Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz will perform for Sunday’s emotional “In Memoriam” segment on the Oscars 2023 ceremony. While only 40-50 people are generally remembered for the television ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC, over 200 people will be recognized on the Academy’s webpage starting that evening.
SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers
Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:
Mary Alice (actor)
Gil Alkabetz (animator)
Kirstie Alley (actor)
Burt Bacharach (composer)
Angelo Badalamenti (composer)
Simone Bär (casting director)
Joanna Barnes (actor)
Carl A. Bell (animator)
Jeff Berlin (sound)
David Birney (actor)
Bruce Bisenz (sound)
Robert Blake (actor)
Eliot Bliss (sound)
Nick Bosustow (shorts)
Albert Brenner (production designer)
Tom Bronson (costume designer)
James Caan (actor)
Michael Callan (actor)
Donn Cambern (editor)
Irene Cara (songwriter)
Gary W. Carlson (sound)
Marvin Chomsky...
SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers
Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:
Mary Alice (actor)
Gil Alkabetz (animator)
Kirstie Alley (actor)
Burt Bacharach (composer)
Angelo Badalamenti (composer)
Simone Bär (casting director)
Joanna Barnes (actor)
Carl A. Bell (animator)
Jeff Berlin (sound)
David Birney (actor)
Bruce Bisenz (sound)
Robert Blake (actor)
Eliot Bliss (sound)
Nick Bosustow (shorts)
Albert Brenner (production designer)
Tom Bronson (costume designer)
James Caan (actor)
Michael Callan (actor)
Donn Cambern (editor)
Irene Cara (songwriter)
Gary W. Carlson (sound)
Marvin Chomsky...
- 3/10/2023
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Click here to read the full article.
Dennis Virkler, a two-time Oscar-nominated editor who worked on such prominent actions films as The Hunt for Red October, The Fugitive and multiple entries in the Batman franchise, has died. He was 80.
Virkler passed away from heart failure on Sept. 15, his wife Helen Pollak announced. Among those sharing remembrances was director Andrew Davis, who worked with Virkler on five films, including Under Siege (1992), The Fugitive (1993), A Perfect Murder (1998) and Collateral Damage (2002).
“Dennis came in on a Saturday morning and blew us away Monday with a great cut for the opening of The Fugitive,” Davis said in a statement. “Besides the editorial teams he mentored, the sound and visual effects teams who worked alongside Dennis revered his taste and knowledge.”
Virkler, who has more than 40 credits, was an elected member of the American Cinema Editors. The Fugitive, which earned him Oscar, BAFTA and Ace Eddie nominations,...
Dennis Virkler, a two-time Oscar-nominated editor who worked on such prominent actions films as The Hunt for Red October, The Fugitive and multiple entries in the Batman franchise, has died. He was 80.
Virkler passed away from heart failure on Sept. 15, his wife Helen Pollak announced. Among those sharing remembrances was director Andrew Davis, who worked with Virkler on five films, including Under Siege (1992), The Fugitive (1993), A Perfect Murder (1998) and Collateral Damage (2002).
“Dennis came in on a Saturday morning and blew us away Monday with a great cut for the opening of The Fugitive,” Davis said in a statement. “Besides the editorial teams he mentored, the sound and visual effects teams who worked alongside Dennis revered his taste and knowledge.”
Virkler, who has more than 40 credits, was an elected member of the American Cinema Editors. The Fugitive, which earned him Oscar, BAFTA and Ace Eddie nominations,...
- 10/13/2022
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Now this is a list that could result in a lot of fascinating dissection and thanks to HitFix it comes to our attention almost three years after it was originally released back in 2012, celebrating the Motion Picture Editors Guild's 75th anniversary. Over at HitFix, Kris Tapley asks, "Is this news to anyone elsec" Um, yes, I find it immensely interesting and a perfect starting point for anyone looking to further explore the art of film editing. In an accompanying article we get the particulars concerning what films were eligible and how films were to be considered: In our Jan-feb 12 issue, we asked Guild members to vote on what they consider to be the Best Edited Films of all time. Any feature-length film from any country in the world was eligible. And by "Best Edited," we explained, we didn't just mean picture; sound, music and mixing were to be considered as well.
- 2/4/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
A random bit of researching on a Tuesday night led me to something I didn't know existed: The Motion Picture Editors Guild's list of the 75 best-edited films of all time. It was a feature in part celebrating the Guild's 75th anniversary in 2012. Is this news to anyone else? I confess to having missed it entirely. Naturally, I had to dig in. What was immediately striking to me about the list — which was decided upon by the Guild membership and, per instruction, was considered in terms of picture and sound editorial as opposed to just the former — was the most popular decade ranking. Naturally, the 1970s led with 17 mentions, but right on its heels was the 1990s. I wouldn't have expected that but I happen to agree with the assessment. Thelma Schoonmaker's work on "Raging Bull" came out on top, an objectively difficult choice to dispute, really. It was so transformative,...
