“Clash of the Titans,” out this week on Blu-ray disc, was a movie that seemed to have it all: a hot young star in Harry Hamlin; an award-winning cast, including Laurence Olivier as Zeus; and eye-catching effects supplied by stop-motion animation king Ray Harryhausen.
Hamlin, who originated the role of Perseus, says his audition for the first film was easy. He walked into MGM, filmmakers “took a couple of Polaroids” of him and after talking to him for another 15-20 minutes they asked him to go get measured for his wardrobe.
The film tells the story of Perseus, the half-human son of Zeus, who must slay Medusa, capture Pegasus and save the Princess Andromeda from the towering four-handed Kraken, a sea monster that doesn’t even appear in Greek mythology.
Hamlin and Olivier only shared one scene in the movie, in which Zeus talks to Perseus through his shield. But Hamlin did get a chance to socialize with the Oscar-winner during the making of “Clash,” and asked him questions about the craft of acting.
Clash of the Titans doesn’t come packed with extras or anything of the sort as I would have expected, but something is better than nothing. Check below for the list of supplements:
-A Conversation with Ray Harryhausen – Ray discusses everything from the story, the locations, cast, and much more. Very quick commentary only lasts 12 minutes.
-Clash of the Titans Sneak Preview – A sneak peek at the upcoming remake.
-Myths and Monsters – Ray Harryhausen talks about his inspiration behind the monsters in the film.
Also this release comes in a beautiful Digibook that contains production still and information on the creatures that appear on camera. There is some promotional booklet for the upcoming 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington. To finish it off anyone who purchases this Digibook will get a coupon for admission to Clash of the Titans.
Clash of the Titans will probably only appeal to those that grew up watching it and those looking at the old techniques used in film at the time. The Blu-ray offers a decent upgrade from the previous versions available but it remains a bit of a mess, however, this is not because of the transfer but more of the original material. The audio gets a nice boost and I am sure fans of the film will definitely enjoy. As for me I will continue to enjoy the film just as I did when I first saw it.
Miller’s masterpiece was filmed for the BBC in 1966 and stars acting legends Peter Sellers, John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Peter Cook and Leo McKern, with dreamlike music written and performed by Ravi Shankar. In this Alice, an enigmatic young girl wanders through a Victorian landscape populated by the most bizarre and astonishing characters. Alice gently questions each one in turn, subtly mocking their middle-class English values. Packed with extras from the BBC vault, this Alice in Wonderland is a feast for the imagination!
Writer/producer/director Jonathon Miller takes us on a mind-numbing odyssey wherein our protagonist, Alice (played by Anne-Marie Mallik, who went on to do nothing else in the world of film or TV), falls asleep one lazy afternoon and soon finds herself being led through a strange land by the White Rabbit character (Wilfrid Brambell). It’s a world where everyone talks in conundrums. Alice frequently talks to herself (literally: she has conversations with her own inner monologue), with dialogue that even the most pretentious of intoxicated philosophers would scratch their heads over in disbelief.
Soon, Alice meets the Mad Hatter (played here by the great Peter Cook, whose tendency to act peculiarly makes his Hatter seem like the winner of an “Upper-Class Twit Of The Year” from that Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketch) and his companions (Wilfrid Lawson and Michael Gough). Sir John Gielgud has a fetching bit as the Mock Turtle, while Peter Sellers makes his own Inspector Clouseau seem normal as a clucking King of Hearts. Since it was hard enough to get British actors to appear on the telly to begin with, don’t expect to see anyone in “animal” make-up: the entire cast of Wonderland Weirdoes are seen wearing traditional attire.
BBC Home Video has done an exemplary job of bringing The Wednesday Play’s Alice In Wonderland to DVD, with a transfer that stunningly captures Miller’s beautiful dreamlike photography. Choosing to shoot this on one with 35mm film as opposed to the BBC’s 16mm standards was a wise choice on Miller’s part: and the end-result is just as memorable as is the tele-film itself. A mono English track accompanies the print, which boasts a tiny audio discrepancy here and there, but for the most part, is fantastic. SDH subtitles are available, should anyone want to make sure they are actually hearing what they think they’re hearing.
