Ray (Widescreen Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Ray (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: This is an Oscar Winner, or should be
Summary: 5 Stars
Jamie Foxx. Taylor Hackford. Ray Charles. Three powerhouse performances in one movie. This film was flawless. Rarely have I seen a film where nearly every actor gave a memorable performance. There are no wasted scenes in this film! What I found particularly interesting is that it shows what people can overcome when they make up their minds to do so. My favorite lines: You're blind not stupid! You're not a cripple! So many Americans could learn from this inspirational film. I loved it!
Jamie Foxx, who also gave an astonishing performance in Collateral opposite Tom Cruise earlier this year, was nothing short of brilliant in this career making film. Foxx has come a long way since his years on the comedy show, In Living Color. Of this, there is no doubt. While I knew it was Jamie Foxx on the screen, I saw Ray Charles. I don't know if Foxx will get another opportunity to shine the way he did in Ray. I think it's safe to say, GIVE THE OSCAR TO MR. FOXX RIGHT NOW. No need to wait!
I was first acquainted with Taylor Hackford in the summer of 1980 in a small California town called Victorville. I was there TDY (temporary duty) at George Air Force Base for 45 days. The hotel I was staying at was showing a film called, The Idol Maker, starring Ray Sharkey, known for his television role in the series Wise Guy opposite Ken Wahl. That film was directed by none other than Taylor Hackford who just two years later went on to direct one of my favorite military films, An Officer and a Gentlemen. Hackford also directed Against All Odds, Delores Claiborne, The Devil's Advocate, White Nights, and Proof of Life. Ray easily blows away all of these career building films. This is his best film to date! GIVE HIM THE BEST DIRECTOR OSCAR!
Ray Charles never sounded better in this biopic. The soundtrack is worth the price of admission. Georgia on my mind, What'd I Say, Hit The Road Jack, I Can't Stop Loving You, and many more are featured in this film.
Other notable performances were given by Kerry Washington, who played Della Bea Robinson and new comer, Sharon Warren, who played Aretha Robinson, mother of the late great Ray Charles. Hopefully, these two women will be nominated for best supporting Oscars along with Foxx and Hackford.
The problem, however is that Hollywood is known for not rewarding people when they've earned it. They tend to give Oscars when they want you to have it, which, I find extremely irritating. Having said that, I'll take mine whenever they give it to me! LOL!
Ray is a 5 star film.
Take your family to see this!
Movie Review: See Jamie Foxx's Powerful and Heartfelt Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
Jamie Foxx is Ray Charles. That's what you would feel after watching Taylor Hackford's bio-pic of late Ray Charles. Not only Foxx moves like Ray, with his characteristic, jerky body movements, but he represents the soul of the great musician himself.
Despite the long running time (more than 150 minutes), the film never shows lull, covering the life of Ray Charles from his childhood to the stardom. Despite the too familiar ways of showing the psychological aspects of his life, the film is skillfully edited, and shows his genius as musician and strong will for success, both of which are no surprising matters. Made with the artist's own saction, the film is fairly honest about the negative sides of his personality -- about use of substance, womanizing habits, and dubious judgements influenced by money. But they are also part of Ray.
[MUSIC] But the film's greatest strength lies in the interpretation of Ray Charles' music, or how his style came to be what it is. It is easy for anyone to portray him as genius, but the director knows rightly that his talent lies in innovation -- fusing gospel music with rhythmn and blues. And 'Ray' presents us the innovator's way of thinking, or inspiration, by cleverly putting his classic songs in the context of his own history. How and where did he think of 'I Got a Woman'? How did people (including his future wife) respond to it? The music history is never so accurately and succinctly interpreted as in 'Ray.'
For all the hit songs like 'Georgia on My Mind' or 'I Can't Stop Loving You,' the film suggests that the culmination of Ray Charles's career is 'What'd I Say.' The whole film is great, of course, but that scene showing the birth of that song (my favorite) alone deserves 5 star rating. At that moment, the music gets irresistible. From there, the film's latter half is slightly weak, for after all, Ray Charles sitting behind the executive's desk is much less attractive Ray Charles singing in a travelling band.
But all the actors, especially Jamie Foxx and Sharon Warren as Ray's mother are so memorable that you won't just stop watching it. My only complaint is that Taylor Hackford should not have let Foxx take off the glasses at one scene -- you will know where -- in which he looks like not Ray, but Jamie Foxx, for he revels his own eyes. You know, Foxx has eyes that remind us of puppy, and in that scene only he stops being Ray.
But for all its small flaws, 'Ray' will remain in your mind as a great tribute to Ray Charles and his music. Watch and listen to it.
Movie Review: Oscarfest
Summary: 5 Stars
I've never been much of a Ray Charles fan (which makes me nekulturny, I guess), but I do know an Oscar-winning performance when I see one. RAY has one at least, perhaps several.
Jamie Foxx is Ray Charles Robinson, the truly great American musician and composer, and RAY depicts his professional career and personal trials from 1948, when he left Florida at age 18 on a bus for Seattle, to the late 60s when he kicked a heroin habit. The film is interspersed with numerous flashbacks to his boyhood in Georgia, where, at age 5, he was psychologically scarred by the tragic drowning of his younger brother in a washtub, and where, by age 7, glaucoma rendered him completely blind.
I would've been even more impressed with Foxx's role had he been the one singing the Ray Charles songs sprinkled throughout the film, much as Sissy Spacek sang Loretta Lynn's hits in the memorable COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (1980). However, Jamie's lip-synch was seamless, and he certainly had Ray's mannerisms down. The viewer can be excused for forgetting that it wasn't actually Charles up there on the Big Screen, and Foxx deserves a Best Actor Oscar nomination if there's any justice to the awards process.
