Review: "Identity" Almost Great

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Identity (2003)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and language
DIRECTOR: James Mangold
WRITER: Michael Cooney
PRODUCER: Cathy Konrad
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Phedon Papamichael
EDITOR: David Brenner
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri

HORROR/MYSTER/THRILLER with elements of crime drama

Starring: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, Rebecca De Mornay, John C. McGinley, John Hawkes, Jake Busey, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Bret Loehr

The subject of this movie review is Identity, a 2003 mystery thriller and psychological horror film from director James Mangold. The film is set at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rainstorm. There, ten strangers are stranded and being killed off one by one. It’s actually a very good film until the end.

I often think that suspense thrillers and horror movies don’t have to be great, just effective, although there are great suspense and horror films. The plot and story may be familiar (it usually is), but the execution should make us forget that we’ve seen this before. We should be too busy jumping in our seats or making sure we locked all our doors and windows before the sun went down and we started watching a scary movie. Thus, while What Lies Beneath isn’t a great film, say like Psycho, it’s very well executed and does what it’s supposed to do: make us jump in our seats and feel something akin to the fear that the characters in the story feel. That is what Identity does.

Director James Mangold burst onto the film scene with the heartwarming and heart-wrenching drama Heavy, and entered the big time with Copland, wherein which he drew a very good performance from Sylvester Stallone. Identity is his first film that tackles the suspense/horror genre, and it’s a mighty good first leap.

Through the vagaries of coincidence, ten strangers are stranded at an isolated hotel during a nasty storm. As they begin to know each other, they discover that someone, either one of them or an unknown person, is killing them off one by one. As the most likely suspects are knocked off, the survivors are further confused when the bodies of the dead begin to disappear.

Writer Michael Cooney, the mastermind behind the Jack Frost films, creates what you could call a typical, professional Hollywood script, especially for a suspense film. The story has the usual clues and subtle tricks that you have to catch in order to learn the identity of the “bad guy.” It has the usual “bumps in the night,” an isolated setting for the story, the duplicitous characters, and enough false positives to scare off any pro football team. This is very good, if not spectacular work.

The strength of the film is in its cast and in its director. John Cusack is, as ever, very good as the leading man, and especially good in this case, as the smart guy trying to figure things out. Ray Liotta continues to shine in whatever roles he takes; everyone just seems to take him for granted. Mangold makes Identity part Alfred Hitchcock and a little slasher film. He’s subtle, even when the story seems to go over the top, as he takes advantage of Cooney’s suspense thriller settings: the lonely stretch of highway, the isolated motel, the overbearing and claustrophobic rainstorm, and the characters who come in all colors: shady, sneaky, weird, mental, dangerous, dishonest, weak, and angry. Mangold lets the cast run wild with these characters. He simply and quietly follows them, his camera greedily drinking what he’s carefully staged. It seems like zany and scary fun done with abandon, and while it is, Mangold knew what he was doing. He knew the buttons to push, and he knows where to take the story, every inch of the way, every scene in its place to give us the same sense of panic, fear, and growing desperation that his characters feel.

I had hoped that Identity would be fun and it was – good, spooky fun. When the story reveals its big secret, it does knock the steam out of the film, ruining the fun…almost. With the grace and athletic skill of a Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady, the film gets back on its feet for an ending that at least slaps you in the face if it doesn’t exactly bunch you in the stomach. Early in the film is a clue as to the killer’s identity. I ignored it, because a later scene corrected what seemed like a mistake when one character wrongly accuses another. That later scene was wrong and was a trick to throw us off. So pay attention to every step you take on this creepy trip.

6 of 10
B

Marvel Unleashes "Iron Man 3" Products

Marvel Launches a Full “Armory” of Products Inspired by Marvel’s Iron Man 3

GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel Entertainment in conjunction with Disney Consumer Products (DCP) has unveiled the newest film-inspired product collection based on the highly anticipated Marvel’s Iron Man 3 releasing in theaters May 3, 2013. This armor and suit-inspired assortment features apparel, collectibles, lifestyle products, action figures, toys and role play products that capture the unique customization and dynamic personality of one of Marvel’s favorite Super Heroes, Iron Man.

“This innovative product assortment reflects the technological savvy and classic design of Iron Man coupled with the ingenuity and individuality of Tony Stark,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president of licensing for Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “From radio controlled flying figures and customizable action figures, to deluxe costumes and role play items, we have developed an extensive collection of products that will allow fans of all ages to create their very own Super Hero adventure.”