You wouldn’t expect any extras on a catalogue title like this (particularly for a TV show as old as this), but BBC Home Video has opted to give its viewers a treat here. The first three items were available on a previous release of the title, and begin with an audio commentary with Jonathan Miller gives the filmmaker a chance to talk about the making of this project. Another version of Alice In Wonderland — this time from 1903 — shows us a severely-damaged silent short, which is narrated by historian Simon Brown. A gallery of still photos taken by Terence Spencer
The latter special features were included on a previous release of the title, but two new bonus ditties have been thrown in by the BBC for good measure. First off, there’s a vintage behind-the-scenes look at Ravi Shankar in the studio recording the soundtrack. Lastly, we get another episode from The Wednesday Play entitled Alice, wherein George Baker portrays as Lewis Carroll (or Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, if you prefer) and Deborah Watling as the real-life Alice that allegedly inspired him to write his famous novel.
A heartwarming and lushly animated retelling of a beloved fairytale, Ponyo comes to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD on March 2, 2010 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Presented by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and featuring the exquisitely hand-drawn animation that has won Miyazaki worldwide acclaim, Ponyo transports audiences into an enchanting dreamscape where anything seems possible. Inspired by the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Little Mermaid” also incorporates a very contemporary concern for nature. Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo is packed with never-before-seen bonus features. The Ponyo Blu-ray and DVD brings audiences a breathtaking introduction to the world of global animation for children and adults, making it a perfect holiday gift for the whole family.
Miyazaki creates a bold, imaginative vision of a magical world from a child’s point of view. The first film from Miyazaki to be made available on Blu-ray, Ponyo brims with color and energy on a stunning journey into a child’s inner life. With a story that families can enjoy together, the film’s star-studded voice cast includes Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, Babel), Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), Liam Neeson (The Chronicles of Narnia), Cloris Leachman (Castle in the Sky), Betty White (“The Golden Girls”), comedian Lily Tomlin and introduces Noah Lindsey Cyrus (as Ponyo) and Frankie Jonas (as Sosuke).
Creator of acclaimed and beloved animated classics including Academy Award®-winner Spirited Away (2002 winner for Best Animated Feature) and Howl’s Moving Castle, Miyazaki is founder of the legendary Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, is a two-time Academy Award winner (1998 winner for Best Short Film, Animated for Tin Toy and 1995 Special Achievement Award for Toy Story) and a recognized pioneer in the field of animation. He is credited with executive producing as well as directing the English language voice cast on the film. Joining Lasseter as executive producers of the English-language version are Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.
Walking on the beach near his home, a five-year old boy named Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas) finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle. He releases the tiny creature and, sure that she is no ordinary fish, names his new friend Ponyo (Noah Lindsey Cyrus). As Ponyo and Sosuke grow closer, she reveals to him that she is the daughter of a powerful wizard (Liam Neeson) and a sea goddess (Cate Blanchett), and magically transforms herself into a real human girl. But by crossing from her watery world onto land, Ponyo has created a dangerous imbalance in nature. As the moon begins to draw closer to the earth, sea levels rise and a giant tsunami threatens to destroy Sosuke’s home. Ponyo’s father marshals all his might to find his missing daughter, as the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to try and save the world.
Bonus Features The World of Ghibli- Allows fans to immerse themselves in the amazing worlds from each film created by legendary filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki in this multi-layered interactive experience.
Lands to explore include: • PONYO’S Land • KIKI’S Land • CASTLE’S Land • TOTORO’S Land
Behind the Studio- Unprecedented access to all the background, inspiration and process behind he making of Ponyo and the inner workings of Studio Ghibli through a series of documentaries. They include all new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki, and composer Joe Hisaishi.
Also included in this feature are: • Creating Ponyo • Ponyo & Fujimoto • The Nursery • Behind the Microphone: The Voice of Ponyo • Producers Perspective: Telling the Story • Scoring Miyazaki • The Scenery in Ghibli • Original Japanese Trailer
We have all seen the effects of Kevin Smith’s bomb Jersey Girl and his decision to never do that again. It was then followed by well received films such as Clerks II and Zack and Miri Make a Porno, which were written and directed by Smith. This appears to be a problem with Mr. Smith’s newest flick Cop Out, originally titled A Couple of Dick’s. This new buddy cop movie was unfortunately not written by Kevin Smith and rather by the writing duo of Rob and Mark Cullen (with no major film credits). I’m sure these brothers are immensely talented, however I’m afraid that it wasn’t displayed here.
If you are anything like me and the majority of my friends you will agree that the trailer did not do much for this film. In fact, I have been following this film since it was green lit and was excited to see the final product but was shocked when I saw the first trailer with the renamed title of Cop Out. Unless you find Tracy Morgan terribly funny in the trailer, don’t get your hopes up for the rest of the film. The completely obvious improvisation doesn’t end in the trailer as it follows throughout the entire film with awful comedic timing, over-the-top acting, and extremely stereotypical situations and scenarios.
