Titanic Review — Titanic (1997) Film Review, a movie written and directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill, David Warner, Victor Garber, Jonathan Hyde, Suzy Amis, Danny Nucci, Jason Barry and Ewan Stewart. Director James Cameron’s emotionally moving and powerful [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Titanic (1997): James Cameron’s Masterpiece Returns For Its 25th Anniversary...
Continue reading: Film Review: Titanic (1997): James Cameron’s Masterpiece Returns For Its 25th Anniversary...
- 2/11/2023
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Hot on the heels of Stuart Gordon's Dagon being announced as a new entry to the Vestron Video Collector’s Series, Brian Yuzna's Beyond Re-Animator has now been added to Vestron's limited edition Blu-ray lineup with the same release date of July 24th. Here's a look at a new trailer for the upcoming release:
Press Release: The Vestron cult classic horror series continues with Beyond Re-Animator, coming to Blu-ray on July 24th with all new special features!
Street Date: 7/24/18
Blu-ray Srp: $39.97
Program Description
Go beyond your wildest fear when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases the third entry in the iconic Re-Animator series, Beyond Re-Animator, arriving on limited edition Blu-ray on July 24 from Lionsgate. Directed by horror veteran Brian Yuzna and starring Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, everyone’s favorite mad scientist continues his re-animation research, turning the penitentiary he’s been incarcerated in for the...
Press Release: The Vestron cult classic horror series continues with Beyond Re-Animator, coming to Blu-ray on July 24th with all new special features!
Street Date: 7/24/18
Blu-ray Srp: $39.97
Program Description
Go beyond your wildest fear when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases the third entry in the iconic Re-Animator series, Beyond Re-Animator, arriving on limited edition Blu-ray on July 24 from Lionsgate. Directed by horror veteran Brian Yuzna and starring Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, everyone’s favorite mad scientist continues his re-animation research, turning the penitentiary he’s been incarcerated in for the...
- 5/16/2018
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Tagline: "Welcome to Death Row. The Doctor Will See You Now." Lionsgate will show Brian Yuzna's Beyond Re-Animator on Blu-ray, this July. This latest version will be a limited edition Blu-ray, with lots of new special features. Part of the Vestron Video Collector Series, this third film in the series stars Jeffrey Combs (The Frighteners) as Dr. Herbert West. In prison, West teams up with another doctor. The results of their experiments turn the prison into a hellish monster factory. The film also stars: Jason Barry ("Sons of Anarchy"), Elsa Pataky (Fast & Furious 6) and Javier Sandoval (Dagon). The latest details on this unique release are hosted here. The new special features are numerous. The latest extras include: interviews with director Yuzna and actor Combs, isolated score selections and a production art gallery by illustrator Richard Raaphorst. A music video and a featurette will return in this version.
- 5/16/2018
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
The cult classic Beyond Re-Animator is heading to blu-ray and with a limited edition release from the same studio that brought you the Blu-ray release of H.P. Lovecraft’s Dagon. Beyond Re-Animator (2003) followed the the mad scientist Herbert West as he serves prison time for causing a massacre. The Re-Animator franchise consisted three films, beginning with Re-Animator in 1985. Below are all the details about the limited edition release as well as a trailer.
Go beyond your wildest fear when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases the third entry in the iconic Re-Animator series, Beyond Re-Animator, arriving on limited edition Blu-ray on July 24 from Lionsgate. Directed by horror veteran Brian Yuzna and starring Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, everyone’s favorite mad scientist continues his re-animation research, turning the penitentiary he’s been incarcerated in for the past 14 years into a new branch of hell. Beyond Re-Animator is loaded with all-new special features,...
Go beyond your wildest fear when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases the third entry in the iconic Re-Animator series, Beyond Re-Animator, arriving on limited edition Blu-ray on July 24 from Lionsgate. Directed by horror veteran Brian Yuzna and starring Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, everyone’s favorite mad scientist continues his re-animation research, turning the penitentiary he’s been incarcerated in for the past 14 years into a new branch of hell. Beyond Re-Animator is loaded with all-new special features,...
- 5/14/2018
- by Chris Salce
- Age of the Nerd
Hot on the heels of Stuart Gordon's Dagon being announced as a new entry to the Vestron Video Collector’s Series, Brian Yuzna's Beyond Re-Animator has now been added to Vestron's limited edition Blu-ray lineup with the same release date of July 24th:
Press Release: The Vestron cult classic horror series continues with Beyond Re-Animator, coming to Blu-ray on July 24th with all new special features!
Street Date: 7/24/18
Blu-ray Srp: $39.97
Program Description
Go beyond your wildest fear when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases the third entry in the iconic Re-Animator series, Beyond Re-Animator, arriving on limited edition Blu-ray on July 24 from Lionsgate. Directed by horror veteran Brian Yuzna (The Dentist, Faust, Return of the Living Dead III) and starring Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, everyone’s favorite mad scientist continues his re-animation research, turning the penitentiary he’s been incarcerated in for the past 14 years...
Press Release: The Vestron cult classic horror series continues with Beyond Re-Animator, coming to Blu-ray on July 24th with all new special features!
Street Date: 7/24/18
Blu-ray Srp: $39.97
Program Description
Go beyond your wildest fear when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases the third entry in the iconic Re-Animator series, Beyond Re-Animator, arriving on limited edition Blu-ray on July 24 from Lionsgate. Directed by horror veteran Brian Yuzna (The Dentist, Faust, Return of the Living Dead III) and starring Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West, everyone’s favorite mad scientist continues his re-animation research, turning the penitentiary he’s been incarcerated in for the past 14 years...
- 4/5/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
“You can be blasé about some things, Rose, but not about Titanic!”