Additionally, Marvel Press, an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide, has released several titles in print and eBook form in support of the feature film, including Iron Man 3 Movie Storybook and Suits of Armor storybook by Tomas Palacios. Readers can also experience the action-packed adventure of Iron Man through mini-games, authentic animated artwork and interactive activities in the free Iron Man: Armored Avenger App, available on iTunes.

Opening in theaters May 3, Marvel’s Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at this enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black.

Marvel’s Iron Man 3 collection of products is available now at national retailers, specialty stores, Marvel.com, Disney Store locations nationwide and DisneyStore.com.

MARVEL’S IRON MAN 3 PRODUCT ASSORTMENT*

*For a further list of products, please see our fact sheet at http://bit.ly/IM3ProductFactSheet

•Innovative Technology Products:

◦Iron Man 3 RealD 3D Eyewear (MSRP $10.00): RealD’s patented technology enables an incomparable, premium 3D viewing experience. CDM has developed a limited edition line of collectible RealD 3D eyewear for Marvel’s Iron Man 3.

◦Iron Man 3 Levitator Lamp (MSRP $150.00): Recreating the high-flying power of Iron Man’s suit right in front of your eyes, the Iron Man 3 armor levitates in mid-air and rotates 360 degrees on a lamp base that also emits a ceiling projection.

◦Iron Man 3 3D LightFX Wall Light (MSRP $29.99): The Iron Man 3 3D LightFX Wall Light mounts to the wall and is cordless and battery operated; the innovative fixture is true to size and uses LED lights to bring the adventure of Iron Man to life.

◦Iron Man 3 iHome Electronics (MSRP $14.99 - $29.99): This exclusive collection includes noise isolating earphones, headphones, rechargeable character speakers and a dual alarm clock speaker system, all with cool character styling.

•Toys and Role Play:

◦Iron Man 3 Assemblers Action Figure Assortment by Hasbro (MSRP $9.99 each): Each figure in the buildable Assemblers Action Figure line features an Interchangeable Armor System, allowing one figure to create more than 25 armor combinations and allowing armor to be switched out to create hundreds of combinations.

◦Iron Man 3 ARC FX Role Play products by Hasbro (MSRP $24.99): The ARC FX MISSION MASK features dual missile launchers with ARC FX glowing visor lights and targeting beam light effect; the MOTORIZED ARC FX GAUNTLET features rapid-fire blasting action with NERF foam discs.

◦RC Flying Iron Man by EB Brands (MSRP $80.00): A full 19” long, the RC Iron Man banks, soars, dives and climbs, just like the extreme Super Hero, Iron Man; a unique, patented steering mechanism gives kids greater control and a super tight turning radius.

◦LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man 3 Construction Sets (MSRP $12.99 - $39.99): Kids can team up with Iron Man in his upgraded Mark 42 armor to battle villains with the new LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man 3 construction sets, each featuring a key scene and iconic characters from the highly anticipated new film.

•Lifestyle Products:

◦Under Armour Alter Ego Performance Shirts (MSRP $49.99 – Boys, $59.99 – Adult): Featuring the iconic Iron Man character design, Under Armour Alter Ego is the baselayer built for heroic performance.

◦Iron Man 3 Adult Hooded Fleece by Mad Engine (MSRP $59.50 - $63.50): Bring the powerful, strong, all-new suits of armor and their sleek designs featured in Marvel’s Iron Man 3 to your wardrobe with these adult hooded fleece.

◦Iron Man Threadless Tees (MSRP $18.50 - $23.50): Threadless challenged artists from all over the world to design t-shirts inspired by Marvel’s metal-clad Super Hero, resulting in 22 unique Iron Man tees in the collection.

•Collectibles:

◦Iron Man 3 POP! Bobble Head by Funko (MSRP $9.99): Iron Man is given a fun, and funky, stylized look as a collectible POP! style Iron Man 3 bobble head vinyl figure.

◦Iron Man 3 Micro Muggs by Hasbro (MSRP $1.99 each): The most epic Iron Man movie yet gets Hasbro’s smallest, coolest Iron Man collectibles. There are 24 unique armors across, each 1.75 inches, and two waves to collect.

•Disney Store:

◦Iron Man 3 Deluxe Costume for Boys (MSRP $59.95): Your junior Super Hero can suit-up for action in this deluxe padded armor inspired by Tony Stark's latest design for Marvel’s Iron Man 3.

