Public Enemies-Text Review
PUBLIC ENEMIES
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Stephen Graham, Giovanni Ribisi, Bill Camp and Branka Katic
Directed by: Michael Mann
Rated R for gangster violence and some language
Genre: Crime Drama
By John Delia
Bringing a crime legend to the screen takes a good deal of research, good casting and impeccable direction and that all came together for Public Enemies. Director Michael Man not only captures the essence of John Dillinger in his movie, but that of Baby Face Nelson as well. Public Enemies is probably Mann’s best, no in my opinion, it is his best film to date.
In the early thirties when America was still rattling from the Depression, gangsters were on the rise. Just when FBI agent Melvin Purvis took down Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillenger’s number was elevated to the top of the wanted list. It was an era of crime and a chance for J. Edger Hoover to make his play as the greatest G-Man of all time. At odds with the U.S. Senate over appropriations for the FBI, Hoover had something to prove. Putting Purvis in charge of the Chicago Bureau, Hoover planned to use him to make headlines by capturing Public Enemy Number 1, Dillinger and prove his worth to the government. What occurs during Hoover’s crime offensive coupled with the actions of one of the most famous bank robber of all time, becomes a chronicle in the history of America.
Mann tackles the events leading up to Dillinger’s final days with near accuracy giving the gangster a personality missing in previous attempts by other production companies. Was Dillinger this carring man who became a bank robbing folk hero who only took from the rich or someone that was cold and calculating on a journey down the path of destruction? I found that the film depicted two sides. Showing Dillinger’s soft side in his relationship with Billie Frechette (Cotillard) with dreams of going straight and then shooting it out with the law from a cabin in the woods with no mercy for the law makes a case for both.
There was good acting and then there was standout performances in Public Enemies. Billy Crudup made an excellent J. Edgar Hoover, the devious attention getter who took all the credit for Pervis’s dangerous work. I also liked Cotillard in the role of Billie, Dillinger’s timid lover who turns into a tough moll. Then there is Stephen Graham as the maniacal Baby Face Nelson who loved to show off his automatic weapon by shooting into everything and everyone around him. Graham brings life (and death) to Nelson as he rampages in nearly every scene in which he appears.
But the standout performances come from Branka Katic as Anna Sage the infamous lady in red who points out Dillinger during his final moments. She depicts the emotional roller coaster Anna goes through before she gives up her loyalty to Dillinger so she won’t get deported. But I would be remiss in not pointing out the great job by Johnny Depp who makes Dillinger a real person with a personality. Someone who may have been this nice guy gone bad.
But, the film is not without flaws, although few, they are distracting. Taking some movie magic license, Dillinger is shown walking into the FBI Chicago bureau while agents are huddled around a radio listening to a baseball game. Um, Sure! The film runs about two and a half hours, but I still would have liked to see more of the robberies and the relationship between Dillinger and Billie. I also don’t think Billie was fleshed out enough and especially since she goes from innocent to moll in what seemed a short period of time.
Now don’t think I am getting offbeat here, but the sound guy should get an award. The popping of guns were very realistic, the breaking of glass from the bullets are cringing and the dialogue still understandable, an amazing feet of sound during the shoot out at the cabin in the woods.
Well there you have it. The film will make it to classic and get nominated for many awards. Public Enemies is rated R for gangster violence and language most of which is very realistic and sometimes brutal so young teens make sure your parents are not frightened by all the shooting when you get them to take you along.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Public Enemies is a realistic look at some dastardly criminal times. (4.5 of 5 Palm Trees)
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs-Text Review
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS
Starring Voices: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Sean William Scott, Josh Peck and Simon Pegg
Directed by: Carlos Saldanha, Michael Thurmeier
Rated PG for mild humor and peril
Genre: Animated/Adventure Comedy
By John Delia
Extremely kid friendly, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs makes its way into theaters providing a fun time for the youngsters. Adults will probably enjoy the film as long as they are accompanying children. If you are over the age of 12 and have already seen Ice Age and its sequel, then you may feel like this one is more of the same.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs continues the saga of the mammoths Ellie (Latifah) and Manny (Romano) as they trek to find a home in which they can settle. This time however, Ellie is pregnant and her time is near for giving birth. The rest of the tribe, Diego (Leary), Sid (Leguizamo) and the possums Crash (Scott) and Eddie (Peck) are content to go along for the ride. But Sid as usual can’t seem to enjoy himself unless he is poking into places he shouldn’t and this time turning up with some Dinosaur eggs that belong to a Tyrannosaurs Rex. Much to the delight of Sid, the eggs hatch and think that he is there mother causing some serious questions on the part of the other members of the tribe. When the real momma lizard comes looking for her children, things get very dicey.
