Review: Viggo Mortensen is Incredible in "Eastern Promises" (Happy B'day, Viggo Mortensen)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 8 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Eastern Promises (2007)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality, and nudity
DIRECTOR: David Cronenberg
WRITER: Steven Knight
PRODUCERS: Robert Lantos and Paul Webster
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Suschitzky (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Ronald Sanders
Academy Award nominee

CRIME/DRAMA with elements of a thriller

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Vincent Cassell, Sinead Cusak, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Tatiana Maslany (voice)

What makes a great performance is more than just the ability of the actor to crawl into the skin of the character he is playing. It’s also the ability to give the character depth and weight – the illusion of belonging in the time and place in which the film is set. This is the kind of performance that Viggo Mortensen gives in Eastern Promises, and that performance has resulted in a 2008 Best Actor Oscar nomination.

Eastern Promises is set in London and revolves around the mysterious and charismatic Russian-born Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen), a driver for one of London's most notorious organized crime families of Eastern European origin. The family, itself a part of the Vory V Zakone (thieves in law) criminal brotherhood, is headed by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Semyon exudes courtly charm as the welcoming proprietor of the plush Trans-Siberian restaurant, but that is an impeccable mask to cover a cold and brutal core. Semyon's volatile son and enforcer, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), is more tightly bound to Nikolai than to his own father, and Kirill uses Nikolai as his clean-up guy – disposing off bodies and killing at Kirill’s command.

Nikolai's carefully maintained existence is jarred once he crosses paths at Christmastime with Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a midwife at a North London hospital and a child of Russian immigrants. Anna has possession of a diary belonging to Tatiana, a young teenager who dies while giving birth to a baby girl. Anna resolves to use the diary to try to trace the baby's lineage and relatives, and also to perhaps discover who harmed Tatiana.

Semyon wants the diary. When Nikolia learns that Anna has discovered incriminating evidence against his “family,” he finds his normally steely resolve compromised. Nikolia unexpectedly finds his loyalties divided, wanting to protect Anna, for whom he is developing strong feelings, and wanting to be loyal to Vory V Zakone. This begins a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution that will reverberate through the darkest corners of Zemyon’s criminal empire and through the London Russian underworld.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Viggo Mortensen, so will remember for his role as “Aragorn” in The Lord of the Rings, has come of age as both an actor and a movie star. His turn as Nikolai is not an ordinary crime thriller performance; he simply isn’t just another film thug. Mortensen creates an aura of deep mystery and daunting ruthlessness around Nikolai, and being the center of the film, this rich character makes Eastern Promises an unusually strong crime thriller.

The measured, smoldering confrontations that shape and define Eastern Promises come from the well of Nikolai’s soul, a soul given to a fictional character by a great actor coming into his own.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Viggo Mortensen)

2008 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best British Film” (Paul Webster, Robert Lantos, David Cronenberg, and Steven Knight) and “Best Leading Actor” (Viggo Mortensen)

2008 Golden Globes: 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama. “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Howard Shore), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Viggo Mortensen)

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Spread the Dead - The Walking Dead

I received the following from the guy doing online promotions for AMC's upcoming, "The Walking Dead" television series, based upon the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman:

Spread The Dead http://www.amcspreadthedead.com/ is an online promotion that will incentivize fans to spread the word about the premiere of The Walking Dead on October 31st at 10/9c. Users earn points by sharing badges with their friends online through their own custom URL. These points can add up to amazing cash prizes.

Once registered, users must share their unique URL with friends. Every time a person reaches the Spread The Dead homepage through this link the associated user receives a point. Top competing fans will get highlighted on a leader-board. The first place prize is $5000, there are two $2500 second place prizes and the top 15 on the leader-board at the end of the promotion will win Walking Dead prize packs.

Each person arriving to http://www.amcspreadthedead.com/ through one of these shared links will be tracked and highlighted on a stylized U.S. map generating a visualization of the growing fan base. The contest comes to a close on November 19, 2010.

