Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 11th, 2025 - UPDATE #26

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

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NEWS:

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 77th Annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  In the awards' marquee category, "Theatrical Feature Film," the nominees are Jacques Audiard ("Emilia Perez"), Sean Baker ("Anora"), Edward Berger ("Conclave"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), and James Mangold ("A Complete Unknown").  The winners will be announced February 8th.

From EW:  The Screen Actors Guild has cancelled the 2025 / 31st SAG Awards nominations announcement live-stream because of the current wildfires sweeing through the Los Angeles area.  The nominations will be announced Thursday morning, January 9th via press release and on SAG Awards website.  The SAG Award ceremony will be hired Feb. 23rd.

CRIME - From LATimes:  There are new details in the shooting death of actor Johnny Wactor ("General Hospital," "Siberia").  The 37-year-old actor died after being shot in the chest May 25, 2024 by one of three thieves who were stealing the catalytic converter from his 2013 Toyota Prius.  At least two of the people involved are members of a South Los Angeles street gang.  One of the thieves reportedly shouted, "No!," before his accomplice shot Wactor, whose funeral was held in June 2024 in his hometown of Summerville, South Carolina.

DISNEY - From USAToday:  The result of FuboTV's lawsuit against Disney/Fox/Warner Bros. Discovery over their planned sports streaming service, "Venu Sports," is that Disney will merge "Hulu + Live" service with FuboTV.  Disney will own 70 percent of the new service, and the merger will be finalized in the next 12 to 18 months.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From THR:  The winners for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" won "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" and "Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language."  "The Brutalist" won "Best Motion Picture - Drama."  "Wicked" won in the new category, "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement."  "Flow" won "Best Motion Picture - Animated."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/3 to 1/5/2025 weekend box office is Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King" with a take of 23.8 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From APNews:  Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and Emmy-winner Michael J. Fox were among 19 people who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian honor) from President Joe Biden today (Sat., Jan. 4th) in a White House Ceremony.

AMAZON - From AwardsWatch:  Amazon Prime Video is set to debut Viola Davis' next film, the action-thriller, "G20," on April 20th.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Hot off his new film, "Nosferatu," Robert Eggers is set to direct a reboot/sequel to Jim Henson's 1986 film, "Labyrinth."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  British cinematographer, Roger Pratt, has died at the age of 77, December 2024.  Pratt received a "Best Cinematography" Oscar nomination for "The End of the Affair" (1999).  Pratt was also the cinematographer for two "Harry Potter" films and for three films by Terry Gilliam, beginning with "Brazil" (1985).  His other work includes "Batman" (1989), "Chocolat" (2000), and "Troy" (2004), to name a few.

From Deadline:  American singer, songwriter, and musician, Wayne Osmond, has died at the age of 73, Wednesday, January 1, 2025.  Along with his brothers: Alan, Merrill, and Jay, he co-founded "The Osmonds," later known as "the Osmond Brothers."  He was active from 1962 to 2019.  His television appearances include "Donny & Marie" (1976-79), his siblings, Donny and Marie Osmond's ABC variety series.

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BLAKE LIVELY:

From Deadline:  Justin Baldoni, in the middle of legal issues with his "It Ends With Us" co-star, Blake Lively, has added a new front to the war with a strike against Lively's husband, superstar actor and producer Ryan Reynolds.  Baldoni says that in Reynolds' recent worldwide hit, "Deadpool & Wolverine," the character, "Nicepool," is based upon him.

From NBCNews:  NBC News has a rundown on the events surrounding Blake Lively's civil rights complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

From Variety: "That bitch lied on me!" Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for "It Ends With Us" star and director, Justin Baldoni, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, fired back at the film's lead actress, Blake Lively’s civil rights complaint against Baldoni in a statement. He called it “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations.”

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BOWL SCHEDULE - From YahooSports:  Here is your 2024-2024 college football bowl schedule with games, matchups, times, and dates.  Most of the games are on ESPN.

It begins with the "Cricket Celebration Bowl" on Saturday, December 14th featuring Jackson State vs South Carolina State at Noon EST on ABC.

The first round of the "College Football Playoff" begins Friday, December 20th with Indiana at Notre Dame at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

It all climaxes January 20th, 2025 with the "College Football Playoff National Championship" on ESPN.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From THR:  The winners for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" won "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" and "Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language."  "The Brutalist" won "Best Motion Picture - Drama."  "Wicked" won in the new category, "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement."  "Flow" won "Best Motion Picture - Animated."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 77th Annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  In the awards' marquee category, "Theatrical Feature Film," the nominees are Jacques Audiard ("Emilia Perez"), Sean Baker ("Anora"), Edward Berger ("Conclave"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), and James Mangold ("A Complete Unknown").  The winners will be announced February 8th.

From EW:  The Screen Actors Guild has cancelled the 2025 / 31st SAG Awards nominations announcement live-stream because of the current wildfires sweeing through the Los Angeles area.  The nominations will be announced Thursday morning, January 9th via press release and on SAG Awards website.  The SAG Award ceremony will be hired Feb. 23rd.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2025 / 56th Annual NAACP Image Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "The Piano Lesson" leads with 14 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 21st and 22nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the Minnesota Film Critics Association (MNFCA) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has taken five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Music City Film Critics Association (MCFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has won four awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 George Film Critics Association (GFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has won "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore), 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Challengers" has won "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Luca Guadagnino).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 DiscussingFilm's Global Film Critics Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" won "Best Picture."

From EW:  The nominations for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" leads with 10 nominations.  The winners will be announced January 5, 2025 on CBS and Paramount+.

