Foxxs Oscar-worthy performance is all that saves Ray

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Ray may not be a great film, but Jamie Foxx does all he can to make it great.

The former In Living Color star, who had a breakout role in Collateral in August, firmly establishes himself as a front-runner for best actor with an amazing performance as legendary singer Ray Charles. Foxx is so effective its as if he has channeled Charles spirit.

This is more than a breakout performance. Its a rare piece of work that deserves notice come award season even if the rest of the film is more frustrating than it is satisfying.

Ray focuses on Charles rise in the music business, how his addiction to heroine and womanizing nearly toppled his career, and the guilt Charles had over the death of his brother during a childhood accident.

I give James L. Whites screenplay credit; it doesnt shy away from showing Charles in a negative light. With the singer serving as a consultant before his death, Ray could have easily turned into one of those bio films that serves as a means of promoting its subject instead of providing insight.

There is plenty of insight, but it is concentrated on a small area of Charles life. You get the sense that director Taylor Hackford could have pulled back on some of the scenes between Charles and the women of his life and left more time for more fascinating areas (such as Charles stand on segregated concerts, which led to his banishment from Georgia for nearly two decades and his successful decision to cross over into country music), which get glossed over in very quick fashion.

This decision nearly sinks Ray, but fortunately Foxx is able to save the day. There is a solid cast of supporting characters, including Regina King as Raelette singer Margie Hendricks and Kerry Washington as Charles first wife, Della. Without Foxx, though, Ray would be nothing more than a TV movie masquerading as a big-screen film.

Discount dud of the week

This weeks discount dud is Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (D), a silly attempt to cash in on the mind-boggling popularity of the 1997 Jennifer Lopez-Ice Cube original.

Anacondas isnt so much a sequel as it is a bad Amazon adventure film with snakes thrown in as an afterthought. The film focuses on a scientific expedition to find a flower in Borneo that is believed to be the link to longer life.

The expedition hits a snag when the groups boat wrecks and their is left in the forest in the midst of mating season of the anacondas.

The cast of Anacondas consist of a group of unknown actors (perhaps with the exception of Morris Chestnut) who leave no lasting impression before becoming snake snacks.

The film was directed by Dwight H. Little, but it might as well have been directed by Stuart Little. Its full of so many goofy moments that even if you wanted to take it seriously, you couldnt.

I wasnt a fan of the original, but considering this awful sequel, maybe I was a little too hard on it. Ill admit I laughed at some moments (you can never go wrong with a monkey as a sidekick), but its the kind of laughter that is more out of embarrassment than entertainment.

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is playing at the Plaza 6, where all movies are $1.50.

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