◦Iron Man 3 Swim Collection for Boys (MSRP $7.50 - $19.50): He'll enjoy heroic days at the beach or pool in this Iron Man Swim Collection; prepare him for his aquatic adventures with Iron Man Swim Trunks, Rash Guard, Flip Flops and Beach Towel.

To download images of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 product collection, please visit http://bit.ly/IM3ProductImages (this link is case sensitive).


About Marvel’s Iron Man 3
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at this enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.

Marvel’s Iron Man 3 is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film releases May 3, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com.

About Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products (DCP) is the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) that delivers innovative and engaging product experiences across thousands of categories from toys and apparel to books and fine art. As the world’s largest licensor, DCP inspires the imaginations of people around the world by bringing the magic of Disney into consumers' homes with products they can enjoy year-round. DCP is comprised of three business units: Licensing, Publishing and Disney Store. The Licensing business is aligned around seven strategic brand priorities: Disney Baby & Classic Characters, Disney Media Networks & Games, Disney & Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Princess & Disney Fairies, Disney Live Action Film, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the world's largest publisher of children's books, magazines, and digital products and also includes an English language learning business, consisting of over 40 Disney English learning centers across China and a supplemental learning book program. DPW's growing library of digital products includes best-selling eBook titles and original apps that leverage Disney content in innovative ways. The Disney Store retail chain operates across North America, Europe and Japan with more than 350 stores worldwide and is known for providing consumers with high-quality, unique products. Disney's official shopping portals online are www.DisneyStore.com and www.DisneyStore.co.uk. For more information, please visit Disney Consumer Products www.DisneyConsumerProducts.com or follow us at www.YouTube.com/DisneyLiving, www.Facebook.com/DisneyLiving and www.Twitter.com/DisneyLiving.

Review: "Pawn" a Game of Changes

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Pawn (2013)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, language and brief drug content
DIRECTOR: David A. Armstrong
WRITER: Jay Anthony White
PRODUCERS: Michael Becker, Michael Chiklis, Brad Luff, and Jeff Most
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Keith Dunkerley (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Jordan Goldman and Danny Saphire
COMPOSER: Jacob Yoffee

CRIME/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring: Michael Chiklis, Common, Marton Csokas, Sean Faris, Stephen Lang, Ray Liotta, Nikki Reed, Max Beesley, Jonathan Bennett, Forest Whitaker, Jessica Szohr, Ronald Guttman, Jordan Belfi, and Cameron Denny

Pawn is a 2013 crime thriller and drama. The independent film focuses on a petty robbery that turns into a tense hostage situation after three gunmen hold up a diner.

Pawn is mostly set in Be Brite Diner, an all-night diner (apparently located somewhere in Connecticut). Will Tompkins (Forest Whitaker), a police officer, walks in on a robbery in progress at the diner. Derrick (Michael Chiklis) and his crew, Billy (Max Beesley) and Nigel (Cameron Denny), want the contents of the diner’s safe.

Police and SWAT surround Be Brite. Nicholas “Nick” Davenport (Sean Faris), a recently paroled felon, finds himself caught in the middle, while his pregnant wife, Amanda (Nikki Reed), finds herself facing the “Man in the Suit” (Ray Liotta). Jeff Porter (Common), the hostage negotiator, isn’t sure whom he can trust… on either side of the situation. The big question is not only what happens next, but also what happened just before the robbery began? One extremely intense hostage situation is about to start taking some shocking twists.

The director of Pawn, David A. Armstrong, was the cinematographer on the Saw horror films, from the original to Saw VI. Like the Saw franchise, Pawn is filled with twists and turns and with the kinds of characters that always make twists and turns against their fellow characters. The film also has a non-linear narrative intended to make the viewer chase plots and subplots from one revelation to another. I never got tired of it because these revelations were sometimes delightful clarifications or like amusing sleights-of-hand. Pawn is determined to make you admit that you don’t know what you don’t know, and what you might actually know comes with an exception.

Pawn’s glaring problem is its low-budget and relatively short runtime. Pawn really looks like a movie made on the cheap. While there is nothing that the viewer can do about that (and nor are the film’s finances my business), Pawn, as written by Jay Anthony White, is an ambitious crime film, told across a sprawling landscape of characters, conflicts, and motivations. As director, it seems as if Armstrong is forced to keep the characters, plot, and setting confined to what amounts to a film production box, while Pawn wants to be wide open and loud, with some big action scenes.