Those words, spoken by the grandiose villain Cal Hockley to his dispassionate fiancée, Rose Dewitt Bukater, proved true both for the then-unprecedented ship and its fateful journey in 1912 and the record-breaking juggernaut film that told its story in 1997.
Twenty years after the film’s release, it’s hard not to see Titanic as an inevitable success: one of this century’s greatest love stories featuring two of today’s top stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, set against the backdrop of one of humanity’s greatest tragedies.
But before the film’s release, it was the subject of much scrutiny, with many mocking its premise, excessive budget and pushed release date. Before Rose and Jack ever made it to theaters, Titanic was nearly dead in the water, with two studios -- Paramount and Fox -- shouldering the financial burden of the $200 million budget, which at the time...
Those words, spoken by the grandiose villain Cal Hockley to his dispassionate fiancée, Rose Dewitt Bukater, proved true both for the then-unprecedented ship and its fateful journey in 1912 and the record-breaking juggernaut film that told its story in 1997.
Twenty years after the film’s release, it’s hard not to see Titanic as an inevitable success: one of this century’s greatest love stories featuring two of today’s top stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, set against the backdrop of one of humanity’s greatest tragedies.
But before the film’s release, it was the subject of much scrutiny, with many mocking its premise, excessive budget and pushed release date. Before Rose and Jack ever made it to theaters, Titanic was nearly dead in the water, with two studios -- Paramount and Fox -- shouldering the financial burden of the $200 million budget, which at the time...
- 12/18/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Pierce Brosnan lacks the requisite Neeson-like conviction for this blundering conspiracy caper
A techno-thriller for people a bit intimidated by their smartphone, I.T. is a dull-witted movie that pits Pierce Brosnan’s millionaire businessman Mike Regan against troubled computer genius Patrick (Jason Barry). When Patrick is rebuffed by Regan’s daughter, he turns the family’s hi-tech house against them. Brosnan lacks the conviction of Liam Neeson when it comes to the middle-aged badass genre.
Continue reading...
A techno-thriller for people a bit intimidated by their smartphone, I.T. is a dull-witted movie that pits Pierce Brosnan’s millionaire businessman Mike Regan against troubled computer genius Patrick (Jason Barry). When Patrick is rebuffed by Regan’s daughter, he turns the family’s hi-tech house against them. Brosnan lacks the conviction of Liam Neeson when it comes to the middle-aged badass genre.
Continue reading...
- 3/12/2017
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, James Frecheville, Anna Friel, Stefanie Scott, Jason Barry, Brian F. Mulvey, Martin Hindy, Clare-Hope Ashitey, David McSavage | Written by Dan Kay, William Wisher | Directed by John Moore
When his daughter complains about their home’s dodgy Internet connection, high-flying executive Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) brings in I.T. guy Ed (James Frecheville). Overestimating the breadth of their friendship – by assuming that they have one – the spurned tech guy turns stalker, using his computer skills to infiltrate and attack the family on every level. They’re gonna need a better firewall.
It may have a grizzled, craggy former James Bond as the lead, but this is no Taken riff. In spite of its ultra high-tech trappings, I.T. is a remarkably old-fashioned stalker movie, reminiscent of the likes of Prey, Pacific Heights, One Hour Photo or, um, The Cable Guy. It’s the sort of thing you might see Nicolas Cage...
When his daughter complains about their home’s dodgy Internet connection, high-flying executive Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) brings in I.T. guy Ed (James Frecheville). Overestimating the breadth of their friendship – by assuming that they have one – the spurned tech guy turns stalker, using his computer skills to infiltrate and attack the family on every level. They’re gonna need a better firewall.
It may have a grizzled, craggy former James Bond as the lead, but this is no Taken riff. In spite of its ultra high-tech trappings, I.T. is a remarkably old-fashioned stalker movie, reminiscent of the likes of Prey, Pacific Heights, One Hour Photo or, um, The Cable Guy. It’s the sort of thing you might see Nicolas Cage...
- 3/9/2017
- by Joel Harley
- Nerdly
"Change everything – passwords, codes – secure this place!" Another one of these. Rlj Entertainment has released the first official trailer for a film called I.T. (already a boring title), a technology thriller about a successful business owner whose life is sabotaged by a mentally deranged It guy. Pierce Brosnan stars, along with James Frecheville, Anna Friel, Stefanie Scott, Michael Nyqvist, and Jason Barry. This is yet another fear-mongering "technology is scary!" movies, where it seems like the people behind it don't even actually understand how most of this technology works. Of course the It guy is creepy, and of course this is from the same guy who made A Good Day to Die Hard. I don't recommend it, only if you're curious. Here's the first official trailer (+ teaser poster) for John Moore's I.T., originally from Yahoo: Mike Regan has everything he could ever want, a beautiful family and a top of the line smart house.
- 8/5/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Jason Barry's career seems to have gone full-circle. 15 years on from James Cameron's epic 1997 blockbuster 'Titanic', Barry is back in a tux, back hanging out with Kate Winslet and once again caught up in the 'Titanic' whirlwind. This time around of course it's all about 'Titanic 3D' as the Artane-born Dubliner re-engages with Tommy Ryan, the Irish character he played in 'Titanic' who was a friend to Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack Dawson.
- 4/12/2012
- IFTN
It’s another packed week of DVD and Blu-ray releases, here’s the rundown of what’s available to buy from today, March 28th 2011.
Machete (DVD/Blu-ray)
A bad-ass, star-studded action-thriller from Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), Machete is an over-the-top homage to 1970′s exploitation movies, starring Danny Trejo as a Mexican Federale seeking revenge against a vicious drug lord (Steven Seagal), a ruthless vigilante (Don Johnson) and a power-mad politician (Robert De Niro). He is helped by a savvy immigration agent (Jessica Alba), revolutionary She (Michelle Rodriguez) and by his brother, a priest (Cheech Marin), and finds solace with a drug addict (Lindsay Lohan) along the way. Review.
