THE HIGH SEAS ANIME PIRATE ADVENTURE ONE PIECE TO NEON ALLEY THIS FALL

ONE PIECE Licensor Toei Animation Will Be Content Partner For New Console-Based 24-Hour Anime Channel Launching On PS3 And Playstation Network

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, continues the digital anime convergence as it announces that Toei Animation, with FUNimation® Entertainment acting as the agent, has licensed the celebrated pirate anime action/adventure series, ONE PIECE, for broadcast on Neon Alley, the new 24-hour anime channel VIZ Media launching this Fall exclusively to the Playstation Network and the PS3 game console. Episodes to air on Neon Alley will be presented uncut and with dubbed English dialogue.

Neon Alley, featuring the world’s best anime titles all dubbed and uncut in English and presented in HD (when available), is the first platform designed to be studio agnostic, with a diverse array of titles from other leading anime producers and distributors. Programming will include weekly exclusive premieres of hit titles fans love, alongside a mix of new, cutting edge titles they didn’t know they were missing. Neon Alley will be a subscription-based service, subsidized with limited commercial advertising to keep the launch price to consumers at a low $6.99 per month.

“We’re excited to partner with Toei and FUNimation to bring the smash hit ONE PIECE to fans across North America on Neon Alley,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “Fans should stay tuned for the Neon Alley launch date and programming details, and prepare to set sail with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat pirates this Fall!”

ONE PIECE is based on a massively popular manga (graphic novel) series created by Eiichiro Oda, that is also published in North America by VIZ Media (rated ‘T’ for Teens). In the venerable anime adventure, Monkey D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become king of all pirates. With a course charted for the treacherous waters of the Grand Line, this is one captain who'll never drop anchor until he's claimed the greatest treasure on Earth – the Legendary One Piece!

For more information on Neon Alley, please visit www.NeonAlley.com.

For more information on Toei Animation, please visit: www.Toei-Anime.co.jp

For more information on FUNimation, please visit: www.funimation.com

For more information on VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About Toei Animation Inc.
TOEI ANIMATION has been distributing its popular Japanese Animation films and derivative character licensing through local partners all over American regions for over 13 years. TOEI ANIMATION INCORPORATED (TAI) established in Los Angeles in March 2004, looks forward to spreading the world-renowned Japanese animation studio’s extensive library and pursuing co-production projects in North and Latin America and other English-speaking territories worldwide. The main business operations of TAI include film licensing in all media and emerging platforms, merchandise licensing and co-productions with local establishments. Visit www.toei-anim.co.jp/english/index.html.

About FUNimation® Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment is the leading anime company in North America. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands. They manage a full spectrum of rights for most of their brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

"Dredd 3D" Has New YouTube Trailer

Dredd The Movie in 3D from LionsGate Films arrives in theaters this fall, and the studio just released a new trailer/video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvVWZkvUfwo or http://youtu.be/OvVWZkvUfwo

Filmed in 3D with stunning slow-motion photography sequences, the film returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's revered comic strip. Dredd 3D was written by 28 Days Later's Alex Garland and directed by Pete Travis, starring: Karl Urban (Star Trek) and Olivia Thirlby (Juno). This futuristic neo-noir action film sneak screened at Comic-Con this year where it was a big hit and was well received by critics. Dredd 3D will release in theaters on September 21, 2012.

Synopsis:
DREDD 3D - The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One - a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge - a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.

During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson, a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture - a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan's inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound's control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.

http://www.dreddthemovie.com/

"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" Raises a Little Hell

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 69 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, and language
DIRECTOR: Neveldine/Taylor
WRITERS: Scott M. Gimple & Seth Hoffman and David S. Goyer; from a story by David S. Goyer (based upon the Marvel Comics character)
PRODUCERS: Ashok Amritraj, Ari Arad, Avi Arad, Michael De Luca, and Steven Paul
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Trost
EDITOR: Brian Berdan
COMPOSER: David Sardy

SUPERHERO/ACTION/HORROR

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Violante Placido, Ciaran Hinds, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitmorth, Fergus Riordan, Anthony Head, and Christopher Lambert

The subject of this movie review is Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, a 2012 superhero, action, and horror movie from directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who jointly work under the moniker, Neveldine/Taylor. Ghost Rider is a Marvel Comics character that was created by writers Roy Thomas and Mark Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog and that first appeared in the comics magazine, Marvel Spotlight #5 (1972).

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a sequel to the 2007 film, Ghost Rider, and, as in the first film, Oscar-winning actor, Nicolas Cage, plays the title roll. Spirit of Vengeance, which finds Ghost Rider trying to protect a child from the devil, is much better than the first film, although it is by no means great.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance opens in a monastery in Eastern Europe. There, the monk, Benedict (Anthony Head), and his brothers are hiding a mother, Nadya (Violante Placido), and her son, Danny (Fergus Riordan). Apparently, the Devil Mephisto wants Danny in order to complete some kind of ritual.

A French priest named Moreau (Idris Elba) decides to take matters into his own hands after Mephisto’s forces attack the monastery. Moreau seeks out Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage), who is also the Ghost Rider, the fiery spirit of vengeance whose head is a flaming skull. Blaze sold his soul to Mephisto, who is currently going by the name, Roarke (Ciaran Hinds), which is why the Ghost Rider is inside him. After Ghost Rider proves to be too much of problem for him, Roarke turns one of his stooges into Blackout (Johnny Whitmorth), a supernatural creature that can take on the Rider.

One thing I can say about the directing team, Neveldine/Taylor, is that the duo has style, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has got style. The film is visually snazzy, spunky, and even cool. The action scenes are quite good, and the computer effects (CGI) don’t look phony and are an improvement over the CGI in the first film.

The story is different, seeming unique although it mines familiar territory – the hero trying to save a vulnerable woman or child from being possessed by the Devil. That’s probably because Spirit of Vengeance is not like other movies based on comic book superheroes, and of course, Ghost Rider isn’t like other superheroes. The script has some good ideas, which is not surprising considering that one of Spirit of Vengeance’s screenwriters is David S. Goyer, who has written horror movies and movies based on comic books, including the Blade franchise, which combines both.

The problems with Spirit of Vengeance are the characters and the acting. There is no character development, nor are the characters really interesting. There are some novel and interesting things about them, but that does not translate into wholly interesting characters. The acting is bad. Sometimes, I cannot tell if Nicolas Cage is hamming for the cameras or is simply phoning in a performance. Idris Elba tries, but even his honest effort cannot save Moreau from seeming unintentionally comical or not funny when the character is supposed to be comical.

Still, I find Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance to be much better than the first film. The action and the visual effects pop enough to make me actually want more of this.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Legendary Phyllis Diller Dies at 95

As a child staying at my grandparents' house, I was always delighted when Phyllis Diller appeared on television.  It seems as if they watched the kind of TV programs that would feature someone like Diller.  Diller died in Los Angeles on Monday, August 20, 2012.  IMDb has an article about her.

Phyllis Diller is credited with opening stand-up comedy for women, and she appeared as a contestant on several game shows.  Negromancer sends our condolences to the Diller family.  R.I.P., Ms. Diller.