Todd Brown
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J.J. Abrams Didn't Want 'Star Wars' and 6 Other Secrets Behind Disney's Lucasfilm Deal
March 07, 2013 5:18pm ESTWe know, we know. All the details of Lucasfilm’s sale to Disney, and the resulting news that new Star Wars movies will be produced, have been scrutinized with the fine tooth comb of Rebel Alliance battle strategists poring over Death Star schematics. What new intel could there possibly be to learn? Well, an in-depth new feature in Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek magazine shows that, actually, there is still quite a lot to be gleaned about the mega-merger, what prompted George Lucas to hand over the reins to his multi-billion dollar company, and how exactly J.J. Abrams was convinced to make the jump to lightspeed. Here are seven things we learned from reporter Devin Leonard’s fascinating piece: 1. George Lucas May Really Be a Jedi MasterAt the May 2011 opening of the Star Wars: The Adventure Continues attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, Disney CEO Bob Iger and former Lucasfilm chairman Lucas engaged in a duel with plastic lightsabers. Iger quickly found himself outmatched. “[George] just has this way of carrying that light saber,” Iger recalls. “He was more adept at using it than me.” RELATED: ‘Star Wars: Ep. VII’: Carrie Fisher Says Leia, and the Metal Bikini, Will Return 2. Lucasfilm’s Official Database of Star Wars Lore Is Called the "Holocron"Now diehard fans of the saga already know about the Holocron, a database named after a crystalline Jedi/Sith data storage device that keeps track of over 17,000 Star Wars character, over 2,000 planets, and some 30,000+ years of Galaxy Far, Far Away History. What they might not know, given the ubiquity in Star Wars fandom of Wookieepedia, is just how extensive Lucasfilm’s official Holocron is. Need to know exactly with whom Yoda visited during his 22 years of exile on Dagobah? The Holocron (curated by the affable Leland Chee, whose official title is “Keeper of the Holocron.”) can tell you! RELATED: ‘Star Wars’ Authors Share How to Make the Best ‘Episode VII’ 3. George Lucas says that Lucasfilm had been deep in talks with Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, even well before the Disney deal was finalized“We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison — or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation,” Lucas said. “So I called them to say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on.’ Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them…I won’t say whether the negotiations were successful or not.” For a major casting announcement like that, Lucasfilm’s history is never to let any one media outlet announce it for them. They would insist upon announcing news that major directly through StarWars.com. 4. J.J. Abrams Did Not Lie When He Said in November 2012 He Wasn’t Involved With Episode VIIFans were happy when he officially signed on to the project in January, but there definitely was a little bit of bickering about why exactly he was so adamant just two months before that he would not be involved. Well, he wasn’t lying to us, if that makes you feel any better. Abrams did not want to helm Episode VII as he thought it would be too similar to his work on the Star Trek franchise. But Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy stopped by Bad Robot’s Santa Monica production headquarters for a two-hour meeting in late December, and that two-hour meeting caused him to change his mind. RELATED: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Recap: The Fate of Ahsoka 5. Disney’s Purchase of Lucasfilm was First Discussed at a Disney Theme ParkSpecifically, the Brown Derby restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in May 2011, when Lucas was on-hand to open Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Disneyphiles can tell you that the Brown Derby is a faithful recreation of the original Hollywood landmark (immortalized in a classic I Love Lucy episode in which Lucy Ricardo stalks William Holden), the kind of place where lots of wheeling and dealing would happen. What better venue for an entertainment merger as significant as the Disney-Lucasfilm deal to take place than at its facsimile? 6. Steve Jobs Let Disney CEO Bob Iger Know How He Really Felt About Some of the Studios’ MoviesThe Apple co-founder was the largest shareholder on the Disney board of directors. Maybe that’s why he felt he could call Iger to say, “Hey, Bob, I saw the movie you just released last night, and it sucked.” (No specific titles were mentioned in the article, but we choose to believe he was referring to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.) Despite that criticism, Iger says that his relationship with Jobs was “additive rather than the other way around.” 7. That Star Wars Live Action Series Could Still HappenThough he’s not quoted directly in the BusinessWeek article about this, Iger has apparently confirmed that discussions about the long-rumored live-action Star Wars TV series, tentatively titled Star Wars: Underworld, are still taking place. You see, Padawan readers, much to learn there still is. Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt [Photo Credit: Todd Anderson/AP Photo/Disney] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)15 Stars Share Secrets of their Sex Lives (Celebuzz)
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John Dies at the End Review
January 22, 2013 4:40am ESTSalvador Dalí is often quoted as saying "I don't do drugs I am drugs." Whether or not this is a case of attribution decay it's certainly an appropriate statement for the surreal artist. Although it would be silly to suggest that John Dies at the End is on par with such an influential artist (and the movie will certainly never take over Dalí's monopoly of dorm room posters and assorted ephemera) it definitely feels like taking a trip down the rabbit hole. Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes star as Dave and John respectively best buds and regular dudes who find themselves face to face with grotesque monsters from alternate dimensions and a panoply of other mind-bending horrors all thanks to a drug nicknamed Soy Sauce. The Sauce is an icky sentient black goop that destroys most of the people who inject it (and those who live will never be the same). When we meet Dave and John they're problem-solvers of a sort; if something weird is happening to you — say you're being harassed by your dead boyfriend — they're the ones to call. The Sauce didn't kill them; it has given them a certain insight into the twisted nature of the universe. Much to Dave's dismay it chose them to save us from certain doom on a regular basis starting with a gross creature from another dimension called Korrok. It's kind of a bubbly vat of sentient goo with one terrible eyeball and it gains knowledge through osmosis. Naturally Korrok would like to nibble on Dave and John to learn their ways so it and a whole legion of freaky followers can hop into our dimension and take over the world we live in. Before they can do that they have a whole host of other problems to deal with like John's untimely demise for starters. John Dies at the End is a logic puzzle that the viewer has to tease out the meaning of. It benefits from subsequent viewings especially since writer/director Don Coscarelli and author David Wong throw so much at you from the very beginning. (Coscarelli adapted the book for the screen.) It's a hallucinatory midnight movie that is so damn fun it's easy to forgive just how hazy it seems in hindsight. There's also a certain sense of disappointment when Dave and John's mission comes to an end possibly because the two characters and all the weird things they encounter are so entertaining that we hate to leave them. Coscarelli fans will especially appreciate a small cameo by Angus Scrimm who played the terrifying Tall Man in Coscarelli's Phantasm series as a priest. And any genre lover worth their Sauce will love seeing Doug Jones out of prosthetics (but no less disarming) as a creepy interstellar traveler. Paul Giamatti plays a skeptical journalist who's writing a story about Dave and his misadventures; this narrative is the framing device and ultimately is a bit of a disappointment. The practical effects have a nice goopy look to them and Coscarelli makes the smart decision to use an animated sequence for some scenes that would have been extraordinarily difficult to create on such a small budget. John Dies at the End is alternately trippy gross and droll and it has a cool B-movie vibe without looking too cheap. Although it's available on demand this would be a fun night out at the movies.