Still, Armstrong turns in an engaging crime thriller and character drama in Pawn, with the help of some good performances. Common, the rapper and actor, has big, expressive eyes, and I love the way he uses them to convey being surprised and confused and especially to suggest his mistrust of some of the other characters. Pawn is also a reunion, of sorts, of Michael Chiklis and Forest Whitaker, who shared the small screen on the acclaimed television series, “The Shield.” When Chiklis and Whitaker’s characters are in proximity to one another, there is indeed some edgy tension and suspense, but there isn’t really that much of them together.

Pawn may not be a great crime film, but it is certainly a surprisingly compelling movie and is really fun to watch. Every time a character makes a move in this film, he changes this chess game of crooks that is the heart of Pawn. And Pawn is certainly a game of crooks and crime worth watching.

6 of 10
B

Monday, April 22, 2013

"Best" Named Best Short Film for Sundance London 2013

BEST Wins Sundance London Short Film Competition

Film by William Oldroyd to screen at Sundance London

Best, a five-minute film from Surrey filmmaker William Oldroyd, was announced today as the winner of the Short Film Competition for the second Sundance London film and music festival, 25-28 April at The O2. The film will screen as part of the official Short Film Programme at the festival, and Oldroyd will receive a three-night stay at The Langham, London as well as additional prizes.

The Short Film Competition was organized by a small team of Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication students, in collaboration with Sundance London organizers, including Sundance Institute, which annually hosts the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A. To correspond with Sundance London’s location at The O2 in Greenwich, the home of Greenwich Mean Time, short film entries focused on the concept of time: ‘The Time is Now; a story that is about being immediate and in the moment.’ Submissions between three and five minutes in length were accepted.

The winning entry was selected by two juries on either side of the Atlantic. The first included: Kate Kinninmont, Women in Film and Television; Chris Collins, BFI Film Fund; Freddie Gaffney, Ravensbourne; Dave Calhoun, Time Out; and director / screenwriter Kat Lo. A second jury, organized by Sundance Institute, included: John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival; Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival; and filmmakers Francesca Gregorini and Roger Ross Williams.

In Best, with one man’s wedding moments away, he and his best friend confront their future.

Oldroyd said: “I am privileged to have my short film presented in my home city as part of this year's festival. There is no better champion of international, emerging film makers than Sundance Institute, and I am grateful for their endorsement and support. I'm really looking forward to meeting the other participants and glad that Best will now get a wider, more diverse audience.”

Groth said: “The other jurors and I were delighted to find in Best a succinct yet moving story that so cleverly exemplifies the tagline ‘The Time is Now.’ Terrifically framed images as well as stellar performances bring to life a story that impressively manages to be tender, raw, visceral and heartbreaking in under five minutes.”

In addition to Best, finalists for the competition were: Double Take, by Sam Hodges; Fill Me In, by Sebastian Thiel; Kickoff, by Zoran Trajkovic / Pet Genius Productions; Outsiders, by William Wirrow; and What’s Past is Present, by Jason Robbins. All finalist films, including Best, are available for immediate viewing at http://competition.sundance-london.com/films/2013/

Extranjero, a short film from Daniel Lumb and Crinan Campbell, was the winner of last year’s Short Film Competition at the first-ever Sundance London.

Tickets for all Sundance London films, panels and music performances are now on sale at www.sundance-london.com. Music performers include Peaches, Gregg Allman and John Paul White of The Civil Wars, and British Sea Power. The film programme, made up of 21 feature films and nine short films, includes the International, European or UK premieres of films from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, including several award winners.

For more information visit www.sundance-london.com or follow @SundancefestUK on Twitter

Review: "Malibu’s Most Wanted" Still Funny

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 76 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003)
Running time: 86 minutes (1 hour, 26 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual humor, language and violence
DIRECTOR: John Whitesell
WRITERS: Fax Bahr, Adam Small, Jamie Kennedy, and Nick Swardson
PRODUCERS: Fax Bahr, Mike Karz, and Adam Small
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin
EDITOR: Cara Silverman
COMPOSER: John Van Tongeren

COMEDY

Starring: Jamie Kennedy, Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Regina Hall, Blair Underwood, Damien Dante Wayans, Ryan O’Neal, Bo Derek, Jeffrey Tambor, and Snoop Dogg (voice)

The subject of this movie review is Malibu’s Most Wanted, a 2003 comedy co-written by and starring Jamie Kennedy. The film focuses on the character “B-Rad,” which Kennedy initially used in his stand-up comedy act and later featured on his hidden camera television series, “JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.”

