list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Training Day on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Training_Day/198149/default.aspx Title: Training Day
Year: 2001
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Plot: The Fast and the Furious (2001) screenwriter David Ayer follows up that fast-paced action hit with this gritty cop drama from director Antoine Fuqua. Ethan Hawke stars as Jake Hoyt, a fresh-faced Los Angeles Police Department rookie anxious to join the elite narcotics squad headed up by 13-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). Harris has agreed to give Hoyt a shot at joining his team with a one-day ride-along during which Hoyt must prove his mettle. As the day wears on, however, it becomes increasingly clear to the greenhorn that his experienced mentor has blurred the line between right and wrong to an alarming degree, enforcing his own morally compromised code of ethics and street justice. As he struggles with his conscience, an increasingly alarmed Hoyt begins to suspect that he's not really being given an audition at all; he's being set up as the fall guy in an elaborate scheme. Training Day co-stars Tom Berenger, Scott Glenn, and recording artists Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Macy Gray. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 19
Number of Lists: 28
Number of blog posts: 7
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:14:56 GMTTraining Day2001Antoine Fuqua<a href=/films/192181/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Fast and the Furious</a> (2001) screenwriter <a href="/players/P___277122/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>David Ayer</a> follows up that fast-paced action hit with this gritty cop drama from director <a href="/players/P___235931/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Antoine Fuqua</a>. <a href="/players/P____31094/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ethan Hawke</a> stars as Jake Hoyt, a fresh-faced Los Angeles Police Department rookie anxious to join the elite narcotics squad headed up by 13-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (<a href="/players/P____74843/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Denzel Washington</a>). Harris has agreed to give Hoyt a shot at joining his team with a one-day ride-along during which Hoyt must prove his mettle. As the day wears on, however, it becomes increasingly clear to the greenhorn that his experienced mentor has blurred the line between right and wrong to an alarming degree, enforcing his own morally compromised code of ethics and street justice. As he struggles with his conscience, an increasingly alarmed Hoyt begins to suspect that he's not really being given an audition at all; he's being set up as the fall guy in an elaborate scheme. Training Day co-stars <a href="/players/P_____5539/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tom Berenger</a>, <a href="/players/P____27245/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Scott Glenn</a>, and recording artists <a href="/players/P___298988/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Snoop Dogg</a>, Dr. Dre, and Macy Gray. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide19Tag Target (>10)2873http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t84235sq93j.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Training_Day/198149/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/1/37819.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/1/2008 7:00:29 PM
Body: Kate Winslet’s performance as a concentration camp guard in The Reader has been the subject of much debate over the past week, though little of the discussion has actually concerned her craft. The argument lies in whether or not this specific performance should be considered for the lead or supporting actress category. Furthermore, if Winslet ends up in the latter, will it be due to “category fraud?” That is not a legal term and this is not a legal issue, but it is an important topic for this year’s Oscars. The significance of the matter likely extends even to Winslet’s ability to sleep at night, as she may fear the high possibility of her becoming “the biggest loser among actresses in the history of the Academy Awards.” Category fraud may be defined as an attempt to deceive Academy voters into believing a lead performance is supporting, or vice versa. Examples of category fraud seen in Oscar’s past may include recent supporting nominations given to Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Connelly and Cate Blanchett (for Training Day, A Beautiful Mind and Notes on a Scandal, respectively). Guy Lodge at In Contention and Dave Karger at Entertainment Weekly have both brought up the accusation regarding The Reader, not only for Winslet’s part but also for the Weinstein Co.’s general campaign for the film, which is pushing for supporting nominations all around for Winslet, David Kross, Ralph Fiennes and Lena Olin. The problem for Lodge and Karger’s complaint is that category fraud can’t be applied to the supporting categories, because despite the Academy’s irritating penchant for category-defining rules for eligibility in other areas, there is really no precise distinction made regarding the separation of lead and supporting categories. This probably goes back to the origins of the supporting awards, which began in the mid-30s seemingly to appease the demands of non-A-list actors. Since that time, the supporting honors have often been considered secondary (for their first seven years, their winners were given a plaque rather than a statue) and, due to the constant recognition of children, comedic actors and other potentially fleeting talents, this pair of categories is sometimes seen as a joke. It’s