From THR:  The winners at the 2025 National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) Awards have been announced. "Nickel Boys" has won the award for "Best Picture" of 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) Awards have been announced.  "Conclave" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Edward Berger), and "Best Actor" (Ralph Fiennes).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Conclave" has won three awards, including "Best Narrative Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Columbia Film Critics Association (COFCA) Awards have been announced. "The Substance" has won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore), 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 29th Capri, Hollywood-International Film Festival Awards have been announced. "Emilia Perez" won six awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Critics Association of Central Florda (CACF) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 UK Film Critics Association (UKFCA) Awards have been announced. "Dune: Part Two" won "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) Awards have been announced. "Anora" has won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" won six awards, including "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat). and "Best Leading Performance" (Demi Moore).  "The Substance" shared the "Best Film" honor with "Anora."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Awards have announced.  "The Beast" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Bertrand Bonello).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Nevada Film Critics Society (NFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has taken six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Zone of Interest" was named "Best Film" and its director, Jonathan Glazer, won "Best Director."  Although the film was released in Dublin this year, it was eligible for the Academy Awards in 2023.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critic Association (DFWFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has won three awards: "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Southeastern Film Critics Associations (SFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch: The winners at the 2024 New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Awards.  "The Substance" has won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Leading Performance" (Demi Moore), and "Best Supporting Performance" (Margaret Qualley).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (RaMell Ross)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Awards have been announced. "Dune: Part Two" has won three awards, including "Film" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the nominations in the category of "Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures." The winners at the 2025 / 39th Annual Producers Guild Awards will be announced Saturday, February 8, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. "Anora" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) Awards have been announced. "The Brutalist" has taken five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has won six awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (RaMell Ross). "Sing Sing" has won "Best Actor" (Colman Domingo) and "Best Supporting Actor" (Clarence Maclin).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has been named "Best Picture."  The films four total wins including for "Best Director" (Brady Corbet) and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Chicago Film Critics (CFC) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Sing Sing" won "Best Picture," won of three awards it received.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Michigan Movie Critics Guild (MMCG) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture," one of its four wins.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Film," one of four awards it won.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Washington Area Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Wicked" has won the award for "Best Feature."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 49th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture."  Marianne Jean-Baptiste (for "Hard Truths") became the first Black woman to win a lead performance honor in the groups history.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners for the 2024 / 27th British Independent Film Awards have been announced.  The Irish film, "Kneecap," wins "Best British Independent Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) have been announced.  "Anora" wins "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison), and "Best Original Screenplay."

From AFI:  The American Film Institute has named its top ten films and television series.  Among the films honored are "Dune: Part Two," "Nickel Boys," and "Wicked."

From THR:  The winners at the 2024 / 37th European Film Awards have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" wins the award for "European Film."  It also won the directing (Jacques Audiard), writing (Audiard), and actress (Karla Sofia Gascon) honors.

From NBR:  The National Board of Review has named its 2024 film honorees.  "Wicked" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (for John M. Chu).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.  Cannes 2024 Palme d'Or winner, "Anora," and "I Saw the TV Glow" each lead with six nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, February 22, 2025.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2024 / 90th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  Director Brady Corbet's three-hour epic, "The Brutalist," has won "Best Film" and its star, Adrian Brody, has won "Best Actor."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards have been announced.  Writer-director Aaron Schimberg's "A Different Man" has won the "Best Feature" award.

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film.  Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 27th British Independent Film Awards have been announced.  The Irish film, "Kneecap," leads with 14 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, December 8, 2024.

BEST PICTURE WINNER COUNT:

From AwardsWatch:  This link will take you, dear readers, to "AwardWatch's" article, "Who Won What? - The 2024/2025 Film Award Precursor Guide."

"Anora": 14 wins (Atlanta Film Critics Circle; Austin Film Critics Association; Boston Society of Film Critics; CACF: DFWFCA; Georgia Film Critics Association; IFCA; LAFCA; Michigan Movie Critics Guild; OAFFC; NTFCA; Philadelphia Film Critics Circle; SFBAFCC; SFCA)

"The Beast": 1 win (Florida Film Critics Circle)

"The Brutalist": 9 wins (AWFJ; BOFCA; Chicago Film Critics; Golden Globes-Drama; MNFCA; Nevada Film Critics Society; NYFCC; Phoenix Critics Circle; Phoenix Film Critics Circle)

"Challengers": 1 win (GWNYFCA)

"Conclave":  2 wins (North Carolina Film Critics Association; Oklahoma Film Critics Circle)

"A Different Man": 1 win (Gotham Awards)

"Dune: Part Two" - 4 wins (LVFCS; Music City Film Critics Associations; St.LFCA; UKFCA)

"Emilia Perez":  3 wins (Capri, Hollywood-International Film Festival Awards; European Film Awards; Golden Globes-Comedy or Musical)

"Kneecap": 1 win (British Independent Film Awards)

"Nickel Boys": 4 wins (AAFCA; DiscussingFilm; National Society of Film Critics; TFCA)

"Sing Sing": 1 win (San Diego Film Critics Society)

"The Substance": 6 wins (COFCA; Indiana Film Journalists Association; KCFCC; NYFCO; OAFFC; Seattle Film Critics Society)

"Wicked": 2 wins (National Board of Review; WAFCA)

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Review: Tyler Perry's "DIVORCE IN THE BLACK" is Shamelessly Shameless

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 of 2024 (No. 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Divorce in the Black (2024)

Running time:  143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)

MPA – R for language, some sexual content and violence

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

PRODUCERS:  Will Areu, Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, Diane Ashford, and Meagan Good

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Michael Watson (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Storm Evans

COMPOSER:  Sheri Chung

DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring:  Meagan Good, Cory Hardrict, Joseph Lee Anderson, Taylor Polidore, Shannon Wallace, Richard Lawson, Debbi Morgan, Mark Elliot Brewer, Rakeem Laws, Berry Williams, Jr., Jeffrey Creightney, and Ursula O. Robinson

Divorce in the Black is a 2024 drama and thriller from writer-director Tyler Perry.  The film is an Amazon “Prime Original,” and it began streaming on the service July 11, 2024.  Divorce in the Black follows a young woman who is left heartbroken after her husband abandons their marriage.

