Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
What is life after death? Do we enter an unseen realm when we die? Is there life beyond life as we know it, or do we just rot in the ground while our loved ones grieve, willing to do anything to communicate with us once more? These are the focal themes elegantly and emotionally explored throughout Beyond: Two Souls (Developed by Quantic Dream, the creators of 2010’s critically and commercially acclaimed Interactive Drama Heavy Rain).
Now before I even start tossing out my subjective thoughts on the game, I want to make perfectly clear that isn’t a hackneyed review written by an author who is going to step up on a metaphorical soapbox and preach for five paragraphs about a personal opinion of what defines a video game. Truthfully, I side with Director David Cage in that no one is qualified to arbitrarily define what a game is,...
What is life after death? Do we enter an unseen realm when we die? Is there life beyond life as we know it, or do we just rot in the ground while our loved ones grieve, willing to do anything to communicate with us once more? These are the focal themes elegantly and emotionally explored throughout Beyond: Two Souls (Developed by Quantic Dream, the creators of 2010’s critically and commercially acclaimed Interactive Drama Heavy Rain).
Now before I even start tossing out my subjective thoughts on the game, I want to make perfectly clear that isn’t a hackneyed review written by an author who is going to step up on a metaphorical soapbox and preach for five paragraphs about a personal opinion of what defines a video game. Truthfully, I side with Director David Cage in that no one is qualified to arbitrarily define what a game is,...
- 10/11/2013
- by Robert Kojder
- Obsessed with Film
Two new movies are opening wide this weekend:
The 3D horror thriller Priest directed by Scott Charles Stewart and starring Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban, Lily Collins and Christopher Plummer is opening in almost 3000 theaters. Christopher Young has composed the music for the film. A soundtrack album has been released by Madison Gate Records this past Tuesday. Check out our soundtrack announcement for more information.
Also opening nationwide is the comedy Bridesmaids directed by Paul Feig, produced by Judd Apatow and starring Kirsten Wiig, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph and Jon Hamm. The film’s score is written by Michael Andrews. A soundtrack album, featuring twelve songs from the film, as well as one score track by Andrews has been released by Relativity Music. Visit our previous article to see the full track list.
Opening in limited release is the indie comedy drama Everything Must Go. The film...
The 3D horror thriller Priest directed by Scott Charles Stewart and starring Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban, Lily Collins and Christopher Plummer is opening in almost 3000 theaters. Christopher Young has composed the music for the film. A soundtrack album has been released by Madison Gate Records this past Tuesday. Check out our soundtrack announcement for more information.
Also opening nationwide is the comedy Bridesmaids directed by Paul Feig, produced by Judd Apatow and starring Kirsten Wiig, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph and Jon Hamm. The film’s score is written by Michael Andrews. A soundtrack album, featuring twelve songs from the film, as well as one score track by Andrews has been released by Relativity Music. Visit our previous article to see the full track list.
Opening in limited release is the indie comedy drama Everything Must Go. The film...
- 5/14/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Yesterday, the Genie Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Oscars for those who don't know, were handed out. This year, Polytechnique dominated the Genie Awards and even took the award for Best Motion Picture. However, the presentation of the award on TV and on webcast was too short. Besides, it wasn't a live presentation and not all the awards were shows on TV/webcast. Second Besides: When will a TV network (and not some cable network that few Canadians have) broadcast the Genie Awards? Anyway, without further ado, here's the presentation of the winners.
1. Best Motion Picture
* 3 saisons.
* Before Tomorrow.
* Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* [Winner] Polytechnique.
2. Achievement in Direction:
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu for Before Tomorrow.
* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Charles Officer - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* [Winner] Denis Villeneuve - Polytechnique.
* Bruce McDonald - Pontypool.
3. Best Original Screenplay:
* Atom Egoyan - Adoration.
* Émile Gaudreault and Ian Lauzon - De père en flic...
1. Best Motion Picture
* 3 saisons.
* Before Tomorrow.
* Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* [Winner] Polytechnique.
2. Achievement in Direction:
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu for Before Tomorrow.
* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Charles Officer - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* [Winner] Denis Villeneuve - Polytechnique.
* Bruce McDonald - Pontypool.
3. Best Original Screenplay:
* Atom Egoyan - Adoration.