hard to even imagine how exactly the Academy could define lead versus supporting, if it actually wanted to. Going by star status is difficult, of course, though marquee billing has occasionally been a factor when differentiating performances in an ensemble piece. It is this reasoning that has some people preferring Winslet’s Reader performance as lead, because she’s the film’s highest-billed name. And yet there have been certain times when a fifth-billed actor like Maximilian Schell can be nominated for and even win the lead award (for another Holocaust court drama, Judgment at Nuremberg). Another idea might be to focus on character status. The lead category should be reserved specifically for the main character or protagonist. In the event of an ensemble, though, there may be multiple protagonists. So, for instance, one of this year’s supporting actor hopefuls, Robert Downey Jr., would technically be better suited for lead contention (for Tropic Thunder). Also, there are cases where multiple actors portray the main character, such as in Shine, Iris and even The Reader. The only way to fairly make a distinction, then, is with performance length. It’s hard to believe the Academy didn’t decide this thirty years ago, except that they didn’t appear to care enough about the supporting honors to make the effort of timing each performance in every film made. Even to do this solely for those films expected to be Oscar contenders is an extraneously tiresome effort. But it would indeed solve a major issue concerning the awards. As far as I can tell, there is nowhere to find a complete list of Oscar nominees’ performance lengths. Beatrice Straight is known for holding the record for shortest Oscar-winning performance at 5 minutes, 40 seconds, in Network, but she and other short-timers like Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), Sylvia Miles (Midnight Cowboy) and Anthony Quinn (Lust for Life) were nominated in the supporting category. The more interesting questions are what supporting nominee gave the longest performance and what lead nominee gave the shortest. Anthony Hopkins is considered to have given the shortest Oscar-winning lead performance at about 16 minutes, in The Silence of the Lambs, and this fact goes to show that length isn’t a concern for Academy voters. Regardless of its importance to the race, though, where does Winslet’s performance in The Reader fall in terms of length? Steven Zeitchik at the Risky Biz Blog claims she only appears in roughly 50% of the film, which might seem incorrect if you’ve seen the film, because the actress’ performance does dominate the picture, enough to appear as if it’s longer. And that could be a problem with voters who might come away from the film remembering Winslet’s role as bigger. Adding heat to the fire, the International Press Academy just nominated Winslet for a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for The Reader. While not a well-respected organization or award (as In Contention points out, the IPA has bizarrely nominated two obvious adapted works, Elegy and Benjamin Button, for Best Original Screenplay), this news could nevertheless prove problematic for the actress’ campaigns. If some Academy voters similarly think to put the actress in the lead category for The Reader while other voters conform to the studios’ wishes by picking her for lead actress for Revolutionary Road, the two performances could cancel each other out (Academy rules say that only one of her performances may receive a nomination in a single category). So, now the only solution may be for the actress herself to make the rounds with her peers and convince them of either a single performance to nominate (Lodge thinks she has a better shot this way) or a distinction between her two Oscar-worthy roles. Because as Winslet admitted to Vanity Fair, “you bet your fucking ass” she wants that Oscar, and with the Academy not caring which way it goes, it’s up to her to make it happen. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:29 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/1/2008 7:00:29 PMKate Winslet’s performance as a concentration camp guard in The Reader has been the subject of much debate over the past week, though little of the discussion has actually concerned her craft. The argument lies in whether or not this specific performance should be considered for the lead or supporting actress category. Furthermore, if Winslet ends up in the latter, will it be due to “category fraud?” That is not a legal term and this is not a legal issue, but it is an important topic for this year’s Oscars. The significance of the matter likely extends even to Winslet’s ability to sleep at night, as she may fear the high possibility of her becoming “the biggest loser among actresses in the history of the Academy Awards.” Category fraud may be defined as an attempt to deceive Academy voters into believing a lead performance is supporting, or vice versa. Examples of category fraud seen in Oscar’s past may include recent supporting nominations given to Ethan Hawke, Jennifer Connelly and Cate Blanchett (for Training Day, A Beautiful Mind and Notes on a Scandal, respectively). Guy Lodge at In Contention and Dave Karger at Entertainment Weekly have both brought up the accusation regarding The Reader, not only for Winslet’s part but also for the Weinstein Co.’s general campaign for the film, which is pushing for supporting nominations all around for Winslet, David Kross, Ralph Fiennes and Lena Olin. The problem for Lodge and Karger’s complaint is that category fraud can’t be applied to the supporting categories, because despite the Academy’s irritating penchant for category-defining rules for eligibility in other areas, there is really no precise distinction