Please sign up and encourage your readers to do the same. I promise it will not disappoint. Please also inform them to follow the official The Walking Dead Facebook and Twitter pages as more exciting information will be released through those outlets very soon.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Walking-Dead/110475388978628?ref=ts

http://twitter.com/#!/WalkingDead_AMC

Here’s a link to the official rules: http://www.amcspreadthedead.com/rules.html

Review: "Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare" a Great New Spin on Classic Scooby-Doo

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 84 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010) – Video
Running time: 72 minutes (1 hour, 12 minutes)
DIRECTORS: Ethan Spaulding with Kirk Tingblad (animation director)
WRITERS: Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas
PRODUCERS: Spike Brandt and Tom Cervone
EDITOR: Joseph Molinari

ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Dee Bradley Baker, Mark Hamill, Phil LeMarr, Scott Menville, Stephen Root, Tara Strong, Lauren Tom, Grant Goodeve, and Neve Campbell

Beginning in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Warner Bros. has released direct-to-video animated movies based on the Scooby-Doo cartoon franchise. There has been at least one per year (except for 2003 and 2005, when two movies were released in both years). Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare is the 15th in this direct-to-video series.

Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) take their summer vacation at Camp Little Moose, Fred’s old summer camp. Fred can’t wait to be a camp counselor, but he learns from the head counselor, a jolly old fellow named Burt (Stephen Root), that the monsters that were the stars in many Little Moose campfire stories have come to life.

The Woodsman (Dee Bradley Baker) was a green-faced, ax-wielding creep, and favorite of campfire tales. Now, he is a real monster running around the woods, threatening campers with his ax, destroying the camp grounds, and demanding that everyone leave Little Moose. The Fishman (Dee Bradley Baker) haunts the nearby, man-made Big Moose Lake, and the Spectre of Shadow Canyon (Dee Bradley Baker) threatens death on anyone who enters the Shadow Canyon.

Burt and three newly-arrived campers: Trudy (Tara Strong), Luke (Grant Goodeve), and Deacon (Mark Hamill) stick it out. They join Fred, Daphne, Velma, and (reluctantly) Shaggy and Scooby in trying to solve a wide-ranging mystery that revolves around Camp Little Moose. But the Woodsman and his spooky cohorts are ready to deliver bodily harm if they don’t leave.

After the back-to-basics approach of Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, this Scooby-Doo animated movie series has new life. The main characters are back to wearing their original outfits, and the two most recent films are just as fun and enjoyable as the 1969 series that started it all, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The ghost chasing, mystery solving, and action comedy is as good as ever.

Camp Scare, like Abracadabra-Doo, reveals differences from the original Scooby-Doo cartoons. Now, the ghosts, monsters, and general supernatural adversaries are darker and edgier. They certainly act as if they would like to seriously hurt (if not kill) the Mystery Inc. gang and the other good characters. Daphne’s attraction to Fred is more obvious than ever, and she is openly jealous of and hostile to rivals for his attention and affection. Velma is a little more taciturn and sardonic, but she is also more aware of what other people think and how they feel. Shaggy and Scooby are happily still the same – always looking for a meal and a way out of ghost chasing.

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare is not only classic Scooby-Doo; it is also simply good. Very well done with quality animation (especially the beginning and end credits), it is honestly a must-see for fans of Scooby and the gang.

8 of 10
A

The Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare DVD has two extras. First, in “Scooby-Doo! Spooky Camp Stories, an actor telling campfire stories. The second extra is “Beware the Beast From Below,” the pilot episode of the new series, “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.” The gang takes on a slime mutant that lives in the caves below Crystal Cove, the hometown of the Mystery Inc. gang. They also encounter their new nemesis, “Mr. E.”

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Paranormal Activity 2 Screenings Begin Tonight

Press release:

A quarter a million PEOPLE demandED a chance to see PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 First at free midnight screenings on Wednesday night, OCTOBER 20th

HOLLYWOOD, CA (October 15, 2010) – More than a week before the North American release of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, over a quarter million people signed up for the films first screenings - a free preview to be held Wednesday night at midnight on October 20th

The top cities who earned the right to have an advance sneak preview of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 include: Los Angeles, CA (Arclight Hollywood); New York, NY (AMC 34th St.); Chicago, IL (AMC East River); Dallas, TX (AMC Northpark); Houston, TX (Regal Grand Palace Greenway); Phoenix, AZ (Harkins Tempe Marketplace); San Diego, CA (AMC Mission Valley); Miami , FL (AMC Aventura); Philadelphia, PA (Regal Riverview); Atlanta, GA (Regal Atlantic Station); San Francisco, CA (AMC Metreon); Boston, MA (AMC Boston Common); San Antonio, TX (Santikos Palladium); Detroit, MI (MJR Marketplace); Las Vegas, NV (Rave Town Square); Seattle, WA (Landmark Neptune); Orlando, FL (AMC Universal); Denver, CO (Regal Continental); Austin, TX (Alamo South Lamar); and Toronto, ON (AMC Yonge & Dundas).

