Review: "DEADPOOL 2" is Funnier and Friendlier Than the Original

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 of 2024 (No. 1977) by Leroy Douresseaux

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Running time:  119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug material

DIRECTOR:  David Leitch

WRITERS:  Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds (based on Marvel Comics characters)

PRODUCERS:  Ryan Reynolds, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Craig Alpert, Elisabet Ronaldsdottir, and Dirk Westervelt

COMPOSER:  Tyler Bates

SUPERHERO/COMEDY/ACTION

Starring:  Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Leslie Uggams, Eddie Marsan, Shioli Kutsuna, Jack Kesy, Michasha Armstrong, and Stefan Kapicic (voice) with Rob Delaney, Lewis Tan, Bill Skarsgard, Terry Crews, Brad Pitt, Alan Tudyk, Matt Damon, Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Robert Wellman

Deadpool 2 is a 2018 American superhero film and action-comedy from director David Leitch.  It is a spin-off film in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series and is the eleventh film overall in the series.  It is a direct sequel to Deadpool (2016) and is also the second entry in the Deadpool movie franchise.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Deadpool, that was created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, and first appeared in New Mutants #98 (cover dated: December 1990).  Deadpool 2 finds the wisecracking Deadpool trying to protect a fiery young mutant from a time-traveling cyborg.

Deadpool 2 finds Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the smart-mouthed mutant mercenary, doing what he likes to do – brutally slaughter bad guys.  However, his violent activities catch up with him at home, and tragedy befalls his beloved Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin).  Deep in grief and depression, Deadpool tries to kill himself, but is rescued by Colossus (voice of Stefan Kapicic), the giant mutant who has a body of organic steel.  Colossus still wants Deadpool to changes his ways and also wants him to join the X-Men – as a trainee.

On his first mission as a trainee, Deadpool and the X-Men, which includes Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and her girlfriend, Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), travel to the “Essex House for Mutant Rehabilitation.”  There, they find one angry teenager, Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), in crisis.  He is a young mutant with pyrokinetic power, and he has given himself the unfortunate code name of “Fire Fist.”  Deadpool's attempt to save the young man has disastrous results, and now, Deadpool has to save Russell from Cable (Josh Brolin), a time-traveling cyborg who has arrived in the present determined to kill the teen.  So Deadpool forms his own X-team, called “X-Force,” with tragically hilarious and hilariously tragic results.

We are nearing the release of the latest Disney/Marvel Studios blockbuster movie, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).  I decided to watch and review the previous X-Men films:  Deadpool, Logan (2017), and Deadpool 2, that lead up to the new film.

Deadpool is humorous and silly, but it was primarily an action movie with drama and humor.  It heavily leans into brutally strong violence, frequent profane language, and explicit sexual references.  Deadpool 2 also has brutally strong violence, constant profane language, and some explicit sexual references.  However, Deadpool is a comedy, and everything serves the comedy, including the drama, superhero action, and even much of the killing.

As he does for Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds makes Deadpool, a film that could not exist without his schtick.  He is the spine of this film's comedy and is the reason so much of it works when it would be disastrous for other performers.  The supporting cast is good, but not great.  Josh Brolin has his moments as Cable, but the Cable is more of a prop than a persona.  Zazie Beetz creates moments for Domino to shine which otherwise wouldn't be there.  Julian Dennison is mostly convincing as the angry young mutant, Russell Collins, especially in the second half of the film.

I find Deadpool 2 a definite, delightful surprise. I never expected much of it because I really did not care for what I had previously seen.  Now, a full and patient viewing makes me think that Deadpool 2 is an occasion when the sequel surpasses the original.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 7th to 13th, 2024 - UPDATE #15

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:

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Today (Fri., July 12th) in New Mexico, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer has dismissed the involuntary manslaughter trial against Alec Baldwin. Baldwin has been charged in the 2021 accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."  Judge Sommer accused the state of repeatedly failing to disclose key evidence to Baldwin's defense team.  The trial was dismissed without prejudice meaning it cannot be refiled.  The already-convicted armorer on the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed could also be released from prison.

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin racks up a win early in his trial on involuntary manslaughter charges.  Baldwin is being tried for the shooting death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, in 2021 on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

POLITICS - From TheNewYorkTimes:  George Clooney says that he loves President Joe Biden, but that Biden has got to go... with friends like this...

STREAMING - From Variety:  Halle Berry and Glenn Close is joining Ryan Murphy's Hulu legal drama, "All's Fair," which will star Kim Kardashian.  Berry and Close will join Kardashian as executive producers.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/5 to 7/7/2024 weekend box office is Universal/Illumination's "Despicable Me 4" with an estimated take of 75 million dollars.