made regarding the separation of lead and supporting categories. This probably goes back to the origins of the supporting awards, which began in the mid-30s seemingly to appease the demands of non-A-list actors. Since that time, the supporting honors have often been considered secondary (for their first seven years, their winners were given a plaque rather than a statue) and, due to the constant recognition of children, comedic actors and other potentially fleeting talents, this pair of categories is sometimes seen as a joke. It’s hard to even imagine how exactly the Academy could define lead versus supporting, if it actually wanted to. Going by star status is difficult, of course, though marquee billing has occasionally been a factor when differentiating performances in an ensemble piece. It is this reasoning that has some people preferring Winslet’s Reader performance as lead, because she’s the film’s highest-billed name. And yet there have been certain times when a fifth-billed actor like Maximilian Schell can be nominated for and even win the lead award (for another Holocaust court drama, Judgment at Nuremberg). Another idea might be to focus on character status. The lead category should be reserved specifically for the main character or protagonist. In the event of an ensemble, though, there may be multiple protagonists. So, for instance, one of this year’s supporting actor hopefuls, Robert Downey Jr., would technically be better suited for lead contention (for Tropic Thunder). Also, there are cases where multiple actors portray the main character, such as in Shine, Iris and even The Reader. The only way to fairly make a distinction, then, is with performance length. It’s hard to believe the Academy didn’t decide this thirty years ago, except that they didn’t appear to care enough about the supporting honors to make the effort of timing each performance in every film made. Even to do this solely for those films expected to be Oscar contenders is an extraneously tiresome effort. But it would indeed solve a major issue concerning the awards. As far as I can tell, there is nowhere to find a complete list of Oscar nominees’ performance lengths. Beatrice Straight is known for holding the record for shortest Oscar-winning performance at 5 minutes, 40 seconds, in Network, but she and other short-timers like Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), Sylvia Miles (Midnight Cowboy) and Anthony Quinn (Lust for Life) were nominated in the supporting category. The more interesting questions are what supporting nominee gave the longest performance and what lead nominee gave the shortest. Anthony Hopkins is considered to have given the shortest Oscar-winning lead performance at about 16 minutes, in The Silence of the Lambs, and this fact goes to show that length isn’t a concern for Academy voters. Regardless of its importance to the race, though, where does Winslet’s performance in The Reader fall in terms of length? Steven Zeitchik at the Risky Biz Blog claims she only appears in roughly 50% of the film, which might seem incorrect if you’ve seen the film, because the actress’ performance does dominate the picture, enough to appear as if it’s longer. And that could be a problem with voters who might come away from the film remembering Winslet’s role as bigger. Adding heat to the fire, the International Press Academy just nominated Winslet for a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for The Reader. While not a well-respected organization or award (as In Contention points out, the IPA has bizarrely nominated two obvious adapted works, Elegy and Benjamin Button, for Best Original Screenplay), this news could nevertheless prove problematic for the actress’ campaigns. If some Academy voters similarly think to put the actress in the lead category for The Reader while other voters conform to the studios’ wishes by picking her for lead actress for Revolutionary Road, the two performances could cancel each other out (Academy rules say that only one of her performances may receive a nomination in a single category). So, now the only solution may be for the actress herself to make the rounds with her peers and convince them of either a single performance to nominate (Lodge thinks she has a better shot this way) or a distinction between her two Oscar-worthy roles. Because as Winslet admitted to Vanity Fair, “you bet your fucking ass” she wants that Oscar, and with the Academy not caring which way it goes, it’s up to her to make it happen. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/5/30/30213.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 5/30/2008 4:00:58 PM
Body: Midday, May 27, 2008. I was on the edge of East NY, Brooklyn, looking for a shop that sold $10 Boost phone cads. Not the $20 ones– what am I, Trump? Somebody told me to go over to Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville, across the L train tracks. Once there, I stumbled across a great commotion at the Vad Dyke Houses housing project. Crowds were gathered and men with walkie talkies darted about. A crime scene. No, a movie shoot. I went up to a short black woman with dreads, a headset and a hardware store full of items hanging from her cargo pants. “What’s shooting?” I asked. “Brooklyn’s Finest, a movie,” she said. “Cop stuff, huh?” “Well, sorta. It’s the director who did Training Day, Antoine Fuqua.” “Ah, Fuqua,” I said, remembering how much I love that director’s tactile widescreen compositions but mostly loathe his vision of humanity. Never mind. I had my digital recorder on me, so I whipped it out and decided to play Film Journalist with the cute P.A. “Can I interview you?” “Well, I don’t know anything about the film that you couldn’t get off Google.” “No, not about the film. About you, what