There are at least two performances worthy of an Academy nod for Best Supporting Actress: Regina King as Margie Hendricks, Ray's on-the-road mistress that inspired the passion which fueled many of his musical compositions, and Sharron Warren as Aretha Robinson, Ray's mother. I wish we could have seen more of the latter. Aretha had fire.
In any story of someone transcending poverty to attain fame, usually an entertainer or athlete, there's usually the two-hanky bit where the star returns home to buy Mom a new house or some such. There's no indication in the film that Ray visited Aretha after he left Florida. This may be a puzzle unless the viewer is aware that Aretha died when Ray was 15, something RAY fails to note. Also, the film's conclusion infers that Charles lived happily ever after with his long-suffering wife, Della Bea (Kerry Washington). In fact, Ray and Della divorced in 1977. And my only other niggling objection was the genesis of the song "Hit the Road, Jack". As portrayed, it brought forth laughter from the audience; I think it was intended by the scriptwriters and director to be a powerfully dramatic sequence.
RAY is arguably 2004's Best Picture. It's certainly a must-see for any consumer of contemporary cinema, and an absolutely obligatory-see for any fan of Ray Charles.
Movie Review: Groundbreaking
Summary: 5 Stars
Jamie Foxx is the actor on the critics' lips. It is worthy praise? Without a doubt. Besides his resemblance to Ray Charles, Foxx embodies the man himself in essence. It is almost eerie how perfectly Foxx becomes Charles from his mannerisms, his strong but stubborn personality and his behaviour. Before seeing the film, I heard all of the hype surrounding Foxx and just thought that he would be good as Ray Charles. Good is an understatement. He was unbelievable. Even if the Oscars do not grant him his ticket to join the elite group of Sidney Poitier, Louis Gossett Jr and Denzel Washington, it doesn't matter because his performance will be remembered as a mile stone in drama.
With Foxx's potent portrayal, the supporting cast had riveting and convincing. This film is different because the whole supporting cast is great.The women of this film are wicked: Regina King (Margie, one of his many mistresses) and Kerry Washington (Della Bea) were outstanding! King and Washington had brilliant screen chemistry with Foxx, their performances had charm, wit and sheer power. Sharon Warren, a newcomer, played Ray's mother, Aretha and proved what an exceptional acting talent she is. Yet, the men of film stood on their own two feet. Famous faces such as Harry Lennix as Joe, Curtis Armstrong as Ahmet, Clifton Powell as Jeff and Larenz Tate as Quincy Jones brought a real edge to the film, equaling the female force.
It was undoubtedly going to be hard to squeeze a 40 year music career, a man's troubles, the pain and effect he had on others in 2 hours but this film works because it aims for the drama and the legend of the man, instead of a point by point narrative. While this may annoy some purists, if it was done too accurately, it would have been too long and thus relegated to the late hours of television. The cinema is the perfect platform to show the life and spirit of Ray Charles and through this, it will introduce more people to him - what could be cooler than that?
When biopics are bad, you can just feel yourself wanting to fall asleep: the incompetence of the actors becomes annoying, the predictable direction of the film from 0 to the end is boring and the tedious nature of the script leaves you feel like you want your dosh back. When biopics are good, they are like `Ray': magnificent drama, engrossing characters, beautiful music, subtle but unforced direction that makes you think.
Last Thought: Has DiCaprio seen this film yet?
Movie Review: A respectful tribute to a great musician
Summary: 5 Stars
How to make a movie about a legend like Ray Charles? Hard to walk the line between a maudlin soap and a superficial celebrity tell-all.
Somehow, the makers of this movie found the right balance.
I was surprised at what a wonderful job Jamie Foxx did--just never thought of him as a great actor. His performance of Ray suffering through heroin withdrawal was wrenching. I noticed in the closing credits that most of the musical performances were dubbed by Ray Charles's own recordings, but some of the performances were sung by Jamie Foxx himself; darned if I could tell the difference!
As far as biopics go, I felt this movie had considerable depth. They did not gloss over how Ray treated his family and his drug problems, yet they treated him respectfully with some understanding of the pressures and tragedy of his childhood that led him to do the things he did. Foxx did a great job at making the character appealing despite his flaws. I'll admit I pulled out my hanky for a couple of tearful moments near the end. I left the theater feeling uplifted. I'd like to see it again.
Powerful performances by some of the supporting cast: Sharon Warren (a beautiful woman), playing Ray's mother, created a beautiful portrait of a poor but proud woman who stood up for herself. Ray went blind at the age of 7, but his mother forced him to stand on his own two feet and to take life on his own terms. "Promise me you'll never let anyone make you a cripple!"
Recognize one of the Atlantic Records executives, Jerry Wexler? He's Richard Schiff (Toby) from TV's West Wing. Looks a little different with hair and no beard!
Tremendous performance from Kerry Washington as Ray's wife--a strong and proud woman who rises above Ray's road romances.
On a technical note, the production design of the movie was superb. Cars, clothes, furniture, houses, were very accurate for the 40s, 50s, and 60s. The color correction was designed to give everything an over saturated, soft look that reminded me of early color home movies. I'm sure this was quite intentional--perhaps to subtly place the movie in time or perhaps to unify modern scenes with the flashbacks to Ray's childhood which were EXTREMELY over saturated to the point of surrealism, which might be the case if a blind man remembered scenes from when he was a small child when he could still see color.