The Soloist

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Soloist’ Wastes Powerful Story, Great Actors

BrianTT — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:22:32 -0600

CHICAGO – Stars Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. do absolutely nothing wrong in Joe Wright’s “The Soloist,” now on Blu-Ray and DVD, and there’s more than enough inherent power in the story of a musical genius lost to mental illness and the horrible way we treat the homeless in this country for a quality drama, but this cinematic solo misses too many notes to have the impact that it should have with this much talent involved.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

The cast & crew list for “The Soloist” is remarkable enough that the film almost opened the AFI Film Festival last year based on pedigree alone. Then someone saw the movie and Joe Wright’s third drama (after “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement”) was pushed from Oscar season to April. We should have known something was wrong then.

The Soloist was released on Blu-Ray on August 4th, 2009.
Photo credit: Paramount

But back to that list of cast and crew that had most awards season pundits drooling - Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr., Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Oscar nominee Catherine Keener, director Joe Wright (who helmed the Best Picture-nominated “Atonement), Oscar-nominated writer Susannah Grant (“Erin Brockovich”), and a crew of some of the most talented people in Hollywood (composer Dario Marianelli, cinematography Seamus McGarvey, and more).

The Soloist was released on Blu-Ray on August 4th, 2009.
Photo credit: Paramount

Downey Jr. stars in “The Soloist” as LA Times journalist Steve Lopez, a reporter who stumbled across the story of his life when he heard a homeless man playing a two-string violin in a Los Angeles park. The man turned out to be Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a former Juilliard student whose pschizophrenia sent him all the way to skid row. Lopez wrote a series of stories about Ayers that touched an emotional chord with his readers, giving a face to the homeless problem in the city of angels.

Nathaniel Ayers had a gift. He also had a curse. His gift allowed him to both hear and play music in ways that most of us will never understand. His curse forced him to hear voices and have hallucinations that made living on the street his only option.

There is so much dramatic potential in the life of Nathaniel Ayers that it’s easy to see why a screenwriter thought it would make an interesting film. And it could have if Joe Wright and Susannah Grant had trusted Jamie Foxx to deliver what he’s clearly capable of delivering. The only way that “The Soloist” works is as realism, but Grant and Wright clutter the portrayal of Ayers by audibly portraying the voices that Ayers reportedly heard and trying to visually represent the way that he heard music. Big mistakes. When you have an actor as talented as Foxx, you should trust him to deliver the complexities of a character like Ayers without being so on-the-nose that we actually hear his auditory hallucinations. It takes the viewer out of the film and reminds them that they’re watching a movie.

Foxx, Downey, Keener, and the production values of “The Soloist” warrant a rental, but, ultimately, this is just a decent movie that should have been great.

Except for a slightly mediocre audio track when one considers the subject matter of the film, the Paramount Blu-Ray release for “The Soloist” delivers exactly what renters or buyers would expect from it.

The film is presented in 1080p High Definition and the transfer is pretty flawless but the English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track is a bit average for a film about the passion of music.

The special features are well-divided between the true story of Lopez and Ayers and the fictional recounting of it. Lopez, Ayers, Downey, Foxx, Wright, and more are included on the featurettes, the most detailed of which is called “An Unlikely Friendship: Making The Soloist”. Deleted scenes and a commentary by Wright round out a quality package for an interesting film that just misses the power of its true story.

‘The Soloist’ is released by Paramount Home Video and stars Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Nelsan Ellis. It was written by Susannah Grant and directed by Joe Wright. The Blu-Ray and DVD were released on August 4th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: 29-Image Gallery From ‘The Soloist’ With Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr.

BrianTT — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:30:00 -0600

CHICAGO – This 29-image slideshow contains the official images from Paramount’s “The Soloist,” starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Caherine Keener, and Lisa Gay Hamilton. The film, directed by Joe Wright, opens on April 24th, 2009.

Synopsis:

“From the director of the Academy Award®-nominated “Atonement,” Joe Wright, and starring Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx and Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr., comes this poignant and ultimately soaring tale. It is based on an incredible true story of a disenchanted journalist’s transformative odyssey through the hidden streets of Los Angeles, where he discovers and builds a most unlikely friendship with a man from those same streets, bonding through the redemptive power of music.