Divorce in the Black introduces 37-year-old Ava (Meagan Good).  She is the daughter of a preacher, Clarence (Richard Lawson) and a demur church-going woman, Gene (Debbi Morgan).  Ava married Dallas Bertrand (Cory Hardrict), one of five sons from a family of trifling Negroes who were raised (not reared) by their obnoxious mother, Linda (Ursula O. Robinson)

Ava and Dallas's marriage was troubled from the start and is troubled now.  The recent troubles begin with the funeral of Dallas' 39-year-old brother, Cody Bertrand, who had just been released from prison when someone he attempted to mug shot him to death.  Ava's preacher father, Clarence, officiates the funeral, and he believes that he cannot lie and act as if Cody had been a decent person.  Clarence's words about Cody lead the Bertrands to commit a horribly disgusting act in order to put an end to the funeral service.

Shortly after the funeral, Ava and Dallas return to their home in Atlanta.  Dallas is feeling resentful, mainly egged on by his remaining brothers and his mother.  He tells Ava that he wants a divorce and that he has already taken care of everything.  He says all she needs to do is sign the divorce papers.  Ava is heartbroken and grief-stricken by this terrible turn of events.  She returns to her parents home in rural Georgia.  Eventually, she finds solace and friendship by reuniting with an old friend, Benji (Joseph Lee Anderson), which could turn romantic.  Dallas, however, starts to feel cheated when he discovers that Ava and Benji are seeing each other, and he begins to grow increasingly violent.  Now, Ava will have to make the toughest decisions of her life.

I thought that Mea Culpa, a “Netflix Original” film released in February (2024), was likely Tyler Perry's craziest non-Madea film to date, being even wackier than his 2013 film, Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.  Now, I'm declaring that Divorce in the Black, released mere months after Mea Culpa, is Perry's craziest film.  In many ways, Divorce in the Black is not a good film.  After its jaw-dropping opening act, the film's narrative has a hard time finding its footing.  It meanders, mostly focusing on Ava's grief over the sudden divorce announcement.

[Apparently, “divorce in the black” means a divorce in which you gain something or remain in the positive after the conclusion.  “Divorce in the red” means to lose something or end up in the negative after it is all over.]

Divorce in the Black redeems itself with an entertainingly outrageous and outrageously entertaining last act.  I wouldn't call Dallas' actions throughout the film over-the-top.  They're quite believable, and, in fact, I've known or heard of men like him.  What makes the ending of Divorce in the Black so satisfactory is Ava's change in attitude and Dallas' comeuppance.  I can't remember the last time I so enjoyed an African-American male character suffering something similar to Dallas' fate.  However, dear readers, you have to wade through a lot of mixed-bag storytelling and almost two hours of questionable runtime to get to the end's immense satisfaction.

I mainly watched Divorce in the Black because I wanted to do some Tyler Perry catch-up before I watched his latest “Netflix Original,” the historical drama, The Six Triple Eight.  So I judge Divorce in the Black as mainly being fit for fans engaged in watching most of, if not all, of Perry's filmography.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Oct 13th to 19th, 2024 - UPDATE #12

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Variety:  The HBO documentary, "Money Electric," tries to answer the questions, "Who invited Bitcoin?"

AMAZON - From Deadline:  The roles of John and Jane Smith will be recast in Season 2 of Amazon Prime's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."  Rumors have Oscar-and Grammy-winner Billie Eilish in the running to play "Jane Smith."  Donald Glover and Maya Erskine played the couple in Season 1.

MOVIES - From Variety:  In his new autobiography, "Sonny Boy," Al Pacino admits that he starred in movies he didn't relate to for the money.  The Oscar-winner apparently lost 50 million because of his corrupt accountant.

OSCARS - From Deadline:  The search for someone to hosts the 97th Academy Awards ceremony on ABC in 2025.  Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, the stars of Disney/Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine," are in the mix.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 10/11 to 10/13/2024 weekend box office is Cineverse's "Terrifier 3" with an estimated take of 18.3 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are set to star in the film, "Song Sung Blue," about a couple who form a Neil Diamond tribute band.  Craig Brewer is set to direct.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Two-time Oscar-winner, Anthony Hopkins, will next star in “Maserati: The Brothers,” an English-language biopic directed by Bobby Moresco about the family behind the "Maserati" brand of high-performance automobile.  Hopkins will play an Italian financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers.  Italy is known for high-performance automobiles like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati.

MOVIES - From Variety:  "I, Robot" director, Alex Proyas, believes that Elon Musk copied designs from his film for an array of Tesla-brand vehicles, including the "Cybertruck" and "Robovan."

POLITICS - From RSN:  Grammy-winning recording artist, Neil Young, offers "Why I Love Kamala Harris" at the "Neil Young Archives."

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney+ bets big on a daily drama, "Return to Las Sabinas," that it originally commissioned for Disney+ Spain.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Coming off his Western epic, "Horizon," Kevin Costner will produce, co-write, and star in the thriller, "Headhunters."  Steven Holleran will direct.