Okay, we get it… Kevin Smith and the rest of the producers thought it would be funny to have a cop played by a top-notch actor whose partner is exact opposite and outlandish while throwing in some other very comedic actors like Seann William Scott. Then they could put the actors in ridiculous situations and see how they would all react and play off one another allowing hilarity to ensue. Well I’m sorry fellow moviegoers because Cop Out is JUST that. We get nothing we haven’t seen before along with some not-so-funny lines and improvisations that feel forced and staged.
Cop Out is simply a throwback to classic buddy cop movies that any normal director could have done just fine. However, Kevin Smith directed this and the audience will come to expect that skewed and filthy style of his. This one, eh, not so much. It has a little more cursing than say Robert DeNiro and Eddie Murphy’s Showtime, but I doubt you’ll be leaving the theater thinking you just saw a Kevin Smith film.
Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan play Brooklyn-based NYPD detectives Jimmy Monroe and Paul Hodges who have been partners for awhile, but Jimmy remains loyal to his silly partner and friend Paul. Jimmy however has had a difficult past with an ex-wife who has remarried and is clearly more apart of his daughter’s life nowadays. In an attempt to not allow his ex’s husband to pay for his daughter’s wedding making Jimmy appear as a failure, Jimmy decides to sell his supremely rare baseball card worth thousands in order to pay for the wedding. Of course in doing so Jimmy becomes involved in a robbery where his card is stolen by a strange thief who happens to be Seann William Scott. In order to retrieve his card, Jimmy with the help of crazy Tracy Morgan must cross paths with a dangerous gang leader named Poh Boy, played by Guillermo Diaz (“Weeds”), who is involved in major drug trafficking.
The movie basically turns into just another flick where the protagonists must find what they need to solve all their problems. By this it may sound like a decent entertaining silly movie, but there are so many flaws within this film. You never really felt a true connection between Willis or Morgan as they never have a true fight or a recognition of how much one another really means to one another. This is actually much different in many other Kevin Smith films. The comedy as said before isn’t that funny and kind of just awkward. Much of the improv between the characters is painfully obvious and kind of annoying. I’ll give some props to Seann William Scott with some good timing and delivering a little different character style to his verbiage. Some of the other actors like bully detectives played by Adam Brody and Kevin Pollak along with Jimmy’s ex’s husband Roy played by Jason Lee do a fine job. They do a great job showcasing their characters and making them believable whereas Willis and Morgan almost appear ‘cartoony’.
Even with a great cast and some excellent people working on this film, Cop Out falls short fast. In fact, it falls dead 20 minutes in when you realize this movie won’t be getting any better. It flows, but overall it just feels cheap and quick to the point. Why was this made? I don’t see what was trying to be told or the type of story wanted. It doesn’t have the character bonding like Smith’s past films or the creativity that lead many to love his others. Cop Out doesn’t even have the raunchy filthiness to create the unexpected. I’m going to stay clear from all the easy Cop Out puns as they are too easy. I do understand that this was something Kevin Smith really wanted to make, but even after the production notes, I don’t see what really drew him in. I look forward to his next film, but will probably skip his next if it looks just as lame as Cop Out’s trailers.
I’d like to preface the review you are about to read is just an opinion and that alone. Any and all instances of real life happenings are added for amusement. “So There”
It is always pleasurable to poke a little fun back at the production you are about to review. But, I must add a little background. A good friend once told me a great anecdote about one’s memory, my memory in particular, and thought it would be appropriate since this movie deals with one’s memory quite often. She said, “Your mind is like an iceberg and all your memories are penguins on that iceberg. When you get a new memory, an old penguin jumps off and the new one hops on. You though, don’t have an iceberg, you have a glacier and there are vast amounts of penguins piled on there. I don’t think they jump off but just get buried and pop out every now and then to say hi.” This film does just that by piling on so much information and situations that it’s like one of those penguins popping out just to fill you in.
Mark Whitacre is about to get dealt a hand in life that is partially brought on with images of his own grandeur and fueled by people around him not giving him the necessary help he needed to be better just in his own life. Steven Soderbergh (Oceans 11-13, Traffic) directs a good believable cast of Matt Damon (Oceans 11-13, The Good Shepherd) as Mark Whitacre, a corporate officer turned whistleblower for the FBI who acts like a secret agent, Scott Bakula (Men of a Certain Age, Quantum Leap) as Brain Shepard, the FBI agent handling the case, Joel McHale (Community) as Ben Herndon, Brain’s FBI partner, based on Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum) screenplay of Kurt Eichenwald’s book “The Informant!” based on a true story.
