Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day 2013

Cause you readers are Negromancer's Valentines.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Review: "Vertigo" Gets Better With Each Viewing (Happy B'day, Kim Novak)



TRASH IN MY EYE No. 20 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Vertigo (1958)
Running time: 129 minutes (2 hours, 9 minutes - 1996 restored version); MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Alfred Hitchcock
WRITERS: Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor (based upon the novel, …d’Entre les Morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Burks
EDITOR: George Tomasini
COMPOSER: Bernard Herrmann
Academy Award nominee

MYSTERY/DRAMA/ROMANCE/THRILLER

Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones, Raymond Bailey, Ellen Corby, and Konstantin Shayne

The subject of this movie review is Vertigo, a 1958 mystery and psychological thriller directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock (who did not receive a screen credit as producer). The film underwent a major restoration in 1996, which was produced by James C. Katz. The film is based upon the 1954 crime novel …d’Entre les Morts by Boileau-Narcejac, the penname of French crime fiction writers, Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo was a box office failure at the time of its initial release, and it even received mixed critical reaction. Today, many consider the film to be Hitchcock’s masterpiece, with some going so far as to call it one of the greatest films of all time. It’s not just that the film is an unusual mixture of mystery, drama, and romance with an occasional light-hearted touch of the comic; it is also that the film is a taut suspense thriller and a doomed romance with a surprising twist.

Police Detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) has a crippling fear of heights (acrophobia) and it inadvertently costs a fellow officer his life during a police foot chase across the rooftops of San Francisco. His fear causes Scottie to retire, but an old friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), comes to Scottie with a unique problem that requires his skills. Elster believes that his pretty young wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), is possessed by the tormented ghost of her grandmother. He convinces Scottie to tail Madeleine and make sure she doesn’t come to harm in her mentally shaky state, but Scottie slowly falls in love with Madeleine while tracking her daily movements. However, a tragic accident draws Scottie into a complex vortex of deceit, murder, and obsession, and Scottie’s mind can’t handle the strain of figuring out what’s really happened.

So much about this film amazes me. Bernard Herrmann’s mesmerizing score is one of the most beautiful examples of film music; it’s so haunting and so easily alters the mood when Hitchcock requires it. The handsome cinematography is almost too lavish for a noir-ish, mystery thriller like Vertigo, but it ably serves the long, lingering shots. Edith Head’s fabulous costumes, in particularly Kim Novak’s gowns, are both stylish and evocative – creating the dreamlike and ethereal qualities that add to Vertigo’s ambiance. The performances are good with James Stewart appearing unusually limp and impotent as a besieged detective/hero. Kim Novak swoons from coquette to working girl/devil girl with chameleonic ease.

As usual, however, the star is Hitchcock the director. Despair has rarely been so beautiful and love so rarely a gorgeously concocted labyrinth of tricks. He lays it all before us, a pulsating rhythm of surreal moments, fever dreams, and brilliant switches. Reality really isn’t what it seems, or maybe it is. Reality is more than just what passes in front of the eye. If you can’t figure that out, your mind will go falling through a vortex. Vertigo is Hitchcock’s supremely clever spin on the mystery film – all the way to the haunting final shot.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1959 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White or Color” (Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead, Sam Comer, and Frank R. McKelvy) and “Best Sound” (George Dutton-Paramount SSD)

1989 National Film Preservation Board: National Film Registry

Friday, January 27, 2006


Adele to Sing "Skyfall" Theme at 85th Oscars Ceremony

Adele to Perform Academy Award®-Nominated Song from "Skyfall" at Oscars®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter Adele will perform the Oscar®-nominated theme song from the latest James Bond movie at the 85th Academy Awards®, the show's producers announced today. "Skyfall," from the film of the same name, was announced as a nominee for Original Song at the Academy’s Nominations Announcement on January 10. The song, written by Adele and Paul Epworth, is the first Bond theme ever to debut in Billboard's Top 10 and the first to be nominated for an Oscar since "For Your Eyes Only" in 1981.