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Death, Destruction, and Klaine: The Year in Television Spoilers
November 30, 2012 11:19am ESTFirst, let's start with the bad news: The Mayan calendar (and, more importantly, a stellar John Cusack movie) have confirmed that the world is ending in a few weeks. I know, right? And we were all totally going to lose those 15 lbs and start journaling in 2013. Then there's the even worse news: You missed a lot of really good TV in 2012. So much good, in fact, that you have no hope of catching up before the end of days. That's where we (and the good news) come in — we've rounded up the best TV spoilers of 2012, so you can spend your remaining days with your family, or whatever. SPOILERS AHEAD, but sorry — no one will ever know who actually killed Alison DiLaurentis on Pretty Little Liars. Let's start with the little guys: How I Met Your Mother: Drama! It was eventually revealed that Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) is marrying Robin (Cobie Smulders). Also, Victoria (Ashley Williams) left her future husband at the alter for Ted (Josh Radnor), but they broke up afterwards because Ted wouldn't stop being friends with Robin. Those crazy kids! The Office: Angela (Angela Kinsey) found out that her husband was cheating on her with Oscar (Oscar Nuñez). Way to be a good coworker, Oscar. Parks and Recreation: Speaking of workplace comedies, Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Adam Scott) finally became engaged! It was adorable. You still with me? Good. Because it all goes downhill from here. Time for some suicides and martyrdom: Sons of Anarchy: The universally beloved Opie (Ryan Hurst) was brutally murdered early in the show's fifth season — sacrificing his life for the club in the most horrendous way possible (he was beaten to death with a lead pipe). Mad Men: Then there was the tragic tale of Lane Price (Jared Harris), the British sap who hung himself in his office after he found himself in financial trouble, and was fired by Don. Not a dry eye in the house. But not all major deaths on TV this year were via suicide — 2012 was huge for killing, or being killed by, children. Let's explore, shall we? Breaking Bad: In the former category, the artist formerly known as Landry (Jesse Plemons) from Friday Night Lights (now known as Todd on Breaking Bad) murdered a small child after said child witnessed Todd, Walt, and Jesse robbing a train. It was probably the most disturbing moment on TV this year, which says a lot, given our next spoiler. The Walking Dead: This one sounds horrific, but it actually made a lot of people happy — Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) died via C-section childbirth during a Walker attack on Walking Dead. Doc Herschel and the rest of the Grimes Gang were busy fighting Walkers in the prison, so Lori's son Carl (Chandler Riggs) had to watch while Maggie (Lauren Cohan) tore out her baby with a dirty knife. Then Carl shot her, before she rose again. It was a classic mother/son coming-of-age moment. Downton Abbey: This one really hurt. Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) from Downton also died during childbirth — but she didn't become a zombie, so she should just shut up and count her blessings. Those were all really depressing, so let's move on to justice — quite a few criminals were caught in 2012: Breaking Bad: First and foremost there's Walter White (Bryan Cranston), the drug kingpin currently known as Heisenberg . We haven't yet seen the aftermath, but the first half of Season 5 ended with Walt's brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris) learning his dirty, methy secret. Dun dun dun. Dexter: This was a long time coming — Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), the brilliant Miami Metro detective, finally learned that her brother is a serial killer. So far, she's been taking it surprisingly well. The Killing: Oh, we finally found out who killed Rosie Larsen. It was her Aunt Terry, sort of. Then the show got canceled. Homeland: Nick Brody (Damian Lewis) was found out and captured by the CIA much, much earlier than anticipated. He's now working with them as a double agent, which is never easy when your other agency is TERRORISM. Enough with all the humans. Supernatural spoiler time: The Vampire Diaries: Elena (Nina Dobrev) became a vampire at the end of the third season's finale. This season, she totally dumped Stefan (Paul Wesley) and slept with Damon (Ian Somerhalder). Bad girls do it well. Fringe: Peter (Josh Jackson) willingly turned himself into an Observer after his daughter, Etta (Georgina Haig), was killed. It was horrifying. He's going bald! True Blood: The newly single Bill (Stephen Moyer) willingly drank the blood of the ancient, evil vampire Lilith at the end of last season — rising as an evil entity, and effectively earning the nickname "Billith." Run, Sookeh! Now let's move on to family drama: Revenge: Season 1 of ABC's new(ish) hit ended with Emily (Emily VanCamp) learning that her long-lost mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) was still alive, while everyone else thought that Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe) had died. She hadn't, and Emily's mother ended up being very, very boring. Revolution: Meanwhile, over on NBC's latest hit, good-guy Miles (Billy Burke) was revealed to have started the evil Monroe Militia — the same militia that recently kidnapped his nephew. (And they still haven't turned the lights on.) Game of Thrones: In a case of outright family treachery, Theon (Alfie Allen) betrayed the Starks by storming Winterfell, pretending to kill young Bran and Rickon, and slaughtering many of their people. Oh, and Klaine broke up on Glee. Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna [PHOTO CREDIT: AMC, Showtime] MORE: Leanne's Spoiler List: 'True Blood' Wants Fresh Meat, 'Parenthood' Heads to Court, & More! Leanne’s Spoiler List: 'AHS: Asylum' Mommy Issues, Love and Loss on ‘Dexter’ Leanne’s Spoiler List: Love is Shaky on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,' ‘Vampire Diaries’ Gets Darker You Might Also Like: Cory and Topanga Are In! Big ‘Boy Meets World’ Spinoff News 12 Hot (And Horrifying) TV Nude Scenes
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Trouble With the Curve Review