* Émile Gaudreault and Ian Lauzon - De père en flic...
- 4/13/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Yesterday, the Jutra Awards, Quebec's Oscars, were presented. I personally didn't have the time to watch it, because I was finishing some research papers. However, here's the list of winners for this year's Jutra Awards.
Best feature film:
* 1981.
* Dédé, à travers les brumes.
* [Winner] J'ai tué ma mère.
* Polytechnique.
* Le jour avant le lendemain (Before Tomorrow).
Best director:
* Ricardo Trogi for 1981.
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau et Madeline Piujuq for Before Tomorrow.
* Jean-Philippe Duval for Dédé à travers les brumes.
* Xavier Dolan for J’ai tué ma mère.
* [Winner] Denis Villeneuve for Polytechnique.
Best actress:
* Céline Bonnier in Je me souviens.
* Marie-Thérèse Fortin in Les grandes chaleurs.
* Élise Guilbault in La Donation.
* [Winner] Anne Dorval in J’ai tué ma mère.
* Isabelle Guérard in Détour.
Best actor:
* Jean-Carl Boucher in 1981.
* Michel Côté in De Père en flic.
* Normand D’Amour in 5150, rue des Ormes.
* Xavier Dolan in J’ai tué ma mère.
* [Winner] Sébastien Ricard in Dédé à travers les brumes.
Best feature film:
* 1981.
* Dédé, à travers les brumes.
* [Winner] J'ai tué ma mère.
* Polytechnique.
* Le jour avant le lendemain (Before Tomorrow).
Best director:
* Ricardo Trogi for 1981.
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau et Madeline Piujuq for Before Tomorrow.
* Jean-Philippe Duval for Dédé à travers les brumes.
* Xavier Dolan for J’ai tué ma mère.
* [Winner] Denis Villeneuve for Polytechnique.
Best actress:
* Céline Bonnier in Je me souviens.
* Marie-Thérèse Fortin in Les grandes chaleurs.
* Élise Guilbault in La Donation.
* [Winner] Anne Dorval in J’ai tué ma mère.
* Isabelle Guérard in Détour.
Best actor:
* Jean-Carl Boucher in 1981.
* Michel Côté in De Père en flic.
* Normand D’Amour in 5150, rue des Ormes.
* Xavier Dolan in J’ai tué ma mère.
* [Winner] Sébastien Ricard in Dédé à travers les brumes.
- 3/29/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
I’m pretty known for plopping myself in front of the television and playing a video game from sometime in the afternoon ’til goodness knows when. Half the time though it’s usually trucking through a multiplayer match on Modern Warfare 2 or trying my heart out to earn that one last trophy on God of War II or Uncharted. However, there had never been a time where I played a game for twelve hours, only pausing because the ol’ tummy reminded me it hadn’t had anything to eat. Heavy Rain will go down as a game I literally couldn’t put down, not only for it’s addicting gameplay, but for how much tension keeps you glued to your DualShock 3. Oh yeah, there’s also a pretty addicting story that keeps things moving.
Heavy Rain doesn’t control like a typical game, and quite honestly I applaud Quantic Dream...
Heavy Rain doesn’t control like a typical game, and quite honestly I applaud Quantic Dream...
- 3/1/2010
- by Philip Barrett
- ReelLoop.com
This morning, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (Acct) had announced the nominees for the 30th Genie Awards. For those who don't know, this is the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars. This year, the leader in the race is Polytechnique with 11 nominations. Moreover, the winners will be announced on April 12, 2010.
1. Best Motion Picture
* 3 saisons.
* Before Tomorrow.
* Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* Polytechnique.
2. Achievement in Direction:
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu for Before Tomorrow.
* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Charles Officer - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* Denis Villeneuve - Polytechnique.
* Bruce McDonald - Pontypool.
3. Best Original Screenplay:
* Atom Egoyan - Adoration.
* Émile Gaudreault and Ian Lauzon - De père en flic (Father and Guns).
* Charles Officer and Ingrid Veninger - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* Jacques Davidts - Polytechnique.
* David Bezmozgis - Victoria Day.
4. Best Adapted Screenplay:
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Susan Avingaq and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu - Before Tomorrow.
* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.
1. Best Motion Picture
* 3 saisons.
* Before Tomorrow.
* Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* Polytechnique.