- 2/4/2015
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Hey shark enthusiasts, have we got a contest for you. In celebration of another of our favorite predators, Wamg has a chum-my (like that??) special giveaway before Relativity Media unleashes Shark Night 3D on September 2nd! Oh the glory of a summer weekend that turns into a chomping nightmare for a group of college students hunted by blood-thirsty underwater predators.
“Grab your friends, for one last bite of Summer!” and enter to win Roe passes/Prizepack Combo for Shark Night 3D.
Official Rules:
1. Roe passes: admit-two run-of-engagement passes to see Shark Night 3D at any area Wehrenberg Theatres location playing the film. (passes are valid Mon-Thurs beginning 9/5).
2. Fill Out Your Name And Email Address Below
3. Answer The Following: Tell us why you want to see Shark Night 3D? And what’s your favorite water-monster movie?
Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants
Arriving by boat at...
“Grab your friends, for one last bite of Summer!” and enter to win Roe passes/Prizepack Combo for Shark Night 3D.
Official Rules:
1. Roe passes: admit-two run-of-engagement passes to see Shark Night 3D at any area Wehrenberg Theatres location playing the film. (passes are valid Mon-Thurs beginning 9/5).
2. Fill Out Your Name And Email Address Below
3. Answer The Following: Tell us why you want to see Shark Night 3D? And what’s your favorite water-monster movie?
Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants
Arriving by boat at...
- 8/24/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Check out the new images from Shark Night 3D where a summer weekend turns into a blood-soaked nightmare for a group of college students hunted by blood-thirsty underwater predators…And In A Lake!!
Click Here to see the shark bait photos Relativity Media released in July at Comic Con. Look for the film in theaters September 2nd.
Arriving by boat at her family’s Louisiana lake island cabin, Sara (Sara Paxton) and her friends quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when star football player Malik (Sinqua Walls) stumbles from the saltwater lake with his arm torn off, the party mood suddenly darkens. Nick (Dustin Milligan), a shy pre-med student, finds himself taking charge – administering first aid and informing Sara they dont have a minute to spare to get Malik to a hospital on the other side of the lake.
Setting out in a tiny speedboat,...
Click Here to see the shark bait photos Relativity Media released in July at Comic Con. Look for the film in theaters September 2nd.
Arriving by boat at her family’s Louisiana lake island cabin, Sara (Sara Paxton) and her friends quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when star football player Malik (Sinqua Walls) stumbles from the saltwater lake with his arm torn off, the party mood suddenly darkens. Nick (Dustin Milligan), a shy pre-med student, finds himself taking charge – administering first aid and informing Sara they dont have a minute to spare to get Malik to a hospital on the other side of the lake.
Setting out in a tiny speedboat,...
- 8/23/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science and Technology Council will present a 20th anniversary screening of John McTiernan's "The Hunt for Red October" on March 18 at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
The Cold War thriller, based on Tom Clancy's first novel, won an Oscar for sound effects editing and was nominated for film editing and sound.
Sci-Tech Council member Barry Weiss will introduce the evening, hosted by film historian and author Eric Lichtenfeld
Scheduled panelists include the film's production sound mixer Richard Bryce Goodman, supervising sound editors Cecelia Hall and George Watters II and editors Dennis Virkler and John Wright.
The Cold War thriller, based on Tom Clancy's first novel, won an Oscar for sound effects editing and was nominated for film editing and sound.
Sci-Tech Council member Barry Weiss will introduce the evening, hosted by film historian and author Eric Lichtenfeld
Scheduled panelists include the film's production sound mixer Richard Bryce Goodman, supervising sound editors Cecelia Hall and George Watters II and editors Dennis Virkler and John Wright.
- 3/12/2010
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MoviesOnline sat down with director Joe Johnston to talk about his new film, The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving and Emily Blunt. An Academy Award-winning art director for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Johnston’s resume as a director includes a strong combination of character-driven films such as October Sky and epic visual effects movies including Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo.
As with all of his projects, Johnston was far more interested in story before spectacle. In screenwriters Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self’s tale, he found underneath the action and the blood and the terror, a love story about Lawrence Talbot and his dead brother’s fiancée, Gwen. “I wanted that relationship to be the element that held the story together,” he explains, “the key piece that invested the audience in understanding this horrible thing Lawrence is inflicted with.”
Johnston was also excited by...
