Monday, June 6, 2011

Men in Black Review













Men in Black


Release Date: 11th September 1997 - Australia


Production Companies
Amblin Entertainment
Columbia Pictures
MacDonald/Parkes Productions

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 98 minutes


Budget: $90,000,000

Box Office Gross: $589,390,539 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
James Edwards, a brash NYPD detective, gets recruited by a federal agent named K to join a top-secret agency called the Men in Black that controls and observes any alien activity on Earth and serves as his new partner, Agent J. The two agents must stop an intergalactic terrorist from hatching his twisted scheme before Earth gets destroyed.


Cast
Tommy Lee Jones - Kevin
Brown/Agent K
Will Smith - James Darrell
Edwards III/Agent J
Vincent D'Onofrio - Edgar
the Bug
Linda Fiorentino - Dr. Laurel
Weaver/Agent L
Rip Torn - Chief Zed
Tony Shalhoub - Jack Jeebs
Siobhan Fallon Hogan - Beatrice
Mike Nussbam - Gentle
Rosenberg the Arquillian
Jeweler
Carel Struycken - Arquillian
Sergio Calderon - Jose
Fredric Lehne - INS Agent Janus
Richard Hamilton - Dee
Tim Blaney - Frank the Pug
(Voice)
David Cross - Newton the
Morgue Attendant
Keith Campbell - Perp
John Alexander - Mikey
Norma Jean Groh - Mrs. Edelson
Ken Thorley - Zap-Em Man
Patrick Breen - Mr. Redgick
Becky Ann Baker - Mrs. Redgick
Sean Whalen - Passport Officer
Harsh Nayyar - News Vendor
Michael Willis - Cop in Morgue
Willie C. Carpenter - Police Inspector
Michael Goldfinger - NYPD Sergeant
Brad Abrell - Worm Guy (Voice)
Thom Fountain - Worm Guy (Voice)
Carl J. Johnson - Worm Guy (Voice)
Drew Massey - Worm Guy (Voice)
Sylvester Stallone - Alien on TV
Monitor (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Danny DeVito - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
George Lucas - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Dionne Warwick - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Anthony Robbins - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Al Roker - Alien on TV Monitor (Cameo)
(Uncredited)
Isaac Mizrahin - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Barry Sonnenfeld - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Chloe Sonnenfeld - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Steven Spielberg - Alien on TV Monitor
(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Barry Sonnenfeld
Based on the Malibu Comic - Lowell Cunningham
Screen Story/Screenplay - Ed Solomon
Executive Producer - Steven Spielberg
Producers - Laurie MacDonald
and Walter F. Parkes
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Graham Place
Casting Directors - David Rubin
and Debra Zane
Production Designer - Bo Welch
Illustrators - James Carson,
Matt Codd, Ricardo F. Delgado,
Tim Flattery and Jacques Rey
Art Director - Tom Duffield
Art Director: New York - Chris Shriver
Set Decorator - Cheryl Carasik
Property Master - Doug Harlocker
Costume Designer - Mary E. Vogt
Alien Makeup Effects/Special Makeup
Effects Artist - Rick Baker
Special Makeup Effects - David LeRoy Anderson
Director of Photography - Donald Peterman
Director of Photography: Main Title (Uncredited)/
Second Unit - Keith Peterman
Director of Photography: Second Unit,
New York - David M. Dunlap
Camera Operator - Stephen St. John
Camera Operators: New York - Florian Ballhaus
and Michael Caracciolo
First Assistant Director - John Cameron
First Assistant Directors: Second Unit -
Cara Giallanza and Chris Soldo
Second Unit Director/Visual Effects Supervisor -
Eric Brevig
Stunt Coordinator - Brian Smrz
Stunt Coordinator: Second Unit - Gregg Smrz
Special Effects Coordinator - Peter M. Chesney
Special Effects Supervisor - Kyle Ross Collinsworth
Animatronic Performance Supervisor -
Tony Urbano
Practical Effects/Pyro Supervisor: Saucer Crash
Miniature and Blue Screen Unit - Geoff Heron
Visual Effects Supervisor: End Sequence -
Scott Farrar
Visual Effects Producer: End Sequence -
Denise Ream
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM -
David Nakabayashi
Digital Effects Supervisors: ILM -
John Andrew Berton Jr., Carl N. Frederick
and Robert Marinic
Digital Effects Supervisors: End Sequence -
Patrick T. Myers and Ellen Poon
Digital Effects Sequence Supervisor: ILM -
Gerald Gutschmidt
Animation Supervisor - Rob Coleman
Computer Graphics Producer: VisionArt -
Joshua D. Rose
Digital Modeller Supervisor: ILM - Geoff Campbell
Creature Designers: ILM - Benton Jew
and Derek Thompson
Conceptual and Animatic Artists: ILM -
Jonathan Harb, Louis Katz and Jules Mann
Supervising Model Maker: Saucer Crash
Miniature and Blue Screen Unit - Steve Gawley
Chief Model Makers: Saucer Crash
Miniature and Blue Screen Unit - Rodney Morgan,
Lorne Peterson and Christopher Reed
Stage Manager: Saucer Crash Minature and Blue
Screen Unit - Edward Hirsh
Motion Control Director of Photography:
Miniature Tunnel Unit - Martin Rosenberg
Director of Photography: Miniature Tunnel Unit -
Pat Sweeney
Additional Visual Effects: VCE - Peter Kuran
Film Editor - Jim Miller
Sound Effects Designer - Eugene Gearty
Sound Designers/Mixers: Alien Languages -
Van Ling and Chuck Michael
Re-Recording Mixer/Supervising Sound Editor -
Skip Lievsay
Re-Recording Mixers - Lee Dichter
and Michael Barry
Foley Artist - Marko A. Contanzo
Music - Danny Elfman
Writer/Performer/Co-Producer (Song:
"Men in Black") - Will Smith
Music Recordist and Mixer - Shawn Murphy


Awards

1998 Academy Awards
Best Makeup - Rick Baker and
David LeRoy Anderson (Won)
----------------------
Best Art Direction - Bo Welch and Cheryl Carasik
(Nominated)
Best Original Score - Danny Elfman (Nominated)


Review
Unlike many other science fiction movies, MEN IN BLACK is intelligent in its story and hilarious. The film is full of wit and is similar to Ghostbusters. Barry Sonnefeld has directed a comic book adaptation that no other filmmaker has ever done. MEN IN BLACK has all the aspects, including the terrific action scenes, Rick Baker's alien makeup designs and splendid visuals. I liked the acting pair of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Their performances solidify the movie with perfect chemistry. The music score by Danny Elfman is fascinating and fits the tone of the feature. The funny scenes include when Agent K delivers a squid baby from the wife of a taxi driver. Another funny bit is a quote, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was that your auntie? Then that must be your uncle over there!" said K after he squished a bug that ticks off that giant cockroach.

It has been a flesh-dropping, slimy action-comedy movie made exclusively for the entire sci-fi geek community. BREAKING NEWS!! I just announced that the third Men in Black film is now in cinemas in 2D and 3D. And it features new actors like Josh Brolin and Jermaine Clement.

Star rating:
(5/5) Best Movie Ever

Back to Home

2 comments:

  1. It was an okay movie at some of parts it was a bit gross and slimy and other than that it was a good movie

    ReplyDelete
  2. I had nightmares over Edgar Bug!

    ReplyDelete