Adele's exclusive Oscar show performance will be the first time she will have performed "Skyfall" anywhere live and will also mark her first U.S. television performance since the Grammys® last year.

"It's an honour to be nominated and terrifyingly wonderful to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again,” said Adele. “It's something I've never experienced and probably only ever will once!"

"We have enormous respect for Adele's unique artistry as a songwriter and a singer," said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producers of this year's Academy Awards show. "She is currently one of the most successful recording artists in the world, and we believe that her performance of 'Skyfall' will be an exciting Oscar moment for audiences watching at the Dolby Theatre™ and on television screens around the world."

Oscar.com celebrates Adele's performance with a special gallery of some of the most memorable James Bond theme songs through the years:

http://oscar.go.com/photos/themed-galleries/movies/bond-theme-songs

Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.


ABOUT CRAIG ZADAN AND NEIL MERON
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are producers of critically acclaimed and award-winning feature films, television movies, series, and Broadway productions. Their feature films include The Bucket List, Footloose, Hairspray, and Chicago, which won six Academy Awards including one for “Best Picture.” For television, they’ve produced films of “Steel Magnolias,” "Life with Judy Garland," and "A Raisin in the Sun," among many others and the series “Smash” and “Drop Dead Diva.” They recently returned to their roots in live theater by producing Broadway revivals of the Tony-winning “Promises, Promises” and the Tony-winning 50th Anniversary revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

"Insidious Chapter 2" Contest Winner Announced

Earlier this month, FilmDistrict held a video contest in search of the biggest Insidious fan ever, hosted by director James Wan. The prize? A walk-on role in INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2.

After a nationwide search that generated over 800 fan video submissions and 250,000 views on the film’s official YouTube channel, the winner has been selected!

The announcement was officially made on the film’s Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/InsidiousFilm) and James Wan via a Twitter photo from set last night that said, “We sifted thru tons of entries. Everyone's a winner in my book, but like Connor Macleod said, there can be only one.”

The Twitter photo can be seen at: https://twitter.com/creepypuppet/status/301164004439629824/photo/1


21-year-old Michael James Grise from Orlando, Florida, won for his truly inspired and horrifying video. Grise will receive an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles where he will be joining the cast and crew for his on-camera appearance in the currently-shooting production of INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2. His entry was personally selected by director James Wan, writer Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum.

Check out the winning video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtZKKSQMAM

All video entries can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/insidiousmovie

INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 arrives in theatres nationwide on August 30, 2013.


ABOUT INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2
INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 is the sequel to 2010’s hit film that captivated horror movie audiences worldwide. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins return to reprise their roles in the film, directed by James Wan from a script by Leigh Whannell, who also wrote the first film. www.insidiouscastingcall.com

Review: First Bond Film, "Dr. No" Still the Blueprint

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Dr. No (1962)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Terence Young
WRITERS: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather (based on the novel by Ian Fleming)
PRODUCERS: Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ted Moore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter Hunt
COMPOSER: Monty Norman

SPY/DRAMA

Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Bernard Lee, Anthony Dawson, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmuller, Lois Maxwell, and Louis Blaazer

Last year (2012) was the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No, the 1962 James Bond film and British spy drama. This movie, the first in the James Bond film series, was based on Ian Fleming’s 1958 novel, Dr. No.

The novel was adapted by three screenwriters: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather, from a treatment written by Wolf Mankowitz, who did not receive a screen credit. Dr. No’s director, Terence Young, also contributed to the screenplay. Dr. No was also notable for John Barry’s now-famous arrangement of the James Bond theme, which was written by Dr. No’s composer, Monty Norman.

As Dr. No begins, John Strangways, the British Intelligence Station Chief in Jamaica, is murdered. In response, British MI6 agent, James Bond (Sean Connery), codenamed 007, is summoned to the office of M (Bernard Lee), his superior. M sends Bond to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of Strangways. Bond is also told to cooperate with American CIA agent, Felix Leiter (Jack Lord), in order to determine if the recent disruptions of rocket launches from Cape Canaveral is related to Strangways’ disappearance.

