THE CHOSEN ONE:

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON (Sony Classics)
Starring Daniel Johnston
Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug content, and language including a sexual reference
Genre: Documentary
Story: Singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston turned his manic into a series of DIY recordings that earned him millions of fans worldwide. This is his story.

Music documentaries have been fairly standard fare in the last few years. Often they’re warranted, but other times, not so much. What makes The Devil and Daniel Johnston such an important piece of work is that its subject matter, singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, is such an enigma to even his most diehard fans, although most people know that he has spent almost 20 years with mental problems that made his musical and artistic output very rare indeed. That’s why this innovative film from Jeff Feuerzeig, who made a movie about Johnston collaborators Half Japanese back in the early ‘90s, will be so welcome for anyone looking to fill in the blank spaces.

Feuerzeig’s innovative documentary uses Johnston’s own words and work to show his early days in West Virginia by showing never before seen Super 8 films made by Johnston, and it follows his journey to Austin where he found acclaim on the music scene while retaining a job at McDonalds. It also delves deep into the reasons behind Johnston’s obsessions with a woman he could never have, his manic depression and eventual madness, that all occurred while Johnston continued to earn himself millions of fans for his poignant songs.

I spoke with director Jeff Feuerzeig last week and wondered what drove him to make this film so long after his previous musical documentary. “There was sort of a gaping hole in the fact that a film about Daniel Johnston did not exist,” he told me. “A lot of people like Matt Groening, had said publically over the years that there should be a Daniel Johnston film, and I agree. It really just needed to be made. His life, his music and his art were all extraordinary. I had the idea to make the film back in 1990. It just wasn’t the time to make a Daniel Johnston film back then. I did not know Daniel Johnston at all [back then], and I don’t really know him now, to be honest with you. He remains an enigma.”

Of course, a lot has happened in the life of Johnston since the early ‘90s that made the documentary stronger because he waited. “The most interesting thing is that he actually lived, and has toured the world multiple times,” he said. “He only started touring in the year 2000. He had never toured before. He had only played a few shows in Austin way back in the early ‘80s and if you weren’t there, you never got to see Daniel Johnston. He was just a voice on a cassette tape.”

“ I approached the whole thing as a biography. I wanted to take you on his real journey. He really was like Kerouac and he went on the road,” Jeff explained when asked about the film’s unique narrative structure using films and audiotapes made by Johnston. “Most of the tapes that are used as his “internal monologue” are audio cassette letters to his best friend, Dave Thornberry, and there’s actually an audio diary there, tapes he made for himself. I had no idea that there were hundreds of these tapes, but I knew that there were pieces on tapes that I was going to use in my original concept. He had released his mom yelling at him on his albums in between the songs, so that was already part of the concept in my initial thesis. I found the rest of them, early on in the project, and then there were other people who had tapes like Lewis Blake and Jeff Tartakoff. Everybody had saved their tapes; Daniel had sent out a lot of tapes! I transcribed them all looking to the goal of assembling his journey from his point of view and put you in the moment.”

Daniel’s fans who sees the film might wonder why there isn’t really that much with Johnston himself, since Feuerzeig obviously had access to the artist. “I did hours and hours of interviews with Daniel,” Jeff told me, “But he’s very medicated and those interviews are certainly not as satisfying as an audio diary of the moment your manic depression hits and he’s recording it. You can’t compare the two, therefore I don’t. Honestly, we’ve seen that film before, but this one we haven’t. It’s always the limitations that you force you to come up with a creative idea to work around it, so the fact that Daniel Johnston really can’t be interviewed in the moment, forced me to come up with what I feel a more unique and satisfying idea, which is this internal monologue.”

“ He basically said that he loved the colors and that it looked beautiful, which from an artist like Daniel Johnston, that’s a very high compliment,” Jeff replied when asked how Johnston responded after seeing the film. “He also thought it was very, very funny. He felt that it should have a laugh track. He fancied himself a comedian, very much like Keaton or Chaplin, and he made those incredibly hilarious super 8mm films of himself as a boy dressed as his mom, and those films are just hilarious and delightful.”