September 21, 2012 9:37am ESTThanks to the recent speech at the Republican National Convention in which the former Dirty Harry berated a chair holding an invisible Barack Obama going into a movie starring Clint Eastwood as a technophobe who has trouble not walking into tables and chairs on a daily basis isn’t exactly a setup for success. But believe it or not it’s actually not that unfortunate context that’s the problem: from the clunky script and pacing to Clint’s ever-present grumble and the film’s predictable plot Trouble with the Curve is a slow pitch right down the middle. And this is coming from someone who loves baseball movies so much she’s suffered through Kevin Costner’s For the Love of the Game – twice. But Trouble isn’t really a baseball movie. It’s a sappy father-daughter relationship tale with baseball as the hook and the caulk filling in the film's cracks. Gus (Eastwood) is one of the oldest most respected scouts in the game but he’s getting old his eyes are going and some twerp with a laptop (Matthew Lillard) and his frat boy henchman are determined to shove Gus out of his position at the Atlanta Braves and replace him with a computer (muah-ha-ha). His daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) who he named after Mickey Mantle because that’s how much he loves baseball is trying to make partner at her law firm in a pool of misogynistic bigwigs when she’s called down to North Carolina to help her dad at the behest of his boss and best friend (John Goodman). While she should be working things out with her pops a young scout named Jimmy (Justin Timberlake) shows up flirts with Mickey and steals the storyline for the entire middle section of the film. While Eastwood’s growling grumbling demeanor are perfect for the role of a stalwart old man who refuses to give up the game he once knew he’s saddled with stale jokes and quips – you may know them as “dad jokes” – that undermine his ability to be the wise man who knows better than these young whippersnappers. Adams does the best she can with a role that asks little more than for her to be smart sassy and outspoken but it simply feels like the role was over-cast. Timberlake’s character is plagued with Gus’ same brand of dad jokes but luckily for us the former boy bander is oozing with enough charm to make any joke no matter how terrible funny enough to make us fall in love with him – for an hour and half anyway. Script issues aside where the film really starts to lose its way is in its portrayal of Lillard’s young ladder-climbing villain. At one point they even show him sitting in a dark room backlit by a lone desk lamp as he instructs his henchman to keep spying on Gus. All that’s missing is a maniacal laugh and a fluffy cat on his lap for him to stroke with his ruby-ring-decked hand. It’s this hyperbolic villainy coupled with the treatment of Gus’ mortal enemy (technology) paired with two battling relationship stories (Timberlake and Adams vs. Eastwood and Adams) and the slow plodding pace that keep this film from being what it should be: a perfectly sweet predictable popcorn flick. Trouble would be a perfectly adequate movie to casually watch on a Sunday afternoon with your dad but then again you could just get Field of Dreams on Blu-ray just as easily. [Photo Credit: Warner Bros]
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Creative Arts Emmys 2012: The Winners!
September 15, 2012 5:13pm ESTSaturday was a big day for the TV world as the 2012 Creative Emmys took place. Hollywood.com was both backstage and on the carpet, bringing you the scoop direct from the source. HBO and its epic hit Game of Thrones were the night's biggest winners, with the network taking home 17 statues — six of them for GoT. CBS wasn't far behind with 13 wins, followed by PBS with 11. Frozen Planet, Great Expectations, and Saturday Night Live each took home four awards, resulting in a three-way-tie for second place after Game of Thrones. See below for the list of winners: Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series: Junie Lowry Johnson, Libby Goldstein, Judy Henderson, Craig Fincannon, Lisa Mae Fincannon for Homeland Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special: David Rubin, Richard Hicks, Pat Moran, Kathleen Chopin for Game Change Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series: Jennifer Euston for Girls Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Kathy Bates for Two and A Half Men Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or a Special: Greg Nicotero, Jake Garber, Andy Schoneberg, Kevin Wasner, Gino Crognale, Carey Jonse, Garrett Immel for The Walking Dead Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic): Mario Michisanti, Francesca Tampieri for Hatfields & McCoys Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic): Paul Engelen, Melissa Lackersteen for Game of Thrones Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic): Zena Shteysel, Angela Moos, Patti Ramsey Bortoli, Barbara Fonte, Sarah Woolf, Nadege Schoenfeld for Dancing With the Stars Outstanding Costumes for a Series: Michele Clapton, Alexander Fordham, Chloe Aubry for Game of Thrones Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Annie Symons, Yvonne Duckett for Great Expectations Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie: Monte C. Haught, Samantha Wade, Melanie Verkins, Natalie Driscoll, Michelle Ceglia for American Horror Story Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special: Bettie O. Rogers, Jodi Mancuso, Inga Thrasher, Jennifer Stauffer, Cara Hannah Sullivan, Christal Schanes for Saturday Night Live Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series: Anne "Nosh" Oldham, Christine Greenwood for Downton Abbey Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Jeremy Davies for Justified Outstanding Choreography: Joshua Bergasse for Smash ("National Pastime", "Let's Be Bad", "Never Met A Wolf") Outstanding Music Direction: Rob Berman, Rob Mathes for The Kennedy Center Honors Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): John Lunn for Downton Abbey Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special (Original Dramatic Score): Javier Navarrete for Hemingway & Gellhorn Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics: Adam Schlesinger, David Javerbaum for the 65th Annual Tony Awards ("It's Not Just for Gays Anymore") Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series: Glenda Rovello, Amy