Bond’s investigation in Jamaica keeps returning to a mysterious figure known as Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), who has a mining operation on the nearby island of Crab Key. With the help of Quarrel (John Kitzmuller), a local tour guide (of sorts), Bond heads to Crab Key to investigate Dr. No. There, Bond also meets Honey Rider (Ursula Andress), a local shell diver and the first “Bond girl.”

It had been many years since I last saw Dr. No, and even longer since I first read Fleming’s novel. After recently seeing the film again, I was shocked by how fresh the movie seems. It helps that the new restoration, re-mastering, or re-whatever makes the film seem to sparkle and its colors pop as if they were taken from a painting.

Beyond that, the film is clean in its execution, with a simple, straightforward narrative. Dr. No’s smooth pace allows the viewer to get to know Bond, which was important for both this movie and for selling future Bond films. Dr. No’s concise pace also allows the viewer to get to know the colorful supporting characters. I loved the laconic British home secretary, Pleydell-Smith (Louis Blaazer).

Dr. No is, of course, not like modern Bond films, which are full of explosive, kinetic action and wall-to-wall special visual effects. This is a spy drama on a slow, cool burn. For me, Dr. No is the blueprint from which all other Bond movies (and quite a few other spy films) sprang. No matter how loud other Bond films got or how much they looked like science fiction movies, they owe practically everything they are to this first Bond theatrical film.

Time has not tamed the Sean Connery that stars as 007 in this film. He’s a crouching tiger and one cool cat. He’s still the boss, and Dr. No remains a classic and a treasure.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1964 Golden Globes, USA: 1 win: “Most Promising Newcomer – Female” [Ursula Andress – shared with Tippi Hedren for The Birds (1963) and Elke Sommer for The Prize (1963)]

Saturday, February 09, 2013

Monday, February 11, 2013

"Argo" Wins USC Libraries Scripter Award

‘Argo’ Navigates to USC Libraries Scripter Win

Journalist, memoirist, and screenwriter take the 25th-anniversary honor

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Authors Joshuah Bearman and Antonio J. Mendez and screenwriter Chris Terrio received the 25th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for their contributions to “Argo.” Selection committee co-chair Howard Rodman announced the winners at the black-tie event on Saturday, Feb. 9, at USC’s Doheny Memorial Library.

In his acceptance speech, Bearman said, “I think that with adaptation you hope another writer can come and take a look at your work and see a new perspective and add insight, which is certainly the case with Chris Terrio.”

“Argo’s” Scripter win adds to the growing number of awards for the Warner Bros. film, including the American Film Institute’s Movie of the Year as well as best motion picture in the drama category and best director at last month’s Golden Globes. The film is nominated for seven Academy Awards.

Scripter, established by the Friends of the USC Libraries in 1988, honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author of the written work upon which the screenplay is based. Scripter is the only award of its kind that recognizes authors of the original work alongside the adapting screenwriters.

Terrio based his adaptation on Mendez’s autobiographical work “The Master of Disguise,” published by William Morrow in 2000, and Bearman’s article “The Great Escape,” which appeared in Wired Magazine in 2007.

USC Libraries Dean Catherine Quinlan welcomed the attendees gathered in Los Angeles Times Reference Room of USC’s historic Edward L. Doheny Memorial Library.

“In the context of the library, Scripter at 25 years old is a young tradition,” Quinlan said. “But it is a tradition that helps our libraries collect knowledge that is far older than 25 years and one that will support discoveries by our USC community far beyond the next quarter-century.”

Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC screenwriting professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the Scripter selection committee chose “Argo” from a field of 84 eligible films. A tie in the first round of voting resulted in six finalist films this year, rather than the usual five.

The 41-member selection committee included film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Eric Roth, and Robin Swicord; authors Michael Chabon and Mona Simpson; and USC deans Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries, Elizabeth M. Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts and Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts.

The USC Libraries also honored Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana with the Literary Achievement Award for their body of work to date. USC President C. L. Max Nikias presented the honor.

