cult film freak: jamie foxx

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Written by James M. Tate / 12/19/2014 / No comments / 2014 , aileen quinn , bobby cannavale , cameron diaz , eighties , jamie foxx , musical , remake , rose byrne

REVIEWS OF REBOOT ANNIE AND THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: *</td></tr>
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<b>ANNIE 2014:</b> To make people forget what you’re taking the place of, the most effective device is to mention that particular thing to get it… or in this case… to get <i>her</i> out of the way, quick.<br />
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So begins the new ANNIE inside a classroom where a redheaded <i>white</i> girl wraps up an annoying presentation... and then it's time for the next student, also named ANNIE, played by last year’s Oscar nominated Quvenzhané Wallis, who not only trumps this movie’s pseudo Annie but the original, Aileen Quinn’s iconic orphan, is outdone in one aspect – compared to a <i>haves and have nots</i> opening number inspired by The New Deal, FDR never had such posthumous promotion.   <br />
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ANNIE, a MR. DEEDS style mainstream comedy with pop culture references galore, introduces each character as if they were cameos in a parody instead of a genuine remake, or in this case... altering from the 1930's into modern day... a reboot.<br />
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Wallis sleepwalks through the pains and joys of the title character, and replacing Carol Burnett as the mean orphanage… or rather… Foster Home den mother is Cameron Diaz. Almost letting her guard down right off the bat, Miss Hannigan seems more like a cranky Aunt than a villain with a hatred for little girls… Providing the orphans nothing to really fear. In fact they seem completely at home, and in control: The place ain't too shabby.  <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warbucks Unnamed</td></tr>
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The real heavy is Bobby Cannavale, stepping into the Tim Curry role as a nefarious climber seeking a big raise from his boss, the new Daddy Warbucks in the form of Jamie Foxx as Stacks, a cell phone magnate running for New York City Mayor and, losing in the polls, he takes in an orphan for a needed boost.  <br />
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During their pivotal field trip bonding experience, Foxx and Wallis have the awkward non-chemistry of two actors who just started rehearsing lines. Stacks isn’t very uptight to begin with for his eventual heart-melting transition to matter, while Annie doesn't seem to really <i>need</i> anything, much less a new parent. Songs between the duo border banal and creepy. And as Rose Byrne attempts tying loose ends together, there’s just not anything between anyone – even the dog seems bored. <br />
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The original hard knocking classics aside, the new tunes lend nothing to an actual story, which isn’t an entertaining rags to riches coming-of-age musical but a pointless attempt to bring a famous Comic Strip/Broadway/Cinema character back to life by throwing everything into the pot, hoping something will land. <br />
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Not to jump on the breaking news bandwagon, but SONY PICTURES scrapped the wrong film!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1982 rating: ***</td></tr>
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<b>ANNIE 1982:</b> “Why a kid would want to be an orphan,” barks the villainous Miss 
Hannigan, “is beyond me!” Well who can blame the bitter lush: No matter 
how bad these poor little tykes are treated in that rundown dilapidated 
orphanage, they're having loads of fun singing and dancing like there’s 
no… tomorrow!<br />
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Although this big budget extravaganza’s loaded with great 
actors like Albert Finney as bald millionaire Daddy Warbucks, Tim Curry 
as a con artist and Carol Burnett as the bearer of the quote above, 
Aileen Quinn’s ANNIE steals the show.<br />
<br />
Displaying an 
everygirl persona mixed with a dynamic musical talent, Quinn provides 
the essential energy for the iconic redhead without lacking pathos and 
vulnerability.<br />
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Even when given a dream-week to stay with Daddy Warbucks 
for his publicity, her true aim is having a real family. Determined to 
find her original parents, Warbucks makes a radio campaign with a hefty 
reward – perking ears of the wrong people.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aileen Quinn</td></tr>
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While Annie 
slowly warms the heart of the steely industrialist, songs break out in 
just about every other scene. The tunes are catchy, showcased with 
incredible dance numbers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albert Finney with Quinn</td></tr>
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The time-period sets look and feel authentic; 
from poverty stricken streets and alleyways to the plush Warbucks 
mansion, veteran auteur John Huston takes us to a polarizing time of 
haves and have-nots in the Depression-era '30s with vibrant reality.<br />
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Although
 one particular overlong scene, as Warbucks (constantly regarded as a greedy 
Capitalist) is talked into the New Deal by President Roosevelt, distracts from Annie’s personal adventure, we sporadically return to the orphanage where Miss Hannigan and her 
nefarious brother's plot to recover the reward: providing the 
audience – especially the younger ones – a constantly suspenseful edge, 
making ANNIE a kid's movie with just about everything: including a 
heroine with <i>everything</i> to gain or lose.

2014, aileen quinn, bobby cannavale, cameron diaz, eighties, jamie foxx, musical, remake, rose byrne

REVIEWS OF REBOOT ANNIE AND THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL

year: 2014 rating: * ANNIE 2014: To make people forget what you’re taking the place of, the most effective device is to mention that ...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/26/2014 / No comments / 2014 , chris pine , christoph waltz , comedy , jamie foxx , jason bateman , jason sudeikis

JASON BATEMAN & COMPANY RETURN FOR HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

2014, chris pine, christoph waltz, comedy, jamie foxx, jason bateman, jason sudeikis

JASON BATEMAN & COMPANY RETURN FOR HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

2014 rating: *** Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as working wrecks Nick, Kurt and Dale were the GoBots to The Hangover’s T...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/01/2014 / 1 Comment / 2014 , action , andrew garfield , jamie foxx , marvel , superhero

REVIEW OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

2014, action, andrew garfield, jamie foxx, marvel, superhero

REVIEW OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

year: 2014 rating: * When you glance at the latest Marvel villain Electro with a squint of the eye, he sort of resembles Mr. Freeze from...