Feldman for 2 Broke Girls ("And The Rich People Problems", "And The Reality Check", And The Pop Up Sale") Outstanding Art Direction for Variety or Nonfiction Programming: Brian Stonestreet, Alana Billingsley, Matt Steinbrenner for The 54th Annual Grammy Awards, and Steve Bass, Seth Easter for The 65th Annual Tony Awards Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie: David Roger, Paul Ghirardani, Jo Kornstein for Great Expectations Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series: Bill Groom, Adam Scher, Carol Silverman for Boardwalk Empire, and Gemma Jackson, Frank Walsh, Tina Jones for Game of Thrones Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series: Jordan Goldman, David Latham for Homeland Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: Steven A. Rasch for Curb Your Enthusiasm ("Palestinian Chicken") Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: Sue Federman for How I Met Your Mother ("Trilogy Time") Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie: Don Cassidy for Hatfields & McCoys - Part 2 Outstanding Picture Editing for Short-Form Segments and Variety Specials: Bill DeRonde, Chris Lovett, Mark Stepp, Pi Ware, John Zimmer, Ben Folts for 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming: Andy Netley, Sharon Gillooly for Frozen Planet ("Ends of the Earth") Outstanding Picture Editing for Reality Programming: Josh Earl, Alex Durham for Deadliest Catch ("I Don't Wanna Die") Outstanding Animated Program: Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle, Bret Haaland, Nick Filippi, Chris Neuhahn, Ant Ward, Andrew Heubner, David Knott, Shaun Cashman, Steve Loter, Christo Stamboliev for The Penguins of Madagascar: The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program: Brian A. Miller, Jennifer Pelphrey, Curtis Lelash, Rob Sorcher, JG Quintel, Mike Roth, Janet Dimon, Matt Price, Jack Thomas, John Infantino, Robert Alvarez for Regular Show ("Eggscellent") Outstanding Voice-Over Performance: Maurice LaMarche for Futurama Syd Cassyd Founders Award: Dick Askin Governors Award: Dan Savage, Terry Miller for "It Gets Better" Outstanding Special Visual Effects: Rainer Gombos, Juri Stanossek, Sven Martin, Steve Kullback, Jan Fielder, Chris Stenner, Tobias Mannewitz, Thilo Ewers, Adam Chazen for Game of Thrones ("Valar Morghulis") Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role: Dave Taritero, Robert Stromberg, Richard Friedlander, Eran Dinur, David W. Reynolds, Matthew Conner, Austin Meyers, Jonathan Dorfman, Steve Kirshoff for Boardwalk Empire ("Georgia Peaches") Outstanding Stunt Coordination: Peewee Piemonte for Southland Outstanding Main Title Design: Nic Benns, Rodi Kaya, Tom Bromwich for Great Expectations Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music: Paul Englishby for Page Eight Outstanding Commercial: "Best Job" (Procter & Gamble Corporate Brand) – Wieden + Kennedy, Ad Agency; Anonymous Content, Production Company Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming: Tom Paul for Paul Simon’s Graceland Journey: Under African Skies Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour): Matthew Waters, Onnalee Blank, Ronan Hill, Mervyn Moore for Game Of Thrones ("Blackwater") Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie: Stanomir Dragos, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern for Hatfields & McCoys — Part 1 Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation: Stephen A. Tibbo, Dean Okrand, Brian R. Harman for Modern Family ("Dude Ranch") Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special: Paul Sandweiss, Tommy Vicari, Pablo Munguia, Kristian Pedregon for 84th Annual Academy Awards Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Special: Douglas Murray, Peter Horner, Kim Foscato, Steve Boeddeker, Casey Langfelder, Andrea Gard, Pat Jackson, Daniel Laurie, Goro Koyama, Andy Malcolm, Joanie Diener for Hemingway & Gellhorn Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera): Kate Hopkins, Tim Owens, Paul Fisher for Frozen Planet — Ends of the Earth Outstanding Sound Editing For a Series: Peter Brown, Kira Roessler, Tim Hands, Paul Aulicino, Stephen P. Robinson, Vanessa Lapato, Brett Voss, James Moriana, Jeffrey Wilhoit, David Klotz for Game of Thrones ("Blackwater") Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series: Steven V. Silver for Two and a Half Men ("Sips, Sonnets, and Sodomy") Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series: Jonathan Freeman for Boardwalk Empire ("21") Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie: Florian Hoffmeister for Great Expectations Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming: The Deadliest Catch team ("I Don't Want To Die") Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming: The Frozen Planet team ("Ends of the Earth") Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series: Steven Cimino, John Pinto, Paul J. Cangialosi, Len Weschler, Barry Frischer, Eric A. Einstein, Susan Noll, Frank Grisanti for Saturday Night Live (Host Mick Jagger) Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Miniseries, Movie or Special: Steven Cimino, Paul J. Cangialosi, John Pinto, Chuck Goslin, Barry Frischer, Jeff Latonero, Len Weschler, Susan Noll, J.M. Hurley for Memphis (Great Performances) Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series: Robert Barnhart, Matt Firestone, Pete Radice, Patrick Boozer for So You Think You Can Dance (Season Eight Finale) Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special: Robert A. Dickinson, Jon Kusner, Travis Hagenbuch, Andy O'Reilly for The 54th Annual Grammy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Jimmy Fallon for Saturday Night Live Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming: Martin Scorsese for George Harrison: Living in the Material World Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming: Geoffrey C. Ward for Prohibition — A Nation of Hypocrites Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking: Connie Field, Lois Vossen, Sally Jo Fifer for Have You Heard From Johannesburg (Independent Lens) Outstanding Nonfiction Special: Margaret Bodde, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Blair Foster, Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair, Martin Scorsese for George Harrison: Living in the Material World Outstanding Nonfiction Series: Alastair Fothergill, Susan