Review: "The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury" Fast and Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004) – Video
Running time:  35 minutes
Not rated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR:  Peter Chung
WRITERS:  Brett Mathews; from a story by David Twohy (based upon characters created by Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat)
PRODUCERS:  John Kafka and Jae Y. Moh
EDITOR:  Ken Solomon
COMPOSERS:  Machine Head with Tobias Enhus and Christopher Mann
ANIMATION STUDIOS:  Sunwoo Entertainment and DNA Animation

ANIMATION/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring:  (voices) Vin Diesel, Rhiana Griffith, Keith David, Roger Jackson, Tress MacNeille, Julia Fletcher, Nick Chinlund, and Dwight Schultz

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a 2004 made-for-DVD, animated short film.  It is directed by Peter Chung, the Korean-American best known for creating the animated series, Æon Flux.  Dark Fury acts as a bridge between the films, Pitch Black (2000), and its sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury takes place shortly after the events depicted in Pitch Black.  The last survivors of the Hunter-Gratzner spacecraft:  Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), Jack (Rhiana Griffith), and Imam Abu al-Walid (Keith David), are aboard the shuttle they used to leave the planet upon which the transport ship crashed.

They find themselves the target of a Mercenary spacecraft (“Merc ship”), after the mercenaries realize that Riddick, a wanted man with a huge bounty on his head, is aboard the shuttle.  Riddick discovers that he has piqued the interest of Antonia Chillingsworth (Tress MacNeille), the Merc ship’s owner, and this crazy woman has some crazy plans in store for Riddick.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is one of the best made-for-DVD animated films that I have ever seen.  It is true to the spirit and nature of the two feature-length Riddick films and the characters, especially Riddick.  Dark Fury’s script is as well-written and as imaginative as the scripts for Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick.

The voice acting is also superb.  Whatever Vin Diesel may lack as an actor in live-action films, he has as a voice actor for an animated character:  nuance, affect, and richness and the ability to create a depth of character.  It goes without saying that Keith David is good, and Rhiana Griffith makes Jack a lively character that brings energy to Dark Fury every time she opens her mouth.

Dark Fury is further proof that Peter Chung is one of the true visionary animators, character designers, and directors of animated film of the last quarter-century.  Dark Fury needs a buddy.  There should be more animated Riddick films or maybe a television series, especially if Chung were to be the hands guiding animated (or anime) Riddick.  No Riddick fan should miss The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, September 01, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Read Pitch Black review.

Guy Ritchie Helms "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." Film

Production to Begin on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” for Warner Bros. Pictures

Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer Star Under the Direction of Guy Ritchie

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography will begin on September 9 on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” The film is the first to be made under filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s and producer Lionel Wigram’s new production shingle, Ritchie/Wigram Productions, which has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Having successfully re-imagined the classic detective Sherlock Holmes in two hit films, the pair now bring their fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series by bringing super spies Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin to the big screen.

Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin, alongside stars Alicia Vikander (“Anna Karenina”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby”), Jared Harris (“Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”), and Hugh Grant (“Cloud Atlas”) as Waverly.

“Guy and I have long loved these characters, and wanted to start from scratch with our own take and create a film steeped in the 1960s for today’s audiences,” said Wigram. “We are particularly happy about our cast, who all bring something special to the film. Henry, Armie, Alicia and Elizabeth are among the best and most exciting actors of the next generation. In addition, we are thrilled to be working with Hugh Grant, who we have known and been fans of for many years, and Jared Harris, who did such a great job for us as Moriarty.”

Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

The screenplay is written by Ritchie and Wigram, who also serve as producers. John Davis (“Chronicle”) and Steve Clark-Hall (“RocknRolla,” the “Sherlock Holmes” films) are also producing. David Dobkin is executive producer.

Ritchie’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes two-time Oscar®-nominated director of photography John Mathieson (“Gladiator”), production designer Oliver Scholl (“Jumper”), editor James Herbert (the “Sherlock Holmes” films), Oscar®-nominated costume designer Joanna Johnston (“Lincoln”) and Oscar®-winning key makeup and hair designer Sarah Monzani (“Quest for Fire,” upcoming “Edge of Tomorrow”).

Filming will take place in England, with location filming also in Italy, in Rome and Naples.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Review: "The Order" is Unfortunately Out of Order

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Order (2003)
Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for violent images, sexuality and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Brian Helgeland
PRODUCERS:  Craig Baumgarten and Brian Helgeland
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Nicola Pecorini
EDITOR:  Kevin Stitt
COMPOSER:  David Torn

MYSTERY/HORROR/THRILLER with elements of and fantasy

Starring:  Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Benno Fürmann, Mark Addy, Peter Weller, and Francesco Carnelutti

The subject of this movie review is The Order, a 2003 mystery-horror film from writer-director, Brian Helgeland.  The film stars Heath Ledger as a young priest who travels to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order.

