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 Mizrahi - 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 amusing 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

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