The animated comedy has several different storylines going all at once including Scrat (Chris Wedge) meeting Scratte (Karen Disner) a female squirrel who takes him for a heavenly ride. This is where I perked up. The two are very funny with Scrat doing his Willey Coyote impression as he has in the previous two films. This time we are invited to see a little different romance in the scraggly squirrel.
Another sequence introduces you to Buck (Pegg), a one-eyed weasel who has been hunting the great white Dinosaur that has been terrorizing the land. To me it was the funniest part of the film and Simon Pegg’s voice coupled with some great animation save the film from being just another sequel.
The film was reviewed in the 3D format that really doesn’t add much to the production. So if the movie isn’t available in 3D at your local theater, you aren’t missing much. The movie should be fun for the kiddies and although you may snooze a little as I did through scenes with Ray Romano’s character, Sid, Scrat and Buck should save your day.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A fun film for kiddies. (4 of 5 Palm Trees)
Bruno Is Coming!!
Hi all! To expand a bit on the email below re: the Bruno's premiere tonight and to promote tune-in for Bruno's arrival, we wanted to pass along the key online marquee placements running today, as well as the outreach we sent promoting the LIVE webcast tonight. Please feel free to pass along to any of your folks that might want to tune-in live:) Marquee placements are running online today, including: www.myspace.com - MySpace turns into MeinSpace for the day www.facebook.com - Roadblock on Facebook.com promoting the movie and tonight's webcast www.break.com - countdown on the homepage to tonight's webcast www.craveonline.com - Bruno skin and promotion for the webcast Tonight's webcast can be viewed at www.brunocast.com or on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/bruno# Subject: *TUNE-IN* Universal Pictures' Hollywood Red Carpet Premiere of BRÜNO! Watch Brüno LIVE - TONIGHT! You've seen him in Paris, London, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Berlin...now it's time for Hollywood! Get ready for the red carpet event of the summer... that you can watch LIVE! Brüno ist coming... Üniversal Pictures invites you to join the excitement and be a part of the Hollywood Red Carpet Premiere ofBRÜNO! Üniversal Pictures’ upcoming comedy Brüno is Sacha Baron Cohen’s follow-up to Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The film arrives in theaters on July 10, 2009! WATCH LIVE Online! Universal will be streaming the celebrity – and hilarity – filled red carpet arrivals LIVE from Grauman’s Chinese TONIGHT, Thursday, Jun Premiere Widget: Check out the live webcast and embed the premiere widget on your site! You can gear up for the premiere AND watch live at: http://www.brunocast.com Facebook: Join Brüno’s many, many fans and talk to other Facebook friends http://www.facebook.com/bruno# BRÜNO arrives in theaters on July 10, 2009! Release date: July 10, 2009 Rating: R Official Website: http://www.meinspace.com/bruno Restricted Trailer: http://www.brunoredhot.com/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/brunovassup Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bruno Images: http://www.specialopsmedia. Green Band Trailer Deep Links - (Please cut and paste into your browser) http://www.brunoredhot.com/
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Events At Cinema Paradiso
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Jan Mitchell / Jan Mitchell & Associates Cell: 954-649-0258, email: janpubpromo@yahoo,com JULY 2009 CALENDAR OF FILMS AND EVENTS AT CINEMA PARADISO, FORT LAUDERDALE Cinema Paradiso, is operated year-round by the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Below is a calendar of events. Cinema Paradiso Location Details and Advance Ticket Sales www.FLIFF.com or 954-525-FILM (3456) FILM & EVENTS SCHEDULE Wednesday, July 1 Cinema A La Mode 5:00PM Happy Hour / 6:00PM Cooking Class / 7:00PM Movie General Admission $9.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00 With the French Film Festival just weeks away, Cinema Paradiso is kicking off the new monthly series, Cinema A La Mode. The evening starts off with a 2 for 1 Happy Hour followed by a demonstration of how to prepare crepes, by Cinema Paradiso’s own Chef Michelle. The feature presentation will be the sinfully delicious romance "Chocolat", starring Juliet Binoche, Judy Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Johnny Depp. About Chef Michelle Michelle’s passion for the culinary arts began at a young age while watching her two grandmothers’ cook. After living in Italy and visiting most of Europe with her diplomatic family, she began cooking upon her return to the U.S. helping with her Aunt’s catering business. Her dream of owning and being the chef of a restaurant came true with “Roma De Noche” in Cancun, Mexico from 1999 -2001. Michelle has been in the culinary arts for 25 years. Recently catering events for Miami Short Film Festival and Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. July 3 - July 8 WHATEVER WORKS – The new Woody Allen film Friday, July 3, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 8:15 PM, 9:50 PM General Admission $9.