Winslow, Vanessa Berlowitz for Frozen Planet Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series: Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live (Host Mick Jagger) Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series: Tim Carvell, Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Steve Bodow, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Outstanding Variety Special: George Stevens, Jr., Michael M. Stevens for The Kennedy Center Honors Outstanding Special Class Programs: Ricky Kirshner, Glenn Weiss, Neil Patrick Harris for 65th Annual Tony Awards Outstanding Special Class: Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs: Rob Corddry, Jonathan Stern, David Wain, Keith Crofford, Nick Weidenfeld, Rich Rosenthal for Children's Hospital Outstanding Special-Class: Short-Format Nonfiction Programs: Michael M. Stevens for DGA Moments In Time Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media — Enhancement to a Television Program or Series: John Wooden, Aaron Bleyaert, Conan O'Brien, Timothy Campbell for The Team Coco Sync App Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media — Original Interactive Television Programming: Fourth Wall Studios for Dirty Work Outstanding Children's Program: Ben Montanio, Vince Cheung, Todd J. Greenwald, Gigi McCreery, Perry Rein, Richard Goodman, Greg A. Hampson for Wizards of Waverly Place Outstanding Children's Nonfiction, Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Carol-lynn Parente, Melissa Dino, Mason Rather, Kevin Clash for Sesame Street: Growing Hope Against Hunger Outstanding Reality Program: Eli Holzman, Stephen Lambert, Chris Carlson, Scott Cooper, Sandi Johnson, Rachelle Mendez, Lety Quintanar, Rebekah Fry for Undercover Boss Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Martha Plimpton for The Good Wife MORE: Emmys Idle Threats: Give Bill Hader an Emmy or I'll Sic DJ Baby Bok Choy On You The First-Ever (Fake) Annual Reality TV Emmy Awards What Jimmy Kimmel Can Learn From Past Emmy Hosts
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2012 Daytime Emmy Awards: General Hospital, Regis & Kelly Win Big
June 23, 2012 6:13pm ESTThe daytime gang came out strong tonight to serve up its 39th Emmy Awards ceremony, with nary a mention of the of the earlier murder-suicide that occurred late last night at the Beverly Hilton--where the awards were taking place. The show started off with a very lost Anthony Geary, having trouble finding the stage after a sing-songy intro between Oscar the Grouch and Anderson Cooper. So let's get down to brass tacks and talk winners and losers, alligators, dry skin jokes (Thanks, Bethenny Frankel), and THE Susan Lucci! Almost as a parting gift to the legacy of Regis Philbin, Live! With Regis & Kelly won several trophies in their respective categories. General Hospital was the big winner of the evening, bringing home several of the biggest trophies of the evening--including Outstanding Drama Series. But enough of us yammering on; check out the full list below of the biggest winners (winners are bolded) and the ones who shocked 'em all at the awards. Outstanding Drama Series All My Children (ABC) Days Of Our Lives (NBC) General Hospital (ABC) The Young And The Restless (CBS) Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Crystal Chappell, as Dr. Carly Manning Days Of Our Lives (NBC) Debbie Morgan, as Angie Hubbard All My Children (ABC) Erika Slezak, as Viki Lord One Life To Live (ABC) Heather Tom, as Katie Logan Spencer The Bold And The Beautiful (CBS) Laura Wright, as Carly Corinthos Jax General Hospital (ABC) Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series Maurice Bernard, as Michael “Sonny” Cointhos, Jr. General Hospital (ABC) Anthony Geary, as Luke Spencer General Hospital (ABC) John McCook, as Eric Forrester The Bold And The Beautiful (CBS) Darnell Williams, as Jesse Hubbard All My Children (ABC) Robert S. Woods, as Bo Buchanan One Life To Live (ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Bradford Anderson as Damien Spinelli (General Hospital, ABC) Matthew Ashford as Jack Deveraux (Days of our Lives, NBC) Sean Blakemore as Shawn Butler (General Hospital, ABC) Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer (General Hospital, ABC) Jason Thompson as Patrick Drake (General Hospital, ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Melissa Claire Egan as Annie Chandler (All My Children, ABC) Genie Francis as Genevieve Atkinson (The Young and the Restless, CBS) Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis (General Hospital, ABC) Elizabeth Hendrickson as Chloe Mitchell (The Young and the Restless, CBS) Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Webber (General Hospital, ABC) Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series Eddie Alderson as Matthew Buchanan (One Life To Live, ABC) Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos (General Hospital, ABC) Chandler Massey as Will Horton (Days of our Lives, NBC) Nathan Parsons as Ethan Lovett (General Hospital, ABC) Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series Molly Burnett as Melanie Layton (Days of our Lives, NBC) Shelley Hennig as Stephanie Johnson (Days of our Lives, NBC) Christel Khalil as Lily Winters (The Young and the Restless, CBS) Jaqueline Macinnes Wood as Steffy Forrester (The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS) Outstanding Talk Show — Entertainment The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated) Live With Regis And Kelly (Syndicated) The Talk (CBS) The View (ABC) Outstanding Talk Show — Informative Anderson The Dr. Oz Show The Doctors Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host Giada De Laurentiis, Giada At Home Rick Bayless, Mexico One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless Nate Berkus, The Nate Berkus Show Paula Deen, Paula's Best Dishes Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee Outstanding Culinary Program Sandwich King Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction Giada At Home Guy's Big Bite Outstanding Game Show Host Ben Baily (Cash Cab, Discovery Channel) Todd Newton (Family Game Night, The HUB) Wayne Brady (Let's Make A Deal, CBS) Meredith Vieira (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Syndicated) Outstanding Talk Show Host Anderson Cooper (Anderson, Syndicated) Dr. Mehmet Oz (The Dr. Oz