DVD review: “Cheri”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Cheri”
Director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and star Michelle Pfeiffer of 1988’s delicious “Dangerous Liaisons” reunite for “Cheri,” another worthwhile exploration of love, sex and conniving in period France that isn’t as well-honed as their previous Oscar-winning effort.
Set at the turn of the 20th century in France, “Cheri” journeys into a world of classy, high-power courtesans, AKA prostitutes, beautiful women who skillfully maneuver rich and influential men into funding their lavish lifestyles.
Clever courtesan Lea de Lonval (Pfeiffer), 49, is contemplating retirement, having become quite wealthy eschewing love and turning passion into profit. Still, she has certain duties in her limited circle of friends, which includes the shrewd already-retired Charlotte Peloux (Kathy Bates).
Charlotte asks for Lea’s help with her shiftless 19-year-old son Fred (Rupert Friend), whom Lea nicknamed Cheri as a boy. Cheri always has adored Lea, but when he charms her into a kiss, sparks ignite.
Their ardent affair goes on for six years, until Charlotte arranges for Cheri to wed Edmee (Felicity Jones), 18, the daughter of a fellow courtesan. Lea and Cheri intend to make a nonchalant end to their romance, but soon realize they’ve fallen desperately in love.
The still-lovely Pfeiffer puts in a potent performance, and she and Friend have strong chemistry. The exquisite cinematography, sets and costumes effectively transport the viewer into the period tale. But the story gets weighed down in too much melodrama.
Still, the film, based on French novelist Colette’s 1920s novels, boasts a relevance and resonance that lingers long after the memorable final shot.
DVD features: Short making-of featurette and two deleted scenes.
— BAM
New releases for Nov. 17, 2009: “Star Trek,” American Idols and Coolio’s cookbook
J.J. Abrams’ hit reboot “Star Trek” warps onto DVD and Blu-ray today, just in time for Christmas shopping.
In honor of its 70th anniversary, the film classic “Gone with the Wind” gets an “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” release on DVD and Blu-ray.
Several recording artists are releasing CDs today, again to coincide with the holiday gift-buying season. Among those releases are the self-titled first album from 2009 “American Idol” winner Kris Allen and an expanded re-release of runner-up Adam Lambert’s pre-”Idol” debut record. (Lambert will put out his new album “For Your Entertainment” on Monday.)
In books, most everyone knows that politician Sarah Palin is releasing this week her memoir “Going Rogue.” But did you know that Coolio has a new cookbook out this week? In “Cookin’ With Coolio,” the rapper guides people through his own brand of cuisine: Ghetto Gourmet.
Here is a list of the new CDs, DVDs and books from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com:
CDs
Kris Allen, “Kris Allen.”
Adam Lambert, “Take One.”
John Mayer, “Battle Studies.”
Leona Lewis, “ECHO.”
Paul McCartney, “Good Evening New York City” (CD/DVD set).
Janet Jackson, “Number Ones.”
Casting Crowns, “Until The Whole World Hears.”
The Doors, “Live in New York” (Box set).
Rush, “Working Men” (Live).
DVDs
Andy Barker, P.I.: The Complete Series
Bruno
Dane Cook: Isolated Incident
Franklyn
Gone With The Wind
How to Be
Is Anybody There?
It’s A Very Sunny Christmas
My Sister’s Keeper
The Open Road
Star Trek
Thirst
Wild Child
Books
“Going Rogue” by Sarah Palin.
“Art of Living” by Barbel Miebach.
“Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price” by Coolio.
“Crocodile Tears” by Anthony Horowitz.
“How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press, and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture” by Heidi Montag.
“I, Alex Cross” by James Patterson.
“The Original of Laura” by Vladimir Nabokov.
“Shadowland (The Immortals Series No. 3)” by Alyson Noel.
“Too Much Happiness” by Alice Munro.
“The Wrecker” by Clive Cussler.
-BAM
3D’s Need to See: Sneakers Edition
In keeping with my heist movie theme for this month, I’m recommending the 1992 comedy “Sneakers.” If you haven’t seen this film, then you must not know who is in it: Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, David Strathairn, Dan Ackroyd, River Phoenix, Timothy Busfield, Mary McDonnell, Sir Ben Kinsley, and James Earl Jones. It is quite a cast, and they have terrific chemistry.