Columnist Steve Lopez (Downey) is at a dead end. The newspaper business is in an uproar, his marriage to a fellow journalist has fallen apart and he can’t entirely remember what he loved about his job in the first place. Then, one day, while walking through Los Angeles’ Skid Row, he sees the mysterious bedraggled figure Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), pouring his soul into a two-stringed violin. At first, Lopez approaches Ayers as just another story idea in a city of millions. But as he begins to unearth the mystery of how this alternately brilliant and distracted street musician, once a dynamic prodigy headed for fame, wound up living in tunnels and doorways, it sparks an unexpected quest. Imagining he can change Ayers’ life, Lopez embarks on a quixotic mission to get him off the streets and back to the world of music. But even as he fights to save Ayers’ life, he begins to see that it is Ayers – with his unsinkable passion, his freedom-loving obstinacy and his valiant attempts at connection and love – who is profoundly changing Lopez.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to François Duhamel and courtesy of Paramount. All Rights Reserved.

soloist_01: Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_02: Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_03: Robert Downey Jr. and Catherine Keener
soloist_04: Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_05: Robert Downey Jr. and Director Joe Wright
soloist_06: Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_07: Jamie Foxx
soloist_08: Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx
soloist_09: Jamie Foxx, Joe Wright, and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_10: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_11: Jamie Foxx
soloist_12: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_13: Director Joe Wright
soloist_14: Director Joe Wright and Jamie Foxx
soloist_15: Lisa Gay Hamilton and Jamie Foxx
soloist_16: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_17: Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_18: Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_19: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_20: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_21: Justin Martin
soloist_22: Jamie Foxx
soloist_23: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_24: Catherine Keener
soloist_25: Jamie Foxx
soloist_26: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
soloist_27: Jamie Foxx
soloist_28: Jamie Foxx
soloist_29: Jamie Foxx

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

2009 Paramount Pictures Preview: ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Defiance,’ ‘The Uninvited,’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens,’ More

BrianTT — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:04:19 -0700

CHICAGO – Paramount Pictures has released official images, cast rosters, and synopsis information for the first half of their impressive 2009 slate of feature releases.

The 2009 Paramount films with available production stills include “Hotel For Dogs,” “Defiance,” “The Uninvited,” “I Love You, Man,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “The Soloist,” “The Goods: The Don Ready Story,” “Star Trek,” “Imagine That,” and “Dance Flick”.

“Hotel For Dogs”
Release date: January 16th, 2009
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt with Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle
Directed by: Thor Freudenthal
Written by: Jeff Lowell and Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle
Synopsis:”Hotel for Dogs” stars Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle in a smart, funny comedy adventure that shows how far love and imagination can take you. When their new guardians forbid 16-year-old Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Austin) to have a pet, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The resourceful kids stumble upon an abandoned hotel and using Bruce’s talents as a mechanical genius, transform it into a magical dog-paradise for Friday - and eventually for all Friday’s friends. When barking dogs make the neighbors suspicious, Andi and Bruce use every invention they have to avoid anyone discovering “who let the dogs in.”

“Defiance”
Release date: January 16th, 2009
Cast: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner and Mark Feuerstein
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Written by: Clayton Frohman & Edward Zwick
Synopsis: Based on an extraordinary true story, “Defiance” is an epic tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential - a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others. At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spreads, they begin to attract others - men and women, young and old - willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment’s freedom. Tuvia (Craig) is a reluctant leader and his decisions are challenged by his brother, Zus (Schreiber) who worries that Tuvia’s idealistic plans will doom them all. Asael (Bell) is the youngest, caught between his brothers’ fierce rivalry. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appears to be lost.

“The Uninvited”
Release date: January 30th, 2009
Cast: Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel and David Strathairn
Directed by: The Guard Brothers
Written by: Craig Rosenberg and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard
Synopsis: In the suspense thriller “The Uninvited,” based on the 2003 Korean motion picture “Changhwa, Hongryon” written and directed by Kim Jee-woon, Anna (Emily Browning) returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother’s tragic death and discovers that her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), has moved into their house and become engaged to her father, Steven (David Strathairn). Soon after she learns this shocking news, Anna is visited by her mother’s ghost, who warns her that Rachel has evil intentions. Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) must convince their father that his new fiancee is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.