I also asked Jeff to try to explain the appeal of Johnston’s music and why it drives so many people to worship him. “It’s certainly not a novelty,” he began. “If it was, this music that this guy created in 1981 to 1983 would not be recorded over twenty years later. The power of that music continues to touch people all over the world. Recently, Tom Waits and Beck and the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, contemporary artists, have decided to cover his songs, and they certainly did not have a gun to their head when they did this. He’s had a tremendous influence on people. When we finished the film, there were 150 artists around the world who had covered his songs, but that number has now changed because it’s growing. It’s a testament to the power of this folk music that he created that he continues to move and touch people. It’s rare that we hear music like that that’s just pure, raw emotion with no filters. Everything that goes down is about his life, and his unrequited love songs make you cry.”

The Devil and Daniel Johnston opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday. If you’re a fan of Daniel’s music, you’ll really love this movie, but if you’re unfamiliar with Johnston or never got it, you’ll understand why so many people are so passionate about his tunes.

NEW THIS WEEK:

ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN (20^th Century Fox)
Starring (the voices of): Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Dennis Leary, Queen Latifah
Directed by Carlos Saldanho (Ice Age, Robots); Written by Jon Vitti (“The Critic,” “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” “Saturday Night Live”)
Genre: Animated, Comedy, Family
Rated PG for some mild language and innuendo
Tagline: “Kiss Your Ice Goodbye.”
Story: The three Ice Age friends, Diego, Manny and Sid, once again face a dilemma. As the Ice Age is coming to an end, the melting glaciers threaten to destroy their valley home. Banding together, they try to warn their friends and neighbors of the impending doom, but Manny is depressed that he may be the last living mammoth.

In March 2002, less than two weeks before Shrek would win the first animated feature Oscar, 20^th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios released Ice Age, hoping to have the same success Shrek and Pixar Studios’ Monsters Inc. had found the year before, each grossing over $250 million. Although Ice Age opened with a softer $46 million, it was unprecedented for a movie opening in March, let alone a family film, greatly benefiting from its popular teaser featuring a rodent-like creature called a “Scrat” trying to hold onto his precious acorn despite all sorts of obstacles. After setting the record for a March opening movie, which it still holds, it went on to gross over $170 million, and it had a healthy run on video and DVD, as well.

As hard as it is to believe, Ice Age: the Meltdown is only the third computer animated family film to get a sequel in the ten years since Toy Story’s debut, but both previous computer animated sequels have far exceeded the business done by their predecessors. Toy Story 2 made twice as much opening weekend as the original movie, and in the summer of 2004, Shrek 2 became one of the top opening and grossing movies of all time, making more than $100 million its opening weekend and over $400 million total in the U.S. alone.

Blue Sky worked for four years on the sequel, releasing the less successful follow-up Robots in between, and most of the voice cast has returned, including Ray Romano as Manny the Mammoth, John Leguizamo as the popular Sid the Sloth, and Dennis Leary as Diego the Sabretooth. This time, they’re joined by the voice of Queen Latifah as a new mammoth mate for Manny, which should add to the humor. It won’t matter much to anyone, but the sequel isn’t written by the same team who did the first movie, instead being penned by Jon Vitti, who has an impressive resume working on some of the funniest television shows like “The Simpsons” and “The Critic.”

Times have certainly changed since the opening of the original Ice Age, and The Meltdown might not have nearly as many factors working in its favor. First of all, Ice Age came out after a long period of time without any strong family films in theatres, and yet it still didn’t have the longetivity in theatres as Shrek. There have been plenty of big family hits in the last few months, including Eight Below, The Pink Panther and others, so there isn’t the urgency in families to get their kids out of the house. The box office is generally slower and movies aren’t opening nearly as big as they have in years past, and computer animation just isn’t the novelty or the draw that it was when the first Ice Age opened either.

That aside, 20^th Century Fox is releasing their animated sequel into over 3,800 theatres, which puts it line to become one of the top 10 widest opening films ever, but that just means that the business may be more spread out than the previous film. The promotion and marketing doesn’t seem to be as strong as the first film, and the novelty of the teaser featuring Skrat doesn’t seem nearly as novel or fresh. Ice Age: The Meltdown should do slightly better opening weekend than the first movie, but it might be hindered by the fact that people still have school and work on Friday and Monday. That said, it should maintain strong legs through the month of April with few other family films to quickly become the highest grossing film of the year.

Why I Should See It: If you loved the original movie and its cast of prehistoric characters, the sequel should be just as much fun.
Why Not: Was the first movie really as good as the promise of the original teaser?
Projection: $50 to 53 million opening weekend on its way to close to $200 million. (Update: I'm probably going to regret this but as the 5th widest opening movie ever, I decided to up my prediction a few million.)