The movie is based on the idea of a group of talented individuals, with somewhat shady pasts, who have formed a business where they test people’s security by breaching it. In the words of one of the characters, “So, people pay you to break into their places, to make sure that no one can break into their places.” It is an interesting idea, and it’s amusing to see them utililizing their skills in this manner.
However, it wouldn’t be a movie if a job didn’t go horribly wrong, and our heroes weren’t forced to use their skills to make it right. On a side note, it’s interesting to look back at the technology in this film from so many years later and see how far things have come. But the movie itself still holds up as a witty, light-hearted heist caper. If you haven’t already, then you need to see “Sneakers.”
—3D
Researching “Up” takes Pixar filmmakers on wild adventures
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Researchers “Up” for Pixar movie
A harrowing trip to South America, a visit from an ostrich and an intimidating amount of math were involved in researching Pixar Animation Studios’ latest adventure.
“Doing research is one of the best parts of working on these films,” said co-director and writer Pete Docter (pictured left) in an online chat with entertainment journalists. “One day we brought in an ostrich. It was cool to see an ostrich running around on the front lawn here. And of course the film was a great excuse to bring in our dogs.
“We also went to a few retirement homes. We formed a band and played Tin Pan Alley-type tunes and went in to play for them. As we played, we were secretly taking mental notes and doing sketches behind our ukuleles. It was great — we got good research, and they said we were the best act to play there in months!”
The film, new on DVD, centers on grieving widower Carl Frederickson (voice of Ed Asner) who fulfills the promise of a South American adventure made to his lost wife by attaching thousands of his balloons to his house and flying to legendary Paradise Falls. While in flight, he realizes he has a stowaway in eager Wilderness Explorer Russell (newcomer Jordan Nagai).
Their trip to South America becomes a true adventure, as they encounter a talking dog named Dug (co-director and writer Bob Peterson), a colorful ostrich-like bird that Russell dubs Kevin and a sinister mystery man with a connection to Carl’s past.
The writers were initially inspired by a drawing of an old man holding balloons.
“As we developed the story of this guy floating away in his house, and we asked ourselves, ‘Why is he doing that?’ We figured there was some sort of loss or unfulfilled dream that he was trying to make right, and so we came up with the back-story of Carl and his wife,” Docter said.
When Pixar’s technical team started working on the balloons, they put pencil to paper to figure out how many helium-filled spheres would be needed to lift a real-life house. Based on the square footage and estimated weight of Carl’s fictional home, they calculated they would need 153,053 balloons that were 5 ½-feet in diameter to make the house fly.
The filmmakers also needed to give the film’s hero someplace to go, and they chose the exotic South American table top mountains.
“We wanted our locale to reflect and resonate with Carl’s emotional state in the film. The tepuis, or table top mountains, of South America 
are old, isolated, rugged, and dangerous but with a soulful beauty — a pretty good description of Carl,” Peterson (pictured right) said.
Several animators and writers on the film took a sometimes harrowing trip to Venezuela, where they scaled the steep, mud- and rock-covered sides of a table top mountain. They marveled at the sheer height, unique plant life and fast-changing weather. A few were even briefly stranded atop the mountain when a storm blew in, grounding their helicopter until conditions improved.
“Going there gave us a good sense of what it would be like for Carl and his friends to be up there. In the film, we used a great many plants and rock shapes that we saw from the tepui,” Peterson said.
They also spent time scrutinizing their own dogs so that they could provide dialogue for the movie’s animated canines. In “Up,” high-tech collars allow a pack of pooches to vocalize their thoughts, including their obsessions with squirrels and treats.
“We wanted to give Carl a new family after his wife passes on. We essentially gave him a family dog, a grandson … and a 13-foot flightless bird. You know, a family!” Peterson said. “Originally Dug and Kevin were with Carl alone (before Russell was created). Carl had no one to talk with so we invented the talking dog collars!”
He knew the film had moved beyond the concept of an old man clutching balloons when the pitch made Pixar creative chief John Lasseter cry, even without visuals.
“He (Carl) had lived an amazing relationship with his wife that ended in something not quite completed. It’s a good feeling when you find that nugget of truth in your story. Humor and characters will come in and out of a story, but that nugget will remain,” Peterson said.
-BAM
DVD review: “Up”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Up”
It’s a credit to the storytelling masterminds at Pixar Animation Studios that “Up,” a movie crammed with balloon-buoyed houses, talking dogs and goofy flightless birds, makes me cry every time I see it.
Emotional resonance and unbridled imagination allow Disney/Pixar’s 10th and most fantastical animated feature film to truly soar.