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00 From Woody Allen, Whatever Works, is a comedy follows an eccentric New Yorker (Larry David) who abandons his upper class life to lead a more bohemian existence. He meets a young girl from the South and her family and no two people seem to get along in the entanglements that follow. Also starring Evan Rachel and Wood, Ed Begley Jr. July 3 – 7 JULIA Friday, July 3, 5:00 PM General Admission $9.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00 Julia, 40, is an alcoholic. She is a manipulative, unreliable, compulsive liar, all strung out beneath her still flamboyant exterior. Between shots of vodka and one-night stands, Julia gets by on nickel-and-dime jobs. Increasingly lonely, the only consideration she receives comes from her friend Mitch, who tries to help her. But she shrugs him off, as her alcohol-induced confusion daily reinforces her sense that life has dealt her a losing hand and that she is not to blame for the mess she has made of it. Glimpsing imminent perdition, and after a chance encounter with Elena, a Mexican woman, Julia convinces herself - as much in panic and despair as for financial gain - to commit a violent act. As the story unfolds, Julia's journey becomes a headlong flight on a collision course, but somehow she makes the choice of life over death. Starring Tilda Swinton, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo. Saturday, July 4 10:00 AM - FAB! Films for Kids The Spirit of America will be celebrated with the Animated Academy Award nominated "An American Tail". Following the movie, the holiday is kicked off with Hot Dogs and Burgers in the Courtyard. Plus, a prize will be awarded for the kid that shows the best Red, White, and Blue spirit. FAB! Films for Kids is a free monthly event featuring films for families followed by an activity for kids and sponsored by Funding Arts of Broward and presented by the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. July 9 – 12 & 14 Thursday, July 9, 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM General Admission $9.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00 'Every Little Step' explores the incredible journey of 'A Chorus Line,' from ambitious idea to international phenomenon. Through 15 years of continuous performances from the 70's to 90's and a revival beginning last year, 'A Chorus Line' has touched generations around the world with stories so poignant, they could only have come from truth. The film goes behind the scenes with exclusive interviews and footage of the revival's audition process, revealing the dramatic journey of the performers, and unfolding the story of life imitating art. The film compares and contrasts the original musical with the current revival. It investigates the societies in which they've debuted, and why the themes are so timeless and universal. A monthly film event starting with Brunch and followed by an independent or foreign film and discussionfacilitated by Shelly Issacs, an instructor of foreign language film appreciation at Florida International University, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Presented this Sunday is, VIVA LALDJERIE, a 2004 film from Algeria. The film tells the story of old and young in Algeria through a mother and daughter hiding out in a hotel from local terrorists. Monday July 13 & Saturday July 18 I PURITANI -Opera in Cinema Monday, July 13, 7:00 PM General Admission $20 | FLIFF Members $18 Performed by the Teatro Comunale di Bologna ans part of Italy’s Grand Operas Series, I Puritani is the story of love between Elvira and Arturo amidst the English civil war of the 1640s. Elvira's hand has been promised to Sir Richard Forth, whom she does not love. Instead, she is madly in love with Arturo Talbo. Realizing his niece's sadness, Sir Giorgio convinces her father, Lord Gualtiero, to allow her to marry Arturo. At the wedding celebration, Arturo discovers that Queen Enrichetta is a prisoner in the castle. By covering the queen in a wedding veil, Arturo helps the Queen escape from the castle. Meanwhile, Elvira thinks that she has been abandoned. In the end, Arturo and Elvira are reunited to live in happiness. Conducted by: Paolo Vero | Directed by: Michele Mariotti | Cast: Ugo Guagliardo, Nino Machaidze, Yolanda Auyanet, Juan Diego Florez, Celso Albelo July 17 - 19 Friday, July 17, 6:00 PM General Admission $9.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00 The story of the Women of the Wall is a test case for the deprived status of women in Israeli public life. The film is an outcry protesting religious coercion and the violent silencing of women. It's a film that raises many questions about the battle of the sexes within the religious Jewish world. July 17 - 19 AFGHAN STAR Friday, July 17, 8:00PM General Admission $9.00 | Seniors and Students $7.00 | FLIFF Members $5.00 Winner Audience and Directing Award - 2009 Sundance Film Festival In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing. After thirty years of war and five devastating years of Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to the country. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in to Tolo TV’s wildly popular American Idol-style series Afghan Star. Like its Western predecessors, people compete for a cash prize and record deal. More surprisingly, the contest is open to everyone across the country despite gender, ethnicity or age. Two thousand people audition, including three extremely brave women. And when viewers vote for their favorites via cell phone, it is, for many, their first encounter with the democratic process. Saturday, July 25, 2:00PM Stravinsky & The Ballets Russes General Admission $15 / FLIFF Members $10 / Students under 16 $8 General Admission $15 / FLIFF Members $12 Friday, July 24 BACK TO BACK ROCK OPERAS Admission: $5 each film. In the tradition of Cinema Paradiso’s monthly Rocky Horror Pictureshow, Repo! The Genetic Opera features shadow cast Midnight Cinema. This marks first shadow cast performance of Repo! The Gentic Opera in the nation ! REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA takes place In the year 2056 -- the not so distant future -- an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants... for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as well as information about her family's mysterious history. After being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: The Genetic Opera. ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is a Rock and Roll party with a full bar, a Transvestite floor show and the live cast with all the feathers and sequins you can shake a stick at. "Don't Dream It Be It !" -Alexandra Gronskaya (The Queen) 6:00PM - MIAMI VICE 25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY Admission: Free with donation of hair care products to be donated to the Broward Partnership for the Homeless Come dressed in your best 1980's South Florida attire as we celebrate 25 years of Crocket and Tubbs and the rest of the gang that redefined South Florida and Television. Included will be a screening of the original pilot episode, a silent auction of Miami Vice paraphernalia, plus other surprises. Saturday, July 25 THE AUTEUR EXPLOSION 9:00PM – 2:00AM Admission: $5 The monthly showcase produced by Underlab Studios, showcases the local creative community and the flavor of the South Florida culture. On July 25, local artists, musicians and filmmakers strut their stuff with a 1980's theme to compliment The Miami Vice 25th Anniversary Party. July 30 – August 2 (COMPLETE SCHEDULE ATTACHED) THE 8TH ANNUAL PERRIER FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL Thursday, July 30, 6:00PM Soiree, 7:00PM Film Friday, July 31, 6:00PM & 8:00PM Saturday, Aug 1, 10:00AM, 1:00PM, 3:00PM. 5:00PM, 7:00PM & 9:00PM Sunday, Aug 2, 10AM Café Cinematheque, 2:00PM, 4:00PM, 6:00PM, 7:00PM Wrap Party Admission: Opening Night Film & Party $25 non-members and $15 for FLIFF members. Closing Night Film & Wrap Party: $15 General Admission and $10 FLIFF Members Café Cinetheque and Films Only: $10 general Admission, $8 Seniors & Students, $5 FLIFF Members Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) takes you to France from the comfort of their plush, stadium style seating at Cinema Paradiso, as the 8TH Annual Perrier French Film Festival lifts off July 30 – August 2, 2009. Over 12 French films will be featured over the four-day fest featuring an eclectic array of historical dramas, scenic adventures, and side-splitting comedies. As no one does funny like the French, FLIFF will open and close with a heavy dose of laughter. The fest opener on July 30 is HELLO GOODBYE, starring Gérard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac) and Fanny Ardant (The Secrets) in a romantic comedy about a married Jewish couple that undergo an identity crisis when their only son marries a Catholic girl. They decide to move from their home in Paris to Israel only to face the bureaucratic miseries of relocating to a new country, putting their marriage to the test. Closing the fest on August 2 is A PAIN IN THE ASS(L'emmerdeur), the latest film from France’s master of comedy, writer-director Francis Veber (The Valet, The Closet, The Dinner Game), who again reveals the hapless Francois Pignon (Patrick Timsit) to audiences, this time as a hapless neurotic who’s unlucky in love. The films in between are just as entertaining including: GROWN UPS, a wistfully charming comedy about a single French father and his shy teenage daughter who each discover romance during a summer holiday. WELCOME a thrilling drama about a swim coach who trains a young refugee to help him swim the English Channel in order to join his lover. And, THE WEDDING SONG - Karin Albou's (Little Jerusalem) sophomore feature confirms her status as a rising star in this taboo-breaking, sensual and political story of a Muslim girl and a Jewish girl who bond intensely during the Nazi occupation. To give audiences the flavor of being in France, FLIFF will host their popular Opening Night Soiree with a sumptuous buffet of classic French cuisine. French wines and coffee will be featured throughout the four-days and the Closing Night Wrap Party will feature more casual French fare. # # #
503 SE 6 Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale, one block east of Broward County Courthouse on south bank of New River.
