Michelle Monaghan

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Eagle Eye’ Makes Modern Paranoia Ridiculous

BrianTT — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:20:04 -0700

CHICAGO – “Eagle Eye,” the second collaboration between new star Shia LaBeouf and director D.J. Caruso after the surprise success of “Disturbia,” isn’t nearly as successful a diversion, stretching the very concept of suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.

The Blu-Ray release matches the success of the film with solid video and audio and an entertaining set of special features, but the movie itself brings the entire package down.

With “Eagle Eye,” writers John Glenn & Travis Adam Wright and Hilary Seitz and Dan McDermott (it took four people to write this thing?) attempt to turn modern-day paranoia about the intrusive nature of technology into an action adventure a la “Die Hard”. The set-up isn’t bad, but the film quickly dissolves into a barrage of unbelievable, unrealistic, and unenjoyable action sequences fueled by increasingly ridiculous plot twists.

Shia LaBeouf stars as Jerry Shaw, a drop-out from Stanford who gets caught in an international crisis after his twin brother Ethan, an Air Force star, passes away in a car accident. Jerry goes to the funeral and comes home to a complete nightmare. His bank account, usually too empty to buy a latte, has three-quarters of a million dollars in it, and his apartment is full of terrorist supplies, which, apparently, can easily be shipped via DHL.

The money and the bomb-making equipment make Jerry a target of the government (including agents played by Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton), but Shaw keeps getting phone calls that keep him one step ahead of the people trying to get to him. Meanwhile, Rachel Holloman (the lovely but miscast Michelle Monaghan) gets a similarly omniscient call that tells her that her son will die if she doesn’t do as she’s told.

The idea is that Jerry and Rachel are pawns in an elaborate plot fueled by our civilization’s increasing reliance on items that come with a certain lack of privacy. It’s not the concept that fails “Eagle Eye,” it’s the development of it.

The problem with “Eagle Eye” is that it’s played with a completely straight face. Half of the charm of the “Die Hard” movies, especially the last one, is in Bruce Willis’ winking performance. He’s knows it’s ridiculously over-the-top. “Eagle Eye” feels like LaBeouf and Caruso think this is a cautionary tale. If the filmmaker and cast had put their tongues even slightly in their cheeks, “Eagle Eye” might have worked as escapist entertainment.

So, as the film seems to continuously top itself with more and more ridiculous, nonsensical plot twists, it’s far too easy to be eye-rolling instead of sitting on the edge of your seat. When the power on the other end of the phone starts to manipulate the system well beyond reason - my favorite being when it cannot only break a power line but snap it into a running individual - the suspension of disbelief collapses.

The film may be a mess but the Blu-Ray release is satisfactory. On Blu-Ray, the presentation of “Eagle Eye” is neither remarkable nor below par. The video in 1080p High Definition is the highlight. DreamWorks has become one of the leaders in HD transfers. And the audio in English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD is better than average.

As for the special features, renters and buyers of “Eagle Eye” might be disappointed by the lack of a commentary and the featurettes are a little perfunctory. It’s also disappointing to not have any picture-in-picture capability. It’s a movie about technology. Shouldn’t the presentation of the special features feel more than average?

“Eagle Eye” includes, all in HD, deleted scenes, “Asymmetrical Warfare: The Making of Eagle Eye,” “Eagle Eye on Location: Washington, DC,” “Is My Cell Phone Spying on Me?,” “Shall We Play a Game?,” a gag reel, “Road Trip: On Location with the Cast and Crew,” a photo gallery and the theatrical trailer.

‘Eagle Eye’ is released by DreamWorks Home Video and stars Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, and Anthony Mackie, and was written by John Glenn & Travis Adam Wright and Hilary Seitz and Dan McDermott and directed by D.J. Caruso. It was released on December 28th, 2008.