2. Achievement in Direction:
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu for Before Tomorrow.
* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.
* Charles Officer - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* Denis Villeneuve - Polytechnique.
* Bruce McDonald - Pontypool.
3. Best Original Screenplay:
* Atom Egoyan - Adoration.
* Émile Gaudreault and Ian Lauzon - De père en flic (Father and Guns).
* Charles Officer and Ingrid Veninger - Nurse.Fighter.Boy.
* Jacques Davidts - Polytechnique.
* David Bezmozgis - Victoria Day.
4. Best Adapted Screenplay:
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Susan Avingaq and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu - Before Tomorrow.
* Kari Skogland - Fifty Dead Men Walking.
- 3/1/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
This afternoon, the nominees for the Jutra Award, Quebec's own Oscars, were announced. Unlike last year, there are two new things that we should expect to see. The first one being that the jury will be formed by 18 people. Secondly, all members of the jury have seen the films that are nominated. Besides, the host of evening will be Patrice L'Écuyer and the ceremony will take place at La Tohu on March 28. Also note that the Jutra Award will be broadcasted live on Radio-Canada. Anyway, the following is the list of nominees.
Best feature film:
* 1981.
* Dédé, à travers les brumes.
* J'ai tué ma mère.
* Polytechnique.
* Le jour avant le lendemain (Before Tomorrow).
Best director:
* Ricardo Trogi for 1981
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau et Madeline Piujuq for Before Tomorrow.
* Jean-Philippe Duval for Dédé à travers les brumes.
* Xavier Dolan for J’ai tué ma mère.
* Denis Villeneuve for Polytechnique.
Best actress:
* Céline Bonnier in Je me souviens.
Best feature film:
* 1981.
* Dédé, à travers les brumes.
* J'ai tué ma mère.
* Polytechnique.
* Le jour avant le lendemain (Before Tomorrow).
Best director:
* Ricardo Trogi for 1981
* Marie-Hélène Cousineau et Madeline Piujuq for Before Tomorrow.
* Jean-Philippe Duval for Dédé à travers les brumes.
* Xavier Dolan for J’ai tué ma mère.
* Denis Villeneuve for Polytechnique.
Best actress:
* Céline Bonnier in Je me souviens.
- 2/17/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Screened
AFI Fest
In "The Statement", as he famously did with "In the Heat of the Night", director Norman Jewison uses the framework of an investigative thriller to examine vital political and moral issues. But he is talking to a much smaller audience with this movie. For "The Statement" burrows into the tricky morass of wartime France, Nazi war crimes, the Catholic Church's alleged complicity and protection still provided to war criminals by high government officials. While the moral issues at stake in each movie are not that dissimilar, the sad truth is that mainstream American audiences lack the curiosity or historical understanding to take an interest in a political thriller that delves into so "foreign" a topic.
The film certainly has the hallmarks of a top-notch Jewison production -- splendid performances, especially from leads Michael Caine, Tilda Swinton and Jeremy Northam, a pulse-quickening pace and production values that establish story and character within a distinct environment. The film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release Dec. 12, will play well not only to adults eager to explore matters of conscience but to enjoy the tense twists and turns of a manhunt thriller.
Ronald Harwood's script is based on a novel by the late Catholic novelist Brian Moore that in turn is based loosely on facts behind a notorious real-life case in France. Things begin in the south of France in 1944 when a young French officer, acting under the Nazi command, orders the execution of seven Jews. Flash-forward to 1992 when Pierre Brossard (Caine), a frightened white-haired man with an unsteady gait and bum ticker outfoxes a hired assassin (Matt Craven) and kills him instead. Immediately, Brossard returns to an abbey where he is staying, packs his bags and flees.
Meanwhile, in Paris, hardheaded Judge Anne Marie Livi (Swinton) takes over an ongoing investigation into Brossard, the man who committed "crimes against humanity" back in 1944. She enlists the aid of even-tempered army Col. Roux (Northam) but makes clear that her real target is the powerful men who have protected Brossard so many years.
Shocked to learn from Roux that a subterranean group, presumably Jewish, seeks to assassinate the aging war criminal, Livi redoubles her efforts despite a warning from a high official and old family friend (Alan Bates) that powerful forces are aligned against her.