Mark Whitacre (Damon) is a PhD biochemist who became the highest level executive to ever turn whistleblower on a Fortune 500 company, ADM. ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) was in the agri-business where Whitacre was in charge of lysine production. It was here that Whitacre learned of how the top execs were working with foreign companies to price-fix the sale of lysine to reap in the millions of dollars of profit. At the same time though, Mark has a different agenda and is taking kickbacks from his own company as a “safety net”. What really intrigued me about this movie is how brilliant this man, Whitacre, really is. Granted it took 17 minutes just to let us know what the story was about, it makes more sense in the end and will also make the “penguins” story understandable. Throughout the film we hear Whitacre’s thoughts as monologues. It goes to show how he knew every little detail of what was happening around him, yet he couldn’t tell what consequences could happen either. This leads to the dilemma of the FBI as they were sending in a civilian with no formal training to be undercover for an undisclosed amount of time. Eventually everything comes out as Whitacre is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the pressure of the investigation took its toll through the stories he kept spinning and not being able to back up or even keep straight.
Soderbergh’s choice to use the “head” talk of Whitacre to help drive the story was fun and inquisitive at times. To hear little anecdotes about fellow workers or products that his company is involved with to tying thoughts together and find connections between those thoughts and how they relate to a situation he is in. Damon delves deep to bring compassion to Whitacre, though you see the joy he takes to play a character in the 90’s and during the height of some of the films of the time like “The Firm”. Scott Bakula and Josh McHale playing the FBI agents that are Whitacre’s handlers do a good job of being the face of the government but yet still worried about what they are doing to this man. One role in particular that I feel was not touched on more yet seemed to have a big part of the story was played very well by Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures, Ever After) and is of Whitaker’s wife, Ginger. Talk about a woman who has a story of her own.
Included on “The Informant!” Blu ray is feature commentary with Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z. Burns as well as 4 deleted scenes. Now we all know that some scenes are cut from the final film. Some of these would have been nice to have seen since they were part of the trailer initially. In the movie when we first see Whitacre going to work ‘wired’ he narrates everything he is doing. It is quite a funny scene. It would have been fun to see this deleted scene that was in the trailer of FBI Agents Brian and Ben tell him he does not have to narrate everything. My favorite deleted scene is something that actually happened during the investigation where Whitacre in order to have some leverage, would were the ‘wired’ suits to have conversations with his own FBI handlers. It’s a fun scene and again would have added to the film in a good way.
“The Informant!” is an eclectic ride thru the investigation of a lifetime. It goes out to show that even though we have our own agendas in life we can always do the good deed. Just remember each event in your life has a consequence that may be good or bad. Either way we learn and grow. Now I can have that penguin go hide again.
When you hear “everybody’s fine”, you start to think to yourself, what’s being held back from me. Robert De Niro (Stardust, Meet the Fockers) is about to find out, playing Frank Goode. Directed and written by Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee) from the original screenplay and film by Giuseppe Tornatore, is a movie about truly seeing what makes one’s family.
De Niro plays Frank, who coated power and telephone lines to support his family. After the death of his wife he continues on even while dealing with his health issue of fibrosis of the lungs. After his kids have all called to cancel what would be their summer gathering, Frank decides to go surprise his kids and see each of them. This sets up how Frank sees not just his kids but how he has lived his life, that he does not know everything within his own family. His kids, Amy played by Kate Beckinsale (Whiteout, Van Helsing), Robert played by Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon, The Hitchhiker’s Guide), Rosie played by Drew Barrymore (50 First Dates, Charlie’s Angels) and the nowhere to be found David who is briefly played by Austin Lysy (Law & Order:SVU).
This movie takes it adaptation from Giuseppe Tornatore’s Italian film “Stanno Tutti Bene” where a widower goes out to surprise his kids and spend time with them only to find that their lives are not what he’s been told. In Kirk’s updated American version, we have Frank (De Niro) doing just that after all of his kids have canceled their summer gathering. What ensues is Frank wondering what’s true and what has been hidden from him all these years from his recently departed wife. Traveling via trains and busses Frank goes to each kid one by one trying to surprise them. What we find is through Franks travels, Amy (Beckinsale) is separated living alone with her son and seeing someone from her work, Robert (Rockwell) is not a conductor of an orchestra but just a percussionist, Rosie (Barrymore) has a child and is bi-sexual, and then David (Lysy) who is missing through most of the film and is the secret the kids have been hiding from their dad.