Called “one of the scariest movies of all time” by Bloody-Disgusting.com, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY played to sold-out crowds across the country last year, with fans driving great distances to be among the first to see the film in their town. With the launch of the Demand it!® program, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 is beginning to build similar momentum.

"It seemed to be a natural fit for us to sneak PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 to those fans who played such an integral role in the success of last year’s PARANORMAL ACTIVITY," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “We are excited that there is so much anticipation for the follow-up thriller.”

To “demand” PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 visit: http://www.paranormalmovie.com/.

Follow PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TweetYourScream for audience reactions and important announcements.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 is produced by Jason Blum and Oren Peli with story by Michael R. Perry and screenplay by Michael R. Perry and Christopher Landon, and directed by Tod Williams.

Demand it! and the Demand it! logo are registered trademarks of Eventful, Inc.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

Review: "Saw II" is an Excellent Follow-up to Original Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 164 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw II (2005)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language, and drug content
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg, Gregg Hoffman, and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/THRILLER with elements of fantasy

Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Lyriq Bent, Tim Burd, Franky G, Noam Jenkins, Erik Knudsen, Dina Meyer, Beverley Mitchell, Tony Nappo, Glenn Plummer, and Emmanuelle Vaugier

Called to a crime scene, Detective Eric Mason (Donnie Wahlberg) isn’t really interested in the grisly murder before him. The crime scene has all the markings of Jigsaw, the notorious killer (from Saw) who disappeared leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Jigsaw leaves a message taunting Detective Mason, but Mason’s mind is on his troubled, estranged son. Still, the police get a break and discover Jigsaw’s hideout. There, they find Jigsaw, revealed to be John (Tobin Bell), an older, wheelchair-bound man who claims that he’s dying of cancer. And he has one more game to play. Mason and the S.W.A.T. team find a multi-monitor setup playing Jigsaw’s latest game.

Each screen captures a scene from a charnel house. Eight strangers, including Mason’s son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), are trapped in the dilapidated house, forced to play Jigsaw’s twisted game. In various locations in the house, Jigsaw has hidden antidotes to a nerve gas that is steadily pumped into the house from some unknown location. The eight player/captives have less than two hours to solve the riddles and games that test their wits and put their lives in jeopardy. They also have a mysterious connection. Meanwhile, Mason and Amanda (Shawnee Smith), another detective familiar with Jigsaw, try to find the location of the death house.

Saw II is mean, nasty, gory, shocking, and occasionally repulsive, but it’s just about everything a good horror movie should be. Yeah, there are a few slips ups. Putting Jigsaw/John front and center turns the movie into a kind of a police thriller. How a fatally ill man can set up all those contraptions of death (doing it with very little help) stretches the willing suspension of disbelief into the realm of supernatural.

The acting is quiet good; in fact, Donnie Wahlberg could give his brother Mark a run for his money. It’s fun to see the police run around confused and confounded. The eight player-captives are a nice lot of miscreants, and the script characterizes them just right for this concept. We understand just enough about them to understand why they’re in this predicament Jigsaw created specifically for them. Also, this scary movie has some scenes (the well of needles) that’ll make you want to scoot down really deep into your seat, skin crawling and hairs on end. Saw II is all bloody hell and bloody fun. There are head wounds, drug needles, sharp objects, blood splatters, and mortal combat nicely spaced by a twisted script. What more do you want from a scary movie?

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, October 29, 2005

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Cast of "The Social Network" to Be Honored at Hollywood Film Festival

Press release:
"The Social Network" Cast to be Honored at the Hollywood Awards Gala

Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Douglas Urbanski and Rooney Mara to receive the "Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award"at the Hollywood Awards Gala

Hollywood, CA, October 18, 2010. The 14th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards, presented by Starz, are pleased to announce that the Cast of David Fincher's "The Social Network," Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Douglas Urbanski and Rooney Mara, will be recognized at the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony with the "Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award."

The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder of the Hollywood Awards Gala.