As with all of his projects, Johnston was far more interested in story before spectacle. In screenwriters Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self’s tale, he found underneath the action and the blood and the terror, a love story about Lawrence Talbot and his dead brother’s fiancée, Gwen. “I wanted that relationship to be the element that held the story together,” he explains, “the key piece that invested the audience in understanding this horrible thing Lawrence is inflicted with.”
Johnston was also excited by...
- 2/12/2010
- MoviesOnline.ca
Have you not read Ron's article on sexy werewolves? Shame on you. Go Here to check it out. // Joe Johnston is the one director most people seem to be familiar with even though he's done a lot of great work. From the classic comic book movie The Rocketeer to Jurassic Park III, the man is no stranger to doing big budget films. So Joe was the man Universal called to save The Wolfman from production bedlam. After whatshisname left the picture, Joe stepped in and managed to not only save the movie, but make a pretty decent remake at that. At the press conference for The Wolfman, Joe discusses the rating of the movie, extended cuts, CGI, the look of the movie, the editing process and more. In the process of reshoots and release dates, did you ever try a PG-13 version? Was there an extended version? Johnston: No, it was always an R rating.
- 2/11/2010
- LRMonline.com
When I was a kid we used to hear this song on the radio; By the light/ of the silvery moon, I love to spoon/ With my honey in June. We asked the big round object looking down on us to Shine on, Shine on Harvest Moon, Up in the Sky, I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July.
The moon's cool, isn't it? But nature can be cruel as well. Cool summer breezes turn into hurricanes, water, without which we could not live for a week, morphs into tsunamis. In the case of the old legend known well by the gypsies, uh, the Romani people of England, a full moon can give birth to horrendous monsters who rip people apart not for food but just for the hell of it.. Such a creature is given life us by director Joe Johnson, whose previous looks into supernatural...
The moon's cool, isn't it? But nature can be cruel as well. Cool summer breezes turn into hurricanes, water, without which we could not live for a week, morphs into tsunamis. In the case of the old legend known well by the gypsies, uh, the Romani people of England, a full moon can give birth to horrendous monsters who rip people apart not for food but just for the hell of it.. Such a creature is given life us by director Joe Johnson, whose previous looks into supernatural...
- 2/11/2010
- Arizona Reporter
This week, the Internet was afire with more bad buzz regarding the troubled "Wolfman" film that is to be released next month. However, Ain't It Cool News was able to clarify the matter. Here is what they said:Earlier this afternoon, I started getting emails from Universal insisting that The Playlist's main contention - that Universal Co-Chair Donna Langley is overseeing a studio cut of the The Wolfman - is incorrect. I just got off the phone with producer Scott Stuber, and he has assured me that they have settled on a cut (which tested strongly back in November), and are now in the process of mixing, getting the final f/x and dropping in credits. Here are the particulars according to Stuber:1) It was (director) Joe Johnston's idea to bring in editor Walter Murch after the spring '09 reshoots to supply a "fresh perspective" and, most importantly, get the film in shape.
- 1/8/2010
- LRMonline.com
I have good news and bad news. I was going to show off this new Wolfman poster on its own. This is the French version, and it's better than any of the ones for the Us release, in my estimation. So, that's the good news.
The bad news is that the production woes for the film are still ongoing. The long-delayed monster movie now has new editors, according to Dread Central. Horror vet Mark Goldblatt and legendary editor Walter Murch have taken the case, replacing Dennis Virkler. That might not seem like a big deal, but editing is not just putting this shot with that one, and there's a lot more artistry to it than you might think.
The bad news is that the production woes for the film are still ongoing. The long-delayed monster movie now has new editors, according to Dread Central. Horror vet Mark Goldblatt and legendary editor Walter Murch have taken the case, replacing Dennis Virkler. That might not seem like a big deal, but editing is not just putting this shot with that one, and there's a lot more artistry to it than you might think.
- 11/18/2009
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
You may not immediately jump to this same conclusion, but I think there's finally some good news to share about Joe Johnston's The Wolfman. Having said that, this is a film I've been feeling really quite down on since original director Mark Romanek left the project and, to be honest, I don't think anything we could end up with now will be even a mere shade of what Romanek could have realised. The lastest turnover on the production is the hiring of two new editors, in the stead of the previously attached Dennis Virkler - though at least Virkler got to add the film to his stunning resume of crowd displeasers, alongside Xanadu, Freejack, the Schumacher Batman films and other such gems. The production really couldn't have called on a pair of more impressive names to save the day, however, with action expert Mark Goldblatt and all-round Edit Bay...