Show, Syndicated) Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa (Live with Regis and Kelly, Syndicated) Rachael Ray (Rachael Ray, Syndicated) Dr. Lisa Masterson, Jillian Michaels, Dr. Andrew Ordon, Dr. Jim Sears, Dr. Travis Stork, Wendy Walsh (The Doctors, Syndicated) Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show BrainSurge (Nickelodeon) Cash Cab (Discovery Channel) Jeopardy! (Syndicated) Let's Make A Deal (CBS) Wheel of Fortune (Syndicated) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (Syndicated) Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program America's Court with Judge Ross Judge Joe Brown Last Shot with Judge Gunn We the People with Gloria Allred Oustanding Morning Program Good Morning America (ABC) Today Show (NBC) Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team All My Children (ABC) Days of Our Lives (NBC) General Hospital (ABC) The Young and the Restless (CBS) Oustanding Children's Animated Program Curious George (PBS) Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness (Nickelodeon) Peep & The Big Wide World (American Public Television) Penguins of Madagascar (Nickelodeon) Sid the Science Kid (PBS) SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series Dakota Goyo as Josh (R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour The Series, The HUB) Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Abby Cadaby (Sesame Street, PBS) Kevin Clash as Elmo (Sesame Street, PBS) Caroll Spinney as Big Bird (Sesame Street, PBS) Lifetime Achievement Award Bill Geddie What did you think of this year's awards? Anyone you were surprised or happy to see recognized? Let us know in the comments! [Image Credit: HLN] Follow Alicia on Twitter @alicialutes More: Murder! Intrigue! Daytime Emmy Awards! Daytime Emmy Awards: All the Talkative, Soapy, Kiddie TV General Hospital leads Daytime Emmy Award nominations 2012 Daytime Emmy Awards Winners
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Daytime Emmy Awards: All the Talkative, Soapy, Kiddie TV
June 21, 2012 3:27pm ESTLike sands through the hourglass...the Daytime Emmy Awards are coming to TV live on Saturday night on HLN. So what can we expect of the show, which features some of the hardest-working (and most dramatic!) folks on TV? Well, a celebration of what is seemingly a dying part of television's daytime history, for sure: soap operas! But what is it about soap operas that hook people in so fervently? Soap operas, while becoming a harder sell in they daytime, have heavily influenced some of today's top television series--where do you think Downton Abbey and Revenge got the idea to have such a juicy, drama-filled format? Celebrating the history (and point of evolution for some of our favorite shows) is definitely worthwhile, but it's not all that they're going to be giving awards to; the show will also highlight daytime talk, children's programming, and courtroom programming (which has their own separate genre/award; who knew?). Some of the culture's most ridiculous moments (aka anything with Kathie Lee and Hoda) happen in these wee hours, and we're excited to see how a party where they're all in the same room comes about. Check out the nominees below, and tell us: what do you think about daytime programming? Sound off in the comments! Outstanding Drama Series “All My Children,” ABC “Days of Our Lives,” NBC “General Hospital,” ABC “The Young and the Restless," CBS Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Maurice Benard, Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on “General Hospital” Anthony Geary, Luke Spencer on “General Hospital” John McCook, as Eric Forrester on “The Bold and the Beautiful” Darnell Williams, as Jesse Hubbard on “All My Children” Robert S. Woods, as Bo Buchanan on “One Life to Live” Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Crystal Chappell, as Dr. Carly Manning on “Days of our Lives” Debbi Morgan, as Angie Hubbard on “All My Children” Erika Slezak, as Viki Lord on “One Life to Live” Heather Tom, as Katie Logan Spencer on “The Bold and the Beautiful” Laura Wright, as Carly Corinthos Jacks on “General Hospital” Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Bradford Anderson, as Damien Spinelli in “General Hospital” Matthew Ashford, as Jack Deveraux on “Days of our Lives” Sean Blakemore, as Shawn Butler on “General Hospital” Jonathan Jackson, as Lucky Spencer on “General Hospital” Jason Thompson, as Patrick Drake on “General Hospital” Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Melissa Claire Egan, as Annie Chandler on “All My Children” Genie Francis, as Genevieve Atkinson on “The Young and the Restless” Nancy Lee Grahn, as Alexis Davis on “General Hospital” Elizabeth Hendrickson, as Chloe Mitchell on “The Young and the Restless” Rebecca Herbst, as Elizabeth Webber on “General Hospital” Outstanding Young Actor in a Drama Series Eddie Alderson, as Matthew Buchanan on “One Life To Live” Chad Duell, as Michael Corinthos on “General Hospital” Chandler Massey, as Will Horton on “Days of Our Lives” Nathan Parsons, as Ethan Lovett on “General Hospital” Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series Molly Burnett, as Melanie Layton on “Days of our Lives” Shelley Hennig, as Stephanie Johnson on “Days of our Lives” Christel Khalil, as Lily Winters on “The Young and the Restless” Jacqueline Macinnes Wood, as Steffy Forrester on “The Bold and the Beautiful” Outstanding Culinary Program “Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction,” Food Network “Giada At Home, Food Network,” Food Network “Guy's Big Bite,” Food Network “Sandwich King,” Food Network Outstanding Culinary/Lifestyle Host Diada de Laurentis, “Giada at Home” Rick Bayless, “Mexico—One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless” Nate Berkus, “The Nate Berkus Show” Paula Deen, “Paula’s Best Dishes” Sandra Lee, “Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee” Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” syndicated “Live with Regis and Kelly,” syndicated “The Talk,” CBS “The View,” ABC Outstanding Talk Show/Informative “Anderson,” syndicated “The Dr. Oz Show,” syndicated ”The Doctors,” syndicated Outstanding Talk Show Host Anderson Cooper Dr. Mehmet Oz Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa The Doctors (entire cast) Outstanding Morning Program “Good Morning America,” ABC “Today Show,” NBC Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program “America's Court with Judge Ross,” syndicated “Judge Joe Brown,” syndicated “Last Shot with Judge Gunn,” syndicated “We the People with Gloria Allred,” syndicated Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show “BrainSurge,” Nickelodeon “Cash Cab,” Discovery Channel “Jeopardy!” syndicated “Let's Make A Deal,” CBS “Wheel of Fortune,” syndicated “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire,” syndicated Outstanding Game Show Host Ben Bailey, “Cash Cab” Todd Newton, “Family Game Night” Wayne Brady, “Let’s Make a Deal” Meredith Vieira, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” Outstanding Children’s Animated Program “Curious George,” PBS “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness,” Nickelodeon “Peep & The Big Wide World,” American Public Television “Penguins of Madagascar,” Nickelodeon “Sid the Science Kid,” PBS “SpongeBob SquarePants,” Nickelodeon Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series Dakota Goyo, as Josh on “R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour The Series” Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, as Abby Cadaby, on “Sesame Street” Kevin Clash, as Elmo on “Sesame Street” Caroll Spinney, as Big Bird on “Sesame Street” The Daytime Emmy Awards are happening Saturday, June 23rd at 8PM EST on HLN, and rebroadcasting on Saturday, June 23rd at 10PM and 12 midnight, and Sunday June 24th at 8PM and 10PM. [Image Credit: Getty Images] More: General Hospital leads Daytime Emmy Award nominations Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About 'Dallas' and Are Afraid to Ask Your Mom Oprah's OWN Network Bleeding $149 Million a Year? Daytime Emmy's
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Battleship Review
May 16, 2012 9:32am ESTLess Transformers more Act of Valor director Peter Berg's Battleship is a bombastic idiotic and ear canal-shattering love letter to the Navy slathered with a summer blockbuster sugarcoating that sufficiently masks any glimmer of heart. Following suit with their previous adaptation Transformers toy company Hasbro has transformed their popular board game into a sci-fi action movie as stiff and lifeless as the plastic pieces used to play. The saving grace is Berg's fondness for the ridiculous injecting Top Gun-level machismo into his tale of aliens vs. boats. Silliness is cinematic buoyancy for a movie as lazy as Battleship. Continually finding himself in trouble's way roughneck Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch of TV's Friday Night Lights and John Carter) enlists in the U.S. Navy alongside his boy scout brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgård) and under the supervision of his lady friend Sam's (Brooklyn Decker) overbearing father Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson). Alex works his way up the chain of command quickly earning the rank of Lieutenant just in time for the annual competitive skirmish with the Japanese Navy. It's all fun and games until — per usual — aliens drop down from the stars and wreak havoc on Hawaii. With most of the fleet trapped on the outskirts thanks to a ship-proof forcefield Alex is forced to command his own ship and take down the intergalactic adversaries with old school style. Discombobulated radar in alien waters means Alex and his team are shooting blind — will B11 be a hit or a miss? Kitsch spends most of his time rubbing shoulders with Petty Officer 'Weps' (Rihanna) and the rest of his diligent crew whipping up ways to defeat the alien forces who only go on the offensive when attacked. That's just the beginning of the storytelling's illogic moment after moment favoring Michael Bay-inspired mayhem and tensionless spats of screaming aboard the ship's bridge over coherency. There's an Independence Day-inspired moment where an alien creature palms Kitsch's face unleashing imagery of their devastated home planet to his mind. Maybe? That never comes back and an explanation of why the aliens are here why we're fighting them or if they're really that bad at all never comes into play. Kitsch and his men just know the world's under attack and we have to blow the opposition to smithereens. Ensuring attentive brains are never too focused the perspective in Battleship is ever-shifting jumping from Alex's Destroyer to Sam and her paraplegic rehab patient Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales together on the run from alien ground troops. Around Battleship's halfway point when the duo partners with a twitchy scientist (Hamish Linklater) and Mick rises above his disability to beat the living daylights out of an extraterrestrial is when Berg throws his hands in the air stops caring and pulls out all the stops. Giant alien roller balls that rip up everything in their path? Check. Bouncing space ships that can only be combated using water displacement theory? Check. Navy vets returning for one…last…job? Check check. Before the finale of this 131 minute monstrosity Kitsch and his Japanese counterpart Yugi Nagata (Tadanobu Asano) sit down to play an actual game of Battleship. Sure it's with actual missiles but there's a grid there's a target and there's shouting out of corresponding numbers. For those worried about board game fan service it's there (but don't sit around waiting for the infamous tagline). Unlike his turn in John Carter Kitsch is perfectly suited for the bro atmosphere of Battleship where every moment of drama begs for hammy delivery and crazy eyes. Decker too is an asset to the overly epic blockbuster — a step up from the reductive arm candy roles of the Transformers movies. Everyone else is barely a blip on the radar; Neeson is deprived of a single badass moment while Rihanna proves she can memorize and playback scripted lines as well as pop song lyrics. Berg has control of his action in a way that's more enjoyable than the previous Transformers films but it still plays like a tired clone. The initial two-thirds of Battleship that takes itself too seriously is exhausting. The final barrage is pure lunacy. Whether you can stay afloat for that long is the true test of heroism. ="font-style:>
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The Cabin in the Woods Review