Previously announced honorees for this year's Hollywood Awards Gala include: Sean Penn for the "Humanitarian Award"; Sylvester Stallone for the "Career Achievement Award"; Annette Bening for the "Actress Award"; Robert Duvall for the "Actor Award"; Helena Bonham Carter for the "Supporting Actress Award"; Sam Rockwell for the "Supporting Actor Award"; Zach Galifianakis for the "Comedy Actor Award"; Andrew Garfield for the "Breakthrough Actor Award"; Mia Wasikowska for the "Breakthrough Actress Award"; Jennifer Lawrence for the "New Hollywood Award"; Morgan Freeman and Lorie McCreary for the "Innovator Award"; Danny Boyle and Chris Colson for the "Producer Award"; Tom Hooper for the "Director Award"; Aaron Sorkin for the "Screenwriter Award"; Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3" and director Lee Unkrich for the "Animation Award"; Hans Zimmer for "Film Composer Award"; Wally Pfister for "Cinematographer Award"; Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall for the "Editor Award"; Paramount Pictures' "Iron Man 2" and visual effects supervisors Ben Snow and Janek Sirrs for the "Visual Effects Award"; and Robert Stromberg for "Production Designer Award."


ABOUT JESSE EISENBERG
Trained in theater and film, JESSE EISENBERG (Mark Zuckerberg) made his feature film debut in the 2002 independent film "Rodger Dodger," in which he starred opposite Campbell Scott and for which he was nominated for a Gotham Award. For his performance in "The Squid and the Whale" opposite Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels, Eisenberg received nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2009, he starred in "Adventureland" for director Greg Mottola and in "Zombieland" for director Ruben Fleischer. For these films, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award. Eisenberg has just reteamed with director Ruben Fleischer this summer to shoot the film "30 Minutes or Less," opposite Danny McBride. Eisenberg is also the lead voice of the 20th Century Fox animated film Rio, which will open next year.

ABOUT ANDREW GARFIELD
Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) is a BAFTA-winning actor. He can currently be seen starring opposite Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go."

Other screen projects include Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"; Spike Jonze's robot love story "I'm Here"; Robert Redford's "Lions for Lambs"; Revolution Films' "Red Riding Trilogy" directed by Julian Jarrold; and John Crowley's "Boy A," for which he earned the Best Actor BAFTA in 2008.

Garfield's career began in the theater and in 2006 his performances in "Beautiful Thing," " The Overwhelming and Burn," "Chatroom," and "Citizenship" won him the award for Outstanding Newcomer at the Evening Standard Awards, and the Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics Circle Awards. Other notable theatre credits include "Romeo and Juliet" and "Kes," for which he received the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Manchester Evening News Awards 2004.

Garfield will next star as Peter Parker in the forthcoming "Spider-Man" film, to be directed by Marc Webb.

ABOUT JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
In addition to Justin Timberlake's (Sean Parker) multi-platinum album FutureSex/LoveSounds, which produced four consecutive #1 singles, and his critically acclaimed 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow tour, along with multiple Grammy Awards, he has recently garnered acclaim as an actor for a variety of work in both comedy and drama. Timberlake starred in Universal's crime drama "Alpha Dog," co-starring Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone. He also starred alongside Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson in "Black Snake Moan," for director Craig Brewer. In the summer of 2007, he voiced a lead role in DreamWorks' "Shrek the Third." Timberlake also joined Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Mandy Moore in "Southland Tales."

He most recently appeared in the independent film "The Open Road" with Jeff Bridges, Mary Steenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton, and Kate Mara, and will be heard in the upcoming animated feature film, "Yogi Bear." Timberlake will also star in the Screen Gems film "Friends With Benefits" and the Columbia Pictures comedy "Bad Teacher," both due in 2011.

ABOUT ARMIE HAMMER
Armie Hammer plays the role of Cameron Winklevoss in Columbia Pictures "The Social Network." He also starred in "Flicka" starring Tim McGraw and Maria Bello, Rigoberto Castaneda's "Blackout, " and Ryan Shiraki's "Spring Breakdown" also starring Amy Poehler. In addition, Hammer has starred as a recurring character on CW's Gossip Girl and ABC's Reaper.

ABOUT MAX MINGHELLA
Max Minghella plays the role of Divya Narendra in "The Social Network." He is currently filming Chris Gorak's "The Darkest Hour," which also stars Emile Hirsch and Beeban Kidron' "Hippie Hippie Shake" co-starring Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller. His past credits include Alejandro Amenabar's "Agora" co-starring Rachel Weisz; Robert B. Weide's "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" also starring Megan Fox; Will Geiger's "Elvis and Anabelle" co-starring Blake Lively; Terry Zwigoff's "Art School Confidential"; Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana" co-starring George Clooney and Matt Damon; and Scott McGehee's "Bee Season" also starring Richard Gere and Kate Bosworth.

ABOUT JOSH PENCE
Josh Pence stars as Tyler Winklevoss in David Fincher's "The Social Network." He is currently in production on Giovanni Zelko's "The Algerian." Pence's previous credits include Ian McCrudden's "The Things We Carry"; Neema Barnette's "Super Sweet 16: The Movie"; and Kevin Porter's short film "Wish."