MOVIES - From THR:  Henry Cavill has been cast in the live-action "Voltron" movie.  Director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Netflix's "Red Notice") will direct, and the film will begin shooting in Australia this fall.

MOVIES - From KLFY:  The third oldest movie theater in Louisiana, the "Queen Cinema" in Eunice, has new ownership.  Local siblings, the Jordans, have saved this local historic landmark.

Review: "BLINK TWICE" is Incredible; 2024's Best Film, Thus Far...

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 of 2024 (No. 1983) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blink Twice (2024)

Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)

MPA – R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references.

DIRECTORS:  Zöe Kravitz

WRITERS:  Zöe Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum

PRODUCERS:  Zöe Kravitz, Bruce Cohen, Garret Levitz, Tiffany Persons, and Channing Tatum

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Adam Newport-Berra (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Kathryn J. Schubert

COMPOSER:  Chanda Dancy

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Liz Caribel, Levon Hawke, Trew Mullen, Geena Davis, and Kyle MacLachlan

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Blink Twice is a both an incredible psychological thriller and mesmerizing mystery thriller and is sort of a spiritual sibling of Jordan Peele's “Get Out”

Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum gives stellar performances that really sell this film's frequent weirdness

This is a stunning directorial debut on the part of Zöe Kravitz, and thus far, it is the best film released in 2024

Blink Twice is a 2024 psychological thriller and mystery film from director Zöe Kravitz.  The film focuses on a cocktail waitress who accepts a tech billionaire's offer to vacation on his private island, after which, she begins to question her reality of the situation.

Blink Twice introduces Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress.  She is working an exclusive event with her roommate and best friend and roommate, Jess (Alia Shawkat).  The event's V.I.P. is billionaire tech mogul, Slater King (Channing Tatum), who recently stepped down as CEO of King Tech amid a public apology for some bad behavior on his part in the past.  Frida and Slater quickly strike up a friendship, and he invites her and Jess to join him and his friends to holiday at his private island.

Arriving at the island, Slater's assistant, Stacy (Geena Davis), confiscates the everyone's phone.  Also on the island for some fun are Slater's friends and business partners:  Vic (Christian Slater), Cody (Simon Rex), Tom (Haley Joel Osment), and Lucas (Levon Hawke).  In addition to Frida and Jess, there are three female guests:  Sarah (Adria Arjona), Camilla (Liz Caribel), and Heather (Trew Mullen).  The women are treated to lavish rooms, gift bags with perfume, gourmet meals, and a luxurious, carefree holiday experience.

But something is wrong.  Frida has a hard time keeping track of time, and she begins to question her perception of reality.  Also, there is a strange maid who is saying something to her that she can't quite make out.  When one of the women disappears, Frida is forced to confront this luxurious holiday, the kind she always wanted... as troubling as this dream vacay has turned out to be.

After director Steven Soderbergh made his feature film debut with sex, lies, and videotape (1989), some may have wondered if his rousing success with it (winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes 1989 and earning a “Best Original Screenplay” nomination) was “beginner's luck” or perhaps, a fluke.  For several years, the film did seem like a fluke, but by the time Soderbergh won a “Best Director” Oscar 12 years later, one could say that sex, lies, and videotape was not a fluke, but was a calling card.

I'd like to believe that Blink Twice will also be a calling card for its young first-time director Zoe Kravitz.  Right now, it is the best new film to debut in 2024, and I wouldn't be surprised if I am calling it the “Best Picture of the Year 2024” deep into the 2024-25 movie awards season.  Blink Twice is an astounding debut, a mystery thriller and psychological terror that recalls Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch.  And no, I would not be embarrassed to reference Lynch's legendary Blue Velvet (1986), of which I am not a big fan, when discussing Blink Twice.  I am also calling Blink Twice a spiritual sibling of Jordan Peele's Get Out (2017) and a distant relative of Alex Garland's Men (2022).  Blink Twice even has a element similar to one found in the underrated horror thriller, You're Next (2011).

Kathryn J. Schubert's film editing for Blink Twice is superb, and I think that should be mentioned.  Of course, I think Schubert has superb material with which to work.  Kravitz has an eye for storytelling which finds pleasure in accepting that altered states of reality are a norm for many of us, especially when we obtain something we always wanted in a way that seems to be too good to be true.  Dressing her film in Biblical themes, “Me Too” politics, gender dynamics, and sexual gamesmanship, Kravitz takes the screenplay she wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum and grapples with the modern battle of the sexes.

Behind the pulpy entertainment and popcorn horror thrills of this psychological thriller is a movie that does a deep dive into the modern psyche.  Kravitz isn't afraid to examine the social hierarchies and assumed and presumed privileges.  It is refreshing that Kravitz so boldly answers any questions her film asks with a resounding, “Because he can.”

Actress Naomi Ackie is the perfect choice to be this film's lead.  Her face, with its wide mouth and big expressive eyes, is an artist's canvas.  Whatever her director needs in terms of emotion and action, Ackie can deliver.  Also, I must say that Channing Tatum shocks me in Blink Twice.  I never thought that he was really a good actor.  However, he gives Slater King so many layers that there are moments when I feel sympathy for him.  Tatum makes King innocent, childish, childlike, and monstrous, and he can do all of that in the span of a minute.

Wow.  I'm still stunned.  I've wanted to see Blink Twice since it was first announced last year under the title, “Pussy Island,” but I never thought I'd get this nearly perfect film, a film so good that its flaws seem like artistic choices rather than mistakes.  I heartily recommend this to movie fans looking for great films in a time when the various movie factories seem determined to only deliver entertainment that dare not make a statement lest “middle America” take offense.  Blink Twice is both – tremendous cinematic art and delightfully good entertainment.

