FRED Entertainment

By Christopher Stipp

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Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

The Phoenix Film Festival Contest

It’s back again for those of us living in the land of cacti and oppressive heat. Time to break out the lanyards and the program guide to find out which upcoming film needs to be seen. One of the benefits of this festival being here in the valley is that unlike Sundance and Tribeca the lines and weather aren’t an impediment to seeing some great films from some great filmmakers.

From big to small, this festival is a nice cheese plate when comparing it to heavyweight entrees like Cannes or Toronto. And if you’re interested in going gratis to see four films at no cost then please e-mail me at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll get you entered to win. This Flex Pass will allow you to go to those four films, excluding the Opening and Closing Nights, by simply picking them out and getting the tickets.

The festival is underway (March 31 – April 7) as we speak so get your entries in quick. As well, this year the International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival will be going on at the same time so it’s a think of it like a blood soaked Oreo squished between some high brow bread!

About the festival:

The Phoenix Film Festival has been named one of The 25 Coolest Film Festivals by MovieMaker Magazine and has been called the most filmmaker-friendly festival out there. The Festival annually screens over 100 films, holds amazing parties and provides filmmaking seminars to capacity audiences. Over 22,000 attendees enjoy the 8 day festival that takes place all in one convenient location.
Don’t just take it from us, here are just a few comments we received from our filmmakers……

“The Phoenix Film Festival is absolutely the best festival on the circuit, without question. From the staff to the programming to the all-important audience they draw, this the ultimate festival experience.”
Paul Osborne – Director of “Official Rejection”

“Phoenix recharged my batteries and I massively enjoyed the chance to meet all the other filmmakers, chat, eat and drink. They really do celebrate film and its makers”
Louis McCullagh – Director of “Call Me Son”

“We had a blast. It is nice to be associated with such a great group of folks”
Anthony Tarsitano – Director of “Calling it Quits”

BLACK SWAN – Blu-ray Review

Bless those at Fox for sending this one to my doorstep.

Not only does this Blu-ray capture all the nuances of what allowed Natalie Portman to rightfully receive her Best Actress award but the format gives you a chance to watch madness personified all over again. For those who are finally finding this for the first time it can be overlooked that this is a movie that was simply made to be experienced in an intimate format as home video. What director Darren Aronofsky does better than most any other director is to put to a visual medium of what it’s like to simply disassemble. To be fully formed at the beginning of a film and to be completely shattered by the end is part and parcel of what made movies like Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and, to some extent, The Wrestler such compelling films. It’s about ambition, it’s about obsession, and it’s about the lengths we’ll go to have our dreams fully realized and Black Swan encapsulates that.

We are presented with many of same tropes we’ve always gotten from Aronofsky except he makes it all his own. He allows Portman to fully become the most engrossing part of this picture, flanked by the dynamite performances of Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel, and just shoves everything that’s not vital to the telling of her story to the side. There is no room for anyone else in this picture except Natalie and that’s what makes the heavy lifting by Portman such a fascinating thing to experience. Sure, there are key moments that performers like Cassel, Kunis, and even Winona Ryder deliver but it’s like watching a quarterback set up a play to allow the star player to take it all the way. Portman is only as good as those around her and those around her were very, very good.

On this Blu-ray we get a fabulous making-of that is indicative of Darren’s style as a filmmaker, eschewing the usual promo EPK that plagues fat and bloated DVDs that boast of “18 Hours of Extra Content!”, in that we get some insight to how this film was actually MADE versus how great it was to work with screen legend Barbara Hershey. From costume design, to cinematography, to production details, this is the kind of extra that is worth picking up the disc alone just based on this.

From a muted color palette that runs throughout the film and then explodes with visual vibrancy as we head into the final moments of this movie to performances that were without question Oscar worthy this is the one disc you need to own in your collection for no other reason than to see how acting can really elevate the spirit to a new level when you’re in sync with what’s happening on the screen.

About the disc:

Capture the Electrifying Thriller That Has Audiences on the Edge of Their Seats On Blu-ray and DVD March 29

Starring Natalie Portman in her Academy Award® winning role*, BLACK SWAN is a seductive yet haunting film that will leave you breathless. Directed by innovator Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), this Best Picture nominated film boasts a wealth of talent including Portman (Closer), in the performance of her career, as well as Mila Kunis (Date Night), Winona Ryder (Girl, Interrupted) and Vincent Cassel (Ocean’s Twelve). In the film that Daily Variety hailed as “…wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating… fascinating,” Natalie Portman’s mesmerizing transformation into the Black Swan leaves you breathless ““ and wanting to see it again. Become part of the haunting phenomenon and own BLACK SWAN on Blu-ray or DVD on March 29th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina in the New York City Ballet trying to make it to the top. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), also impresses Leroy and becomes Nina’s competition. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly with her innocence and grace, but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan with her fiery personality. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Cast Profiles ““ Roles of a Lifetime
Presented by Fox Movie Channel, the stars reflect on the their challenging and rewarding characters

Sucker Punch; the Roger Corman Movie Never Made By Ray Schillaci

It’s been awhile since I’ve contributed an article, largely due to a crippling injury that took a toll on me mentally and physically. After a 5-6 week detainment, I braved seeing Zack Snyder’s, “Sucker Punch” with two very anxious young men ““ my sons, 17 and 11years-old. Being hampered by a good mood I cannot bring myself to fully say that I received the same mental abuse from Snyder’s latest opus.