Wake Wood (DVD)
Still grieving the death of their only child, Alice, a young couple relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood where they stumble on a group of villagers practising Pagan rituals. They soon learn that this ritual has the power to bring back the dead,...
Machete (DVD/Blu-ray)
A bad-ass, star-studded action-thriller from Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), Machete is an over-the-top homage to 1970′s exploitation movies, starring Danny Trejo as a Mexican Federale seeking revenge against a vicious drug lord (Steven Seagal), a ruthless vigilante (Don Johnson) and a power-mad politician (Robert De Niro). He is helped by a savvy immigration agent (Jessica Alba), revolutionary She (Michelle Rodriguez) and by his brother, a priest (Cheech Marin), and finds solace with a drug addict (Lindsay Lohan) along the way. Review.
Wake Wood (DVD)
Still grieving the death of their only child, Alice, a young couple relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood where they stumble on a group of villagers practising Pagan rituals. They soon learn that this ritual has the power to bring back the dead,...
- 3/28/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Fists Of Rage
Stars: Jason Barry, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Russell Wong, Linda Park, Masakatsu Funaki, Joanna Pacula | Written by Larry Felix Jr. | Directed by David Worth
Former childhood friends Ray (Wong) and Gabriel (Barry) return to their old neighbourhood after spending time in prison and Iraq respectively. When Gabriel refuses to participate in Ray’s illegal fights, Ray retaliates by taking out his anger of Gabriel’s friends and family. Realising it’s either fight or die Gabriel must put the pairs old friendship aside in a bloody war to take back the streets and the neighbourhood.
Also known as Honor, Fists of Rage has taken a whopping 5 years to reach these shores! Was it worth the wait? In a word, yes! Directed by David Worth, whose name you may recognise from films such classic action movies as Kickboxer, Lady Dragon and American Tigers, the film is an old-school martial...
Stars: Jason Barry, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Russell Wong, Linda Park, Masakatsu Funaki, Joanna Pacula | Written by Larry Felix Jr. | Directed by David Worth
Former childhood friends Ray (Wong) and Gabriel (Barry) return to their old neighbourhood after spending time in prison and Iraq respectively. When Gabriel refuses to participate in Ray’s illegal fights, Ray retaliates by taking out his anger of Gabriel’s friends and family. Realising it’s either fight or die Gabriel must put the pairs old friendship aside in a bloody war to take back the streets and the neighbourhood.
Also known as Honor, Fists of Rage has taken a whopping 5 years to reach these shores! Was it worth the wait? In a word, yes! Directed by David Worth, whose name you may recognise from films such classic action movies as Kickboxer, Lady Dragon and American Tigers, the film is an old-school martial...
- 3/26/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Revolver Entertainment have announced the forthcoming UK DVD release of Fists Of Rage – a mixed martial arts action drama from David Worth, the director of Kickboxer, which explodes onto UK DVD on March 28th. I’ve seen the film (look out for my review this weekend) and its everything you could possibly want in a straight to DVD action flick from the guys behind Kickboxer and Bloodsport…
Two street warriors come to understand that not every battle is fought for money or power in this gritty urban action thriller featuring Jason Barry (Titanic), Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper (WWE Legend).
When street gangs clash with the local police in a series of bloody battles, neighbourhood friends Raymond (Wong) and Gabriel (Barry) are forced to choose sides. In the ensuing brutality, Raymond is plunged into the cold confines of prison as Gabriel is forced to fight a vicious war on foreign soil.
Two street warriors come to understand that not every battle is fought for money or power in this gritty urban action thriller featuring Jason Barry (Titanic), Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper (WWE Legend).
When street gangs clash with the local police in a series of bloody battles, neighbourhood friends Raymond (Wong) and Gabriel (Barry) are forced to choose sides. In the ensuing brutality, Raymond is plunged into the cold confines of prison as Gabriel is forced to fight a vicious war on foreign soil.
- 3/24/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Revolver Entertainment have announced the forthcoming DVD release of Fists Of Rage – a mixed martial arts action drama from David Worth, the director of Kickboxer; and the producer of Bloodsport. The film explodes onto UK DVD on March 28th 2011!
Two street warriors come to understand that not every battle is fought for money or power in this gritty urban action thriller featuring Jason Barry (Titanic), Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper (WWE Legend).
When street gangs clash with the local police in a series of bloody battles, neighbourhood friends Raymond (Wong) and Gabriel (Barry) are forced to choose sides. In the ensuing brutality, Raymond is plunged into the cold confines of prison as Gabriel is forced to fight a vicious war on foreign soil. Later, when Raymond and Gabriel arrive back in their old neighbourhood, the two soldiers put their survival skills to the ultimate test as...
Two street warriors come to understand that not every battle is fought for money or power in this gritty urban action thriller featuring Jason Barry (Titanic), Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper (WWE Legend).
When street gangs clash with the local police in a series of bloody battles, neighbourhood friends Raymond (Wong) and Gabriel (Barry) are forced to choose sides. In the ensuing brutality, Raymond is plunged into the cold confines of prison as Gabriel is forced to fight a vicious war on foreign soil. Later, when Raymond and Gabriel arrive back in their old neighbourhood, the two soldiers put their survival skills to the ultimate test as...