you’re doing here.” “Umm, if you’re really interested in me…” She took out a 3×5 cardboard flyer with TV on the Radio-ish band posing on a tree. There she was in the center, but with straight blue hair instead of dreads. She looked like Storm of X-Men’s curvy cousin. “…call me and we’ll talk about my band.” Cool. I went into the courtyard, where the crew was clustered around a project building corner with giant HMI lights, reflectors and scirms pointing into windows. I recognized Fuqua from publicity stills. He was slapping five with a bunch of extras and crew members as tall and stocky as he. They all looked like cops and soldiers. A friend of mine whose NYU professor once worked for Fuqua as a screenwriter had related a story of the prof’s being chewed out by the director, and “sobbing like a little girl” in the aftermath. So I had been curious as to what an action director who could make a grown man cry looked like up close. Well, he looked like a killing machine. Wearing camouflage pants and a tight black muscle shirt, Fuqua had the presence of somebody who could command the likes of Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis and Chow Yun-Fat. The crew packed up equipment and went for craft service at the Van Dyke community center. “I’m gonna be in the movie one way or ‘nother,” a pretty young girl pushing a stroller said. A 20-something fly guy said, “I’ma get in this movie even if I hafta go get my gun an’ start my own shoot-out.” “Noo,” singsonged a middle aged church woman nearby. “Don’t say thaat.” I went on to the Pitkin Avenue shopping area to continue the phone card quest. When I passed through the Van Dyke houses on my way back to East NY, the place had gone all Training Day: Police tape, bigger crowds than before, patrol cars and an ambulance. I nestled into a small group of women who were hanging over a fence watching Fuqua compose a shot with a director’s finder. Several thugged-out extras and one Don Cheadle stood by. A husky AD came up to us and shouted, “Okay, when we get ready to roll, I need y’all to face that way,” he said, pointing to a murder scene across the courtyard. “And be angry. Y’all are mad, sad.” We said, “Okay.” They rehearsed. Cheadle rolled up in some kind of sleek black car with tinted windows and hopped out with a small thug entourage, grim-faced. He had on a Kangol, black satiny baseball jacket with the sleeves drawn back to the elbows and camouflage pants like Fuqua’s. He stormed past us, all Oscar-serious. “He looks like he just got home from prison,” said the woman next to me. Yeah, he did sort of look like an O.G. out of step with fashion, especially in contrast to the teens he was slapping five with. “Cut! Back to one!” While the crew reset, I asked Pop, a chubby 17 year old in geek glasses who was busy cracking up his homeboys, what he made of all this. “It’s great, a great opportunity for this neighborhood to come up.” Did he think this crime film would reflect reality well? “It might be a little exaggerated, but yeah.” Are there any young filmmakers in Brownsville that he knows of? “Me, of course,” said Pop’s friend B. “I’m the next dude to shoot a movie over here. I’m shooting a movie over here. Watch. Probably, like 2012. Around there. I’ll be, like, 20-something. Probably be rich by then, make a movie.” What would your movie be about? “About my life, man. Growing up out here.” Would there be much gunplay in your movie? “Nah. I don’t believe in all that violence.” His buddy Jamel asked me for tips about getting picked for a bit part in the movie. He said he wanted to become an actor but had a “standby” career– lawyer. I started to tell him what little I knew about getting into acting when he started musing about my earlier question. “I’ve been here since 3rd grade. It’s been about nine years. I had one bad experience. A close friend of mine. He got tossed out the window from the 10th floor. Right across the street.” He gestured beyond the camera crane and grip trucks. “He died.” “What’s up with that?” I said. “Every housing project I’ve ever been to or heard of, there’s always that: Somebody gets tossed out the window.” “I guess that’s the theme,” Jamel said. We all laughed. These kids. No offense to Mr. Fuqua, but I’m much more anxious to see their film than his new crime saga, which, glimpsed from the sidelines, at least, looks like Training Day, Brooklyn Style. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 30 May 2008 20:00:58 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com5/30/2008 4:00:58 PM Midday, May 27, 2008. I was on the edge of East NY, Brooklyn, looking for a shop that sold $10 Boost phone cads. Not the $20 ones– what am I, Trump? Somebody told me to go over to Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville, across the L train tracks. Once there, I stumbled across a great commotion at the Vad Dyke Houses housing project. Crowds were gathered and men with walkie talkies darted about. A crime scene. No, a movie shoot. I went up to a short black woman with dreads, a headset and a hardware store full of items hanging from her cargo pants. “What’s shooting?” I asked. “Brooklyn’s Finest, a movie,” she said. “Cop stuff, huh?” “Well, sorta. It’s the director who did Training Day, Antoine Fuqua.” “Ah, Fuqua,” I said, remembering how much I love that director’s tactile widescreen compositions but mostly loathe his vision of humanity. Never mind. I had my digital recorder on me, so I whipped it out and decided to play Film Journalist with the cute P.A. “Can I interview you?” “Well, I don’t know anything about the film that you couldn’t get off Google.” “No, not about the film. About you, what you’re doing here.” “Umm, if you’re really interested in me…” She took out a 3×5 cardboard flyer with TV on the Radio-ish