As various groups close in on Brossard, Livi makes the fateful decision to release a photo of him to the press, forcing her prey deeper underground as he runs out of hiding places. One momentary refuge is with an estranged wife (Charlotte Rampling), a sanctuary some may wish Jewison and Harwood had explored more intensely, but the thriller format doesn't permit such a digression.
The movie adroitly shifts the focus among the harried Brossard, his various pursuers and several protectors, including a commissaire-turned-wine grower (Frank Finley), a corrupt police official (Ciaran Hinds), a cardinal (William Hutt) who is Brossard's confessor and defender and a secret group of extreme conservatives within the Church dedicated to covering up Church complicity with the Nazis.
The chase is riveting, but even more so is the film's exploration into self-deception and self-righteousness. Jewison and Harwood's spade turns up no new ground, but the tilling allows us to ponder questions that haunt us today -- namely, where responsibility lies for such crimes and the role of individual conscience in collective evildoing.
Caine, ever the master of his character in voice and body, makes Brossard a fascinating antagonist, a perpetual seeker of atonement who is unwilling to acknowledge any real guilt. The film gives little insight into the personalities of Swinton's judge or Northam's colonel other than as professionals dedicated to their task. But this does makes one wonder why they care where so many others obviously did not.
Atmospheric cinematography by Jewison's son, Kevin Jewison, makes good use of southern French locations. Steve E. Rivkin and Andrew Eisen's editing neatly builds tension, while Normand Corbeil's emphatic music, a throwback to a Hitchcock score, helps drive the narrative.
THE STATEMENT
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics and Serendipity Point Films in association with Odessa Films, Company Pictures and BBC Films
Credits: Director: Norman Jewison
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Based on a novel by: Brian Moore
Producer: Norman Jewison, Robert Lantos
Director of photography: Kevin Jewison
Production designer: Jean Rabasse
Music: Normand Corbeil
Costume designer: Carine Sarfati
Editors: Andrew Eisen, Steve E. Rivkin
Cast:
Pierre Brossard: Michael Caine
Anne Marie Livi: Tilda Swinton
Roux: Jeremy Northam
Michael: Noam Jenkins
Pochon: Cairan Hinds
Capt. Durand: Dominic Gould
David: Matt Craven
Nicole: Charlotte Rampling
Bertier: Alan Bates
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
AFI Fest
In "The Statement", as he famously did with "In the Heat of the Night", director Norman Jewison uses the framework of an investigative thriller to examine vital political and moral issues. But he is talking to a much smaller audience with this movie. For "The Statement" burrows into the tricky morass of wartime France, Nazi war crimes, the Catholic Church's alleged complicity and protection still provided to war criminals by high government officials. While the moral issues at stake in each movie are not that dissimilar, the sad truth is that mainstream American audiences lack the curiosity or historical understanding to take an interest in a political thriller that delves into so "foreign" a topic.
The film certainly has the hallmarks of a top-notch Jewison production -- splendid performances, especially from leads Michael Caine, Tilda Swinton and Jeremy Northam, a pulse-quickening pace and production values that establish story and character within a distinct environment. The film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release Dec. 12, will play well not only to adults eager to explore matters of conscience but to enjoy the tense twists and turns of a manhunt thriller.
Ronald Harwood's script is based on a novel by the late Catholic novelist Brian Moore that in turn is based loosely on facts behind a notorious real-life case in France. Things begin in the south of France in 1944 when a young French officer, acting under the Nazi command, orders the execution of seven Jews. Flash-forward to 1992 when Pierre Brossard (Caine), a frightened white-haired man with an unsteady gait and bum ticker outfoxes a hired assassin (Matt Craven) and kills him instead. Immediately, Brossard returns to an abbey where he is staying, packs his bags and flees.
Meanwhile, in Paris, hardheaded Judge Anne Marie Livi (Swinton) takes over an ongoing investigation into Brossard, the man who committed "crimes against humanity" back in 1944. She enlists the aid of even-tempered army Col. Roux (Northam) but makes clear that her real target is the powerful men who have protected Brossard so many years.
Shocked to learn from Roux that a subterranean group, presumably Jewish, seeks to assassinate the aging war criminal, Livi redoubles her efforts despite a warning from a high official and old family friend (Alan Bates) that powerful forces are aligned against her.