In Oscar® winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland's (L.A. Confidential) The Order, two priests belonging to an arcane order known as the Carolingians and a troubled painter track a figure of Catholic lore known as the Sin Eater.  When the leader of the Carolingians, Dominic (Francesco Carnelutti), dies, Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) goes to Rome to investigate the circumstances of his mentor’s mysterious death.

Dominic’s body bears strange scars that may be the markings of the Sin Eater, a renegade who offers absolution of the gravest sins.  This is the only way to heaven for those who are outside the jurisdiction of the church, either by choice or because of excommunication.  However, there is a bigger problem; as Alex and his own colleague Father Thomas Garrett (Mark Addy) search for the Sin Eater, there may be a conspiracy surrounding Alex, drawing him closer to the Sin-Eater, a centuries old man named William Eden (Benno Fürmann).

The Order has an interesting premise, and it actually could have been a fairly good suspense thriller (and a creepy one, at that) without the hokey special effects.  The Order’s story is basically a tale of religious conspiracy, in this case, that old Hollywood standby, a conspiracy reaching the upper levels of the Roman Catholic Church and involving arcane Catholic lore.  One can wonder what Helgeland was thinking when he dreamed up this story.  It’s all flash and no substance.  What are the themes?  What is it really about?  Is it just a film exercise meant to be a scary movie.

Two things really hurt The Order.  First, the special effects and fantasy, horror, supernatural elements seem tacked on, as if the studio knew that people would not go for some religious mystery thriller if there wasn’t some unholy bump in the night going on.  Secondly, the actors, except for a few, spare moments, are pitiful.  They lack energy and seem lethargic or drugged.  Speaking accents and dialects are plentiful, but no actor is consistent.  Each one seems to grab whatever accent works for the moment, as if he or she will simply try everything in hopes that something will stick.

If you’re looking for a hardcore horror movie, this isn’t it.  If you like mystery and religious conspiracies, this isn’t a totally bad way to spend VCR time.

4 of 10
C

Updated:  Wednesday, September 04, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Transformers 4" Has a Title and a New Poster

New Teaser Poster for TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

Exclusively on Yahoo - See the new poster HERE.

OFFICIAL SITE: WWW.TRANSFORMERSMOVIE.COM

IN THEATERS 06.27.14

https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie
https://twitter.com/transformers

Review: "Pitch Black" Near Pitch Perfect Horror

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 94 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pitch Black (2000)
Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for sci-fi violence and gore, and for language
DIRECTOR:  David Twohy
WRITERS:  Ken Wheat & Jim Wheat and David Twohy (from a story by Ken Wheat and Jim Wheat)
PRODUCER:  Tom Engelman
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Eggby
EDITOR:  Rick Shaine
COMPOSER:  Graeme Revell

SCI-FI/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Claudia Black, Rhiana Griffith, John Moore, Simon Burke, Les Chantery, Sam Sari, and Firass Dirani

The subject of this movie review is Pitch Black, a 2000 horror thriller and science fiction film from director David Twohy.  The film puts the survivors of a cargo spacecraft on a desert planet, where they must survive an onslaught of murderous creatures, and their hope for survival rests in a dangerous criminal.

Before The Chronicles of Riddick, the character Richard B. Riddick first appeared in the movie, Pitch Black.  The film by screenwriter turned director David Twohy (Warlock, Waterworld) was a surprise, modest hit in early 2000, and is about a group of space travelers marooned on a seemingly lifeless sun-scorched world where the glaring sunlight hides a dark secret.

Riddick (Vin Diesel) is a convicted murder being transported by a bounty hunter (Cole Hauser) masquerading as a law officer.  When the space ship carrying them crashes, the two men have to temporarily put outside their conflict.  They and the rest of the ragtag band of survivors are slowly finding signs of hope that they may endure the harsh world and maybe even escape, when something begins to skitter around the shadowy edges and the dark beneath the lit surface – something vicious and hungry.

Pitch Black is a very pleasant and entertaining sci-fi, horror film.  Wrought with thrills and fraught with perilous obstacles for the characters, the film has a quick setup before rapidly plunging into non-stop frights and tension.  Though the acting isn’t noteworthy, it’s quite serviceable to the meat the story.  Twohy does an exceptional job taking what was B-movie material no more special than most “original” TV movies on the Sci-Fi Channel and turning it into a fairly entertaining B-movie film experience.  It’s not great, but when the film kick starts the humans’ battle for survival, Pitch Black becomes quite good.

The film also loses none of its potency on the small screen.  Pitch Black should please viewers who like a mixture of sci-fi and horror in the tradition of Aliens or John Carpenter’s The Thing.