- 3/4/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Feature film project 'Easter Sixteen' about the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin has been optioned by UK financier Peter Lukas who will produce along with co-author of the award-winning screenplay Brendan Foley (Legend of the Bog) under the new title of 'Easter Rising'. It is understood Peter and Brendan will be working with veteran Dublin-based producer Ned Dowd (executive producer, King Arthur, Veronica Guerin, Apocalypto) and Danish producer Lars Hermann (The Riddle). American production company Coll-Abbitt has also expressed its intention to join the project which will be re-titled 'Easter Rising'. Irish actor turned director Jason Barry, best known for his role in James Cameron's 'Titanic', confirmed that Marathon, his film partnership with Nicola Charles was now being wound up and each were pursing independent projects, with his own major focus continuing to be 'Easter Rising'.
- 7/2/2010
- IFTN
Having originally been slated for production in March of this year, feature film 'Easter Sixteen' produced by the La based Marathon Pictures will now go into production in Dublin this September. Based on one of Ireland's most significant events 'Easter Sixteen' the film will mark the directorial debut feature by Irish actor Jason Barry (Titanic) and will star Guy Pearce (La Confidential) as Padraig Pearse and Ian Hart (Finding Neverland) as Thomas Clarke. The actor for the role of James Connolly has yet to be confirmed.
- 5/6/2009
- IFTN
If you can’t get enough of genre-film bad-asses Kane Hodder and Vinnie Jones, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has your fix this summer. New indie horror features starring the tough-guy actors are slated to hit DVD shelves in June.
Streeting June 23 is writer/director Brendan Foley’s Irish chiller Legend Of The Bog, a.k.a. Bog Bodies, starring The Midnight Meat Train’s Jones, Beyond Re-animator’s Jason Barry and Nora-Jane Noone from the Descent films, Doomsday and the upcoming Day Of The Triffids miniseries. The story centers on a 2,000-year-old murder victim who has been mummified in a peat bog, and is inadvertently awakened to terrorize a group of the living.
In Born, coming June 16, a virginal 21-year-old girl (Parasomnia’s Alison Brie) suddenly finds herself pregnant, with her growing fetus developing an evil influence over her. Hodder co-stars as Asmodeus/the Cardinal, and the cast also includes Joan Severance...
Streeting June 23 is writer/director Brendan Foley’s Irish chiller Legend Of The Bog, a.k.a. Bog Bodies, starring The Midnight Meat Train’s Jones, Beyond Re-animator’s Jason Barry and Nora-Jane Noone from the Descent films, Doomsday and the upcoming Day Of The Triffids miniseries. The story centers on a 2,000-year-old murder victim who has been mummified in a peat bog, and is inadvertently awakened to terrorize a group of the living.
In Born, coming June 16, a virginal 21-year-old girl (Parasomnia’s Alison Brie) suddenly finds herself pregnant, with her growing fetus developing an evil influence over her. Hodder co-stars as Asmodeus/the Cardinal, and the cast also includes Joan Severance...
- 4/3/2009
- Fangoria
Arriving on DVD June 9 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is Legend Of The Bog (formerly Bog Bodies), which stars Vinnie Jones, Jason Barry, Nora-Jane Noone and Adam Fogerty. When a 2000-year old mummified murder victim a Bog Body is inadvertently disturbed, he rises from the dead. Mummified for retribution and trapped for eternity, his body is unable to decay and his soul is unable to reach heaven or hell. As this Bog Body returns to life, he wreaks havoc on a local group of strangers who unwittingly share a guilty secret. Alone in the dark, they are met with misfortune as this mysterious victim seeks vengeance on their dark past.
- 3/16/2009
- bloody-disgusting.com
Today the first trailer went online for Brendan Foley's Bog Bodies, which stars Vinnie Jones, Jason Barry, Nora-Jane Noone and Adam Fogerty. When a 'bog body' a 2000 year old murder victim preserved in a peat bog is disturbed by developers in rural Ireland, an archaeologist, a hunter and their helpers face the task of sending him back where he came from. Read on for the trailer.
- 2/21/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
PARK CITY -- If The Wizard of Oz were reborn in the 21st century, it might look a lot like MirrorMask. A product of the Jim Henson laboratory, the film is endlessly inventive with creativity to burn. The story of a wayward young circus performer and her adventures in a strange world is that rare animal that is sure to charm kids and also intrigue adults with its imagination. But because it is less familiar and more challenging than most films of this genre, luring the target audience will require equally creative marketing.
Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) is an artistic and sensitive 15-year-old who ironically longs for a normal life instead of the eccentricity of her family-run circus. When her mother (Gina McKee) falls seriously ill, Helena regrets all their arguments. That night, Helena's demons are unleashesd in a turbulent dream. Much as Dorothy is swept away to Oz by a tornado, Helena's unconscious transports her to an imaginary world of darkness and light constructed from fragments of her life.
Graphic novel innovators Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman (creators of The Sandman and Violent Cases) have fashioned a fluid visual style with endless curves and no right angles. Cats with wings eat books that fly, giants float in the sky like parade floats, and monekybirds stalk the city.
Assisted by Valentine (Jason Barry), a young chap with a mask and striped beard and questionable motives, Helena finds herself in the crossfire between the forces of good and evil. The princess of light, who bears a striking resemblance to Helena's mother and also is played by McKee, has fallen into a spell that can only be broken by the elusive magic mask, a charm that "concentrates your wishes and gives you what you want." And just as the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion are based on friends and family Dorothy knew in Kansas, the prime minister of Helena's dreamscape is played by the same actor as her father (Rob Brydon).
Helena sets off on her own yellow brick road to retrieve the mask from the princess of darkness, again McKee, and revive the sleeping beauty. And from time to time, Helena glances back through a window at the girl she left behind in the real world. But a linear explanation does not begin to do justice to the visual spell of the film.