Grieving the death of his wife, retired balloon salesman Carl Frederickson (voice of Ed Asner) decides to make good on an unfulfilled promise to his spouse. He attaches thousands of balloons to their house and sails away to Paradise Falls in South America, a trip they always planned but never got to make.
Carl has reached cruising altitude before he realizes he has unintentionally taken on a passenger: zealous Wilderness Explorer Russell (Jordan Nagai), who was lurking on the front porch hoping for a chance to earn his assisting the elderly badge when the house achieved liftoff.
When they land in South America after the perilous flight, they encounter even more wild wonders, including a strange flightless bird that takes a liking to Russell and a pack of dogs equipped with collars that let them speak. The mysterious master who has outfitted the pooches with these high-tech gizmos turns out to have a connection to Carl’s past.
The movie’s madcap action sometimes gets a bit too wacky, but the central love story grounds the story in emotional truth.
“Up” is available in a four-disc pack with the Blu-Ray and DVD versions of the film, a digital copy of the movie and a Blu-Ray disc of bonus features. DVD features include the theatrical short “Partly Cloudy,” a new short film and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
— BAM
Shawna Russell starts a “Rumor,” offering free download
Oklahoma country artist Shawna Russell is offering a free download of her powerful new song, “Rumor,” during the month of November at her Web site www.shawnarussell.com/home.htm. The talented Okemah singer is in great voice on this new track, which is definitely a great free gift.
Fans who download the song will also have the opportunity to purchase a limited-edition series signed copy of Russell’s unreleased “Goddess Multimedia Edition” CD/DVD combo at a special price of $14.99.
“Rumor” has spread across radio waves and the Internet since its release three weeks ago on AirPlayDirect.com, the global digital-to-radio delivery service, according to a news release.
“Rumor” has dominated the service’s Global Radio Download Charts, reaching the No. 1 position on no less than five of their charts, including Top 50 Tracks This Month, where “Rumor” and four other Russell compositions held five out of seven of the top positions – ahead of new releases by Roseanne Cash featuring Bruce Springsteen and Patty Loveless.
“This song really has taken on a life of its own,” Russell said in the release. “It was not intended to be a traditional single release to radio, but after Robert Weingartz, the CEO of AirPlay Direct, heard the song – he insisted that we make it available to his radio members – and the response from programmers around the world has been amazing.”
The reaction to the song was so strong that AirPlay Direct rushed a songwriter profile about Russell and “Rumor” into the November issue of their new digital/interactive publication the Direct Buzz (www.thedirectbuzz.com).
“Time will tell if ‘Rumor’ will become an official radio single for me,” Russell added in the release. “For now, I am excited that people are reacting so positively to it.”
Written by Shawna Russell, her father Keith and her uncle Tim, “Rumor” explores the darker side of Russell’s passion in a powerful song that marries voice, lyric, music – and the magic that happens when there are no rules to follow – or genre categories to fence in creativity.
“Rumor” was produced in Nashville by Tim Russell and Clif Doyal and reunites key players from Russell’s debut CD, including Emmy and Grammy-winning mix master Nathaniel Kunkel (Maroon 5/Sting) and guitarist extraordinaire Jon Conley (LeAnn Rimes/Wynonna). The production also features a stellar group of all-star musicians, including keyboardist Charles Judge (Bon Jovi/Rascal Flatts), drummer Billy Thomas (Vince Gill), and bassist Mike Brignardello (Lynyrd Skynyrd/Sugarland).
Along with the free download of “Rumor” at her Web site, Russell’s fans will also have the opportunity to purchase her not-yet-released “Goddess Multimedia Edition.” The deluxe CD/DVD combo includes all 13 tracks from her critically-acclaimed debut CD, “Goddess,” and an original booklet with song lyrics and photos.
The DVD features Russell’s video biography, music video for her No. 1 YallWire and CMT.com favorite, “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels.” It also includes exclusive, never-before-seen content including the unreleased video, “Wheels – The Director’s Cut,” plus alternate and unreleased versions of her singles “Goddess” and “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels” and a live recording of Russell singing onstage at the Oklahoma Opry at age 9. The DVD also includes several photo galleries from her career, plus downloadable artist bio, videos, fact sheet, song lyrics, CD reviews and more.