Kirk’s vision for the film by interlacing conversations Frank has on the road between the family visits shows us how we take pride in our family even though we may not know everything that is happening in their own lives. I also enjoy how Frank still sees his kids as “kids”. Something we all know our own parents do. The transitions of seeing the telephone lines Frank has helped create, along with hearing the conversations between people, more poignantly between his kids who are trying to find David, before dad finds out, help reiterate that even though we may live our lives we still communicate with each other because family is forever. We all need to take the bad with the good; we should never hide ourselves especially from those who should know us best.
De Niro does some good work playing a down to earth well lived man who loves his family. Beckinsale and Barrymore playing sisters doing everything they can to find their brother and yet still make dad happy, comes off genuine. Rockwell shows his character’s disappointment in himself, kind of forced but still very well. The overall dynamic of the family at the end shows just how much these characters do care about each other, even through tough times. This is also brought out in the ending song written by Sir Paul McCartney, “(I Want to) Come Home”. The special features at the end include a making of the song and how Paul came up with tying together the music and the film of what family is. Family is important, no matter if it is the family you are born into or the family you choose. It is the one constant in your life that will always be there for you.
“Captain EO,” the classic musical spectacular that thrilled Disneyland park guests from 1986-1997, is now open at Disneyland. The attraction’s return to Tomorrowland provides new audiences the opportunity to experience the original 3D production for the very first time, as well as a nostalgic look back for longtime fans wanting to see “The King of Pop” in a rare performance created for the big-screen. Twenty-three years ago, at the height of his phenomenal entertainment career, Michael Jackson joined forces with Disney, producer George Lucas and director Francis Ford Coppola to create a groundbreaking 17-minute 3D film experience starring Jackson as Captain EO performing two original songs, and featuring Academy Award®-winning actress Anjelica Huston, and a cast of merry, mythical space characters with dual personalities who undergo magical transformations to become Jackson’s electronic band in conquering the forces of darkness. The colorful Disney-created characters include: Hooter, the little green elephant-like creature who sneezes wild musical notes through his flute-like trunk; Fuzzball, the orange-haired space monkey with butterfly wings; the Geex, a golden-haired, two-faced personality with two left feet, one right foot and two shaggy heads named Idy and Ody; Major Domo, whose mirrored silver costume becomes a complete set of drums, and Minor Domo with his sparkling purple torso that turns into an electronic synthesizer played by Hooter. For all its technology, “Captain EO” is first and foremost a musical spectacular and a thrilling space-fantasy adventure. The realism of the 3D process will once again make it seem that Jackson dances right out of the screen into the theater. While it’s not possible to replicate some of the special effects elements from the original presentation, it will boast a new 70mm print of the film and sound better than ever thanks to acoustical enhancements made to the theater since the film last played there. The total effect is one of motion, color and high energy filled with Jackson’s musical brilliance and various illusions to create an exciting and realistic journey in space for the audience.
During the journey, Captain EO and his merry crew discover a colorless planet where they are confronted by the Supreme Leader (Huston) and her forces of darkness. Using the power of music, dance and light to fill the planet and the theater with all the shades of the rainbow, the EO crew turns the black and white land into a magical world of color and happiness.
“Captain EO” makes use of more famous-name talents than any other film of its length ever produced. The production called on Hollywood’s finest choreographers, set designers, costume creators and special effects artists – all of them excited by the challenge of shooting this kind of imaginative film in three dimensions.
“Captain EO” is presented multiple times daily at Disneyland.
Chaos reigns in Los Angeles after a mysterious event causes everyone in the world to lose consciousness at exactly the same moment. Was it an act of nature? Something man-made gone wrong, or something even more sinister? Whatever it was, every person on Earth blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds and sees a series of events from their own future, taking place on April 29, 2010 at 10:00 p.m., Pacific Time. For some the future will be joyous and hopeful; for others, shockingly unexpected; and for a few, it simply doesn’t seem to exist.
Knowing their fate will alter each person’s life in one way or another and poses the questions: Can destiny be changed? And by changing just one destiny, what effect would that have on those of others? Viewers will be able to catch up on the first ten episodes of ABC’s thrilling new drama “FlashForward” before it resumes airing in March 2010.