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

Exclusive Portrait: Oscar-Winning Actor Billy Bob Thornton in Chicago With His Band The Boxmasters

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:21:49 -0600

CHICAGO – Oscar-winning actor and screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton appeared in Chicago on Aug. 29, 2008 with his band The Boxmasters to promote his new CD. We captured and present to you an exclusive portrait of Thornton in Chicago.

Billy Bob Thornton in Chicago with his band The Boxmasters on Aug. 29, 2008.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

In addition to breaking out in “Sling Blade” in 1996, Thornton appears in “Eagle Eye” in 2008 (which was filmed in part in Chicago) with Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan, “The Informers” in 2008, “Manure” in 2008, “Tulia” in 2008, “Duplicity” in 2009 and “Peace Like a River” in 2009.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Scene Spoiler: Reader Submits Full ‘Eagle Eye’ Report For Nov. 15 Filming in Chicago

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:21:44 -0700

As we’ve been reporting here, “Eagle Eye” – a DreamWorks picture staring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton – has been filming at various locations across Chicago over the past two weeks.

What follows is a very specific report from a reader that fleshes out Chicago filming details for Thursday, Nov. 15 and heading into the wee hours of Friday, Nov. 16.

I can validate this source as accurate and verifiable based on prior submissions. Warning: Spoiler information follows.

Michelle Monaghan (left) and Rosario Dawson.
Photo credit: IMDb

Thursday’s filming, which is [said to be] the second to last day of shooting, was a shoot in the evening in the Uptown neighborhood [of Chicago] at Wilson and Broadway.

The shoot began with Shia and Michelle parked in their Porsche Cayenne Turbo in an alley next to the El [train] station on Wilson. Michelle sat on the driver’s side.

Shia began the scene by running up to the car in a panic. He jumped into the passenger’s seat where he and Michelle began to argue. All of a sudden, the rear driver’s side window would shatter.

They were simulating Shia and Michelle being shot at.

Chicago Police [Department] officers were running out of the El stop with guns drawn. [They were] shooting at the car as Shia frantically began screaming at Michelle to “Go! Go! Go!”

Numerous takes and angles were shot as the car sat idled.

Around 12:30 a.m., the crew began setting up for a high-speed car chase scene where the Porsche would barrel out of the alley heading east on Wilson. [It would] fly around the corner and turn left on Broadway.

Chicago police had Wilson and Broadway closed in all directions as rehearsals began between 1 and 1:30 a.m. Michelle and Shia’s stunt doubles were in the car with Michelle’s stunt double driving.

Shia LaBeouf (left) and Billy Bob Thornton.
Photo credit: IMDb
There were five or six regular cars being driven by stunt drivers and three Chicago police vehicles with stunt drivers. All the streets were sprayed down with water.

One of the Chicago police vehicles would be heading north on Broadway.

As the Porsche fishtailed through the middle of the intersection, the police vehicle would do a [180-degree turn] in the middle of Wilson and Broadway to chase the Porsche. [The] other police vehicles would chase from other directions.

The chase scene was very well choreographed and rehearsed numerous times.

It was amazing to see all the stunt drivers carry out their assignments with perfect precision take after take at high speed with numerous cars spinning and fishtailing in the middle of the intersection.

Numerous takes were done with the stunt doubles from different angles. This was shot with multiple cameras. Around 4 a.m., Shia returned to the vehicle for interior filming with Michelle’s stunt double still behind the wheel.

The camera was placed inside the vehicle with the camera operator in the back seat filming Shia as the Porsche went through the same route (this time, however, at a slower speed).

After a couple takes, Shia was done for the evening.

It was now Michelle’s turn behind the wheel with Shia’s stunt double in the passenger seat. She did a couple rehearsals and a couple takes. Filming was done at approximately 5:30 a.m.

News You Need: Mackie in ‘Eagle Eye,’ ‘Star Trek’ Beams in New Captain, Strike Pauses ‘24’

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:08:07 -0700

We! Are! Terrorist Cell!: We already told you about Billy Bob Thorton being cast in “Eagle Eye,” which is shooting now in Chicago and is directed by D.J. Caruso.