10 of 10

Saturday, August 24, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 11th to 17th, 2024 - UPDATED #10

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From THR:  Noah Hawley, creator of FX's "Fargo" talks about the recent Season 5.  He also gives some info on "Alien: Earth," the FX's TV series based on the "Alien" film franchise.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, a federal judge in New York, has granted Fubo‘s request for Venu Sports, a planned sports bundle of Disney, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery channels, be blocked on antitrust grounds. It's a temporary injunction.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix has renewed Guy Ritche's series, "The Gentlemen," for a second season.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  There is currently an ownership dispute over the 1985 cult horror-comedy, The Return of the Living Dead.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  Paramount Television Studios is closing amid cutbacks and layoffs at Paramount Global, which was recently "merged" Skydance.

AMAZON - From Variety:  Tyler Perry‘s latest film “Divorce in the Black” not only drew strong viewership, but according to Amazon, the soapy drama has also driven more sign-ups to Prime Video in the U.S. than any Amazon MGM Studios-produced movie to-date.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  The site recaps the highlights from the closing ceremonies of the Paris Olympics.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/9 to 8/11-2024 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine" with an estimated take of 54.17 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Todd Haynes' gay romance movie starring Joaquin Phoenix is completely dead after Phoenix reportedly stormed off the set two weeks ago.

From THR:  Joaquin Phoenix's abrupt exit for director Todd Haynes' 1930s set gay romance may lead to legal action. However, it has already infuriated Hollywood's film producers.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Actor and television game show host, Peter Marshall, has died at the age of 98, Thursday, August 15, 2024.  Marshall was best known for hosting the TV game show, "The Hollywood Squares," from 1966- to 1981.  Six of his seven Daytime Emmy Awards nominations were for his work on the series, and he won four times.  He was also nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for the series.  Marshall was also a World War II veteran.

From Deadline:  The film and television actress, Gena Rowlands, has died at the age of 94, Wednesday, August 14, 2024.  Rowlands is known for her collaborations with her late husband, actor/director John Cassavetes.  Two of the films they made together, "Woman Under the Influence" (1974) and "Gloria" earned Rowlands "Best Actress" Oscar nominations.  She would later come to the attention of younger audiences when she starred in her son, Nick Cassavetes' film, "The Notebook."  She won three Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in television movies. She received an Honorary Academy Award in 2015.

Review: Prime Video's "THE UNDERDOGGS" is Vulgar, Funny and Holds The Titty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 of 2024 (No. 1949) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Underdoggs (2024)

Running time:  96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)

MPA – R for pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking

DIRECTOR: Charles Stone III

WRITERS:  Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis

PRODUCERS:  Kenya Barris, Mychelle Deschamps, Jonathan Glickman, Constance Schwartz-Morini, and Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg)

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mitchell Amundsen (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Paul Millspaugh

COMPOSER:  Joseph Shirley

COMEDY/SPORT

Starring:  Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Elias Ferguson, Jonigan Booth, Caleb Cm Dixon, Adan James Carrillo, Alexander Michael Gordon, Kylah Davila, Andrew Schulz, Thom Scott II, Kal Penn, Kandi Burruss, Tony Gonzalez, Terry Bradshaw, and George Lopez

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SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Snopp Dogg is excellent is this truly funny sports comedy.

--This film has a lot of profanity and bad behavior, and their reference to sex acts and sex organs is plentiful.  It's family comedy that is not appropriate for viewing, unless the family is a bit daring.

--The Underdogg's scatological tale of a washed up, arrogant coach and a group of kids who know mostly disappointment does not come across as corny or phony.  The Underdoggs keeps it real, perhaps, too real sometimes.

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The Underdoggs is a 2024 sports comedy film from director Charles Stone III.  The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming on “Prime Video” January 26, 2024.  The Underdoggs follows a washed-up former professional football player who decides to coach a peewee football team as way to regain his fame only to learn some important live lessons.

The Underdoggs opens at the “California High School State Championship 1997.”  Jaycen "Two J's" Jennings (Elias Ferguson) is the star wide receiver at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and by catching the “Hail Mary” pass thrown his way, he wins the state championship for his school.  Jaycen goes on to be a star professional football player, but his ego eventually gets him tossed from the professional ranks.

Now, Jaycen Jennings (Snopp Dogg) is a washed-up ex-professional football star – an arrogant washed up former football star, and the days of being “Two J's” are behind him.  Still, he is desperately trying to hang onto fame, hopefully by landing a plum gig hosting his own Fox Sports TV show.  However, Jaycen hits rock bottom when he is sentenced to community service after an accident.

Eventually, he finds his way to the Los Angeles County Community Outreach Program, where he decides to coach a peewee football squad, a group of poor kids known as “the Green Team.”  Jaycen, however, sees this as a chance to get what he wants, but will he be forced to really give these kids what they need – a coach that cares?

I am shocked by how much I really like The Underdoggs.  Of course, the screenplay by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis (from a pitch by Snoop Dogg and fellow producer, Constance Schwartz-Morini) revisits familiar territory.  The tale of a fallen coach, mentor, or role model and his team of poor kids, outcasts, and assorted misfits has played out in such films as The Bad News Bears (1976) and Role Models (2008).  The Mighty Ducks (1992), which is referenced in The Underdoggs, is apparently a similar film, but I have never seen it (nor have I ever wanted to).