As various groups close in on Brossard, Livi makes the fateful decision to release a photo of him to the press, forcing her prey deeper underground as he runs out of hiding places. One momentary refuge is with an estranged wife (Charlotte Rampling), a sanctuary some may wish Jewison and Harwood had explored more intensely, but the thriller format doesn't permit such a digression.
The movie adroitly shifts the focus among the harried Brossard, his various pursuers and several protectors, including a commissaire-turned-wine grower (Frank Finley), a corrupt police official (Ciaran Hinds), a cardinal (William Hutt) who is Brossard's confessor and defender and a secret group of extreme conservatives within the Church dedicated to covering up Church complicity with the Nazis.
The chase is riveting, but even more so is the film's exploration into self-deception and self-righteousness. Jewison and Harwood's spade turns up no new ground, but the tilling allows us to ponder questions that haunt us today -- namely, where responsibility lies for such crimes and the role of individual conscience in collective evildoing.
Caine, ever the master of his character in voice and body, makes Brossard a fascinating antagonist, a perpetual seeker of atonement who is unwilling to acknowledge any real guilt. The film gives little insight into the personalities of Swinton's judge or Northam's colonel other than as professionals dedicated to their task. But this does makes one wonder why they care where so many others obviously did not.
Atmospheric cinematography by Jewison's son, Kevin Jewison, makes good use of southern French locations. Steve E. Rivkin and Andrew Eisen's editing neatly builds tension, while Normand Corbeil's emphatic music, a throwback to a Hitchcock score, helps drive the narrative.
THE STATEMENT
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics and Serendipity Point Films in association with Odessa Films, Company Pictures and BBC Films
Credits: Director: Norman Jewison
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Based on a novel by: Brian Moore
Producer: Norman Jewison, Robert Lantos
Director of photography: Kevin Jewison
Production designer: Jean Rabasse
Music: Normand Corbeil
Costume designer: Carine Sarfati
Editors: Andrew Eisen, Steve E. Rivkin
Cast:
Pierre Brossard: Michael Caine
Anne Marie Livi: Tilda Swinton
Roux: Jeremy Northam
Michael: Noam Jenkins
Pochon: Cairan Hinds
Capt. Durand: Dominic Gould
David: Matt Craven
Nicole: Charlotte Rampling
Bertier: Alan Bates
Running time -- 120 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/13/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Where's Vin Diesel when you need him?
In "Extreme Ops", a pair of snowboarders who have teamed up with a downhill gold medalist to shoot a commercial in the Austrian Alps find themselves having to outmaneuver nasty terrorists in addition to the obligatory avalanche.
It's the kind of stuff that could use a larger-than-life lead, but, given the budget constraints of this German-British co-production, big-ticket talent has had to take a back seat to cost-effective backdrops.
They're in vivid, wind-swept supply here and, in the capable hands of former cinematographer Christian Duguay (the Emmy-nominated director of "Joan of Arc"), the able international cast looks convincingly frostbitten.
But because of a cumbersome script that takes forever to click into gear, too much of the picture ends up getting left out in the cold.
The result, which wasn't screened in advance for critics to file opening-day reviews, won't be drawing a large Thanksgiving weekend crowd, but neither is it a turkey, despite all the extra stuffing.
Determined to please an important Japanese client, a smarmy ad executive (England's Rupert Graves with a very convincing American accent) and a British commercial director (Rufus Sewell) overcome their concept vs. cost differences and agree to make a high-stakes commercial for a new digital video camera involving three expert skiers and a fast-moving avalanche.
With a pair of gonzo snowboarders (Jana Pallaske and Joe Absolom) and a comely gold medalist (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) in tow, the production sets up camp in an unfinished resort perched on a 12,000-foot mountaintop straddling the border of the former Yugoslavia.
It just so happens that a highly dangerous Serbian war criminal (Klaus Lowitsch) has been taking refuge in the very same spot after having faked his death in a plane crash, and when the crew's cameraman (Devon Sawa) inadvertently shoots footage of the bad guy, all hell breaks loose.
Unfortunately, the script, credited to first-time screenwriter Michael Zaidan, requires the game cast to trudge through an awful lot of exposition before getting to the heart-pounding bits; by the time those more involving action sequences finally arrive, the effectively chilled viewer is too "XXX"hausted to muster up much enthusiasm.