“I Love You, Man”
Release date: March 20th, 2009
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly
Written and Directed by: John Hamburg
Synopsis: In “I Love You, Man,” a comedy from John Hamburg (“Along Came Polly,” co-writer of “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” “Zoolander”), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, “Knocked Up” “The 40 Year Old Virgin”) is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey (“The Office’s” Rashida Jones), discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward “man-dates,” before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peter’s relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancee and his new found “bro,” in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a “friend.”

“Monsters vs. Aliens”
Release date: March 27th, 2009
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd
Directed by: Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon
Synopsis: When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

“The Soloist”
Release date: April 24th, 2009
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander and LisaGay Hamilton
Directed by: Joe Wright
Written by: Susannah Grant
Synopsis: In “The Soloist,” an emotionally soaring drama about the redemptive power of music, journalist Steve Lopez (Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr.) discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives. “The Soloist” is directed by Joe Wright (Golden Globe winner for Best Drama and Oscar® nominee for Best Picture “Atonement”).

“The Goods: The Don Ready Story”
Release date: August 21st, 2009
Cast: Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn and Jordana Spiro
Directed by: Neal Brennan
Written by: Adam Stock & Rick Stempson
Synopsis: Who is Don Ready? Salesman? Lover? Song Stylist? Semi-professional dolphin trainer? Ready is all of the above - except for a dolphin trainer. When he’s asked to help save an ailing local car dealership from bankruptcy, Ready and his ragtag crew descend on the town of Temecula like a pack of coyotes on a basket full of burgers. Selling, drinking, selling and going to strip clubs is their stock and trade. And they do it well. What Don doesn’t expect is to fall in love and find his soul (cue heartfelt piano). “The Goods: The Don Ready Story” stars Emmy award-winning actor Jeremy Piven (“The Kingdom,” “Entourage”) and Ving Rhames (“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” “Mission: Impossible III”). The film, from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions, is directed by Neal Brennan, creator of the hugely successful Comedy Central hit “Chappelle’s Show.”

“Star Trek”
Release date: May 8th, 2009
Cast: John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban,
Anton Yelchin, with Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Written by: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
Synopsis: From director J.J. Abrams (“Mission: Impossible III,” “Lost” and “Alias”), producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk and screenwriters Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (“TRANSFORMERS,” “MI: III”) comes a new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, “Star Trek,” featuring a young, new crew venturing boldly where no one has gone before.

“Imagine That”
Release date: June 12th, 2009
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Nicole Ari Parker, Ronny Cox and Martin Sheen
Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick
Written by: Ed Solomon & Chris Matheson
Synopsis: In Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ family comedy “Imagine That,” Eddie Murphy stars as a successful financial executive who has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year-old daughter (Yara Shahidi). When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain, however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter’s imaginary world.

“Dance Flick”
Release date: August 14th, 2009
Cast: Damon Wayans Jr., Craig Wayans, Shoshana Bush, Essence Atkins and Affion Crockett
Directed by: Damien Dante Wayans
Written by: Keenen Ivory Wayans & Shawn Wayans & Marlon Wayans &
Craig Wayans & Damien Dante Wayans
Synopsis: “Dance Flick” is a hilarious new comedy that brings together the talents of two generations of the Wayans family, the explosively funny clan who brought us the “Scary Movie” franchise and “White Chicks,” as well as the groundbreaking TV series “In Living Color.” In “Dance Flick,” a young street dancer, Thomas Uncles (Damon Wayans, Jr.), from the wrong side of the tracks and a beautiful young woman, Megan White (Shoshana Bush), are brought together by their passion for dancing and put to the test in the mother of all dance battles. “Dance Flick” sends up the dance movie genre, including such recent hits as “Step Up” and “You Got Served,” as well as the classic “Flashdance.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Paramount Pictures.