- 11/17/2009
- by Brendon Connelly
- Slash Film
The well-worn Hollywood formula of the crusty-but-soulful military instructor butting heads and melding hearts with a brash young recruit gets another work over in Disney's well-intentioned "The Guardian". This time the arena is the Coast Guard and its elite Rescue Swimmers, the unsung heroes of watery disasters big and small -- from Hurricane Katrina to errant kayakers. With the film's familiar story line and too-long running time, commercial prospects do not look to match director Andrew Davis' previous megahit, "The Fugitive".
That the film doesn't rise above the formulaic is a particular disappointment as these stunningly brave Rescue Swimmers deserve a film as daring as they are. Unfortunately, first-time screenwriter Ron L. Brinkerhoff just doesn't dive deep enough. The film could have benefited from a darker, more nuanced approach. Certainly, star Kevin Costner has gone there in other roles, and here he gives the story what little gravity it has.
Costner plays veteran rescue swimmer Ben Randall of cold, harsh Kodiak, Alaska. A spectacular opening rescue scene, where his experience and smarts pay off, establishes his superhero credentials. However, back on dry land, he is predictably dumped by his wife (Sela Ward, wasted in an underwritten or perhaps heavily edited role). He also develops a bad case of post-traumatic stress after the death of his crew. Costner has the perfect, pain-soaked eyes and weary voice to draw the audience in, but the story doesn't give him anywhere interesting to go with the character.
After the loss of his crew, Randall is sent to the killer "A" Training School in more temperate Shreveport, La., to instruct the usual motley group of raw recruits. Inevitably he encounters his young doppelganger there, Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher). Reminiscent of Richard Gere's character in "An Officer and a Gentleman", right down to the local girl (Melissa Sagemiller) whom he seduces and might abandon at the end of training, Kutcher has the impressive physicality for the part but not the emotional weight.
It's obvious that hotshot Fischer is going to have some dark secret hidden beneath his bravado, but Kutcher's performance doesn't embody that secret. When the big truth-spilling scene arrives, he cries convincingly, but it's unlikely the audience will.
Davis seems more engaged by the arduous training regimes and daring rescue operations than by the complexity of the characters. As has become standard for post-"Titanic" films that take place on the water, a massive wave tank was utilized to create a realistic, visceral experience of being at sea under the worst possible conditions. Credit here also goes to visual effects supervisor William Mesa and visual consultant Thomas L. Fisher.
The rescue episodes are spectacularly well-staged and engender feelings of awe and admiration for the real-life Rescue Swimmers. (The Coast Guard cooperated extensively on the production, and it definitely shows.) The documentary-like feel of in-the-water sequences makes one long for a less-polished approach to the rest of the film. There is a moment at the end that suggests what the movie could have been if predictability had been cast aside and the unexpected heartbreak of real life allowed to seep in, but it is too little, too late.
Cinematography by Stephen St. John, especially for the at-sea sequences, is state-of-the-art. Other tech credits are superior all around, though the film could have benefited from more judicious editing, especially in the final third, where multiple climaxes -- a common pitfall of this genre -- seem to go on forever.
THE GUARDIAN
Buena Vista Pictures
A Contrafilm/Firm Films production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Davis
Screenplay: Ron L. Brinkerhoff
Executive producers: Charlie Lyons, Peter Macgregor Scott, Armyan Bernstein, Zanne Devine
Producers: Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson
Director of photography: Stephen St. John
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Music: Trevor Rabin
Visual effects supervisor: William Mesa
Costume designer: Mark Peterson
Editors: Dennis Virkler, Thomas J. Nordberg
Cast:
Ben Randall: Kevin Costner
Jake Fischer: Ashton Kutcher
Helen Randall: Sela Ward
Emily Thomas: Melissa Sagemiller
Jack Skinner: Neal McDonough
Frank Larson: John Heard
Capt. William Hadley: Clancy Brown
Hodge: Brian Geraghty
Maggie McGlone: Bonnie Bramlett
Kim Weatherly: Dule Hill
Cate: Shelby Fenner.
Running time -- 136 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
That the film doesn't rise above the formulaic is a particular disappointment as these stunningly brave Rescue Swimmers deserve a film as daring as they are. Unfortunately, first-time screenwriter Ron L. Brinkerhoff just doesn't dive deep enough. The film could have benefited from a darker, more nuanced approach. Certainly, star Kevin Costner has gone there in other roles, and here he gives the story what little gravity it has.
Costner plays veteran rescue swimmer Ben Randall of cold, harsh Kodiak, Alaska. A spectacular opening rescue scene, where his experience and smarts pay off, establishes his superhero credentials. However, back on dry land, he is predictably dumped by his wife (Sela Ward, wasted in an underwritten or perhaps heavily edited role). He also develops a bad case of post-traumatic stress after the death of his crew. Costner has the perfect, pain-soaked eyes and weary voice to draw the audience in, but the story doesn't give him anywhere interesting to go with the character.