EXTREME OPS
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures, MDP Worldwide and Diamant Cohen Prods. present an Apollomedia/Extreme Prods. production in association with the Carousel Picture Co.
Credits:
Director: Christian Duguay
Screenwriter: Michael Zaidan
Story: Timothy Scott Bogart, Mark Mullin
Producers: Moshe Diamant, Mark Mullin
Executive producers: Romain Schroeder, Rudy Cohen, Mark Damon, David Saunders
Director of photography: Hannes Hubach
Production designer: Philip Harrison
Editors: Clive Barrett, Sylvain Lebel
Costume designer: Maria Schicker
Music: Normand Corbeil, Stanislas Syrewicz
Cast:
Will: Devon Sawa
Chloe: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Jeffrey: Rupert Graves
Ian: Rufus Sewell
Mark: Heino Ferch
Silo: Joe Absolom
Kittie: Jana Pallaske
Yana: Liliana Komorowska
Pavle: Klaus Lowitsch
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In "Extreme Ops", a pair of snowboarders who have teamed up with a downhill gold medalist to shoot a commercial in the Austrian Alps find themselves having to outmaneuver nasty terrorists in addition to the obligatory avalanche.
It's the kind of stuff that could use a larger-than-life lead, but, given the budget constraints of this German-British co-production, big-ticket talent has had to take a back seat to cost-effective backdrops.
They're in vivid, wind-swept supply here and, in the capable hands of former cinematographer Christian Duguay (the Emmy-nominated director of "Joan of Arc"), the able international cast looks convincingly frostbitten.
But because of a cumbersome script that takes forever to click into gear, too much of the picture ends up getting left out in the cold.
The result, which wasn't screened in advance for critics to file opening-day reviews, won't be drawing a large Thanksgiving weekend crowd, but neither is it a turkey, despite all the extra stuffing.
Determined to please an important Japanese client, a smarmy ad executive (England's Rupert Graves with a very convincing American accent) and a British commercial director (Rufus Sewell) overcome their concept vs. cost differences and agree to make a high-stakes commercial for a new digital video camera involving three expert skiers and a fast-moving avalanche.
With a pair of gonzo snowboarders (Jana Pallaske and Joe Absolom) and a comely gold medalist (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) in tow, the production sets up camp in an unfinished resort perched on a 12,000-foot mountaintop straddling the border of the former Yugoslavia.
It just so happens that a highly dangerous Serbian war criminal (Klaus Lowitsch) has been taking refuge in the very same spot after having faked his death in a plane crash, and when the crew's cameraman (Devon Sawa) inadvertently shoots footage of the bad guy, all hell breaks loose.
Unfortunately, the script, credited to first-time screenwriter Michael Zaidan, requires the game cast to trudge through an awful lot of exposition before getting to the heart-pounding bits; by the time those more involving action sequences finally arrive, the effectively chilled viewer is too "XXX"hausted to muster up much enthusiasm.
EXTREME OPS
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures, MDP Worldwide and Diamant Cohen Prods. present an Apollomedia/Extreme Prods. production in association with the Carousel Picture Co.
Credits:
Director: Christian Duguay
Screenwriter: Michael Zaidan
Story: Timothy Scott Bogart, Mark Mullin
Producers: Moshe Diamant, Mark Mullin
Executive producers: Romain Schroeder, Rudy Cohen, Mark Damon, David Saunders
Director of photography: Hannes Hubach
Production designer: Philip Harrison
Editors: Clive Barrett, Sylvain Lebel
Costume designer: Maria Schicker
Music: Normand Corbeil, Stanislas Syrewicz
Cast:
Will: Devon Sawa
Chloe: Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Jeffrey: Rupert Graves
Ian: Rufus Sewell
Mark: Heino Ferch
Silo: Joe Absolom
Kittie: Jana Pallaske
Yana: Liliana Komorowska
Pavle: Klaus Lowitsch
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/2/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Falling into a welcome niche that lies between agile, frenetic Hong Kong actioners and the preposterous bloat of a James Bond movie, "The Art of War" is a kinetic, wall-to-wall action movie that puts the fun back into a genre that is going stale fast. And Wesley Snipes, whose company co-
produced this film, has found in the movie's hero a character who fits him like a well-tailored suit: Neil Shaw, a taciturn, tenacious and ruthlessly proficient thinking-man's spy who never cracks a smile and has no past and, perhaps, no future.