band posing on a tree. There she was in the center, but with straight blue hair instead of dreads. She looked like Storm of X-Men’s curvy cousin. “…call me and we’ll talk about my band.” Cool. I went into the courtyard, where the crew was clustered around a project building corner with giant HMI lights, reflectors and scirms pointing into windows. I recognized Fuqua from publicity stills. He was slapping five with a bunch of extras and crew members as tall and stocky as he. They all looked like cops and soldiers. A friend of mine whose NYU professor once worked for Fuqua as a screenwriter had related a story of the prof’s being chewed out by the director, and “sobbing like a little girl” in the aftermath. So I had been curious as to what an action director who could make a grown man cry looked like up close. Well, he looked like a killing machine. Wearing camouflage pants and a tight black muscle shirt, Fuqua had the presence of somebody who could command the likes of Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis and Chow Yun-Fat. The crew packed up equipment and went for craft service at the Van Dyke community center. “I’m gonna be in the movie one way or ‘nother,” a pretty young girl pushing a stroller said. A 20-something fly guy said, “I’ma get in this movie even if I hafta go get my gun an’ start my own shoot-out.” “Noo,” singsonged a middle aged church woman nearby. “Don’t say thaat.” I went on to the Pitkin Avenue shopping area to continue the phone card quest. When I passed through the Van Dyke houses on my way back to East NY, the place had gone all Training Day: Police tape, bigger crowds than before, patrol cars and an ambulance. I nestled into a small group of women who were hanging over a fence watching Fuqua compose a shot with a director’s finder. Several thugged-out extras and one Don Cheadle stood by. A husky AD came up to us and shouted, “Okay, when we get ready to roll, I need y’all to face that way,” he said, pointing to a murder scene across the courtyard. “And be angry. Y’all are mad, sad.” We said, “Okay.” They rehearsed. Cheadle rolled up in some kind of sleek black car with tinted windows and hopped out with a small thug entourage, grim-faced. He had on a Kangol, black satiny baseball jacket with the sleeves drawn back to the elbows and camouflage pants like Fuqua’s. He stormed past us, all Oscar-serious. “He looks like he just got home from prison,” said the woman next to me. Yeah, he did sort of look like an O.G. out of step with fashion, especially in contrast to the teens he was slapping five with. “Cut! Back to one!” While the crew reset, I asked Pop, a chubby 17 year old in geek glasses who was busy cracking up his homeboys, what he made of all this. “It’s great, a great opportunity for this neighborhood to come up.” Did he think this crime film would reflect reality well? “It might be a little exaggerated, but yeah.” Are there any young filmmakers in Brownsville that he knows of? “Me, of course,” said Pop’s friend B. “I’m the next dude to shoot a movie over here. I’m shooting a movie over here. Watch. Probably, like 2012. Around there. I’ll be, like, 20-something. Probably be rich by then, make a movie.” What would your movie be about? “About my life, man. Growing up out here.” Would there be much gunplay in your movie? “Nah. I don’t believe in all that violence.” His buddy Jamel asked me for tips about getting picked for a bit part in the movie. He said he wanted to become an actor but had a “standby” career– lawyer. I started to tell him what little I knew about getting into acting when he started musing about my earlier question. “I’ve been here since 3rd grade. It’s been about nine years. I had one bad experience. A close friend of mine. He got tossed out the window from the 10th floor. Right across the street.” He gestured beyond the camera crane and grip trucks. “He died.” “What’s up with that?” I said. “Every housing project I’ve ever been to or heard of, there’s always that: Somebody gets tossed out the window.” “I guess that’s the theme,” Jamel said. We all laughed. These kids. No offense to Mr. Fuqua, but I’m much more anxious to see their film than his new crime saga, which, glimpsed from the sidelines, at least, looks like Training Day, Brooklyn Style. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/madhavisalem/archive/2008/4/14/27281.aspx Post By: madhavisalem
Post To: madhavisalem Blog
Post Date: 4/14/2008 1:52:46 PM
Body: this was a 5 star movie ALL the way. Denzel washington was fantastic and proves his ability to play a diversity of roles. He can go from bad cop in "TRAINING DAY" to an awesome vigilante in"MAN ON FIRE". This was a great movie,i don't see how you could be "neutral" about it.
]]>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:52:46 GMTmadhavisalemmadhavisalem Blog4/14/2008 1:52:46 PMthis was a 5 star movie ALL the way. Denzel washington was fantastic and proves his ability to play a diversity of roles. He can go from bad cop in &quot;TRAINING DAY&quot; to an awesome vigilante in&quot;MAN ON FIRE&quot;. This was a great movie,i don&#39;t see how you could be &quot;neutral&quot; about it. http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/4/14/27279.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 4/14/2008 12:07:27 PM