After the loss of his crew, Randall is sent to the killer "A" Training School in more temperate Shreveport, La., to instruct the usual motley group of raw recruits. Inevitably he encounters his young doppelganger there, Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher). Reminiscent of Richard Gere's character in "An Officer and a Gentleman", right down to the local girl (Melissa Sagemiller) whom he seduces and might abandon at the end of training, Kutcher has the impressive physicality for the part but not the emotional weight.
It's obvious that hotshot Fischer is going to have some dark secret hidden beneath his bravado, but Kutcher's performance doesn't embody that secret. When the big truth-spilling scene arrives, he cries convincingly, but it's unlikely the audience will.
Davis seems more engaged by the arduous training regimes and daring rescue operations than by the complexity of the characters. As has become standard for post-"Titanic" films that take place on the water, a massive wave tank was utilized to create a realistic, visceral experience of being at sea under the worst possible conditions. Credit here also goes to visual effects supervisor William Mesa and visual consultant Thomas L. Fisher.
The rescue episodes are spectacularly well-staged and engender feelings of awe and admiration for the real-life Rescue Swimmers. (The Coast Guard cooperated extensively on the production, and it definitely shows.) The documentary-like feel of in-the-water sequences makes one long for a less-polished approach to the rest of the film. There is a moment at the end that suggests what the movie could have been if predictability had been cast aside and the unexpected heartbreak of real life allowed to seep in, but it is too little, too late.
Cinematography by Stephen St. John, especially for the at-sea sequences, is state-of-the-art. Other tech credits are superior all around, though the film could have benefited from more judicious editing, especially in the final third, where multiple climaxes -- a common pitfall of this genre -- seem to go on forever.
THE GUARDIAN
Buena Vista Pictures
A Contrafilm/Firm Films production
Credits:
Director: Andrew Davis
Screenplay: Ron L. Brinkerhoff
Executive producers: Charlie Lyons, Peter Macgregor Scott, Armyan Bernstein, Zanne Devine
Producers: Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson
Director of photography: Stephen St. John
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Music: Trevor Rabin
Visual effects supervisor: William Mesa
Costume designer: Mark Peterson
Editors: Dennis Virkler, Thomas J. Nordberg
Cast:
Ben Randall: Kevin Costner
Jake Fischer: Ashton Kutcher
Helen Randall: Sela Ward
Emily Thomas: Melissa Sagemiller
Jack Skinner: Neal McDonough
Frank Larson: John Heard
Capt. William Hadley: Clancy Brown
Hodge: Brian Geraghty
Maggie McGlone: Bonnie Bramlett
Kim Weatherly: Dule Hill
Cate: Shelby Fenner.
Running time -- 136 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/18/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Opens Friday, Feb. 14
Now that "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" are firmly established as franchise forces (and with "The Hulk" making his first big appearance in the summer), Marvel Comics' lesser-known "Daredevil" is given a crack at the blockbuster bat.
With no major superpowers to speak of, save for some awesome acrobatic skills and a "radar sense" that compensates for his blindness, the man without fear wouldn't appear to be top-ranking, crime-fighting material.
Unfortunately, the movie that bears his name doesn't do much to change that perception.
Even with Ben Affleck donning the horned cowl and "Alias" sensation Jennifer Garner playing femme fatale/love interest Elektra -- not to mention a terrific Colin Farrell as psycho adversary Bullseye -- "Daredevil", as written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, never leaves the ground.
A collection of false starts interrupted by an awful lot of angst-ridden contemplation, the picture serves up soul-searching gush with scant pulse-pounding rush.
Being positioned as a darker "Spider-Man", the film should handily take Presidents Day weekend, but it's destined to fall considerably short of web-slinging distance with a franchise potential that remains to be seen.
Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964, the handicapped hero underwent a gritty, hyper-realistic makeover during the early '80s by Frank Miller, while Kevin Smith added a few touches of his own for a volume of "Daredevil" stories published in 1998.
For the big-screen version, Johnson, whose only other directorial effort was 1998's "Simon Birch", initially does a neat job in encapsulating the chain of events that turned young Matt Murdock into the nocturnal, avenging vigilante with four-out-of-five superhuman senses.
Devoting his life to a pursuit of justice after the murder of his prizefighter father (David Keith), the grown-up Murdock (Affleck) seldom strays beyond his Hell's Kitchen 'hood, running a storefront law office by day with his old pal Franklin "Foggy" Nelson (an amusing Jon Favreau) while donning the red leather Daredevil gear by night to rid the streets of human scum.