Directed by Christian Duguay, "War" emerges as a highly charged late-season entry that could blow a hole in the current summer boxoffice doldrums. Snipes' name assures the support of his considerable fan base and solid marketing by Warner Bros., and word-of-mouth should do the rest. The film also benefits from a nifty title.
That title, of course, refers to the ancient treatise by Sun Tzu, an Asian general whose handbook for victory on the battlefield now serves as a guide for business and politics. All the film's characters -- warring factions prowling New York's treacherous back alleys and the United Nations' even more dangerous corridors -- have seemingly read Sun Tzu. As mind games and double crosses unfold, they quote him constantly and with approval.
Wayne Beach and Simon Davis Barry's amusingly convoluted screenplay imagines that the United Nations runs a stealth spy operation against its member nations led by Shaw and supported by a skeletal team. So covert is this operation that when the movie opens with a heroic feat by Shaw, the U.N. secretary general (Donald Sutherland) wonders aloud, "How do you give a medal to somebody who doesn't exist for something that didn't happen?"
In that opening sequence, Snipes performs a deadly dance in and around a Hong Kong skyscraper -- a sequence that involves whiz-bang espionage technology, intricately choreographed martial arts fights and a jump off the building -- all of which rivals any James Bond opening.
The plot, completely ludicrous but wonderfully attuned to establishing locales and clearing the way for action, has spies, cops, tongs and an international array of bad guys going nuts in New York over a impending trade treaty to open China to world markets. The assassination of China's U.N. ambassador (the inveterate James Hong) and wounding of a shady tycoon (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) forces Shaw underground when he is accused of the crime.
He can trust no one but must rely on a spunky U.N. translator (Marie Matiko) who doesn't trust him. Maury Chaykin plays an NYPD detective who realizes he's in over his head. Anne Archer plays Shaw's nefarious boss, while Michael Biehn and Liliana Komorowska back up Shaw. There are double crosses and triple crosses and a key line inspired by Sun Tzu: "Appearances are everything -- in politics and deception."
Duguay employs considerable visual trickery -- much of it successfully. There are black-and-white stop-action flashbacks that we come to realize are the film's way of getting into Shaw's head to see how he puts the pieces of the conspiratorial puzzles together in his mind.
Some of the visual razzle-dazzle is over the top, just as Normand Corbeil's music occasionally overwhelms the action, and the stunt people, as good as they are, sometimes cheat a little on their leaps off buildings.
But thanks to a swift pace and great set pieces, the film holds together as it mixes the preposterous with the plausible. Toss in some gratuitous violence and nudity, and you've got a commercial potboiler.
Snipes never fully penetrates the surface of his character, but part of Shaw's mystique is that he's something of a well-oiled machine with the emotional component removed. And Snipes' athleticism and the stunt fighting (designed by Jeff Ward) give the action scenes real snap.
Matiko, who has never starred in a film, is a real up-and-comer -- sexy, smart and quick-witted -- and she holds the screen with Snipes. The other pros in the cast deliver highly serviceable performances, and the below-the-line talent is at the top of their game. Thanks to their work and digital imaging, the movie manages to turn Montreal into both New York and Hong Kong.
THE ART OF WAR
Warner Bros.
Morgan Creek Prods., Franchise Pictures
and Amen Ra Films present
a Filmline International production
Producer: Nicolas Clermont
Director: Christian Duguay
Screenwriters: Wayne Beach,
Simon Davis Barry
Story: Wayne Beach
Executive producers: Elie Samaha,
Dan Halsted, Wesley Snipes
Director of photography: Pierre Gill
Production designer: Anne Pritchard
Music: Normand Corbeil
Co-producer: Richard Lalonde
Costume designer: Odette Gadoury
Editor: Michel Arcand
Color/stereo
Cast:
Neil Shaw: Wesley Snipes
Eleanor Hooks: Anne Archer
Cappella: Maury Chaykin
Julia Fang: Marie Matiko
Chan: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Bly: Michael Biehn
Douglas Thomas: Donald Sutherland
Ambassador Wu: James Hong
Novak: Liliana Komorowska
Running time - 119 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
produced this film, has found in the movie's hero a character who fits him like a well-tailored suit: Neil Shaw, a taciturn, tenacious and ruthlessly proficient thinking-man's spy who never cracks a smile and has no past and, perhaps, no future.