I have been a long-time fan of Snopp Dogg, and perhaps because of serendipity, he is perfect as an actor is this story of underdogs.  I like that the film allows Jaycen to stay true to himself while also evolving, but the children also keep it real while learning to take pride in themselves and in their efforts.  In this way, The Underdoggs is a perfect, lesson-heavy, family film, but...

The Underdoggs is rated “R” by the MPA for “pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking,” and alla' that shit is actually in the film, sometimes in large quantities.  There is even a funny “disclaimer” at the beginning of The Underdoggs that basically says that today's children use the same profane words spoken in the film.  Perhaps, the filmmakers' argument is this is indeed a thoroughly modern family-friendly film.  I think the “F-bomb” is said in The Underdoggs seemingly more than one hundred times.  So its appropriateness will vary from family to family, respective of decorum and personal tastes.  I have to admit that I was uncomfortable with the amount of profanity and bad behavior in this film, but...

I still laughed a lot.  The Underdoggs is uproariously funny.  I think Mike Epps as Kareem, Jaycen's friend who becomes his assistant coach, and Tika Sumpter as Cherise Porter, who was Jaycen's high school girlfriend, make the best of characters that are not that well written.  Epps is always a scene-stealer in everything from comedy to action to horror, and he grabs all he can here.  Sumpter makes Cherise an effective moral check on Jaycen's selfishness.

In the end, I feel totally comfortable recommending The Underdoggs to adult and older teen viewers.  It is one of the funniest films of the new year, so far.  I think some young viewers will be crazy about The Underdoggs, whether their parents approve or not.

A-

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Prime Video's "ROLE PLAY" Offers an Odd Couple

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 of 2024 (No. 1948) by Leroy Douresseaux

Role Play (2024)

Running time:  101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)

MPA – R for violence and language

DIRECTOR: Thomas Vincent

WRITER:  Seth Owen

PRODUCERS:  Kaley Cuoco, Alex Heinenman, and Andrew Rona

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Maxime Alexandre (ASC)

EDITOR:  Gareth C. Scales

COMPOSER:  Rael Jones

ACTION/THRILLER/COMEDY

Starring:  Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Connie Nielsen, Rudi Dharmalingam, Lucia Aliu, Regan Bryan-Gudgeon, Jade-Eleena Dregorius, Stephanie Levi-John, and Bill Nighy

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SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Role Play is somewhat similar to the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), which was a big-budget action-comedy.  Role Play is a smaller scale action-thriller with darker, edgier humor.

--Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo are an odd pairing, and for at least half of this film, they seem miscast in their roles.

--Role Play is an average, entertaining film that is better suited for Prime Video than it is for the big screens of a local movie theater.  Still, the last half hour of the film really intensifies.

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Role Play is a 2024 action-thriller and black comedy film from director Thomas Vincent.  The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming on “Prime Video” January 12, 2024.  Role Play focuses on an assassin whose secret life intrudes on her life as a suburban wife and mother.

Role Play introduces Emma Brackett (Kaley Cuoco).  She is married to Dave Brackett (David Oyelowo) and is now the mother to his son from his first marriage, Wyatt (Regan Bryan-Gudgeon), and is mother to the daughter, Caroline (Lucia Aliu), she had with Dave.  Emma and Dave have been married seven years and are living in New Jersey.  But Emma has forgotten their anniversary because she was busy overseas killing someone and not in Nebraska, as she told her husband.

To make up for forgetting their anniversary, Emma suggests that they spice things up by engaging in some romantic role play at “the Royal Grand” hotel in New York City.  The fun, however, is interrupted by Robert “Bob” Kitterman (Bill Nighy), who is actually a rival assassin out to claim a bounty placed on Emma by her former agency, Sovereign.  Emma is forced to reveal her real self – Anna Peller, professional killer.  Now, her past has returned to reclaim her.

Dear readers, as soon as you read Role Play's synopsis, you will likely think of the hit 2005 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  Directed by Doug Liman, the action-comedy film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.  They play a bored upper middle class couple, but both are actually assassins working for competing agencies.  One day, they are assigned to kill each other.

Role Play is described as an action-comedy, but it is truthfully an action-thriller and dark comedy.  The film does have a comic undertone; there are some genuinely funny moments; and the film's musical score by Rael Jones is action-comedy pitch perfect.  Role Play, however, features several violent fight scenes and brutal killings, in addition to its offbeat sensibility.

One reason is the casting.  Kaley Cuoco is best known for playing the role of “Penny” on CBS's long-running, former sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-19).  I found it a little difficult to picture her as an assassin or professional killer.  David Oyelowo is known for his serious dramatic roles in such films as Red Tails (2012) and Selma (2014), as well as for his role in the recent Paramount+ Western television miniseries, Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023).  For about the first hour of the film, I did not find him convincing as the clueless suburban husband.

However, once Anna Peller's cover as Emma is blown, Cuoco is forced to give it her all trying to convince the audience that she is a killer, and suddenly sitcom Penny seems quite dark, indeed.  Also, it is then that Oyelowo can drop the hubby routine and become the spousal partner-in-crime.  In the last half hour to 40 minutes of the film, Emma and Dave actually become funnier characters.  Then, Role Play takes on its action-thriller aspects with gusto.

Director Thomas Vincent makes the most of the film's more intense moments, giving Seth Owen's screenplay, which probably had more juice on the printed page, a jolt.  Role Play is the kind of easy-going film that could not make it as a theatrical release, but it makes for an entertaining streaming film, especially once the leads really start to... play their roles.