The series premiered on September 24th 2009, and after ten episodes, went on hiatus. With episode eleven scheduled for broadcast on March 18th, ABC released the first ten episodes in a two-disc set on February 23rd. This would appear to be a marketing ploy to allow people who have possibly missed some of the shows to get caught up, but more importantly to draw attention to a series that has been off the air since November. One can certainly wonder how effective this will be since the episodes are available online, and people who are interested in owning the series would wait for a full season release. “FlashForward” stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley, Peyton List as Nicole Kirby, Dominic Monaghan as Simon, Brían F. O’Byrne as Aaron Stark, Courtney B. Vance as Stanford Wedeck, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford and Christine Woods as Janis Hawk.
Flash Forward has the potential to follow in the successful footsteps of the phenomenon that is Lost. The writing needs to get back on track, allow the characters to be more consistent in their behavior, and some of the performances need to get better. There is certainly enough pure energy and mystery in the first few episodes of the series to make them worth owning, but waiting for the entire first season to be available would seem to be a better choice in these tough economic times.
Check-Out A Clip from the DVD!
The 2-disc box set includes all 10 episodes from the first half of the season, and the following bonus material:
CREATING A CATASTROPHE: THE EFFECTS OF A GLOBAL BLACKOUT Go behind-the-scenes of the pilot and discover what went in to creating FlashForward’s most iconic scene, the freeway disaster. Through interviews with David S. Goyer and his production team we go on the set to see how destruction is developed and explosions are executed.
FLASHFORWARD: A LOOK AHEAD Be the first to get a “FlashForward” with this exclusive look at the teaser to episode 111.
“COULD” A look at the second half of FlashForward Season 1, narrated by Dominic Monaghan.
On February 16 and 17, after Disney’s California Adventure closed for the day, nearly 300 Cast Members representing the two parks and the Resort hotels participated in the 12th annual Flashback, a Broadway-style musical at Hyperion Theatre.
The annual Cast event raises funds for charities that support children. This year, ticket sale proceeds totaling $10,000 were donated to Discovery Arts, an organization that brings the theatre arts to children with cancer.
In honor of the Resort’s 55th anniversary, the theme of this year’s production was “Class of 55.” The show, composed of four mini musicals, was themed to Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland and Tomorrowland.
Rehearsals take place over several months with participants logging a total of nearly 30,000 VoluntEAR hours to make this fundraiser a success. Over the years, Flashback ticket sales have contributed more than $260,000 to local Orange County charities.
Featuring six exceptional Broadway performers, a live on-stage symphonic orchestra, and some of the most entertaining theatrical music ever written, this is what a night at the Performing Arts Center is all about. I found myself captivated throughout, in complete awe of the talent on stage. I’ve always been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work, and this was the best way I’ve ever seen it presented.
Helping enhance the production was the layout of the orchestra. Stacked up on the stage, and integrated into a staircase that went up and around, the positioning enabled the singers to keep the theatricality throughout and never simply perform to the audience. In a show filled with highlights, several of the most memorable moments were those that took advantage of this setup. For example, “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” (from Evita) ended with a breathtaking moment in which Laurie Gayle Stephenson went up and behind the orchestra, towering over the stage and bringing an emotional crescendo to an already beautiful number.
These weren’t simply amazing singers, but amazing entertainers. Going instantly in and out of character, they all played off of each other brilliantly. With a huge amount of Broadway experience between them, they treated each number as if it was the centerpiece of the entire show. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music leans towards the bombastic, with each song building to an inevitable climactic moment. There is little subtlety in his work, and every one of the performers provided the grandeur that his music demands.
A great deal was demanded out of the orchestra as well, and they sounded amazing. I didn’t hear a false note out of them the entire night. Andrew Lloyd Webber devised this concert himself, and he provided them with some terrific orchestrations. Conveying the emotion and tone of each number, the singers were given excellent musicians to play off of.
In total, the concert ran approximately two hours. There was a short intermission, but with that exception, the night was pure music, beginning to end. Unfortunately, the concert wasn’t perfect. David Josefsberg provided the only weak moments the entire evening. Skewing a little more rock/pop than the music demanded, he occasionally ventured into a falsetto reminiscent of Adam Lambert from American Idol. I think that style can sound terrific, but honestly, Lambert does it better than Josefsberg. He occasionally seemed to be straining, and this style didn’t entirely fit the music.
However, despite a couple of these little moments, Josefsberg did a mostly great job, and with such powerhouse performers, these moments did nothing to detract from the rest of the show. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Howard McGillin, the standout of the evening. Having played the Phantom of the Opera over 2,500 times (!), he has a definite understanding of Webber’s material. There is so much power in his voice that you can’t help but be captivated by every note he sings. As each song began, the logo of the play featuring that song was displayed on the wall behind the performers. When the logo for Phantom came up, and he started performing the role he knows best, you could feel the awe in the room. It was thrilling to be part of that communal experience.