Directed by Christian Duguay, "War" emerges as a highly charged late-season entry that could blow a hole in the current summer boxoffice doldrums. Snipes' name assures the support of his considerable fan base and solid marketing by Warner Bros., and word-of-mouth should do the rest. The film also benefits from a nifty title.
That title, of course, refers to the ancient treatise by Sun Tzu, an Asian general whose handbook for victory on the battlefield now serves as a guide for business and politics. All the film's characters -- warring factions prowling New York's treacherous back alleys and the United Nations' even more dangerous corridors -- have seemingly read Sun Tzu. As mind games and double crosses unfold, they quote him constantly and with approval.
Wayne Beach and Simon Davis Barry's amusingly convoluted screenplay imagines that the United Nations runs a stealth spy operation against its member nations led by Shaw and supported by a skeletal team. So covert is this operation that when the movie opens with a heroic feat by Shaw, the U.N. secretary general (Donald Sutherland) wonders aloud, "How do you give a medal to somebody who doesn't exist for something that didn't happen?"
In that opening sequence, Snipes performs a deadly dance in and around a Hong Kong skyscraper -- a sequence that involves whiz-bang espionage technology, intricately choreographed martial arts fights and a jump off the building -- all of which rivals any James Bond opening.
The plot, completely ludicrous but wonderfully attuned to establishing locales and clearing the way for action, has spies, cops, tongs and an international array of bad guys going nuts in New York over a impending trade treaty to open China to world markets. The assassination of China's U.N. ambassador (the inveterate James Hong) and wounding of a shady tycoon (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) forces Shaw underground when he is accused of the crime.
He can trust no one but must rely on a spunky U.N. translator (Marie Matiko) who doesn't trust him. Maury Chaykin plays an NYPD detective who realizes he's in over his head. Anne Archer plays Shaw's nefarious boss, while Michael Biehn and Liliana Komorowska back up Shaw. There are double crosses and triple crosses and a key line inspired by Sun Tzu: "Appearances are everything -- in politics and deception."
Duguay employs considerable visual trickery -- much of it successfully. There are black-and-white stop-action flashbacks that we come to realize are the film's way of getting into Shaw's head to see how he puts the pieces of the conspiratorial puzzles together in his mind.
Some of the visual razzle-dazzle is over the top, just as Normand Corbeil's music occasionally overwhelms the action, and the stunt people, as good as they are, sometimes cheat a little on their leaps off buildings.
But thanks to a swift pace and great set pieces, the film holds together as it mixes the preposterous with the plausible. Toss in some gratuitous violence and nudity, and you've got a commercial potboiler.
Snipes never fully penetrates the surface of his character, but part of Shaw's mystique is that he's something of a well-oiled machine with the emotional component removed. And Snipes' athleticism and the stunt fighting (designed by Jeff Ward) give the action scenes real snap.
Matiko, who has never starred in a film, is a real up-and-comer -- sexy, smart and quick-witted -- and she holds the screen with Snipes. The other pros in the cast deliver highly serviceable performances, and the below-the-line talent is at the top of their game. Thanks to their work and digital imaging, the movie manages to turn Montreal into both New York and Hong Kong.
THE ART OF WAR
Warner Bros.
Morgan Creek Prods., Franchise Pictures
and Amen Ra Films present
a Filmline International production
Producer: Nicolas Clermont
Director: Christian Duguay
Screenwriters: Wayne Beach,
Simon Davis Barry
Story: Wayne Beach
Executive producers: Elie Samaha,
Dan Halsted, Wesley Snipes
Director of photography: Pierre Gill
Production designer: Anne Pritchard
Music: Normand Corbeil
Co-producer: Richard Lalonde
Costume designer: Odette Gadoury
Editor: Michel Arcand
Color/stereo
Cast:
Neil Shaw: Wesley Snipes
Eleanor Hooks: Anne Archer
Cappella: Maury Chaykin
Julia Fang: Marie Matiko
Chan: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Bly: Michael Biehn
Douglas Thomas: Donald Sutherland
Ambassador Wu: James Hong
Novak: Liliana Komorowska
Running time - 119 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 8/21/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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