7 of 10
B+

Updated:  Monday, August 19, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: Halle Berry is Good in "The Call"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Call (2013)
Running time:  94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, disturbing content and some language
DIRECTOR:  Brad Anderson
WRITERS:  Richard D'Ovidio; from a story by Richard D'Ovidio, Nicole D'Ovidio, and Jon Bokenkamp
PRODUCERS:  Bradley Gallo, Jeffrey Graup, Michael A. Helfant, Michael Luisi, and Robert Stein
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Tom Yatsko
EDITOR:  Avi Youabian
COMPOSER:  John Debney

THRILLER/CRIME with elements of action

Starring:  Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut, Michael Eklund, David Otunga, Michael Imperioli, Justina Machado, Jose Zuniga, Roma Maffia, Evie Louise Thompson, Denise Dowse, Ella Rae Peck, Jenna Lamia, and Ross Gallo

The Call is a 2013 thriller and crime film starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin.  The film follows a veteran 911 operator who takes an emergency call from a teenaged girl who has just been abducted.

The film focuses on Jordan Turner (Halle Berry), a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) veteran 9-1-1 operator.  One evening, Jordan takes a 911 call from Leah Templeton (Evie Louise Thompson), a frightened teenager, when tragedy strikes.  Six months later, Jordan is now a trainer of new 911 operators, when she is forced to become an operator again after an inexperienced operator takes a 911 call she cannot handle.  Back in a situation she had hoped to avoid, Jordan must help Casey Weldon (Abigail Breslin), a teen girl who has just been abducted.  As Jordan tries to work with Casey, she realizes that a terror from her past has unexpectedly returned.

After watching The Call, which I greatly enjoyed, I realized that Halle Berry is at her best as an actress when the characters she is playing are in a bad place.  When Halle’s characters are being menaced (Gothika) or when they are living life on the edge (Monster’s Ball), Halle has a hit movie or critically acclaimed film.  Well, The Call features Halle played both – a tormented woman seemingly living on the edge of sanity.  Jordan Turner is menaced by the fact that a teen girl has been abducted by a terrible human being, and she is living on the edge as guilt eats away at her professional life.

The Call received what can be described as mixed reviews, but it was a hit.  I am giving it a very good review, and it is a hit with me.  I can see myself watching this again – in its entirety or in parts – whenever it starts appearing on basic cable channels or on local over-the-air television.

Abigail Breslin is quite good as the victim, Casey Weldon, being hysterically frightened or righteously angry, whichever a particular scene requires.  Breslin does not come across as the typical “missing white girl,” pure fluffy innocence and absolute virginal whiteness.

The Call has some holes in the plot.  The characters make some wrongheaded decisions, even when not under duress.  You have to really suspend disbelief because you know real people might have made smarter choices.  The big hole, however, is the villain.  He’s like a crystal meth-addled version of Hannibal Lector, which makes The Call’s last act sometimes seem like a cheesy copy of the last act of Silence of the Lambs.

Still, this is mostly good stuff.  Like Taken, The Call is a compact and mean little thriller that is determined to punch the audience to attention.  Halle Berry needs to do movies like The Call more often.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, September 01, 2013


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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"We're the Millers" Crosses the $100 Million Mark

New Line Cinema’s “We’re the Millers” Cruises Past $100 Million at the Domestic Box Office

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the most talked about hits of the summer, New Line Cinema’s “We’re the Millers” has surpassed $100 million at the domestic box office, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie crossed the $100 million mark on Friday, August 30, and is still climbing.

The film has a staggered release pattern internationally, and the performance in the few early markets has been quite strong. Cumulative international box office is an estimated $33 million, with many territories yet to release, including such key markets as France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Brazil.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “‘We’re the Millers’’ fake family is a genuine hit, and their hilarious road trip, combined with strong word of mouth, have been driving audiences to theaters across the country since its release. We expect this incredibly funny cast, led by Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis, to continue providing moviegoers with big laughs in the weeks to come.”

From New Line Cinema comes the action comedy “We’re the Millers,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis. The film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber.

David Clark (Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids—after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms).

In order to wipe the slate clean—and maintain a clean bill of health—David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad’s latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper Rose (Aniston) and wannabe customer Kenny (Will Poulter), as well as streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the “Millers” are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang.

Thurber directed “We’re the Millers” from a screenplay by Bob Fisher & Steve Faber and Sean Anders & John Morris, story by Fisher & Faber.

The film also stars Emma Roberts, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Will Poulter and Ed Helms.

Vincent Newman, Tucker Tooley, Happy Walters and Chris Bender produced, with David Heyman, J.C. Spink, Marcus Viscidi, Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener and David Neustadter serving as executive producers.

Thurber’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Barry Peterson; production designer Clayton Hartley; editor Mike Sale; and costume designer Shay Cunliffe. The music is by Theodore Shapiro and Ludwig Goransson.

New Line Cinema presents a Newman/Tooley Films, Slap Happy Productions/Heyday Films and Benderspink production, “We’re the Millers.” The film is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“We’re the Millers” is rated R for “crude sexual content, pervasive language, drug material and brief graphic nudity.”

www.werethemillers.com