Saturday, July 4, 1:00 PM , 5:15 PM & 7:15 PM
Sunday, July 5, 3:15 PM & 7:15 PM
Monday, July 6, 8:00 PM
Tuesday, July 7, 6:00 PM
Wednesday, July 8. 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 4, 3:00 PM
Sunday, July 5, 1:00 PM & 5:15 PM
Monday, July 6, 5:45 PM
Tuesday, July 7, 8:00 PM
Admission: Free
EVERY LITTLE STEP
Friday, July 10, 5:45 PM , 8:00 PM & 9:45 PM
Saturday, July 11, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Sunday, July 12, 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Tuesday, July 14, 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Sunday, July 12
10:00 AM - CAFE CINEMATHEQUE INTERNATIONAL
General Admission $10 | FLIFF Members $8
Saturday, July 18, 2:00 PM
PRAYING IN HER OWN VOICE
Saturday, July 18, 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 19, 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM
This powerful film documents the courageous struggle of a religious women’s group called Women of the Wall, movement for equality, next to the wailing wall - perhaps the holiest place on earth for Jews.
Playing with short film - Today You Are A Fountain Pen
Set in 1989, during the historical week in which the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. The film is a poignant story about a unique relationship between a grandfather and his grandson before the boys Bar Mitzvah. The grandfather teaches the boy a small lesson about growing up, while the boy helps the grandfather, a holocaust survivor, open up and tell his story, for the first time. Stars Len Lesser (Uncle Leo) from Seinfeld.
Saturday, July 18, 5:30 PM
Sunday, July 19, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Winner of the Directing and Audience Awards in Sundance’s 2009 World Documentary competition, Havana Marking’s timely and moving film follows the dramatic stories of four young finalists—two men and two women—as they hazard everything to become the nation’s favorite performer. By observing the Afghani people's relationship to its pop culture, Afghan Star is the perfect window into a country’s tenuous, ongoing struggle for modernity. What Americans consider frivolous entertainment is downright revolutionary—and more human—in this troubled part of the world.
July 21 & 25
STRAVINSKY & THE BALLETS RUSSES (Ballet)
Tuesday, July 21, 7:00pm
An evening of one-act ballets on the music by Igor Stravinsky featuring "The Firebird", "The Rite of Spring", and "The Wedding". As part of the "From Russia With Dance" series, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and Emerging Pictures present the world's most famous ballet company in HD, in the comfort of Cinema Paradiso's plush comfortable seating right here in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Wednesday, July 22
6:30PM - SENSES OF CINEMA Food, Film, Wine, and Discussion
The evening begins at 6:30pm as we celebrate Asia with a sampling of foods from the Far East with a glass of wine. At 7:30pm enjoy the award winning film BLIND SHAFT, introduced by Shelly Isaacs and presented with English subtitles. Following the film, join Shelly for his post screening commentary. BLIND SHAFT, by director Li Yang is a thriller from China, is about two Chinese coal miners who have hit upon the perfect scam: murder one of their fellow mine workers, make the death look like an accident, and extort money from the boss to keep the incident hushed up. For their latest "mark," they choose a naive teenager from a small village, and as they prepare to carry out their newest plan, things start to get complicated.
10:00 PM Repo! The Genetic Opera
11:55 PM Rocky Horror Picture Show
Featuring live shadow cast performers!
Saturday, July 25
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