He pretty much lives the life of a lone wolf until the day the very sexy and potentially dangerous Elektra Natchios (Garner) high-kicks her way into his life (their martial arts-fueled playground encounter is among the film's few genuine highlights).
But their time together will be seriously curbed by the efforts of the highly volatile Bullseye (a scene-swiping Farrell), a swaggering assassin with a target carved into his forehead and a lethal throwing arm that can turn the most innocent of household objects, from a playing card to a paper clip, into a deadly weapon.
Acting on the bidding of the powerful Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin (a miscast Michael Clarke Duncan), Bullseye ultimately draws Murdock/Daredevil into settling a past score.
The final showdown with his father's mystery killer isn't the only thing that falls short of expectations here. From an audience point of view, much of "Daredevil" is spent waiting patiently for the next action sequence to arrive -- and when it finally does, the payoff is disappointingly perfunctory.
It's hard to blame Affleck for the low-voltage results.
As written and directed by Johnson, his superhero is one morose dude. By contrast, even his morally conflicted colleague Spider-Man was allowed to enjoy a little exhilaration when he first became aware of his newly minted powers, and Batman certainly displayed a certain perverse level of job satisfaction.
Johnson's Daredevil is so comparatively bland and uncompelling that you keep hoping the bad guys will show up. Garner, meanwhile, is allowed to show some early spunky promise before she's hurried into a love match with Affleck in a grafted-on attempt at gender-crossing appeal a la "Spider-Man".
Comic book fans will appreciate the cameos by Lee and Smith, as well as several insider character references to Marvel artists.
The visual effects, while proficient, fall short of jaw-dropping, with the CGI-generated cityscapes seldom feeling like anything more than Manhattan backdrops. There's little interaction with the architecture.
Cinematographer Ericson Core contributes the kind of visceral grit he brought to "The Fast and the Furious", while composer Graeme Revell delivers a Danny Elfman-efficient score.
DAREDEVIL
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises present in association with Marvel Enterprises Inc. a New Regency/Horseshoe Bay production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Mark Steven Johnson
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Gary Foster, Avi Arad
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Bernie Williams
Director of photography: Ericson Core
Production designer: Barry Chusid
Editors: Dennis Virkler, Armen Minasian
Costume designer: James Acheson
Visual effects supervisor: Rich Thorne
Music: Graeme Revell
Music supervisor: Dave Jordan
Cast:
Matt Murdock/Daredevil: Ben Affleck
Elektra Natchios: Jennifer Garner
Wilson Fisk: Michael Clarke Duncan
Bullseye: Colin Farrell
Ben Urich: Joe Pantoliano
Franklin "Foggy" Nelson: Jon Favreau
Jack Murdock: David Keith
Running time -- 103 minutes
MPAA rating PG-13...
Now that "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" are firmly established as franchise forces (and with "The Hulk" making his first big appearance in the summer), Marvel Comics' lesser-known "Daredevil" is given a crack at the blockbuster bat.
With no major superpowers to speak of, save for some awesome acrobatic skills and a "radar sense" that compensates for his blindness, the man without fear wouldn't appear to be top-ranking, crime-fighting material.
Unfortunately, the movie that bears his name doesn't do much to change that perception.
Even with Ben Affleck donning the horned cowl and "Alias" sensation Jennifer Garner playing femme fatale/love interest Elektra -- not to mention a terrific Colin Farrell as psycho adversary Bullseye -- "Daredevil", as written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, never leaves the ground.
A collection of false starts interrupted by an awful lot of angst-ridden contemplation, the picture serves up soul-searching gush with scant pulse-pounding rush.
Being positioned as a darker "Spider-Man", the film should handily take Presidents Day weekend, but it's destined to fall considerably short of web-slinging distance with a franchise potential that remains to be seen.
Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett in 1964, the handicapped hero underwent a gritty, hyper-realistic makeover during the early '80s by Frank Miller, while Kevin Smith added a few touches of his own for a volume of "Daredevil" stories published in 1998.
For the big-screen version, Johnson, whose only other directorial effort was 1998's "Simon Birch", initially does a neat job in encapsulating the chain of events that turned young Matt Murdock into the nocturnal, avenging vigilante with four-out-of-five superhuman senses.
Devoting his life to a pursuit of justice after the murder of his prizefighter father (David Keith), the grown-up Murdock (Affleck) seldom strays beyond his Hell's Kitchen 'hood, running a storefront law office by day with his old pal Franklin "Foggy" Nelson (an amusing Jon Favreau) while donning the red leather Daredevil gear by night to rid the streets of human scum.