The Okemah singer-songwriter was introduced onto the national music scene with the release of her debut CD, “Goddess,” in early 2008. Her music has received rave reviews from yours truley, CMA Close Up, Country Weekly and esteemed Music Row critic Robert K. Oermann, among others. With the release of three well-received radio singles, “Goddess,” “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels” and “Fire In The Desert,” Russell has established herself as a strong contender on the country and Texas music scenes. She has also earned international acclaim from Europe’s top music publications, including Maverick Magazine in the UK and DreamWest Magazine in France.
For more information, go to: www.ShawnaRussell.com and www.MySpace.com/shawnarussell878.
-BAM
New releases for Nov. 10, 2009: Kings of Leon, “Sesame Street,” Stephen King and more
The classic children’s series “Sesame Street” celebrates four decades of teaching children to read, count and sing with the new two-disc DVD set “Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days.” The DVDs include five hours of favorite moments and songs, celebrity segments and backstage footage.
Families also can add the latest Disney/Pixar release, “Up,” to their DVD collections today, while comic book fans can invest in the Ultimate Edition of the “Watchmen” film.
In music news, rockers Kings of Leon, who have Oklahoma ties, are releasing their performance DVD “Live at the O2 London, England” today. New albums from Bon Jovi, Switchfoot and Tori Amos also are among the new releases.
In books, Stephen King’s new novel, “Under the Dome,” joins memoirs by Andre Agassi and the late George Carlin on shelves this week.
Here is a list of the week’s new CDs, DVDs and books from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com:
CDs
Bon Jovi, “The Circle / When We Were Beautiful” (Special edition CD/DVD).
Tori Amos, “Midwinter Graces” (CD/DVD set).
AC/DC, “Backtracks” (CD/DVD box set).
The Killers, “Live at Royal Albert Hall” (CD/DVD set).
Switchfoot, “Hello Hurricane.”
Flyleaf, “Memento Mori.”
Britney Spears, “Britney Spears: The Singles Collection.”
Echo & the Bunnymen, “The Fountain.”
The Jackson 5, “I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters.”
DVDs
Kings of Leon Live at the O2 London, England
The Accidental Husband
Andy Barker, P.I.: The Complete Series
JAG: The Ninth Season
The Merry Gentleman
Nash Bridges: The Third Season
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
Spread
Summer’s Moon
The Ugly Truth
Up
Watchmen (Ultimate Edition)
Books
“Under the Dome” by Stephen King.
“Biggest Loser Won Me Back My Life” by Ali Vincent.
“Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays” by Zadie Smith.
“Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Mental Illness” by Mary Forsberg Weiland.
“Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson” by William Langewiesche.
“Ice: A Novel” by Linda Howard.
“Last Words: A Memoir” by George Carlin.
“New York” by Edward Rutherfurd.
“Open: An Autobiography” by Andre Agassi.
“When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Rise of the Middle Kingdom” by Martin Jacques.
“Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story” by Wally Lamb.
-BAM
Photo gallery: Ed Asner visits Oklahoma City elementary school
Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner talks to students at Oklahoma City’s Hillcrest Elementary School last Friday. (Photos by Paul B. Southerland/The Oklahoman)
Emmy Award-winning actor Ed Asner visited Oklahoma City’s Hillcrest Elementary School on Friday. Asner is best known for his role in “Mary Tyler Moore,” but most of the kids there probably knew him for his parts in the film “Elf” and as the voice of Carl in the Disney/Pixar film “Up.”
Asner was in town for a one-night performance in his one-man show “FDR.” While at the school, he took questions from the youngsters.
According to The Oklahoman’s Jesse Olivarez, Asner, 79, visited the school at Principal Betsy Davidson’s request. Davidson is the granddaughter of the late Edward Ellis, a former teacher and football coach at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kan.
Asner is a former student of Ellis and described him as “one of the finest men in my life.”
Click here to read Jesse’s story about Asner’s visit. And check out these photos by The Oklahoman’s Paul B. Southerland.
“Up” comes out on DVD Tuesday; look for my review in the coming days.
Ed Asner takes a question from a student.
Hillcrest Elementary students ask questions of actor Ed Asner.
Asner listens to a student’s question.
-BAM
3D’s Need to See: Heist Edition
My movie recommendation for you this week is the 2001 heist film titled, accurately enough, “Heist.” I’m a fan of heist films in general (you may notice me highlighting more of them in the coming weeks), and this one caught my eye because of its excellent cast, which includes Gene Hackman, Delroy Lindo, Danny DeVito, and Sam Rockwell.