Unlike most fantasy films, MirrorMask succeeds in transferring the mysterious undercurrent and wonder of the graphic novel to the screen. This is not an ordinary place, so anything is possible. A girl can be captured between the legs of a giant caterpillar, and a sphinx can turn nasty. You don't really know what is going to happen next.
Although it is set in a spectacular computer generated landscape, MirrorMask does not have the artificiality of many CGI productions. Because director McKean and writer Gaiman have created such a strong reality and made the characters believable on their own wild terms, the action does not seem contrived. Rather than mass produced for a general audience, the film seems handmade and original with real human emotions.
Despite its classic influences, MirrorMask feels fresh. As Helena wanders through a menacing forest trying to find her way home, she is exploring archetypal fears and needs. The ending is a bit abrupt and less satisfying than it might be, but MirrorMask still goes places most films never even dream of.
MIRRORMASK
Sony Pictures
Destination Films presents a Jim Henson Co. production
Credits:
Director: Dave McKean
Screenwriter: Neil Gaiman
Story by: Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean
Producer: Simon Moorhead
Executive producers: Lisa Henson, Michael Polis, Martin G. Baker
Director of photography: Antony Shearn
Production designer: McKean
Music: Iain Ballamy
Costume designer: Robert Lever
Editor: Nicolas Gaster
Cast:
Helena: Stephanie Leonidas
Valentine: Jason Barry
Helena's Father/Prime Minister: Rob Brydon
Joanne, others: Gina McKee
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 101 minutes...
Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) is an artistic and sensitive 15-year-old who ironically longs for a normal life instead of the eccentricity of her family-run circus. When her mother (Gina McKee) falls seriously ill, Helena regrets all their arguments. That night, Helena's demons are unleashesd in a turbulent dream. Much as Dorothy is swept away to Oz by a tornado, Helena's unconscious transports her to an imaginary world of darkness and light constructed from fragments of her life.
Graphic novel innovators Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman (creators of The Sandman and Violent Cases) have fashioned a fluid visual style with endless curves and no right angles. Cats with wings eat books that fly, giants float in the sky like parade floats, and monekybirds stalk the city.
Assisted by Valentine (Jason Barry), a young chap with a mask and striped beard and questionable motives, Helena finds herself in the crossfire between the forces of good and evil. The princess of light, who bears a striking resemblance to Helena's mother and also is played by McKee, has fallen into a spell that can only be broken by the elusive magic mask, a charm that "concentrates your wishes and gives you what you want." And just as the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion are based on friends and family Dorothy knew in Kansas, the prime minister of Helena's dreamscape is played by the same actor as her father (Rob Brydon).
Helena sets off on her own yellow brick road to retrieve the mask from the princess of darkness, again McKee, and revive the sleeping beauty. And from time to time, Helena glances back through a window at the girl she left behind in the real world. But a linear explanation does not begin to do justice to the visual spell of the film.
Unlike most fantasy films, MirrorMask succeeds in transferring the mysterious undercurrent and wonder of the graphic novel to the screen. This is not an ordinary place, so anything is possible. A girl can be captured between the legs of a giant caterpillar, and a sphinx can turn nasty. You don't really know what is going to happen next.
Although it is set in a spectacular computer generated landscape, MirrorMask does not have the artificiality of many CGI productions. Because director McKean and writer Gaiman have created such a strong reality and made the characters believable on their own wild terms, the action does not seem contrived. Rather than mass produced for a general audience, the film seems handmade and original with real human emotions.
Despite its classic influences, MirrorMask feels fresh. As Helena wanders through a menacing forest trying to find her way home, she is exploring archetypal fears and needs. The ending is a bit abrupt and less satisfying than it might be, but MirrorMask still goes places most films never even dream of.
MIRRORMASK
Sony Pictures
Destination Films presents a Jim Henson Co. production
Credits:
Director: Dave McKean
Screenwriter: Neil Gaiman
Story by: Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean
Producer: Simon Moorhead
Executive producers: Lisa Henson, Michael Polis, Martin G. Baker
Director of photography: Antony Shearn
Production designer: McKean
Music: Iain Ballamy
Costume designer: Robert Lever
Editor: Nicolas Gaster
Cast:
Helena: Stephanie Leonidas
Valentine: Jason Barry
Helena's Father/Prime Minister: Rob Brydon
Joanne, others: Gina McKee
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 101 minutes...
- 1/26/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
AFI Fest
While films about priests behaving badly aren't exactly in short supply these days, Irish writer-director John Deery weighs in with a challenging, thought-provoking debut that compassionately questions the relevance of celibacy in the Catholic Church.
Inspired by actual events that transpired following the suicide of a local priest, Deery dresses his nicely shot drama from Little Wing Films in the guise of a theological thriller, and though the first-time filmmaker treats the subject matter with an occasionally heavy hand, his strong cast and clearly heartfelt intentions help smooth over some of those uneven passages.
At first, the back-to-back incidents involving the suicide of parish priest Father Frank Sweeney (Patrick Lynch) and the expulsion of earnest seminary student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) based on the incorrect assumption that he was behaving inappropriately with another male colleague would appear unrelated.
But a intrepid journalist (Jason Barry) believing otherwise soon gets to the heart of a suspected hypocritical cover-up that is ripped wide open during a live TV debate on the topic of priests and celibacy.
Although the thriller aspect at times feels a bit forced, Deery otherwise achieves a refreshing naturalism in a milieu that's too often distinguished by flickering candlelight and hushed voices. The fact that many of his lively characters curse a blue streak while engaging in heated arguments gives the film an immediacy and a pertinence absent in many productions dealing with similar subject matter.