By the time the credits ended, we all had a different opinion. My youngest loved it. But did question some motivation on several of the characters and sometimes could not distinguish Blondie from Amber ““ even though Amber was Asian. My oldest thought it was cool to a point, but was disappointed with the plot holes and the lack of characterization. I decided to forego my true feelings and agreed with my oldest, so as not to ruin my younger son’s enjoyment.

I tried not to prejudge the new Zack Snyder film with the scathing reviews it was receiving. How could anything look that good and be so bad. I was even willing to drive out of my way and plunk down twice the amount of money to experience it in IMAX. But the word of mouth just over the weekend was so horrendous, that it prompted me to back off on my original intention and take my kids to a matinee at a regular screen. I’m glad I did.

Snyder’s latest continues to resonate in my mind as to what is wrong with the glut of stupid films in this day and age. Mind you, I understand there is a market for an empty-headed mess that is visually stunning, but it’s like having the chance to spend a night with the most gorgeous woman on earth (if you are a guy) and discovering she’s actually a vegetable. There are so many directors, producers and studio executives who are mistaking spectacle for spectacular. Battle: Los Angeles comes to mind, but even that with its knucklehead script made more sense and was more entertaining than the vapid sinking feeling that Sucker Punch provides.

Snyder and Steve Shibuya have scratched out the semblance of an idea about a troubled young girl who is wrongfully sent to an asylum with the intention of receiving a lobotomy. Before the worst can take place to our heroine, Baby Doll, she is whisked into her own fantasy of survival where she resides as a captive with four other beautiful women who are forced to perform (in more ways than one) in some kind of makeshift club of the damned ““ think 2001s “Moulin Rouge!” with no dancing, even though all the characters in the film rave about the dancing.

From there, Baby Doll takes us further into her imagination to escape reality by plunging us into another fantasy every time she is about to perform a dance number (yes, if Inception confused you ““ stay far away from this film). We learn through her sensei or angel, Scott Glen (what a waste of an actor), that her only chance of survival is to attain 5 items. At this point, nothing is explained as Baby Doll acquires the ability to vanquish giant ninjas with tremendous powers, handles a sword like Neo from The Matrix, flies through the air and takes on any and all baddies coming her way including zombie Nazis and fire breathing dragons.

It all sounds very cool in print and would probably be a fan boy’s wet dream, especially with the school girl attire and high octane heels. But the picture loses interest before we get through the first battle. One cannot help wonder where on earth did she get the abilities. Why are the other girls dressed in skimpy attire while everybody else during each battle is heavily clad, and with all the fire going around would it not singe their skin? Oh, I get it, it’s a fantasy! So is Narnia and Harry Potter, but at least they provided some reasoning behind their actions.

All right, I’m sounding so uncool right now, but it gets old after awhile. Hell, you can see better entertainment and more skin in a Russ Meyer film (Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens). Snyder’s latest tour de force reminds me of the works of great directors that eventually went awry whether it is through ego, drugs or alcohol. It brings to mind the nonsensical work of Sam Peckinpaw’s, Osterman Weekend, Killer Elite or Cross of Iron. Also, the terrible misstep of Michael Cimino’s, Heaven’s Gate and do I dare add Terry Gilliam’s, Tideland.

At least these directors had a prestigious track record at one time. Snyder does have a remarkable eye when it comes to green screen, but his story telling has always been his weak point. 300 was no Gladiator or Spartacus, but its visuals ran amok with our senses and it was all very new to us. Watchmen had the advantage of having the greatest graphic novel ever written as its base and even though it disappointed fans, Snyder still maintained a strong following. FYI I liked both films with their obvious flaws.

To have his fans make the excuse that Snyder is all about visual is detrimental to the future of his career. Great directors like David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) and Ken Russell (Altered States, Tommy) have been noted for their amazing visuals, but there is extreme depth in their work and their characters have rarely been shallow. With this latest example in green screen storytelling one cannot help but be concerned over the fate of the new Superman that Snyder is helming.

While watching Sucker Punch, I could not help but laugh at times, because it reminded me of a bad Roger Corman film with an out of control budget, which Corman never allowed. It even had me recalling the way Corman would handle a film if it was not being shot on schedule, ripping several pages out of the script and stating no one will know the wiser. That could definitely be said about SP. The whole film is such a hodgepodge of better movies (Brazil, The Matrix, Hellboy, Kill Bill, and Moulin Rouge!). It makes one imagine friends getting together while being high and slamming down ideas, spouting how awesome it would be to amalgamate the confusion and actually get it produced.

To be fair to Snyder and company, the film does begin and end with a noble and inspirational message. Unfortunately, a threadbare story has been awkwardly placed in between to get that message across nearly souring the whole concept. Then, perhaps I am giving Snyder too much credit by suggesting that. It could be a great example of poor storytelling and the writers saying we need to punch this up and give it some validity, so they tag on something thought provoking to pass it off as art. When it comes down to it, Sucker Punch is basically impressive eye candy for the empty headed or a wonderful treat for an 11 year-old that does not know any better and I will admit a small adolescent part of me was tickled by it.