B-

5 of 10

★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "CAFÉ SOCIETY" Sounds More Scandalous Than It Actually Is

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2024 (No. 1946) by Leroy Douresseaux

Café Society (2016)

Running time:  96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)

MPAA –  PG-13 for some violence, a drug reference, suggestive material and smoking

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen

PRODUCERS:  Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Edward Walson

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Vittorio Storaro

EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter

COMEDY/ROMANCE with elements of crime

Starring:  Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively, Sheryl Lee, Jeannie Berlin, Ken Stott, Sari Lennick, Stephen Kunken, and Corey Stoll

Café Society is a 2016 period comedy and romance film written and directed by Woody Allen.  Set in the 1930s, the film follows a Bronx native who moves to Hollywood and falls in love with a young woman who is already in an affair with a mysterious married man.

Café Society introduces Robert Jacob “Bobby” Dorfman (Jessie Eisenberg).  He is the youngest child and younger son of Marty Dorfman (Ken Stott) and his wife, Rose Dorfman (Jeannie Berlin).  The Dorfman's middle child is their adult daughter, Evelyn (Sari Lennick), who is married to Leonard (Stephen Kunken), a teacher, an intellectual, and a communist.  Dorfman's oldest child is their elder son, Ben (Corey Stoll), a gangster.  While his siblings' lives are set, Bobby's is not.  He is discontented with working for his father, Marty, who is a jeweler, so Bobby decides to move to Hollywood.

There, his mother Karen's brother, Phil Stern (Steve Carell), is a powerful talent agent who works with the most famous stars, biggest filmmakers, and most powerful movie studios.  Phil is married to a beautiful woman, Karen (Sheryl Lee), and he lives in a lavish mansion in Hollywood.  And he might have a job for his wayward nephew, Bobby Dorfman.

Bobby ends up taking a job running menial errands for Phil, and that brings him into contact with on of Phil's employees, Veronica “Vonnie” Sybil (Kristen Stewart).  Bobby falls in love with Vonnie, but she claims that she already has a boyfriend, Doug, whom she describes as a journalist.  Ultimately, Bobby returns to New York City, where he runs a high-end nightclub that he names “Les Tropiques.”  It is there that Bobby embraces “café society,” as the club soon becomes a famous hangout for the rich and powerful.  Bobby, however, cannot escape his recent past, nor can he avoid Ben's gangster activities.

Coup de chance, the film Woody Allen says will likely be his final directorial effort, was released in France in September (2023).  Because of the controversies surrounding Allen the last few decades, especially the last five years, the film may not get a stateside theatrical release (although there has been a rumor that it has found a thus far secret U.S. distributor).  In anticipation of eventually somehow seeing Coup de chance, I have decided to watch the recent Woody Allen films that I missed, such as the 2015 film, Irrational Man, and Cafe Society.

Cafe Society is an amiable, lightweight Woody Allen period comedy.  It's nostalgic overtones certainly recall Allen's utterly delightful and semi-autobiographical period film, Radio Days (1987).  I adore Radio Days and am tempted to call it his masterpiece.  Unfortunately, Cafe Society is nowhere near the film that Radio Days is.

The first half of Cafe Society, which is mostly set in Hollywood, ends up being a prologue to the main story.  You see, dear readers, Cafe Society's real story takes place after Bobby Dorfman returns to New York City and becomes a player in cafe society, the party scene of the Big Apple's rich and famous – from the blue bloods and celebrities to politicians and gangsters.  In fact, the film is practically sleepy until Bobby becomes the impresario of NYC's most popular and notorious nightclub.  That is when the two strands of his past – his aborted relationship with Vonnie and the natural end of Ben's activities – meet.  Of course, it is a time when Bobby has the best of everything.

Cafe Society's themes of love-at-first-sight, love lost, and yearning for what might have been are familiar, and the film deals with it all so slightly that the story feels underdeveloped.  I can't help but believe Cafe Society would work better as a television series, which would allow it to fully develop its multiple subplots and to play out a cast that is filled with potential.  Ultimately, Café Society is an average put-together of familiar Woody Allen tropes, decorated with gorgeous production values.  The cinematography, costumes, and sets are all Oscar worthy.

5 of 10

B-

★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "SALTBURN" is not Salty, nor Does it Burn

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2024 (No. 1945) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saltburn (2023)

Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)

MPA – R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, some disturbing violent content, and drug use.

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Emerald Fennell

PRODUCERS:  Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara, and Margot Robbie

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Linus Sandgren (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Victoria Boydell

COMPOSER:  Anthony Willis

DRAMA/COMEDY

Starring:  Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Alison Oliver, Sadie Soverall, Paul Rhys, and Carey Mulligan

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REVIEW SUMMARY:

-- The new film from the writer-director of Emerald Fennell has an intriguing premise and is actually intriguing for about its first hour.

-- Their are few good performances, particularly by Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, and Archie Madekwe. Sadly, the movie focuses on its least interesting character, Oliver Quick, played by one of the hottest dull actors around, Barry Keoghan.

-- Saltburn is mainly for adventurous movie fans. Viewers looking to be entertained may want to look for a movie that is less stiff.

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Saltburn is a 2023 psychological drama and black comedy from writer-director Emerald Fennell.  The film follows a new student at Oxford University who is drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, which leads to a tragic summer at the classmate's family's sprawling estate.

Saltburn  introduces Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a scholarship student at Oxford University.  Oliver struggles to fit in due to his inexperience with upper-class manners and deportment.  However, one of Oliver's fellow students does capture his imagination, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), an affluent and popular student.  It turns out that Felix is empathetic to Oliver and his stories of his parents' substance abuse and mental health issues.