He pretty much lives the life of a lone wolf until the day the very sexy and potentially dangerous Elektra Natchios (Garner) high-kicks her way into his life (their martial arts-fueled playground encounter is among the film's few genuine highlights).
But their time together will be seriously curbed by the efforts of the highly volatile Bullseye (a scene-swiping Farrell), a swaggering assassin with a target carved into his forehead and a lethal throwing arm that can turn the most innocent of household objects, from a playing card to a paper clip, into a deadly weapon.
Acting on the bidding of the powerful Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin (a miscast Michael Clarke Duncan), Bullseye ultimately draws Murdock/Daredevil into settling a past score.
The final showdown with his father's mystery killer isn't the only thing that falls short of expectations here. From an audience point of view, much of "Daredevil" is spent waiting patiently for the next action sequence to arrive -- and when it finally does, the payoff is disappointingly perfunctory.
It's hard to blame Affleck for the low-voltage results.
As written and directed by Johnson, his superhero is one morose dude. By contrast, even his morally conflicted colleague Spider-Man was allowed to enjoy a little exhilaration when he first became aware of his newly minted powers, and Batman certainly displayed a certain perverse level of job satisfaction.
Johnson's Daredevil is so comparatively bland and uncompelling that you keep hoping the bad guys will show up. Garner, meanwhile, is allowed to show some early spunky promise before she's hurried into a love match with Affleck in a grafted-on attempt at gender-crossing appeal a la "Spider-Man".
Comic book fans will appreciate the cameos by Lee and Smith, as well as several insider character references to Marvel artists.
The visual effects, while proficient, fall short of jaw-dropping, with the CGI-generated cityscapes seldom feeling like anything more than Manhattan backdrops. There's little interaction with the architecture.
Cinematographer Ericson Core contributes the kind of visceral grit he brought to "The Fast and the Furious", while composer Graeme Revell delivers a Danny Elfman-efficient score.
DAREDEVIL
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises present in association with Marvel Enterprises Inc. a New Regency/Horseshoe Bay production
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Mark Steven Johnson
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Gary Foster, Avi Arad
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Bernie Williams
Director of photography: Ericson Core
Production designer: Barry Chusid
Editors: Dennis Virkler, Armen Minasian
Costume designer: James Acheson
Visual effects supervisor: Rich Thorne
Music: Graeme Revell
Music supervisor: Dave Jordan
Cast:
Matt Murdock/Daredevil: Ben Affleck
Elektra Natchios: Jennifer Garner
Wilson Fisk: Michael Clarke Duncan
Bullseye: Colin Farrell
Ben Urich: Joe Pantoliano
Franklin "Foggy" Nelson: Jon Favreau
Jack Murdock: David Keith
Running time -- 103 minutes
MPAA rating PG-13...
- 2/14/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filling the shoes of those who came before you is never easy, especially when the footwear belonged to Alfred Hitchcock, Grace Kelly and Ray Milland.
Yet "A Perfect Murder" -- based loosely on Hitch's "Dial M for Murder", which was adapted from Frederick Knott's stage play of the same name -- succeeds admirably.
A smart, classy, near-perfect suspense thriller boasting crackling performances from Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow, it's director Andrew Davis' best work since "The Fugitive".
This is a yarn in which the perpetrator's identity is shared with the audience from the start, but the tautly executed cat-and-mouse maneuvers nevertheless keep it involving.
Filling an underserved niche, "A Perfect Murder" should yield Warner Bros. some of its best boxoffice numbers of the year.
Purists may find it sacrilege to say so, but Patrick Smith Kelly's clever screenplay, rather than simply updating the action from 1950s London to '90s Manhattan, actually improves on the Knott/Hitchcock original by creating a more treacherous dynamic between the two male points of the intriguing love-hate triangle.
When wealthy industrialist Steven Taylor (Douglas in full "Wall Street" Gordon Gekko mode) realizes that his prized possession -- coming-from-big-money, U.N. multilingual-translator wife Emily -- is having a torrid affair with struggling artist David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen), Taylor plots to critically hurt the one he loves.
Revealing his discovery to Shaw after digging up a considerable criminal portfolio on the career usurper of wealthy women, Taylor blackmails him into killing Emily.
Needless to say, despite elaborate preparations, the execution goes horribly awry as Emily manages to ward off her masked attacker by stabbing him -- no, not in the back with a pair of scissors (that may have worked in the tasteful '50s), but with a carefully aimed meat thermometer to the jugular.
To make matters worse for Taylor, the unintended murder victim doesn't turn out to be whom we expected. As Taylor frantically attempts to cover his tracks, Emily's suspicions are understandably heightened, as are those of Detective Mohamed Karaman (David Suchet), with whom Emily converses in his native Arabic.