Written by James M. Tate / 2/27/2013 / 2 Comments / 2012 , blaxploitation , christoph waltz , dennis christopher , exploitation , james remar , jamie foxx , leonardo dicaprio , quentin tarantino , samuel l. jackson

QUENTIN TARANTINO DIRECTS DJANGO UNCHAINED

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 2012 cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson rating: **1/2</u></td></tr>
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Modern exploitation guru Quentin Tarantino serves up historical revenge once again. His last film, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, had the German Nazis getting theirs, and now, with a good German on board (the villain from the last film) we’re out to set things right in the American Deep South, two years shy of the Civil War…<br />
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Although the first half takes place on the road from Texas to Mississippi as bounty hunting dentist Dr. King Schultz recruits a slave named Django to help him find three outlaw brothers (Django alone knows their appearance)... These are the more spirited and deliciously cutthroat segments as our heroes partner up and, as Django puts it, “Kill white people for money.” <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christoph Waltz</td></tr>
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Christoph Waltz (Schultz) and Jamie Foxx (Django) are a good team, and while making mince meat out of their targets, the bloodshed is something to marvel. But Tarantino throws in awkward bouts of humor, derailing the intensity of the moment. One particular scene where a group of rednecks complain about not seeing through masked eyeholes (including a very distracting cameo by Jonah Hill) feels like Mel Brooks clumsily intruding Sergio Leone. <br />
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After Django helps Schultz with his job, it’s time for the doctor to aid his more-than-capable partner rescue Django's wife Broomhilda, who resides at “Candyland,” an infamous Antebellum plantation run by the sinister though much too youthful Calvin Candie. <br />
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While Leonardo DiCaprio has more than capable acting skills, and savors the gloriously tyrannical racist dialog, there could have/should have been a backstory on why the owner of a plantation looks fresh out of finishing school. For a man who’s supposed to have a lifetime of seething venom oozing from his veins, those desperately piercing blue eyes seem more confused and frustrated than cold and calculating, making Tarantino’s purposely overboard racism more of a crutch than weapon for the DiCaprio character (perhaps Don Johnson, who played a wily brothel owner in a previous scene, could have taken this role… he had the age going for him and with that, soulless eyes that look like he’s seen – and been through – pretty much everything).<br />
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But Leo’s not alone. He’s helped along by the most wicked of Uncle Tom’s played by Samuel Jackson, whose spitefully cantankerous Stephen figures things out before his boss. This is a nice role for the QT stock actor, who has sleepwalked through many roles post PULP FICTION and JACKIE BROWN. Although his feeble mannerisms often slow down the performance, and at times he seems to be performing. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Foxx</td></tr>
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The main problem with UNCHAINED is how long Tarantino stretches scenes with dialog. While the actors, especially Waltz and DiCaprio, have a blast with colorful monologues, you’ll often forget there are other characters on board – and most of the speeches fail to serve the plot: the duo pretending to buy Mandingo slave fighters when they really want to free Django's girl, a slave. And unlike the movies QT grew up on, especially the Leone Westerns, there's never a genuine feeling of being outdoors. Even the exterior shots, especially the opening chain gang sequence, feels contrived and constrained.<br />
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With all the deals and discussions going on, the much-anticipated reunion of Django and Broomhilda is lost in the mix. Not even Django’s surreptitious trigger finger (whenever she's treated badly) adds worthy suspense, which, during this overlong stint at Candyland, is very much needed. But there’s not all downtime at the mansion: a particular Candie lecture involving a slave’s skull does successfully perk things up, providing DiCaprio a good five minutes of sheer unapologetic villainy. Then, after a shocking twist, it’s Django alone who must save his girl.<br />
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Jamie Foxx, having played a quietly brooding second fiddle to Waltz so far, makes up for lost time with heated gusto. This third and final act involving a group of Australians being duped by Django, who’s learned the art of waxing poetic, is replete with the bare-knuckle action we’ve anticipated (although large chunks of bloody guts flying off each gunshot victim seems like Tarantino doing an overboard imitation of himself). There are some decent montage sequences, but some of the music, especially that of the rap nature, seems too modern for the time portrayed. And the editing feels somewhat limp without QT’s longtime collaborator Sally Menke, who died a few years back: Particular flashbacks and hallucinations are often confusing and awkward.  <br />
<br />An okay ride, much better than Quentin’s last two films (BASTERDS and DEATH PROOF), yet there needed a much tighter/sharper vehicle for our hero to truly deserve the fanfare of the literally explosive finale. Instead of being the title character he mostly seems a sidekick. <br />

2012, blaxploitation, christoph waltz, dennis christopher, exploitation, james remar, jamie foxx, leonardo dicaprio, quentin tarantino, samuel l. jackson