Having already mentioned Laurie Gayle Sephenson (who it should be noted did a beautiful job as Christine during the Phantom segment), David Josefsberg and Howard McGillin, I should mention the other performers. Deone Zanotto, Kathy Voytko and Kevin Kern rounded out the cast brilliantly. They were all perfectly adept at every style thrown at them, and lived up to this show’s huge demands.
This is the type of show that will wow those who are already fans, and win over those who aren’t. Featuring some of the best numbers from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Phantom, Joseph, Sunset Boulevard, etc., some of his less known works are also showcased. I was surprised to see the inclusion of the haunting overture from The Beautiful Game, and thrilled to find that they included numbers from The Woman in White and Whistle Down the Wind. Being performed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center now through February 21, this is a must-see production. You won’t be disappointed.
From Nicholas Pileggi’s true-life bestseller Wiseguy, GoodFellas explores the criminal life like no other movie. Directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese, it was judged 1990’s Best Picture by the New York, Los Angeles and National Society of Film Critics. Electrifying performances abound and from a standout cast that includes Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino, Joe Pesci walked off with the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.
Goodfellas shows Scorsese to be a master of pacing, as it’s a film that briskly covers a vast amount of time, but does so while letting its scenes play out to their greatest effect. It’s the sense of years passing and people changing, all while the presence of the mob stays constant, that gives us an intimate look into the life of Henry and Karen Hill, the real-life characters the film is based on.
Goodfellas has a grand sweep to it that makes it seem in some ways the greatest achievement of Scorsese’s career. While it doesn’t quite achieve that level for me, there’s no denying what a remarkable film it is. Warner Brothers releases the Blu-ray of Goodfellas with some extras thrown in to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film. The film is presented in 1080p high definition with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. One could speculate on why the visual presentation here is fairly underwhelming, but it’s quite possible that the disc — produced in the early days of Blu-ray, before the format wars had ended — didn’t benefit from the technical knowledge that tends to produce sparkling high def catalog releases almost every time these days.
If you don’t already own Goodfellas on Blu-ray, this 20th Anniversary Edition is the one to go with since its packaging is more attractive than the 2007 release and it contains a high-quality documentary about the gangster genre.
DISC 1
Cast and Crew Audio Commentary – Director Martin Scorsese, author/screenwriter Nicolas Pileggi, producers Irwin Winkler and Barbara De Fina, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and cast members Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino and Frank Vincent all participate in this recorded-separately-and-spliced-together-style commentary track. Very insightful, and due to the style in which it was pieced together, always moving and jumping around from voice to voice and story to story, this is absolutely worth listening to. Scorsese’s comments are especially interesting, as you would expect.
Cop and Crook Audio Commentary – The second commentary features the real Henry Hill and FBI agent Edward McDonald. This is especially interesting for the real-life comparisons Hill relates. McDonald actually does a great job of asking questions and keeping the conversation going.
Getting Made (29:36) – This is the standard making-of for the film. Interviews with cast and crew highlight the production, with lots of emphasis put on character building and editing.
Made Men: The Goodfellas Legacy (13:33) – This shorter piece is more of a tribute, as a younger generation of filmmakers (e.g. Jon Favreau, Richard Linklater) discuss the impact of Goodfellas on their career and life.
Paper is Cheaper Than Film (4:27) – This is a presentation of Scorsese’s drawn storyboards and written notations, alongside clips of the film. ” The Workaday Gangster (7:58) – The final featurette in this set is a discussion on the lifestyle of the mob. Constantly working, the real-life wiseguys were always on the ready…
Theatrical Trailer (1:28)
DISC 2
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (105:43) – This feature-length documentary from 2008 is incredibly detailed and exhaustive! While it starts and ends great, you may get a bit lost in the middle. This piece does a serious break-down of the gangster genre in Hollywood, starting with Burglar on the Roof from 1898 (that’s not a typo) and ending with The Departed . The heaviest concentration focuses, as the title indicates, on the golden era of the genre, which is considered to be the 1930’s. There are great interviews with film historians and critics, authors and filmmakers. There is also great use of vintage interviews from the filmmakers and stars of the golden era, plus clips of those films (even silent era stuff!). This is a great piece for anyone who has an interest in film history. Though it may get dry in the middle there, it’s still absolutely worth watching on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes (30:39) – There are four Friz Freleng cartoons here. “I Like Mountain Music” is from 1933 and in black and white; “She Was an Acrobat’s Daughter” is from 1937 and in color. These first two are hard to watch and have nothing to do with gangsters. There are obviously way better choices in the catalogue and I am not sure why they were chosen for inclusion here. But then “Racketeer Rabbit” (1946) and “Bugs and Thugs” (1954) come on and all is forgiven. Both of these are classics, staring the infamous rabbit and some bumbling gangsters.