SLITHER (Universal Pictures)
Starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Rheagan Wallace, Tania Saulnier
Written and directed by James Gunn (Tromeo and Juliet, writer of Scooby Doo and Dawn of the Dead)
Genre: Horror
Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, and language
Tagline: “Whatever You Do… Don’t Scream”
Story: The quiet life of the small town of Wheelsy abruptly ends when a horrible dark force invades the town with deadly parasites, turning the residents into creatures with the intent of taking over the earth.

Wow! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a small town being attacked by creatures, maybe not since the CGI spider movie Eight Legged Freaks. James Gunn, the screenwriter of Dawn of the Dead, certainly took a step back into the past for the concept behind his first film as a director, because Slither seems to be influenced heavily by the B-horror movies of the ‘80s, which put regular folk into strange circumstances. Although those types of movies rarely did big business, they’ve brought forth a lot of cult classics like the 1990 film Tremors. Although the film’s cast doesn’t have very strong box office presence, it does have Nathan Fillion, star of the television show “Firefly” and last fall’s Serenity that might help bring in that show’s diehard fanbase, and actress Elizabeth Banks has been making a name for herself, most recently in a prominent role in Steve Carrell’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin. (She was the woman in the bathtub!) Gunn also got his wife Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam on the popular sitcom “The Office,” to appear in his movie.

This seems to be the type of horror movie that fans of the genre will really appreciate, because it doesn’t take itself very seriously, plus its R-rating will mean that the gore won’t be softened up. On the other hand, its B-movie mentality might not make it look like something that needs to be seen in theatres by anyone except for true horror fans. Slither seems to be getting lost in the shuffle of Universal’s output of movies between last week’s Inside Man and the upcoming American Dreamz, both of which have far more star power. They’ve been trying to generate interest on the internet where they’ll find the most genre fans, but its mainly going to be of interest to college-age guys who have plenty of other options, including last week’s Inside Man and this week’s other thriller Basic Instinct 2. The best thing going for the movie right now is the last minute commercials featuring a raving quote from Eli Roth, whose own movie Hostel was helped by a similar quote from Quentin Tarantino. They should help bring in a college-age crowd over the weekend, although the title may make it a harder sell to anyone who doesn’t know about the movie.

Why I Should See It: It’s got thousands of creepy crawly slug parasites that take people over! That is so freakin’ cool!
Why Not: Because you’re a tasteless moron who doesn’t like to laugh or be scared. (Sorry, that might have come across a bit harsh.)
Projection: $6 to 8 million opening weekend on its way to around $20 million total.

BASIC INSTINCT 2 (Sony/MGM Pictures)
Starring Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, Charlotte Rampling, David Thewlis, Stan Collymore, Andre Schneider
Directed by Michael Caton-Jones (Scandal, Memphis Belle, City by the Sea, Rob Roy, This Boy’s Life; Written by Leora Barish (Desperately Seeking Susan), Henry Bean (Internal Affairs, Deep Cover, The Believer)
Genre: Thriller
Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity, violence, language and some drug content
Tagline: “Everything interesting begins in the mind.” (So that rules this movie out.)
Story: Novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is once again in trouble with the law, this time in England, where her sports star boyfriend has turned up dead. She’s assigned a psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey), which gives her the perfect opportunity to resume her sexual antics.
REVIEW

Twelve years ago, a thriller written by Joe Esterhaus and directed by Paul Verhoeven shook the world with its graphic sexuality and nudity. That movie, Basic Instinct, also solidified Sharon Stone’s status as a bonafide star in her own right. For years, the producers have tried to make a sequel, but it remained in development hell for the good part of a decade while slowly losing all of the original creators and actor Michael Douglas. When the planned sequel wasn’t able to find a leading man to start shooting in 2000, Stone sued the producers for breach of contract, which made most people assume the movie was dead.