DanceFlick: Charity (Essence Atkins, left) and her Baby Daddy (Shawn Wayans, right) have all the right moves on the dance floor in the comic spoof Dance Flick. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson
Defiance1: Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski and Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski star in Defiance, a Paramount Vantage release. Photo Credit: Karen Ballard
Defiance2: Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski and Alexa Davalos as Lilka star in Defiance, a Paramount Vantage release. Photo Credit: Karen Ballard
Defiance3: Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski stars in Defiance, a Paramount Vantage release. Photo Credit: Karen Ballard
Goods: David Koechner as Brent Gage, Kathryn Hahn as Babs Marrett, Jeremy Piven as Don Ready, and Ving Rhames as Jibby Newsome star in The Goods: The Don Ready Story, a Paramount Vantage release. Photo Credit: Sam Emerson
HotelForDogs1: After finding a place to hide their dog, Friday, Bruce (Jake T. Austin, left) and his sister Andi (Emma Roberts, right) eventually wind up giving shelter to most of the strays in town in the comedy/adventure Hotel for Dogs. Photo Credit: Jaimie Trueblood
HotelForDogs2: After finding a place to hide their dog, Friday, Andi (Emma Roberts, left) and her brother Bruce (Jake T. Austin, right) eventually wind up giving shelter to most of the strays in town in the comedy/adventure Hotel for Dogs. Photo Credit: Jaimie Trueblood
ILoveYouMan1: Denise (Jaime Pressly), Zooey (Rashida Jones) and Hailey (Sarah Burns) are members of a wedding party that’s still missing a best man in the comedy I Love You, Man. Photo Credit: Scott Garfield
ILoveYouMan2: Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, center left) bonds with Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, center right) who has befriended him in his search for a best man for his upcoming wedding to Zooey (Rashida Jones, lower right) in the comedy I Love You, Man. Photo Credit: Scott Garfield
ILoveYouMan3: Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, left) befriends Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, right) in his search for a best man for his upcoming wedding in the comedy I Love You, Man. Photo Credit: Scott Garfield
MonstersVsAliens: An invading alien pursues Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon)—a.k.a. Ginormica, having been clobbered with a meteor full of outer space gunk and growing to 49-feet-11-inches tall—in DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens,” which reinvents the classic ‘50s monster movie into an irreverent modern day action comedy. Photo Credit: DreamWorks Animation
Soloist01: Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx, left), a former musical prodigy turned homeless man, is discovered on the streets of downtown Los Angeles by newspaper columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr., right) in the drama The Soloist. Photo Credit: Francois Duhamel
Soloist02: Newspaper columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr., left) discovers former musical prodigy turned homeless man, Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx, right) on the streets of downtown Los Angeles in the drama The Soloist. Photo Credit: Francois Duhamel
StarTrek1: Chris Pine (center) stars as James T. Kirk and John Cho (right) stars as Sulu in Star Trek. Photo Credit: Industrial Light & Magic
StarTrek2: The crew members of the Starship Enterprise include James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), McCoy (Karl Urban), an unidentified crew member, Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Sulu (John Cho) in Star Trek. Photo Credit: Industrial Light & Magic
StarTrek3: Zachary Quinto stars as Spock in Star Trek. Photo Credit: Industrial Light & Magic
StarTrek4: The Starship Enterprise in Star Trek. Photo Credit: Industrial Light & Magic
TheUninvited1: Their father’s new fiancée, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), arouses the suspicions of his daughters Alex (Arielle Kebbel) and Anna (Emily Browning) in The Uninvited. Photo Credit: Kimberley French
TheUninvited2: Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) has just become engaged to a man whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances in The Uninvited. Photo Credit: Kimberley French
TheUninvited3: Anna (Emily Browning, left) and Alex (Arielle Kebbel, right) are suspicious of their father’s new fiancée in The Uninvited. Photo Credit: Kimberley French
ImagineThat1: Eddie Murphy (left) stars as Evan Danielson and Yara Shahidi (right) stars as his daughter, Olivia Danielson, in the family comedy Imagine That. Photo Credit: Bruce McBroom
ImagineThat2: Yara Shahidi (left) stars Olivia Danielson and Eddie Murphy (right) stars as her father, Evan Danielson, in the family comedy Imagine That. Photo Credit: Bruce McBroom
ImagineThat3: Yara Shahidi (left) stars Olivia Danielson and Eddie Murphy (right) stars as her father, Evan Danielson, in the family comedy Imagine That. Photo Credit: Bruce McBroom

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com