An unusual hybrid of chick-flick by way of science fiction, The Time Traveler’s Wife had the potential to be a truly unique love story; one for the guys as well as the girls. However, the end result veers way too far into the romantic depths in order to accomplish a successful genre combo. Resembling something far closer to The Notebook than to The Twilight Zone, the film ends up alienating fans of each genre by not adhering to either one.
Based on the best-selling book by Audrey Niffenegger, the story revolves around a couple, Henry and Clare (Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams), who find themselves destined to be together despite Henry’s inablity to control his gift/curse of time travel. Despite the fact that the film’s title alludes to Clare, this is really Henry’s story. There is no explanation given for his “chrono impairment”, nor are there any rules (he meets himself throughout the film without paradox). Henry finds himself drawn “like gravity” to the same pivotal moments of his life, again and again. Whether it’s the car crash that killed his mother, or the day he meets Clare for the first time, he cannot control where he goes or when he goes there.
While this randomness might have worked in book form, it doesn’t translate to film. On the page, this sort of free-form storytelling can be effective. But on film, a more linear structure is needed. There doesn’t seem to be a cohesive narrative, but rather a series of events that don’t really amount to much of anything when pieced together.
I will give the film credit for not following the chick-flick wedding cliches. The first part of the film details Henry and Clare’s courtship, going all the way back to adult Henry meeting Clare as a child. These provide some of the film’s best scenes, and provide an interesting complication for Henry as he is later forced to live up to the expectations established by the “ghost” of his former self. However, in an unusual move for this type of film, the second part of the film goes to a darker place, right after the inevitable wedding.
This is the where the fantasy ends for Clare and she has to deal with the ramifications of having a time-travelling husband. How can she live a normal life with a normal family if she never knows when her husband is going to randomly disappear? And is it a genetic condition, one that would endanger a future child?
I liked these ideas and conflicts, but the way they were presented just felt false. Overly sentimental and emotionally forced, the filmmakers pile on the sap and melodrama without restraint. Bana and McAdams have a definite chemistry, and this helps the film in a lot of ways. But the chemistry between them can’t overshadow the soap opera that is playing out on screen.
Visually, the film is impressive. The colors are vibrant, the directing is showy without ever being distracting, and there are a lot of creative edits in order to keep the story moving. One of the bonus features describes all the early scenes as being from the point of view of a character’s distorted memory, rather than reality. Therefore, the colors are brighter, the hair more perfect, etc. Personally, I don’t think this approach makes sense as we are supposed to be seeing him literally traveling to these moments in time, but as an aesthetic approach it does create some beautiful imagery.
For the new Blu-Ray release, two bonus features were included. I wasn’t particularly excited as I began watching these, but I found myself more captivated by these features than I was by the film itself. The first one is called “Behind the Story: An Unconventional Love Story.” I found myself having a greater appreciation for the film after watching this. I still don’t think it’s a particularly good movie, but I can respect what they were trying to accomplish.
Featuring several interviews with cast and crew as well as visual depictions of what they are discussing, this feature brings to light several thematic aspects of the film I hadn’t even realized as I watched it. For example, they discuss the concept of the film being “constructed around echoes,” and how they made specific attempts to replicate visual cues throughout the film. They also discuss the different interpretations of the time-travel itself and whether it’s to be looked at literally or as various metaphors for relationships.
The other feature is called “The Time Traveller’s Wife: Love Beyond Words.” This feature is all about adapting the book into a film. It’s interesting hearing the screenwriter discuss his thought process as he tried to turn a very literary story into something suitable for the screen. In my opinion, he wasn’t successful, but it was still interesting to get the different perspectives on the story.
This isn’t an awful movie. It’s just not very good. There is a lot of potential in the basic premise, but they chose to push the film in an over-the-top romantic direction that cancelled out what could have been a compelling story. I’m sure the book is great, but it just did not translate. Some of the film works, but overall, I found it a disappointing, jumbled mess.