Part of the 2004 settlement meant that the sequel went ahead with Sharon Stone, now in her mid-40s, reprising the role of sexy but deadly writer Catherine Trammell. With Michael Douglas out of the picture, a great opportunity arose for little known British character actor David Morrissey to play the film’s lead opposite Stone. Morrissey is better known in England, most recently appearing in the Stones biodrama Stoned, and he’ll also appear in the upcoming Joel Silver thriller The Reaping. The cast is rounded out by Charlotte Rampling, who gave her own take on the erotic thriller in the French film Swimming Pool, and David Thewlis, last seen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as a police detective from Scotland Yard hellbent on taking Catherine down. They won’t really matter, since the only actor who may be any sort of draw is Sharon Stone, and her career hasn’t been going that well. (See Star Spotlight below). Considering the number of strong films made by director Michael Caton-Jones, it’s a bit surprising that he got roped into making this dog.

Originally, the movie had a lot more sex and was being threatened with an NC-17 rating before some of the scenes, including a ménage a trois, were removed, although a lot of these scenes ended up on the internet, which might end up hurting the movie more than help it.

What’s strange is that the movie’s new home, Sony, doesn’t seem to really be getting behind the movie despite the success of the original film. The movie is being released in only 1,300 theatres, which is even less than the original movie got 14 years ago. This may be a telltale sign that the studio is not supportive of the movie, but unlike their other MGM acquisition, The Pink Panther which was drastically changed when they picked it up, they’re just throwing it out there with little fanfare, although Sharon Stone will probably be doing the rounds to promote it. This will probably bring in mostly older adults based on the name alone, but younger moviegoers under 30 probably won’t have seen the original movie, and they’re more than likely to be put off by the negative reviews, so that the movie ends up doing far better on DVD.

Why I Should See It: You want to learn more about Sharon Stone’s character from the first movie… or see more of her naked.
Why Not: Because there is a chance that Sharon Stone might open her legs again! Yipes.
Projection: $7 to 9 million on its way to $23 million total.

ATL (Warner Bros.)
Starring Tip "T.I." Harris, Lauren London, Evan Ross, Jackie Long, Big Boi, Albert Daniels, Jason Weaver, Kadijah, Malika, Lonette McKey, Mykelti Williamson, Keith David
Directed by Chris Robinson (directorial debut); Written by Tina Gordon Chism (Drumline, upcoming Nappily Ever After), based on a story by Antwone Fischer
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rated PG-13 for drug content, language, sexual material and some violence
Tagline: “A New American Story”
Story: Four teens living in a working class neighborhood of Atlanta enjoy spending time listening to hip-hop and rollerskating, but as they prepare to finish high school and move on with their lives, they face new challenges.
Mini-Review: While the story and characters aren't bad, this really isn't a very well-made film, because it's obvious, predictable, and about as subtle as Spike Lee. The many attempts it takes at trying to be funny fails miserably, and for the most part, it's all over the place, since few of the young actors are strong enough to pull off the more dramatic scenes.However you slice it, the best part of the movie is the hip hop filled soundtrack. Rating: 4.5/10

Loosely based on the experiences of Dallas Austin and Tionne Watkins growing up in Atlanta, this coming-of-age story is the latest in a long line of movies targeted directly towards the African-American audience, and I really knew almost nothing about it until I sat down to write about it. The feature film directorial debut of popular video director Chris Robinson, the story is based on a screenplay by Tina Gordon Chism, who wrote the 2003 holiday hit Drumline, which made over $50 million after a surprise $13 million opening weekend.

Although a lot of the film takes place on the skating rink, the marketing for the film has tried to play that aspect down to avoid comparisons to Roll Bounce, which made $17 million after opening lightly last September. The film features a mostly unknown cast with the one exception being Big Boi from the popular rap duo Outkast, but he’s not going to be the movie’s only selling point. The film’s street-savvy subject matter may strike a chord with younger African-Americans also trying to make it, and the PG-13 will certainly make it of interest to teens looking for something. Then again, they might decide it’s too preachy and sneak into one of the two thrillers instead. Still, expect ATL get a lot of business in Atlanta and in urban areas where the film will get the biggest push and not so much in other areas, which should be enough to allow it into the fight for third place with the other new movies.

Why I Should See It: The involvement of some of the people behind Drumline and Antwone Fischer would make it seem like a movie that would appeal to fans of those movies.
Why Not: I liked the movie better when it was called Roll Bounce.
Projection: $7 to 9 million on its way to $25 million.