“With deep reserves of imagination and intellect, Mr. McMurtry and Ms. Ossana inspire USC’s entire creative-arts community,” Nikias said. “And for this, we warmly salute them.”

Over the course of their writing partnership McMurtry and Ossana have collaborated on dozens of novels and screenplays, including “Brokeback Mountain,” which won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as the award-winning miniseries “Streets of Laredo,” “Dead Man’s Walk,” and “Johnson County War.” They are currently collaborating on the screen adaptation of Paulette Jiles’s novel “The Color of Lightning.”

This year’s event featured a silent auction, the proceeds of which support the USC Libraries’ collections. Donors to the auction included Bennett Farms, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hawaii Five-0 and Eye Productions, Hungry Cat Santa Monica, L.A. Saddlery, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Namale Resort & Spa in Fiji, Paperblanks, PGA Tour, Picca Peruvian Cantina, the NFL, Pizzeria Mozza, Pleasant Holidays, South Coast Winery, the Sundance Institute, Terranea Resort, Robbins Research International, Montage Beverly Hills, the Wine of the Month Club, and the USC Thornton School of Music.

In-kind sponsors this year included John and Dana Agamalian and Blue Ice Vodka; Esquire Bar & Lounge of Pasadena, Calif.; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Paperblanks; Penguin Books; and the Wine of the Month Club.

For more information about Scripter—including additional images from the ceremony—visit scripter.usc.edu.

"Babel" Wins "Album of the Year" at 2013 Grammys


by Leroy Douresseaux

Babel, the second album from English folk rock band, Mumford and Sons, won "Album of the Year" at the 55th Grammy AwardsDan Auerbach was the night's big winner, winning four trophies - three as a member of The Black Keys and one as "Producer of the Year, Non-Classical."

The 55th Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and hosted for the second time by LL Cool J. Nominations were announced on December 5, 2012.

There are currently 81 categories, up from 78 at the 54th Grammy Awards. The three new categories are “Best Classical Compendium,” “Best Latin Jazz Album,” and “Best Urban Contemporary Album.”  A full list of winners can be found at www.grammy.com or www.grammy.org.

Winners in top categories for the 55th annual Grammy Awards:

Record of the Year:
"Somebody That I Used To Know," Gotye Featuring Kimbra
- Wally de Backer, producer; Wally de Backer & François Tétaz, engineers/mixers; William Bowden, mastering engineer

Album of the Year:
"Babel," Mumford & Sons
- Markus Dravs, producer; Robin Baynton & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer

Song of the Year:
"We Are Young," Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (fun. featuring Janelle Monáe).

New Artist:
fun.

Pop Vocal Album:
"Stronger," Kelly Clarkson

Rock Album:
"El Camino," The Black Keys

R&B Album:
"Black Radio," Robert Glasper Experiment

Rap Album:
"Take Care," Drake

Country Album:
"Uncaged," Zac Brown Band

Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album:
"Imaginaries," Quetzal

Jazz Vocal Album:
"Radio Music Society," Esperanza Spalding

A top category that does not get enough attention, as far as I’m concerned:

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Dan Auerbach (from The Black Keys)

Of concern to movie fans are the film music and soundtrack categories:

Music for Visual Media

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (best movie soundtrack):
Midnight In Paris – Various Artists

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (best original music-score for a film):
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, composers

Best Song Written for Visual Media (best song for film or television):
"Safe & Sound" (from The Hunger Games)
 - T Bone Burnett, Taylor Swift, John Paul White & Joy Williams, songwriters (performed Taylor Swift Featuring The Civil Wars)

Nominees in the three new categories for the 55th Grammys:

Best Classical Compendium:
Penderecki: Fonogrammi; Horn Concerto; Partita; The Awakening Of Jacob; Anaklasis - Antoni Wit, conductor; Aleksandra Nagórko & Andrzej Sasin, producers

Best Latin Jazz Album:
¡Ritmo! – The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band

Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Channel Orange – Frank Ocean