ABOUT BRENDA SONG
Brenda Song stars as Christy in "The Social Network." She is currently working on Richard Bowen's Little Sister and Chris Stokes' Boogie Town. Her past credits include Roger Kumble?s College Road Trip; John Schultz's Like Mike co-starring Lil Bow Wow; Andy Cadiff's Leave It To Beaver; and John Murlowski's Santa with Muscles starring Hulk Hogan. Song also has done extensive work in television including her role as London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and The Suite Life on Deck.

ABOUT RASHIDA JONES
Rashida Jones stars as Marylin Delpy in "The Social Network." She is currently working on David Frankel's "The Big Year" co-starring Jim Parsons and Owen Wilson, and Jesse Peretz's "My Idiot Brother" co-starring Zooey Deschanel and Paul Rudd. Her past credits include Kevin Smith's "Cop Out" starring Bruce Willis; John Hamburg's "I Love You, Man," co-starring Paul Rudd; John Krasinski's "Brief Interviews" with "Hideous Men"; Tracey Hecht's "Life in Flight"; Nick Hurran's "Little Black Book" co-starring Brittany Murphy and Holly Hunter; and Jennifer Derwingson's "Roadside Assistance."

ABOUT DOUGLAS URBANSKI
Douglas Urbanski stars as Larry Summers in "The Social Network."

ABOUT ROONEY MARA
Rooney Mara stars as Erica Albright in "The Social Network." Mara landed her first lead role in the film "Tanner Hall, "starring Amy Sedaris and Tom Everett Scott. She appeared in the comedy "Youth in Revolt, " starring Michael Cera and directed by Miguel Arteta. Mara also appeared in the 2009 independent film "Dare as Courtney." She also filmed "The Winning Season," starring Emma Roberts and Sam Rockwell. Mara starred in "A Nightmare on Elm Street," a 2010 remake of the 1984 horror film of the same name. In October 2009, Mara shot the independent feature "Kaboom, " written and directed by Gregg Araki. In August 2010, she won the role of Lisbeth Salander over several other actresses in the upcoming Sony Pictures film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy."

The festival and awards will mark their return on October 20 for a week long series of screenings, competitions and awards. The Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 25, 2010.

The festival and awards presenter is Starz Entertainment, LLC, a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 15.8 million and 28.2 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Starz On Demand and VongoSM. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group.

Contact: 1.310.288.1882
Hollywood Awards® Gala
433 N. Camden Drive, Suite 600
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
info@hollywoodawards.com

Review: Original "Saw" was a Nice New Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 105 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw (2004)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – R for grisly violence and language (originally NC-17)
DIRECTOR: James Wan
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell, from a story by Leigh Whannell and James Wan
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg, Gregg Hoffman, and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Monica Potter, Makenzie Vega, Michael Emerson, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell

Would you die to live? Would you kill to live? Those questions are at the center of the horror film, Saw.

Two men, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell), awake in dilapidated bathroom and face those very questions. The serial killer known as the Jigsaw killer abducted them. They’re chained to the wall across the room from each other with only notes and tape recordings leaving them instructions on how to survive. Gordon learns through his clues that he will have to kill Adam if he wants not only to save himself, but also his wife, Alison (Monica Potter), and daughter, Diana (Makenzie Vega), whom the Jigsaw killer has abducted and whom Jigsaw will slay if Gordon doesn’t kill Adam before the deadline. Meanwhile, a policeman, Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover), obsessed with discovering the identity of the Jigsaw killer, is watching Gordon’s home.

Some professional film critics compared the 2004 Halloween horror hit, Saw, to a grisly film version of the popular reality series, “Fear Factor.” The film is on occasion shockingly grisly, but Saw is something rare in American filmmaking – the horror film as a mystery thriller. For all its gore, Saw is mystery that like great whodunits asks many questions around one central question. If the audience is fixated on Lawrence Gordon and Adam’s predicament, it must also contend with who, what, when, why, and how.

Quite a bit of Saw is also told in flashback, and that’s a double-edge sword. The flashbacks and take the edge out of a very edgy movie, but at the same time, these flashbacks answer so many questions while intriguing the audience by raising more. Simply put: the acting, directing, writing, and production (the film was shoot and cut in 18 days) are well done in service of this film. It’s all smartly geared to created a horror movie that engages the mind, sends chills down the spine, makes us turn away, and stunningly reminds us what people will do to survive.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, May 18, 2006

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