The film revolves around a band of thieves, led by Hackman, who are forced by a gangster (played by DeVito) to perform a gold heist. Of course, if you know anything about heist films, you know that the plot is less important than how the heist is executed and the twists and turns that ensue.
It’s important to tell you that this film is written and directed by David Mamet. This is both a blessing and a curse. If you like Mamet and his trademark style of telling a story (not to mention his extremely distinctive dialogue), then you will like this movie a lot. If you aren’t the biggest Mamet fan, then this movie will start to irritate with its twists and turns.
For me, it was enough to see these great actors in a heist film. Also, I have a special liking for Ricky Jay (who makes one of his frequent appearances in Mamet’s films here) because of his expertise as a historian of magic and sleight of hand artist. So, if you like heist films and have never seen this one, why not give “Heist” a try?
—3D
Tinker Bell gets a makeover in “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
‘Lost Treasure’ tinkers with pixie’s evolution
The world’s most famous fairy gets a makeover, frolics amid the fall leaves and embarks on a thrilling voyage in the new DVD “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure.”
The latest installment in the popular Disney Fairies direct-to-DVD franchise has Tinker Bell and her fairy friends bringing in autumn, with the pixies coloring the leaves red, turning the light golden and helping animals enter hibernation.
“I happen to love autumn. The way the light hits the trees, the colors of fall and the crispness in the air. I wanted to capture the textures and feel of the season,” said director Klay Hall in a recent “virtual roundtable” online chat he and producer Sean Lurie took part in with entertainment journalists.
The follow-up to 2008’s “Tinker Bell,” the film is the second of five planned computer-animated DVD releases that will take the fairies on adventures through the seasons and beyond the borders of their Pixie Hollow home.
“The Lost Treasure” continues the evolution of Tinker Bell from literary sidekick in J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play “Peter and Wendy” — she is often depicted onstage with a spot of light and tinkling bells — to the wordless pixie-dust distributor in the 1953 Disney animated film “Peter Pan.” Actress Mae Whitman (“Arrested Development”) gave voice to the sprite in “Tinker Bell” and reprises the part in the sequel.
“Even though she couldn’t talk in the Peter Pan movie she was very expressive. You always knew what she was trying to communicate. We tried to keep her very expressive,” Lurie said. “We tried to be as accurate in her appearance as possible. It was important that people recognize and accept her as the Tink they know and love.”
Inspired by the Disney chapter book “Tinker Bell North of Neverland,” the sequel has Tinker Bell working on an important project: crafting the Autumn Scepter. At the Autumn Revelry, light from the rare blue moon will shine through the precious moonstone atop the scepter and produce blue pixie dust to reinvigorate the Pixie Dust Tree.
When her overly helpful friend Terence (voice of Jesse McCartney) accidentally breaks the scepter, Tink loses her temper and inadvertently shatters the moonstone. Frantic to save autumn, she makes the perilous trek north of Neverland to find the legendary wish-granting Mirror of Incanta.
The skilled tinker fairy builds an impressive flying machine to make the journey, and along the way she encounters an array of lively characters, from an intrepid firefly named Blaze to a pair of bickering, adorably ugly trolls.
“We wanted to create a movie that the whole family would enjoy, including our sons,” said Lurie, who, like Hall, has two boys.
To suit the story, the filmmakers gave Tink her first makeover in 50 years.
“In the earlier films, she wears her iconic little green dress. However, it being fall and there being crispness in the air, in addition to this being an adventure movie, her dress just wouldn’t work,” Hall said.
Her new look adds a long-sleeve shirt, shawl, visor, leggings and boots adorned with her usual pom-poms.
“The costume also had to feel as if a fairy made it, so all the materials, textures and elements are organic and easily found in nature,” Hall added.
Working with one of Disney’s most beloved characters — and company mascot — was both a heavy responsibility and great honor, he said. The director counts the late Marc Davis, the Disney animator who created the 1953 Tinker Bell, as one of his mentors.
Davis based the lively pixie on Marilyn Monroe, Peggy Lee and Betty Kimble, wife of fellow animator Ward Kimble, and Hall researched the animator’s original model sheets and pencil tests when designing the updated character.
Capturing the spirit of Tinker Bell was as essential to the film as pixie dust is to fairies.
“Tink is very relatable. She has emotions like we do, and is very expressive. She has a temper; she gets jealous in the Peter Pan movie. She’s very feisty. We have tried to maintain these personality traits in Tink, and think that (is) part of what people love about her,” Lurie said.
-BAM