Body: Sure, it’s good to be the king, be it Henry VII, Billie Jean or Stephen. But there are so-called “kings” of questionable virtue.1) The King of Pop: A dandy whose contributions to the music arts have been eclipsed by his personal predilection for young squires in his kingdom.2) Burger King: Rules by treating his subjects to high-fat, empty-calorie meals; contributes to obesity epidemic; stars in rather creepy commercials where he’s often depicted as a voyeur.3) Chess King: Flagrant violator of many laws of fashion; turns a blind eye while keeping his minions ensconced in garish, pseudo-suave outfits.We can now add the “Street Kings” to the list of those with dubious contributions during their sovereignty. While it possesses a few complimentary attributes, its overall merits are overshadowed by a number of tired cinematic truisms.Keanu Reeves heads a cast of misused and miscast talent in the latest police drama from a man (director David Ayer) who certainly has some issues with the boys in blue in the Los Angeles area.Ayers, serving as director here, has penned some rather poisonous peeks into the force, including Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning turn as a morally bankrupt cop in “Training Day,” Kurt Russell’s corrupt cop in “Dark Blue,” and served as director in a tale of a young psychopath’s (played by Christian Bale) attempt to gain a spot on the force in “Harsh Times.”In “Kings” he follows a number of officers on a morally squalid squad who overzealously get their men, while allowing their commander (played by Forest Whittaker) to clean up any mess – such as evidence – they left behind.And while the film boasts some electric dialogue by hard-boiled novelist James Ellroy, it’s hobbled by across-the-board performances and a plot that is as subtle as the Rodney King video.Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, an alcoholic, haunted force veteran who, after years if suppressing both emotion and evidence, is starting to grow a conscience. Already the role requires far too much nuance of which the limited actor is capable.Reeves can skate by in roles that require him to appear dazed and confused (the “Bill & Ted” pictures, “The Matrix”), but when he’s asked to add subtleties of any sort, he’s walking well out of his range.Whitaker apparently feels as though he must take up the slack, not only for Reeves, but for everyone else in the film who doesn’t get a fair chance, cinematically. Contorting his face and body to deliver even the most simple stretch to the point of unintentional comedy.Meanwhile, the other names involved are handed throwaway parts that undercut any talent they may have. Hugh Laurie, for example, co-stars as an internal affairs officer who’s trailing Ludlow and looking to eradicate a corrupt cadre of policemen. His entrance into the film is straight out of a sitcom, though. Laurie, the current star of “House” first appears on the screen after peering from behind a curtain in – wait for it – a hospital. You half expect the soundtrack to kick in a laugh track at that point.As mentioned earlier, there are some electric lines, probably written from Ellroy. But the best-selling author of “L. A. Confidential” and “Black Dahlia” also shares the screenplay billing with Kurt Wimmer (the director of the infamous “Ultraviolet”) and newcomer Jamie Moss. The result is a string of clichéd set-ups and takedowns that have been featured in far too many cop dramas of both big a little screens.It brings little new to the precinct and while some snappy dialogue and scenes of intricate tension earn “Street” cred, all the “Kings” men could not put this film together again.
]]>Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:07:27 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog4/14/2008 12:07:27 PMSure, it&rsquo;s good to be the king, be it Henry VII, Billie Jean or Stephen. But there are so-called &ldquo;kings&rdquo; of questionable virtue.1) The King of Pop: A dandy whose contributions to the music arts have been eclipsed by his personal predilection for young squires in his kingdom.2) Burger King: Rules by treating his subjects to high-fat, empty-calorie meals; contributes to obesity epidemic; stars in rather creepy commercials where he&rsquo;s often depicted as a voyeur.3) Chess King: Flagrant violator of many laws of fashion; turns a blind eye while keeping his minions ensconced in garish, pseudo-suave outfits.We can now add the &ldquo;Street Kings&rdquo; to the list of those with dubious contributions during their sovereignty. While it possesses a few complimentary attributes, its overall merits are overshadowed by a number of tired cinematic truisms.Keanu Reeves heads a cast of misused and miscast talent in the latest police drama from a man (director David Ayer) who certainly has some issues with the boys in blue in the Los Angeles area.Ayers, serving as director here, has penned some rather poisonous peeks into the force, including Denzel Washington&rsquo;s Oscar-winning turn as a morally bankrupt cop in &ldquo;Training Day,&rdquo; Kurt Russell&rsquo;s corrupt cop in &ldquo;Dark Blue,&rdquo; and served as director in a tale of a young psychopath&rsquo;s (played by Christian Bale) attempt to gain a spot on the force in &ldquo;Harsh Times.&rdquo;In &ldquo;Kings&rdquo; he follows a number of officers on a morally squalid squad who overzealously get their men, while allowing their commander (played by Forest Whittaker) to clean up any mess &ndash; such as evidence &ndash; they left behind.And while the film boasts some electric dialogue by hard-boiled novelist James Ellroy, it&rsquo;s hobbled by across-the-board performances and a plot that is as subtle as the Rodney King video.Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, an alcoholic, haunted force veteran who, after years if suppressing both emotion and evidence, is starting to grow a conscience. Already the role requires far too much nuance of which the limited actor is capable.Reeves can skate by in roles that require him to appear dazed and confused (the &ldquo;Bill &amp; Ted&rdquo; pictures, &ldquo;The Matrix&rdquo;), but when he&rsquo;s asked to add subtleties of any sort, he&rsquo;s walking well out of his range.Whitaker apparently feels as though he must take up the slack, not only for Reeves, but for everyone else in the film who doesn&rsquo;t get a fair chance, cinematically. Contorting his face and body to deliver even the most simple stretch to the point of unintentional comedy.Meanwhile, the other names involved are handed throwaway parts that undercut any talent they may have. Hugh Laurie, for example, co-stars as an internal affairs officer who&rsquo;s trailing Ludlow and looking to eradicate a corrupt cadre of policemen. His entrance into the film is straight out of a sitcom, though. Laurie, the current star of &ldquo;House&rdquo; first appears on the screen after peering from behind a curtain in &ndash; wait for it &ndash; a hospital. You half expect the soundtrack to kick in a laugh track at that point.As mentioned earlier, there are some electric lines, probably written from Ellroy. But the best-selling author of &ldquo;L. A. Confidential&rdquo; and &ldquo;Black Dahlia&rdquo; also shares the screenplay billing with Kurt Wimmer (the director of the infamous &ldquo;Ultraviolet&rdquo;) and newcomer Jamie Moss. The result is a string of clich&eacute;d set-ups and takedowns that have been featured in far too many cop dramas of both big a little screens.It brings little new to the precinct and while some snappy dialogue and scenes of intricate tension earn &ldquo;Street&rdquo; cred, all the &ldquo;Kings&rdquo; men could not put this film together again. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/2/12/25048.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/12/2008 4:00:31 PM
Body: Oh, Keanu Reeves, must you continue playing cops? I’d rather you did more Shakespeare, in which you’re actually more believable. But no, after Point Break (I consider FBI agents to be cops) and Speed, you have to go and do Street Kings and try to make us accept you as one of the hardest vice detectives to ever grace the big screen. Want a cookie? Or an Oscar? Even if you do pull off the equivalent of what Ethan Hawke did in Training Day, you’re not going to get the notice of the Academy. The only thing keeping you from being the least likely actor to be taken seriously as a tough undercover officer is the existence of Paul Walker, whose performance in The Fast and the Furious makes you look like Dirty Harry. Speaking of Training Day and The Fast and the Furious, the screenwriter behind those two movies, David Ayer, is the director of Street Kings. Fortunately, he didn’t write this one. The guys who did write it are L.A. Confidential novelist James Ellroy, who also came up with the original story, Equilibrium writer-director Kurt Wimmer and an apparent newcomer named Jamie Moss. Co-starring in the film, some of whom are sure to make Reeves’ acting appear even worse, are Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans (if you saw Sunshine, you know he’s actually a pretty good actor), Common, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, The Game and Naomie Harris. OK, enough ragging on Reeves. But despite the appealing names of Ellroy and Whitaker, this still looks like a generic cops-and-gangstas movie. I’d rather just wait for Keanu as Klaatu later this year. Street Kings hits theaters April 11. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:00:31 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/12/2008 4:00:31 PM Oh, Keanu Reeves, must you continue playing cops? I’d rather you did more Shakespeare, in which you’re actually more believable. But no, after Point Break (I consider FBI agents to be cops) and Speed, you have to go and do Street Kings and try to make us accept you as one of the hardest vice detectives to ever grace the big screen. Want a cookie? Or an Oscar? Even if you do pull off the equivalent of what Ethan Hawke did in Training Day, you’re not going to get the notice of the Academy. The only thing keeping you from being the least likely actor to be taken seriously as a tough undercover officer is the existence of Paul Walker, whose performance in The Fast and the Furious makes you look like Dirty Harry. Speaking of Training Day and The Fast and the Furious, the screenwriter behind those two movies, David Ayer, is the director of Street Kings. Fortunately, he didn’t write this one. The guys who did write it are L.A. Confidential novelist James Ellroy, who also came up with the original story, Equilibrium writer-director Kurt Wimmer and an apparent newcomer named Jamie Moss. Co-starring in the film, some of whom are sure to make Reeves’ acting appear even worse, are Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans (if you saw Sunshine, you know he’s actually a pretty good actor), Common, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, The Game and Naomie Harris. OK, enough ragging on Reeves. But despite the appealing names of Ellroy and Whitaker, this still looks like a generic cops-and-gangstas movie. I’d rather just wait for Keanu as Klaatu later this year. Street Kings hits theaters April 11. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/smoothjazzandmore/archive/2008/1/21/24156.aspx Post By: smoothjazzandmore
Post To: smoothjazzandmore Blog
Post Date: 1/21/2008 3:55:00 PM
Body: If there was a performance that is equal to some of the most ruthless characters in screen history, then Denzel Washington's Oscar winning performance as L.A. Detective Alonzo Harris is right up there. He is evil as he is charming. Washington is clearly enamored by his character and any resemblance to other "goody-two-shoes" performances has been destroyed. Ethan Hawke also give an Oscar nominated performance as the rookie trying to work the fine line of ethical behavior. The current climate of the LAPD surely isn't going to help with this film as it's another siering indictment against the police establishment.