BRICK (Focus Features)
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Noah Fleiss, Matt O'Leary, Noah Segan, Meagan Good, Emilie de Ravin, Richard Roundtree, Lukas Haas
Written and directed by Rian Johnson
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Action, High School
Rated R for violence and drug content
Story: A rebellious high school loner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) gets caught up in the world of drugs after finding his ex-girlfriend dead, as he tries to find her killer.
REVIEW

One of the year’s big mysteries due to its enigmatic one-sheet posters, Rian Johnson’s filmmaking debut Brick is an innovative take on the high school drama, mixing the usual archetypes with the type of storytelling seen in crime noir films from the ‘40s and ‘50s. By doing this, he’s created something truly original with a great young cast along for the ride, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, best known as Tommy from the sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun”, Meagan Good, Lukas Haas, and Noah Fleiss. The film is challenging and often confusing, but it’s the type of film that intelligent cinephiles will probably appreciate. It’ll open in a single theatre in New York and L.A. this weekend.

Why I Should See It: It’s an innovative mix of crime noir and teen drama.
Why Not: Very confusing and hard to follow.

MARILYN HOTCHKISS’ BALLROOM DANCING AND CHARM SCHOOL (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Starring Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen, Sean Astin, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny DeVito, Joshua Horowitz
Written and directed by Randall Miller (Houseguest, Class Act)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rated PG-13 for mature situations and language
Tagline: “When destiny leads, love follows.”
Story: Widower baker Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle) on his rounds comes across a car wreck and at the behest of the dying driver (John Goodman), he attends the Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, where eclectic characters come together every week to learn how to dance. Although it doesn’t seem like his scene, he soon finds new love and true happiness in his weekly lessons.
Mini-Review: What keeps this fun little movie entertaining is the way it's told in three very distinct sections, each with their own look and feel. While the modern-day ballroom dancing scenes are great, the flashback coming-of-age story has a "Stand By Me" like feel that really makes it worthwhile. This is clearly Robert Carlyle's best role, and he really carries through as the film's romantic lead, thanks to the support of a great cast of mostly character actors, who bring a lot of laughs and emotions. It gets a bit silly at the end, but for the most part, it's an enjoyable way to spend some time. Rating: 7.5/10

After many delays, director Randall Miller’s romantic dramedy sees the light of day with an impressive array of character actors including Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen and Sean Astin. Based on a short film Miller made fifteen years ago, it stars Scottish actor Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) as a widowed baker who comes upon a car crash and honors the victim’s dying wish by attending a dancing class to see if his childhood sweetheart shows up. It’s the type of comedy-drama that might appeal to those who love the ABC reality show “Dancing with the Stars,” the ballroom dancing romantic comedy Shall We Dance? or even the movie version of Stephen King’s Stand By Me. It's too bad it comes out the week before the much more high profile Take the Lead.

Why I Should See It: It’s an endearing dramedy with lots of romance and laughs.
Why Not: The eclectic mix of character actors with no big stars might put some moviegoers off.

STAR SPOTLIGHT: Sharon Stone

Actress Sharon Stone’s career has definitely seen better days, because there was a time in the early ‘90s where it looked like she would be another Julia Roberts or Demi Moore, especially when she had two back-to-back hits with director Paul Verhoeven, the sci-fi film Total Recall, and then the thriller Basic Instinct, a movie for which Stone will forever be remembered. That might explain why she’s returning to the character of Catherine Tramell after fourteen years, hopes of repeating that success.

Stone’s success continued until 1995, when Martin Scorsese cast Stone in Casino, his follow-up to Goodfellas, and Stone’s performance earned her first Oscar nomination in a leading role, but that was followed by a number of dogs, either critically and commercially, including a remake of Diabolique, a movie based on Michael Crichton’s Sphere, the drama Gloria and Albert Brooks’ The Muse.

In 2001, Stone suffered a brain hemorrhage that took her out of commission for a number of years, but her return in the 2003 thriller Cold Creek Manor with Dennis Quaid wasn’t a particularly memorable return. The real kicker for a quickly declining career came in the summer of ’04 when she played the role of the baddie in the ironic dog, Catwoman, with Halle Berry.

At 48, Stone is certainly an actress trying to hold onto her career, and though she recently appeared opposite Bill Murray in Jim Jarmusch’s successful Broken Flowers, she needs to have a solid hit to be taken seriously, although it doesn’t seem like Basic Instinct 2 will be it. On the other hand, she has roles in two ensemble dramas coming out later this year, Alpha Dog and Bobby, both which might be better for where she is in her career than a sequel.