After Oliver becomes distraught when he learns of his father's sudden death, Felix comforts him.  Later, Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his family's sprawling estate, Saltburn.  Oliver meets Felix's eccentric parents, his father, Sir James Catton (Richard E. Grant), and his mother, Lady Elspeth Catton (Rosamund Pike).  He also meets Felix's kooky and lewd sister, Venetia (Alison Oliver).  Also staying at the state is fellow Oxford student and Felix's first cousin, Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe), who thinks very little of Oliver.  As the summer wears on, however, these unlikable people become too self-absorbed to recognize the danger so very near to them.

I was a huge fan of Saltburn writer-director Emerald Fennell's 2020, Promising Young Woman, for which Fennell won a “Best Original Screenplay” Oscar.  Promising Young Woman was a shocking, funny, vindictive, and righteous film, and which is much more than I can say about Saltburn, which looks like a sumptuous period drama.  On the other hand, for all its good looks, Saltburn is sterile as a black comedy.

I can deal with a film that focuses on unlikable people, which Saltburn does.  Still, I found Saltburn's lead actor, Barry Keoghan, and his character, Oliver Quick, dull and unimaginative.  I don't get Keoghan's critical acclaim.  He was pitiful and sad in The Banshees of Inisherin (2020), which earned him a “Best Supporting Actor” Oscar nomination.  However, sad, silent waif characters bore me, and Keoghan's Oliver Quick is duller than his Dominic Kearney was in Banshees.  Here, Keoghan's personality-free performance in this film does not convince me that Oliver is what the film's final act suggests he is.  Honestly, what Fennell offers here is nothing more than a riff on novelist Patricia Highsmith's literary character, "Tom Ripley," if Ripley were played as a character that was stuffed and mounted.  Also, I must admit to often mistaking Keoghan for another milky white boy actor, Ezra Miller (The Flash), who did the pale, waif thing really well until his... secrets came out.

I like Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton, a funny and charming character, and Elordi's boyish, white boy looks should give him at least a few years in Hollywood as a “hot thing.”  The film's best performance is given by Archie Madekwe, the Black British actor who creates Saltburn's most intriguing character.  As the “mixed-race” Farleigh Start, Madekwe is mysterious and sexy, and honestly, I wish Saltburn was about Farleigh's relationship with the Cattons and his life at Saltburn.  I should also admit that I'm always crazy about Rosamund Pike, so I was in love with Lady Elspeth.

Ultimately, I can only recommend Saltburn to adventurous movie fans who are always on the lookout for films from interesting filmmakers, which Emerald Fennell certainly is.  I simply wish that Saltburn burned a little more.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

You can stream the SALTBURN film here on AMAZON Prime Video.

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Dec. 10th to 16th, 2023 - Update #18

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The finale episode of the CBS/NBC's "Magnum P.I." reboot starring Jay Hernandez will air Jan. 3rd, 2024 with the final two episodes (19 and 20 of Season 5) airing as a two-hour event from 9 to 11 EST.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has won an auction for "Calamity Hustle," an action-comedy from writer-directors Adam & Aaron Nee. The film is currently set to star Ryan Reynolds and Channing Tatum.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The site has the screenplay for "Asteroid City" by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola available for reading.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Dwayne Johnson will play Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds barred era of UFC, in A24‘s "The Smashing Machine." The film will be directed by Benny Safdie of Uncut Gems fame.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon MGM Studios has won the "film pitch packet" for "Best of Enemies," a spy thriller set to star Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale.

MOVIES - From Deadine:  Actress Naomi Scott, who first gained fame as "Princess Jasmine" in Disney's live-action Aladdin (2019), will star in Paramount sequel to its 2022 horror hit, Smile.  The sequel is set to hit theaters Oct. 18th, 2024.

STREAMING - From Variety:  From 1993 to 2004 Tony Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce played "Dr. Niles Crane" on the former NBC sitcom, "Frasier."  He received 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the role and won four of them. The series was recently rebooted for Paramount+ with series star, Kelsey Grammer, returning, but Pierce says that he did not return because he never really wanted to go back.

POLITICS - From Deadline:  "Biden Victory Fund" campaign co-chair, Jeffrey Katzenberg (co-founder of DreamWorks), says that the fund raised a record 15 million dollars during President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden's weekend visit to Los Angeles.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/8 to 12/10/2023 weekend box office is GKIDS' "The Boy and the Heron" with an estimated take of 12.8 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "The Boy and the Heron" is now the first original anime production to finish at the top of the domestic (North American) box office.

AMAZON - From THR:  David Alan Grier says playing a black Santa Claus in the Prime Originals holiday movie, Candy Cane Lane, reminded him of Marvel's Black Panther.

From Deadline:  Prime Video has released the first trailer for its upcoming series, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," based on the the 2005 Jolie-Pitt film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  Premiere date is Feb. 2nd, 2024.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Journalist, historian, and documentary filmmaker, Cari Beauchamp, has died at the age of 74, Thursday, December 14, 2023.  Her 1998 biography, "Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood," became a documentary she wrote and co-produced.  It premiered on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).  Beauchamp frequently appeared on TCM programming and at the annual TCM Classic Film Festival.

From Variety:   Film and television actor, Andre Braugher, has died at the age of 61, Monday, December 11, 2023.  Braugher was best known for his TV work.  He was "Detective Frank Pembleton" on NBC's former cop drama, "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "Captain Raymond Hoult" on the former Fox/NBC sitcom, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."  Braugher was nominated for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and won twice, once for his work on "Homicide."

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AWARDS:

From THR:   The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations.  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters.  The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR:  The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced.  "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch:  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association).  The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023."  Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th.  Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

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