]]>Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:55:00 GMTsmoothjazzandmoresmoothjazzandmore Blog1/21/2008 3:55:00 PMIf there was a performance that is equal to some of the most ruthless characters in screen history, then Denzel Washington&#39;s Oscar winning performance as L.A. Detective Alonzo Harris is right up there. He is evil as he is charming. Washington is clearly enamored by his character and any resemblance to other &quot;goody-two-shoes&quot; performances has been destroyed. Ethan Hawke also give an Oscar nominated performance as the rookie trying to work the fine line of ethical behavior. The current climate of the LAPD surely isn&#39;t going to help with this film as it&#39;s another siering indictment against the police establishment. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/8/10/17781.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/10/2007 1:00:55 PM
Body: Fox Searchlight is in the process of casting Notorious, a drama about the life and death of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. (AKA Biggie Smalls, AKA Christopher Wallace), a project which Biggie’s mother and former managers have been trying to get made for seven years. Having apparently exhausted Hollywood’s supply of obese African-American actors (”His looks, his stature, what he represented, the swagger, the sensibility of the man — all those elements are very difficult to find, no matter where you go,” says producer Wayne Barrow), they still can’t find a leading man. So starting this Sunday, the production will begin accepting audition tapes from the general public via BiggieCasting.com. Two years ago, when the film was still set to be directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua (it’s now in the hands of Soul Food’s George Tillman), Barrow said the producers were considering a number of known actors, including Anthony Anderson. But I guess he forgot about that, because by way of justifying the open call, Barrow told USA Today that “no one came to mind outside of Forest Whitaker who could capture that essence genuinely” — and, at 46, the Oscar-winning Whittaker is about 20 years too old for the role. I think this is a tricky proposition. On the one hand, I see how it makes sense–there certainly couldn’t be a more cost-effective way to hold open auditions. But in the same USA Today story, Biggie’s mom, Violetta Wallace, makes it clear that they’re not looking for a Biggie “impersonation,” and in the current spoof-obsessed web climate, you have to assume that that’s exactly what they’re going to get. Can you imagine how many skinny white college dudes are going to read about this and take it as an open invitation to corrall a bunch of coeds into a hot tub for borderline-racist (and definitely sexist) “Big Poppa“-inspired video antics? The real Biggie formed his persona at a cultural crossroads: born into a relatively stable home set amidst the crack-infested streets of Bed Stuy, he made a conscious decision to drift away from his private school life and immerse himself into what we on the West Coast would have called “thug life” (okay, not me–I was white, suburban and 12–but that’s what I learned from watching the MTV). If the producers are really looking for someone who gets the character and his background, who will give a deeply felt performance instead of an actorly-one, I doubt they’re going to find it by appealing to the YouTube generation. But I’m sure the audition tapes will be good for a laugh. Originally posted on:Spoutblog
]]>Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:00:55 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/10/2007 1:00:55 PM Fox Searchlight is in the process of casting Notorious, a drama about the life and death of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. (AKA Biggie Smalls, AKA Christopher Wallace), a project which Biggie’s mother and former managers have been trying to get made for seven years. Having apparently exhausted Hollywood’s supply of obese African-American actors (”His looks, his stature, what he represented, the swagger, the sensibility of the man — all those elements are very difficult to find, no matter where you go,” says producer Wayne Barrow), they still can’t find a leading man. So starting this Sunday, the production will begin accepting audition tapes from the general public via BiggieCasting.com. Two years ago, when the film was still set to be directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua (it’s now in the hands of Soul Food’s George Tillman), Barrow said the producers were considering a number of known actors, including Anthony Anderson. But I guess he forgot about that, because by way of justifying the open call, Barrow told USA Today that “no one came to mind outside of Forest Whitaker who could capture that essence genuinely” — and, at 46, the Oscar-winning Whittaker is about 20 years too old for the role. I think this is a tricky proposition. On the one hand, I see how it makes sense–there certainly couldn’t be a more cost-effective way to hold open auditions. But in the same USA Today story, Biggie’s mom, Violetta Wallace, makes it clear that they’re not looking for a Biggie “impersonation,” and in the current spoof-obsessed web climate, you have to assume that that’s exactly what they’re going to get. Can you imagine how many skinny white college dudes are going to read about this and take it as an open invitation to corrall a bunch of coeds into a hot tub for borderline-racist (and definitely sexist) “Big Poppa“-inspired video antics? The real Biggie formed his persona at a cultural crossroads: born into a relatively stable home set amidst the crack-infested streets of Bed Stuy, he made a conscious decision to drift away from his private school life and immerse himself into what we on the West Coast would have called “thug life” (okay, not me–I was white, suburban and 12–but that’s what I learned from watching the MTV). If the producers are really looking for someone who gets the character and his background, who will give a deeply felt performance instead of an actorly-one, I doubt they’re going to find it by appealing to the YouTube generation. But I’m sure the audition tapes will be good for a laugh. Originally posted on:Spoutblog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/disturbing/MemberTagFilms.aspxdisturbing
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]]>Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:01:57 GMT251127Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Best-Actor/MemberTagFilms.aspxBest-Actor
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