Forbes brings a palpable conviction to his role of the young man who's as committed to the priesthood as he is to the young woman he loves (Catherine Walker), while the familiar faces belonging to Brenda Fricker as Forbes' mom, Hugh Bonneville as a sympathetic seminarian and John Lynch as an openly gay priest who has left the church further elevate the picture's profile.
While films about priests behaving badly aren't exactly in short supply these days, Irish writer-director John Deery weighs in with a challenging, thought-provoking debut that compassionately questions the relevance of celibacy in the Catholic Church.
Inspired by actual events that transpired following the suicide of a local priest, Deery dresses his nicely shot drama from Little Wing Films in the guise of a theological thriller, and though the first-time filmmaker treats the subject matter with an occasionally heavy hand, his strong cast and clearly heartfelt intentions help smooth over some of those uneven passages.
At first, the back-to-back incidents involving the suicide of parish priest Father Frank Sweeney (Patrick Lynch) and the expulsion of earnest seminary student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) based on the incorrect assumption that he was behaving inappropriately with another male colleague would appear unrelated.
But a intrepid journalist (Jason Barry) believing otherwise soon gets to the heart of a suspected hypocritical cover-up that is ripped wide open during a live TV debate on the topic of priests and celibacy.
Although the thriller aspect at times feels a bit forced, Deery otherwise achieves a refreshing naturalism in a milieu that's too often distinguished by flickering candlelight and hushed voices. The fact that many of his lively characters curse a blue streak while engaging in heated arguments gives the film an immediacy and a pertinence absent in many productions dealing with similar subject matter.
Forbes brings a palpable conviction to his role of the young man who's as committed to the priesthood as he is to the young woman he loves (Catherine Walker), while the familiar faces belonging to Brenda Fricker as Forbes' mom, Hugh Bonneville as a sympathetic seminarian and John Lynch as an openly gay priest who has left the church further elevate the picture's profile.
AFI Fest
While films about priests behaving badly aren't exactly in short supply these days, Irish writer-director John Deery weighs in with a challenging, thought-provoking debut that compassionately questions the relevance of celibacy in the Catholic Church.
Inspired by actual events that transpired following the suicide of a local priest, Deery dresses his nicely shot drama from Little Wing Films in the guise of a theological thriller, and though the first-time filmmaker treats the subject matter with an occasionally heavy hand, his strong cast and clearly heartfelt intentions help smooth over some of those uneven passages.
At first, the back-to-back incidents involving the suicide of parish priest Father Frank Sweeney (Patrick Lynch) and the expulsion of earnest seminary student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) based on the incorrect assumption that he was behaving inappropriately with another male colleague would appear unrelated.
But a intrepid journalist (Jason Barry) believing otherwise soon gets to the heart of a suspected hypocritical cover-up that is ripped wide open during a live TV debate on the topic of priests and celibacy.
Although the thriller aspect at times feels a bit forced, Deery otherwise achieves a refreshing naturalism in a milieu that's too often distinguished by flickering candlelight and hushed voices. The fact that many of his lively characters curse a blue streak while engaging in heated arguments gives the film an immediacy and a pertinence absent in many productions dealing with similar subject matter.
Forbes brings a palpable conviction to his role of the young man who's as committed to the priesthood as he is to the young woman he loves (Catherine Walker), while the familiar faces belonging to Brenda Fricker as Forbes' mom, Hugh Bonneville as a sympathetic seminarian and John Lynch as an openly gay priest who has left the church further elevate the picture's profile.
While films about priests behaving badly aren't exactly in short supply these days, Irish writer-director John Deery weighs in with a challenging, thought-provoking debut that compassionately questions the relevance of celibacy in the Catholic Church.
Inspired by actual events that transpired following the suicide of a local priest, Deery dresses his nicely shot drama from Little Wing Films in the guise of a theological thriller, and though the first-time filmmaker treats the subject matter with an occasionally heavy hand, his strong cast and clearly heartfelt intentions help smooth over some of those uneven passages.
At first, the back-to-back incidents involving the suicide of parish priest Father Frank Sweeney (Patrick Lynch) and the expulsion of earnest seminary student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) based on the incorrect assumption that he was behaving inappropriately with another male colleague would appear unrelated.
But a intrepid journalist (Jason Barry) believing otherwise soon gets to the heart of a suspected hypocritical cover-up that is ripped wide open during a live TV debate on the topic of priests and celibacy.
Although the thriller aspect at times feels a bit forced, Deery otherwise achieves a refreshing naturalism in a milieu that's too often distinguished by flickering candlelight and hushed voices. The fact that many of his lively characters curse a blue streak while engaging in heated arguments gives the film an immediacy and a pertinence absent in many productions dealing with similar subject matter.
Forbes brings a palpable conviction to his role of the young man who's as committed to the priesthood as he is to the young woman he loves (Catherine Walker), while the familiar faces belonging to Brenda Fricker as Forbes' mom, Hugh Bonneville as a sympathetic seminarian and John Lynch as an openly gay priest who has left the church further elevate the picture's profile.
- 11/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- "When the Sky Falls" is based on the events leading up to the 1996 murder of crime journalist Veronica Guerin in Dublin, Ireland. As directed by John MacKenzie (who made the excellent British crime film "The Long Good Friday"), the film is stylish and gritty and features fine central performances. While it should win critical plaudits, "Sky", which at times feels a bit like a movie of the week, isn't likely to attract big audiences.
Screenwriters Michael Sheridan, Ronan Gallagher and Colum McCann have put together an intelligent, well-constructed and moving script. Before her death, Guerin collaborated with Sheridan on an early draft of a screenplay that focused on her crusade against Dublin gangsters and the various attacks against her.