Even Hitchcock would have approved of the casting. Douglas revels in playing the seamy, dark side that the late, great master of suspense used to enjoy eliciting from Hollywood good guys Cary Grant and James Stewart.
And while she's not exactly Grace Kelly (who is?), Paltrow brings an intelligent wiliness to her not-so-pitiful victim. Good also are Mortensen as an out-of-his-league counter-blackmailer and Suchet as the detective who answers to a much higher authority when making judgment calls.
Technical contributions are nothing short of superb.
A PERFECT MURDER
Warner Bros.
A Kopelson Entertainment production
An Andrew Davis film
Director: Andrew Davis
Producers: Arnold Kopelson
and Anne Kopelson, Christopher Mankiewicz, Peter Macgregor-Scott
Screenwriter: Patrick Smith Kelly
Based on the play "Dial M for Murder" by:
Frederick Knott
Executive producer: Stephen Brown
Director of photography: Dariusz Wolski
Production designer: Philip Rosenberg
Editors: Dennis Virkler, Dov Hoenig
Costume designer: Ellen Mirojnick
Music: James Newton Howard
Color/stereo
Cast:
Steven Taylor: Michael Douglas
Emily Bradford Taylor: Gwyneth Paltrow
David Shaw: Viggo Mortensen
Detective Mohamed Karaman: David Suchet
Raquel Martinez: Sarita Choudhury
Sandra Bradford: Constance Towers
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Yet "A Perfect Murder" -- based loosely on Hitch's "Dial M for Murder", which was adapted from Frederick Knott's stage play of the same name -- succeeds admirably.
A smart, classy, near-perfect suspense thriller boasting crackling performances from Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow, it's director Andrew Davis' best work since "The Fugitive".
This is a yarn in which the perpetrator's identity is shared with the audience from the start, but the tautly executed cat-and-mouse maneuvers nevertheless keep it involving.
Filling an underserved niche, "A Perfect Murder" should yield Warner Bros. some of its best boxoffice numbers of the year.
Purists may find it sacrilege to say so, but Patrick Smith Kelly's clever screenplay, rather than simply updating the action from 1950s London to '90s Manhattan, actually improves on the Knott/Hitchcock original by creating a more treacherous dynamic between the two male points of the intriguing love-hate triangle.
When wealthy industrialist Steven Taylor (Douglas in full "Wall Street" Gordon Gekko mode) realizes that his prized possession -- coming-from-big-money, U.N. multilingual-translator wife Emily -- is having a torrid affair with struggling artist David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen), Taylor plots to critically hurt the one he loves.
Revealing his discovery to Shaw after digging up a considerable criminal portfolio on the career usurper of wealthy women, Taylor blackmails him into killing Emily.
Needless to say, despite elaborate preparations, the execution goes horribly awry as Emily manages to ward off her masked attacker by stabbing him -- no, not in the back with a pair of scissors (that may have worked in the tasteful '50s), but with a carefully aimed meat thermometer to the jugular.
To make matters worse for Taylor, the unintended murder victim doesn't turn out to be whom we expected. As Taylor frantically attempts to cover his tracks, Emily's suspicions are understandably heightened, as are those of Detective Mohamed Karaman (David Suchet), with whom Emily converses in his native Arabic.
Even Hitchcock would have approved of the casting. Douglas revels in playing the seamy, dark side that the late, great master of suspense used to enjoy eliciting from Hollywood good guys Cary Grant and James Stewart.
And while she's not exactly Grace Kelly (who is?), Paltrow brings an intelligent wiliness to her not-so-pitiful victim. Good also are Mortensen as an out-of-his-league counter-blackmailer and Suchet as the detective who answers to a much higher authority when making judgment calls.
Technical contributions are nothing short of superb.
A PERFECT MURDER
Warner Bros.
A Kopelson Entertainment production
An Andrew Davis film
Director: Andrew Davis
Producers: Arnold Kopelson
and Anne Kopelson, Christopher Mankiewicz, Peter Macgregor-Scott
Screenwriter: Patrick Smith Kelly
Based on the play "Dial M for Murder" by:
Frederick Knott
Executive producer: Stephen Brown
Director of photography: Dariusz Wolski
Production designer: Philip Rosenberg
Editors: Dennis Virkler, Dov Hoenig
Costume designer: Ellen Mirojnick
Music: James Newton Howard
Color/stereo
Cast:
Steven Taylor: Michael Douglas
Emily Bradford Taylor: Gwyneth Paltrow
David Shaw: Viggo Mortensen
Detective Mohamed Karaman: David Suchet
Raquel Martinez: Sarita Choudhury
Sandra Bradford: Constance Towers
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.