Brad Gluckman (Jamie Kennedy) is B-Rad, a white Jewish boy from Malibu who is a wannabe rap star and “acts like he’s from the ‘hood.” The problem is that his father Bill (Ryan O’Neal) is a California gubernatorial candidate, and B-Rad’s thuggish behavior might cost him the election.

Tom Gibbons (Blair Underwood), his father’s campaign manager, hires two actors to scare the black out of B-Rad. If Julliard-trained Sean (Taye Diggs) and Pasadena Playhouse thespian P.J. (Anthony Anderson) can convince B-Rad that they’re carjackers, they just might put the white back in Brad’s act. However, B-Rad ain’t having it; before long he’s in love with Sean and P.J.’s accomplice Shondra (Regina Hall), an ambitious young woman with business dreams.

First, let me say that Malibu’s Most Wanted is simply hilarious. I laughed as much as I did at any other recent film including Bringing Down the House. Malibu Most Wanted, like the latter film, involves a traditionally, but especially of late, touchy subject: the portrayal of African-American (or just plain black folks) and black culture in Hollywood films. The film allegedly pokes fun at white kids who embrace hip hop culture, but who also embrace it with such relish that they try to “act black.”

However, the film makes a point of differentiating between poseurs and whites who are really into that chocolate flava. A friend of mine called white poseurs, “Negro lite” – all the style and coolness without the persecution of being black. When it comes down to it, there’s nothing wrong with white people embracing hip hop culture or black language, style, fashion, attitude, and lifestyle. People of different backgrounds and cultures cross pollinate; the Romans certainly enjoyed copying the Greeks.

Some people seem to think that it was beneath African-American actors to participate in movies like Malibu's Most Wanted and Brining Down the House. Black actors just go where the work is. Lord knows that Taye Diggs, handsome, talented, and possessing a deft comic touch, should be a leading man fighting off producers who constantly beat at his door to have him be the star of their next film. That’s not happening. And Anthony Anderson is no less funny than Seann William Scott (American Pie and Dude, Where’s My Car?), so he should also have many comic vehicles coming his way, shouldn’t he?

Regina Hall is sexy and beautiful, capable of being more than just the black girl with an attitude. After seeing her in Malibu's Most Wanted, I left the theatre wondering why I haven’t seen more of her; then, I pass by a poster for the overexposed Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and a Ho. Oh, nothing on Reese. I love her, and all things being equal, Regina came into the world with the exact same chance for opportunity as Reese, right? So they go where the work is. Besides, I love the subtle, sly, and wink-wink/nudge-nudge performances by Diggs, Anderson, and Blair Underwood.

Jamie Kennedy, his writers and the director, John Whitesell (a veteran director of various episodes of many television programs) do a good job with what could have been a one-note joke that dies quickly. The script is pedestrian in a number of ways, but especially in the story’s resolution. B-Rad justifies himself and his interest in hip hop, connects with the black folk, and makes up with his dad, but there are also lots of nice touches. Hell, he even gets the black woman, which I thought the filmmakers would avoid like the plague. Even the predictable material has a nice, funny spin on it. The main point of this movie is to be funny, and it’s damn funny. Its secondary nature is to make a lot of good points, and despite Malibu Most Wanted’s often tactless script, it does that, too. When all is said and done, Malibu’s Most Wanted is funny, and in the long term, it’ll be an important work in the canon of films about black culture.

How many people notice that for all the parody of hip hop that is done in this film, B-Rad is absolutely and honestly in love with hip hop? For all the whining that many people do about how “black culture” is ignored, they should notice the adoration, even when it is disguised as a sow’s ear.

6 of 10
B

"Only God Forgives" Due July 19, 2013

Radius/TMC PRESENTS

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

An official selection of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival

A film by Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm

IN THEATERS JULY 19th

Ryan Gosling and the director of DRIVE, Nicolas Winding Refn, are back with this visionary Bangkok-set thriller. Julien (Gosling) is a drug kingpin tasked with avenging his brother's death, but a mysterious, unhinged policeman is following his every move.

What's neon without a little flicker?