The film tells the story of fictional Sunday Globe journalist Sinead Hamilton (wonderfully played by Joan Allen), whose writings about the Dublin gangs cause an increase in her newspaper's circulation along with the violent attention of the gangsters. Her investigations also bring her into close contact with the Irish Republican Army -- which denounces the gangs' drug dealing -- and the police, who struggle to stop the mobsters.
But her efforts push gang boss Dave Hackett (Gerard Flynn) to take the ultimate step. On her way home from a court appearance, she is shot dead. Ironically, her death finally forces attention to Ireland's criminal laws, so drug dealers can be identified and apprehended and their assets seized.
In this role, Allen is the personification of steely dignity, and she does a good job with a Dublin accent. She achieves a fine balance between crusading journalist and attentive mother.
Her performance is aided by Patrick Bergin's turn as grumpy maverick cop Sgt. Mackey, though he is lumbered with the cliched dim assistant in the form of Jason Barry's Dempsey. Bergin and Allen's scenes together work particularly well. And the ever-excellent Pete Postlethwaite makes a brief but fine appearance as crime boss Martin Shaughnessy, who is knocked off early in the film.
MacKenzie handles action sequences extremely well -- particularly a car chase through the city estates -- and pushes the story with skill and ease. Technical credits are all fine, especially Mark Geraghty's production design, and DP Seamus Deasy gives the film an atmospheric hue.
WHEN THE SKY FALLS
Sky Pictures
In association with Irish Screen, the Irish Film Board and Redeemable Features
Producers: Nigel Warren-Green,
Michael Wearing
Director: John MacKenzie
Executive producers: Kevin Menton,
Peter Newman, Marie Louise Queally
Screenwriters: Michael Sheridan,
Ronan Gallagher, Colum McCann
Director of photography: Seamus Deasy
Production designer: Mark Geraghty
Music: Pol Brennan
Costume designer: Lorna Marie Mugan
Editor: Graham Walker
Color/stereo
Cast:
Sinead Hamilton: Joan Allen
Mackey: Patrick Bergin
Mickey O'Fagan: Jimmy Smallhorne
John "The Runner" Cosgrove: Liam Cunningham
Tom Hamilton: Kevin McNally
Martin Shaughnessy: Pete Postlethwaite
Dempsey: Jason Barry
Jimmy Keaveney: Des McAleer
Dave Hackett: Gerard Flynn
Running time - 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Screenwriters Michael Sheridan, Ronan Gallagher and Colum McCann have put together an intelligent, well-constructed and moving script. Before her death, Guerin collaborated with Sheridan on an early draft of a screenplay that focused on her crusade against Dublin gangsters and the various attacks against her.
The film tells the story of fictional Sunday Globe journalist Sinead Hamilton (wonderfully played by Joan Allen), whose writings about the Dublin gangs cause an increase in her newspaper's circulation along with the violent attention of the gangsters. Her investigations also bring her into close contact with the Irish Republican Army -- which denounces the gangs' drug dealing -- and the police, who struggle to stop the mobsters.
But her efforts push gang boss Dave Hackett (Gerard Flynn) to take the ultimate step. On her way home from a court appearance, she is shot dead. Ironically, her death finally forces attention to Ireland's criminal laws, so drug dealers can be identified and apprehended and their assets seized.
In this role, Allen is the personification of steely dignity, and she does a good job with a Dublin accent. She achieves a fine balance between crusading journalist and attentive mother.
Her performance is aided by Patrick Bergin's turn as grumpy maverick cop Sgt. Mackey, though he is lumbered with the cliched dim assistant in the form of Jason Barry's Dempsey. Bergin and Allen's scenes together work particularly well. And the ever-excellent Pete Postlethwaite makes a brief but fine appearance as crime boss Martin Shaughnessy, who is knocked off early in the film.
MacKenzie handles action sequences extremely well -- particularly a car chase through the city estates -- and pushes the story with skill and ease. Technical credits are all fine, especially Mark Geraghty's production design, and DP Seamus Deasy gives the film an atmospheric hue.
WHEN THE SKY FALLS
Sky Pictures
In association with Irish Screen, the Irish Film Board and Redeemable Features
Producers: Nigel Warren-Green,
Michael Wearing
Director: John MacKenzie
Executive producers: Kevin Menton,
Peter Newman, Marie Louise Queally
Screenwriters: Michael Sheridan,
Ronan Gallagher, Colum McCann
Director of photography: Seamus Deasy
Production designer: Mark Geraghty
Music: Pol Brennan
Costume designer: Lorna Marie Mugan
Editor: Graham Walker
Color/stereo
Cast:
Sinead Hamilton: Joan Allen
Mackey: Patrick Bergin
Mickey O'Fagan: Jimmy Smallhorne
John "The Runner" Cosgrove: Liam Cunningham
Tom Hamilton: Kevin McNally
Martin Shaughnessy: Pete Postlethwaite
Dempsey: Jason Barry
Jimmy Keaveney: Des McAleer
Dave Hackett: Gerard Flynn
Running time - 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/20/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Structural Weakness Dooms 'Monument' / Depiction of Boston criminals has atmosphere but not much substance
By Frank Scheck
MONTREAL -- Ted Demme's portrait of lowlife Boston criminals boasts an impressive cast (as does seemingly every other indie movie lately), evocative atmosphere and some sharp dialogue, but the picture ultimately falls under the weight of its pretensions and lack of substance. Shown at Sundance under the title "Snitch", "Monument Ave". was recently showcased at the Montreal World Film Festival and is due for commercial release Sept. 25 from Lions Gate. Boxoffice prospects are minimal.