Now Variety and Hollywood Reporter and are reporting that Anthony Mackie (“Half Nelson,” “We Are Marshall”) has joined the cast as a “hot-shot soldier”.

“Eagle Eye” stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as a falsely accused young man and single mother who are “forced to become members of a cell with plans to carry out a political assassination”.

Thorton will play a “patriotic hero” while Rosario Dawson plays a government agent. Dawson opted out of a role in Kevin Smith’s “Zach and Miri Make a Porno” (a role written specifically for her) to make “Eagle Eye”.

“Eagle Eye” comes from a screen idea by Steven Spielberg. Dan McDermott, John Glenn, Travis Wright, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, J.J. Abrams and finally Hilary Seitz all worked on the screenplay, according to Film Jerk.

Kurtzman and Orci – who worked on Abrams’ “Star Trek” and did a rumored rewrite to the “Watchmen” screenplay – are overseeing Seitz. Let’s hope in light of the WGA strike that “overseeing” is past tense.

Unless Voted Out By Focus Group, Greenwood Will Boldy Go: Speaking of J.J. Abrams’ increasingly more-interesting “Star Trek” reboot, Hollywood Reporter says Bruce Greenwood (“Thirteen Days,” “I, Robot”) has been cast as Captain Christopher Pike.

Originally played by Jeffrey Hunter, Pike was technically the first captain of the starship Enterprise. That’s due to his having been in the original, shelved “Star Trek” pilot.

Bruce Greenwood.
Photo credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Scenes from this unused pilot were reworked as flashback footage into first “Star Trek” season two-parter “The Menagerie”. In that episode Sean Kenney took over the role and played Pike as a scarred mute who communicated via light on his wheelchair.

At one point, Tom Cruise (who worked on Abrams’ last film “Mission: Impossible III”) was rumored for the role. There’s still no official word if the movie is a restarted Ultimatization or simply an alternate reality.

Jack Bauer Now Has Time to Use Restroom: The first big casualty of the Writers Guild of America strike is the seventh season premiere of Fox’s “24”.

Originally set to air on Jan. 13, TV Week reports that Fox has chosen to hold off on airing the show until the strike’s end. The show has run the past two seasons week to week with no repeats.

After last season’s critical drubbing, which saw its viewership down drastically, “24” was set for a major revamp this season. The show already started production a month late after Fox scrapped a storyline that was to partly take place in Africa.

In Bauer’s absence, perhaps now we can finally have a real national dialogue about torture.

By Shane Hazen
Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com

Confirmed: ‘Eagle Eye’ Filming in Chicago From Nov. 6 to 16

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:52:20 -0700

Since actor Shia LaBeouf popped up on the Chicago grid this weekend and was arrested following an incident at a Walgreens on the Magnificent Mile, we questioned which film he was in town to film.

Michelle Monaghan (left) and Rosario Dawson.
Photo credit: IMDb
IMDb lists LaBeouf as only having two projects in the works: “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Eagle Eye”. We know the new Indiana Jones didn’t film in Chicago and we logically assumed “Eagle Eye” would be it.

I can now confirm that LaBeouf is in Chicago for “Eagle Eye” filming.

Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office, told me on Tuesday: “‘Eagle Eye’ is currently scheduled to be filming in Chicago and the surrounding area from Nov. 6 to 16.”

Shia LaBeouf (left) and Billy Bob Thornton.
Photo credit: IMDb
Directed by D.J. Caruso (“Disturbia,” “Taking Lives”), the film stars Shia LaBeouf (“Transformers,” “Disturbia”), Michelle Monaghan (“Gone Baby Gone”), Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton (“The Astronaut Farmer”).

In “Eagle Eye,” IMDb says “a young slacker and a single mom get tangled up in a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination”.