April 10, 2012 8:51am ESTLike the seemingly generic location at the center of the movie The Cabin in the Woods has a purposefully familiar exterior. But it's a facade and in the film's first few minutes writer/director Drew Goddard draws back the curtain to unveil an innovative and unexpected world. The setup is simple: five twenty-somethings head for a vacation in a lone shack upstate but when they arrive things quickly take a turn for the worse. The run-of-the-mill supernatural antics aren't simply for our amusement — there's another force behind the scenes orchestrating the quintet's demise for a bigger purpose. The mystery behind those horror movie tropes is Cabin in the Woods's clever twist a riff that's wickedly funny and endlessly fulfilling. The first people we meet in Cabin in the Woods aren't the soon-to-be-terrorized young folk but two technicians Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford) who coordinate the Cabin's entertaining mischief. They're like employees pulled out of Office Space susceptible to the same droll ups and downs of any job —their gig just involves murdering co-eds. They sit in a control room orchestrating each piece of their plan with well-placed hurdles (cue the creaky door!) and rehearsed extras (enter: mysterious gas station owner). If that screams spoiler don't fret; the who the what the where and the why are all kept secret unraveling in parallel and commenting on the routine horror plotline. Goddard and co-writer Joss Whedon don't let the scary movie thread fall to the wayside painting their ensemble with colorful characters and great talent: despite being stunning creatures the perfect types for a serial killer to chase down with a a giant knife Dana (Kristen Connolly) and Jules (Anna Hutchison) are smart savvy and sharp (a tangible sign of Whedon's influence); Curt (Chris Hemsworth) and his buddy Holden (Jesse Williams) are big and brutish — but not without personality; and Marty (Fran Kranz)... loves weed. Only after they arrive at the cabin a whiff of pheromonal gas in the air do they transform into the archetypical horror characters. All according to plan. Cabin in the Woods has its cake and eats it too simultaneously clicking as a terrifying horror film a cackle-worthy satire and a thought-provoking dissection of the genre. Alongside its send-up of the overplayed "cabin in the woods" mechanics are grander ideas. Why do we watch? Goddard evaluates every perspective but never in a didactic fashion. There's a fury of imagination in every scene every joke Goddard and Whedon's script taking every opportunity to push the concept to unanticipated places. Across the board all the actors are able to balance the unusual heightened realism with Hemsworth proving his knack for comedy and versatility as an up-and-comer. Cabin in the Woods is non-stop fun from beginning to end concluding with a grand finale that no amount of spoilers could ever dilute. At SXSW I called Cabin "the most crowd-pleasing movie of all time" and while that may seem sensationalist I assure I'll be rewatching this one for a long time. ="font-style:>
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The Raid: Redemption Review
March 23, 2012 11:38am ESTWe previously caught The Raid: Redemption at this year's Sundance Film Festival. You can watch our video blog here After experiencing The Raid: Redemption the definition of modern action movies is up for debate. Suddenly classifying blockbusters that routinely fill our summers—big superhero clobberfests end-of-the-world scenarios and other spectacles of epic proportions—feels wrong. Sure they have action—but nothing on par with what director Gareth Evans (the Wales-born man behind Merantau) in his martial arts extravaganza choreographed with unimaginable precision and shot with just as much finesse. The Raid squares its fights into a compact apartment high-rise forcing the fisticuffs to be intimate and brutal. It is ballet with bloodshed more jaw-dropping than any large-scale battle. The Indonesian-language film follows Rama (Iko Uwais) a rookie S.W.A.T. team member recruited for an infiltration mission against one of Jakarta's deadliest mobsters Tama Riyadi. Tama resides at the top of a dilapidated high rise home to a few tenants and a boatload of mercenaries ready to protect their head honcho. When Rama and his squad arrive to take out Tama they're quickly discovered flipping their mission from attack to survival. Like its spiritual predecessor Die Hard The Raid peppers its scenario with familiarities that keep us afloat during its non-stop action: Rama's a noble guy who stands up for what's right; Tama shoots the thugs who wrong him through the forehead; the S.W.A.T. crew have just enough personality so that we care when some of them fall to hands of Tama's goons; and the script twists and turns along the road aways traveled by. The Raid operates like a video game Rama traveling upward crushing baddie after baddie as he passes each level eventually confronting the final boss. The concept wouldn't work without the action to match but Evans' fight scenes (designed by Uwais co-star Yayan Ruhian) are sculpted of pure adrenaline—and the ride doesn't stop until The Raid's final minutes (when exhaling is necessary for physical safety). Rama slaps punches kicks twists and wrestles his opponents occasionally picking up a broken shard of door or a discarded pistol (loaded or unloaded doesn't matter) to aid in his mano a mano battle. The movie doesn't skimp on blood Evans embracing the numerous moments where bad guys are thrown viciously down the shabby building's unkept corridors into sharp objects. Audience gasps and exclamations are The Raid's fuel and like Rama's own ascension the film continues to top itself fight after fight after fight after fight. With blood continually pumping through its veins The Raid becomes a tad tiresome by the hour and a half mark (the film runs 101 minutes) but the artistry behind the film Evans' evocative camera work (that's almost comparable to Wim Wenders' experimental dance film Pina) the electronic score from composer Joe Trapenese (Tron Legacy) and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda and Uwais physically-inspiring star turn help the movie redefine action. There's a reason Sony snatched the movie up so quickly at the Toronto Film Festival—The Raid: Redemption may be a foreign film an under-the-radar indie picture by Hollywood comparisons but it speaks a singular language everyone can understand: butt-kicking. ="font-style:>