Mike Armstrong's colorful script deals with a group of young, petty Irish criminals living in the Charlestown section of Boston. They spend their time snorting cocaine, pulling off car robberies, playing spirited street hockey and hanging around the local pub having Tarantino-like arguments about the merits of various teen movies ("Ferris Bueller" vs. "Breakfast Club") and which female stars they'd like to sleep with. To their credit, they realize that none of the starlets they fantasize about would give them the time of day.
The de facto leader of the group is fast-talking, chain-smoking Bobby, played by the ever-charismatic Denis Leary. The rest of the pack includes Bobby's sidekick Mouse (the talented Ian Hart), the hollow-eyed Digger (John Diehl), the bearlike Red (Noah Emmerich) and Teddy (rising star Billy Crudup). New to the group is Bobby's fresh-off-the-boat cousin Seamus (Jason Barry), who has just arrived from Dublin and is shocked by what he encounters. Watching from the sidelines is Bobby's long-suffering girlfriend Katy (a deglamorized Famke Janssen).
The area is under the iron hand of local gangster Jackie O'Hara (Colm Meaney), and when Teddy is brutally shot in front of the others one night at the pub, everyone knows that O'Hara was behind it. They refuse to say anything to the investigating detective (Martin Sheen), who is unable to crack the code of silence that exists among the criminal fraternity. Privately, though, Bobby is seething; when O'Hara has the temerity to pay his respects at his victim's funeral, his anger intensifies and eventually leads to violence.
"Monument Ave". is heavier on atmosphere than plot, and the dialogue, sometimes difficult to understand through the Irish brogues, has a contrived feel that the actors are not totally able to overcome. There are some moments (not even whole scenes) that resonate, and an episode in which the simmering Bobby leads the group in the brief abduction of a black pedestrian is powerfully realized. The performances are uniformly fine, with all of the actors, even those with little screen time, registering strongly.
MONUMENT AVE.
Lions Gate Releasing
A Filmline International, Phoenician Films,
Clinica Estetitco and Tribeca Independent film
in association with Screen Partners
A Spanky Pictures and Apostle production
Credits: Director: Ted Demme; Screenwriter: Mike Armstrong; Producers: Joel Stillerman, Ted Demme, Jim Serpico, Nicolas Clermont, Elie Samaha; Director of photography: Adam Kimmel; Editor: Jeffrey Wolf. Cast: Bobby: Denis Leary; Mouse: Ian Hart; Katy: Famke Janssen; Jackie O'Hara: Colm Meaney; Hanlon: Martin Sheen; Seamus: Jason Barry; Teddy: Billy Crudup; Digger: John Diehl; Red: Noah Emmerich. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 94 minutes.
By Frank Scheck
MONTREAL -- Ted Demme's portrait of lowlife Boston criminals boasts an impressive cast (as does seemingly every other indie movie lately), evocative atmosphere and some sharp dialogue, but the picture ultimately falls under the weight of its pretensions and lack of substance. Shown at Sundance under the title "Snitch", "Monument Ave". was recently showcased at the Montreal World Film Festival and is due for commercial release Sept. 25 from Lions Gate. Boxoffice prospects are minimal.
Mike Armstrong's colorful script deals with a group of young, petty Irish criminals living in the Charlestown section of Boston. They spend their time snorting cocaine, pulling off car robberies, playing spirited street hockey and hanging around the local pub having Tarantino-like arguments about the merits of various teen movies ("Ferris Bueller" vs. "Breakfast Club") and which female stars they'd like to sleep with. To their credit, they realize that none of the starlets they fantasize about would give them the time of day.
The de facto leader of the group is fast-talking, chain-smoking Bobby, played by the ever-charismatic Denis Leary. The rest of the pack includes Bobby's sidekick Mouse (the talented Ian Hart), the hollow-eyed Digger (John Diehl), the bearlike Red (Noah Emmerich) and Teddy (rising star Billy Crudup). New to the group is Bobby's fresh-off-the-boat cousin Seamus (Jason Barry), who has just arrived from Dublin and is shocked by what he encounters. Watching from the sidelines is Bobby's long-suffering girlfriend Katy (a deglamorized Famke Janssen).
The area is under the iron hand of local gangster Jackie O'Hara (Colm Meaney), and when Teddy is brutally shot in front of the others one night at the pub, everyone knows that O'Hara was behind it. They refuse to say anything to the investigating detective (Martin Sheen), who is unable to crack the code of silence that exists among the criminal fraternity. Privately, though, Bobby is seething; when O'Hara has the temerity to pay his respects at his victim's funeral, his anger intensifies and eventually leads to violence.
"Monument Ave". is heavier on atmosphere than plot, and the dialogue, sometimes difficult to understand through the Irish brogues, has a contrived feel that the actors are not totally able to overcome. There are some moments (not even whole scenes) that resonate, and an episode in which the simmering Bobby leads the group in the brief abduction of a black pedestrian is powerfully realized. The performances are uniformly fine, with all of the actors, even those with little screen time, registering strongly.
MONUMENT AVE.
Lions Gate Releasing
A Filmline International, Phoenician Films,
Clinica Estetitco and Tribeca Independent film
in association with Screen Partners
A Spanky Pictures and Apostle production
Credits: Director: Ted Demme; Screenwriter: Mike Armstrong; Producers: Joel Stillerman, Ted Demme, Jim Serpico, Nicolas Clermont, Elie Samaha; Director of photography: Adam Kimmel; Editor: Jeffrey Wolf. Cast: Bobby: Denis Leary; Mouse: Ian Hart; Katy: Famke Janssen; Jackie O'Hara: Colm Meaney; Hanlon: Martin Sheen; Seamus: Jason Barry; Teddy: Billy Crudup; Digger: John Diehl; Red: Noah Emmerich. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 94 minutes.
- 9/15/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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