Follow @RadiusTWC to see an animated version of the poster.

#OnlyGodForgives
#WannaFight

Check out the redband trailer on Yahoo! Movies: http://movies.yahoo.com/trailers/red-band/?cache=clear

Review: "Bulletproof Monk" Not a Misfire

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 54 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Bulletproof Monk (2003)
Running time: 104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, language and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: Paul Hunter
WRITERS: Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (based upon the Flypaper Press comic book)
PRODUCERS: Terence Chang, Charles Roven, Douglas Segal, and John Woo
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stefan Czapsky (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Robert K. Lambert
COMPOSER: Eric Serra

MARTIAL ARTS/ACTION with elements of adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, Jamie King, Karel Roden, and Victoria Smurfit

The subject of this movie review is Bulletproof Monk, a 2003 martial arts and fantasy film starring Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William Scott. The film is a loose adaptation of a three-issue comic book miniseries published in the late 1990s.

After I first saw trailers and television commercials for Bulletproof Monk, I was sure that the movie was going to be a giant turkey bomb. The fights looked like cheesy, Matrix, bullet time, rip-offs, and the idea of a kung-fu mentor looking for a “chosen one” rang all too familiar. Worst of all, the film had Chow Yun-Fat spouting instant pudding Far East mystical mumbo-jumbo. The ads turned out to be quite misleading (in fact, those responsible shouldn’t necessarily lose their jobs if this film flops because of poor ads, but they should, at least, get demerits from their bosses), and the film is quite good, although the film still has one of those chosen one characters and lots of mystical quasi-Buddhist wisdom dialogue that even fortune cookie makers wouldn’t touch.

Somewhere in Tibet is an ancient scroll wherein is written the secrets to great power. Every sixty years, a new monk is chosen via prophetic signs to protect the scroll. In 1943, the Monk with No Name (Chow Yun Fat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) takes responsibility for the scroll. 60 years later, the monk is in New York running from Strucker (Karel Roden), a sadistic Nazi holdover from the Forties who wants the secrets of the scroll. His granddaughter Nina (Victoria Smurfit) now leads the chase to capture the Monk with No Name. During one of those chases, the monk meets Kar (Seann William Scott), a young pickpocket who just so happens to possesses some formidable martial arts skills. Of course, the relationship between the two begins as an edgy one, but soon it’s sometimes difficult to tell who is the mentor and who is the “mentee.”

Director Paul Hunter, known for his music videos, shows great ability in creating a sustained rhythmic style in Bulletproof Monk. The material is old hat; Hunter just makes the film exciting and energetic. He creates a sense of drama, suspense, mystery, and intrigue through the flow of the film. He even stages the mystical and philosophical musings so that they seem interesting and move the story forward. Rather than just being the standard dialogue you’d hear in a martial arts flick, the wit and wisdom of the monk actually serves the story.

The acting is good. Fat has never seemed more comfortable and relaxed in an English language film than he does here. He’s the coolest silent, stoic hero since Clint Eastwood, and the camera loves him. There’s just something heroic and, well, mystical about his visage when it appears on a giant movie screen, and like Eastwood, his best work needs to be seen in a theatre. Seann William Scott, forever burdened with the Stifler character from the American Pie films, proves himself to be a screen idol in the mold of Keanu Reeves. Like Reeves, the camera loves Scott; he has a naïve and goofy, but charming look that can sell him as a part time rogue, but a rogue destined to be a hero. His performance and his character’s transformation really remind me of both Reeves performance and of the character Neo’s transformation in The Matrix.

Bulletproof Monk is pure fun and very entertaining. You don’t have to check your brain at the door because the film isn’t that simpleminded. There’s chemistry between the leads that is actually heartwarming and inspiring. The evolution of the teacher/pupil relationship here is one that rings true. They are the center of the story, and when their dynamic works and the fight scenes are good, then, the movie is probably good.

Bulletproof Monk does have some shaky moments, and sometimes, the characters don’t always ring true. The villains are such stock characters that the actors precariously balance appearing both pathetic and dangerous, although Ms. Smurfit plays her part with absolute relish. Still, Bulletproof Monk is a good action film with some excellent fight scenes in the spirit of The Matrix, and the soundtrack is also pretty cool.

Though I do wonder why, after centuries of having Asian protectors, the protectors of the scroll all of a sudden have to be white people. Would predominately white audiences accept Jet Li as King Arthur?

6 of 10
B