BUSINESS - From Variety:  David Ellison meets the press in the way of his company, Skydance Media, gobbling up Paramount Global.

From Deadline:  David Ellison's Skydance Media and its backers are taking over Paramount Global with an 8 billion dollar investment.  Ellison will be chairman and CEO of the merged companies, and the deal is expected to be closed by mid-2025.

From Deadline:  A special committee of Paramount Global board members has given a key approval vote to Skydance Media's bid to gain the controlling share of National Amusements Inc., the parent company of Paramount.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinki talk about next summer's blockbuster film, "F1," starring Brad Pitt.

From WorldofReel:  There is a first poster for director Joseph Kosinski's "F1," which stars Brad Pitt. The film is due Summer 2025. Kosinski directed the megahit, "Top Gun: Maverick."

OBITS:

From Variety:  American television fitness guru and personality and author, Richard Simmons, has died at the age of 76, Saturday, July 13, 2024.  Simmons was best known for his extensive line of self-help books and videos related to exercise and weight-loss.  His best known series is probably the "Sweatin' to the Oldies," initially released on videocassette.  He gained fame as a fitness guru after opening his exercise studio, "The Anatomy Asylum," in 1974.  By the late 70s and into the early 1980s, he began consistently appearing on television.  From 1980-84, he hosted "The Richard Simmons Show," which was nominated for seven Daytime Emmy Awards and won four.  After the series ended, Simmons continued to make numerous TV and public appearances.  Beginning in 2014, Simmons largely became a recluse.

From THR:  American film and television actress and TV producer, Shelley Duvall, has died at the age of 75, Thursday, July 11, 2024.  Early on in her career, Duvall was the protege of director, Robert Altman, who discovered her, and she appeared in several of his films, including "Brewster's McCloud" (1970) and "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" (1971), and "Nashville" (1975).  Known for playing eccentric roles, she starred in "Popeye" (1980), the adaptation of the famed newspaper comics strip and animated cartoon series.  Duvall's most famous role may be that of the tormented wife, "Wendy Torrance," opposite Jack Nicholson's "Jack Torrance" in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980).  As a producer she earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on children's programming.

From Variety:  The magazine's Owen Gleiberman writes a remembrance of actress Shelley Duvall, who died Thurs., July 11th.

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From Deadline:  American actor and voice artist and former child star, Benji Gregory, has died at the age of 46, Thursday, June 13, 2024.  Gregory is best known for the role of "Brian Tanner" on the former NBC sitcom, "Alf" (1986-90). Gregory also performed voice roles on such animated series as "Pound Puppies" and the "Back to the Future" animated series.

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From Deadline:  American film producer, Jon Landau, has died at the age of 63, Friday, July 5, 2024.  Landau was best known for his association with writer-director James Cameron and was the COO of Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment.  Landau shared the "Best Picture" Oscar win with Cameron for the 1997 film, "Titanic."  He also received "Best Picture" Oscar nominations for "Avatar" (2009) and "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022).

From Deadline:  In mourning the death of his close friend and collaborator, Jon Landau, James Cameron says "a part of myself has been torn away."

From Deadline:  Hollywood is shocked by the death of Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau ("Titanic), and they salute his vision, achievements, and kindness.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Feb. 1st to 10th, 2024 - Update #28

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR:  Christian Bale will play Frankenstein in a film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.  The Warner Bros. film is set in the 1930s and finds the monster traveling to the 1930s Chicago where a doctor will create a companion for him.  Filming begins in the next few weeks.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Emmy Award-winner Jon Cryer shoots down the possibility of a reboot of his former CBS sitcom, "Two and a Half Men."

ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  It seems that Warner Bros. Discovery's plan all along was to kill the live-action/animation hybrid Looney Tunes film, "Coyote vs. Acme."

OSCARS - From THR:  The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that it will soon begin annually presenting an Oscar recognizing "achievement in casting." The award, which will first be presented in 2026, will be the first new Oscar introduced since the organization began presenting "best animated feature" in 2002, after announcing its creation in 2001.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has won the deal for the untitled project from writer-producer-director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan that is based on an original script by Coogler.  Coogler and Jordan first made their mark as a team on Fruitvale Station (2013) and later worked together on Creed (2015) and Black Panther (2018).

DISNEY - From Deadline:   Taylor Swift's hit concert film, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" will begin streaming on Disney+ March 15th and will feature five new songs.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director David Leitch is in early talks to direct the next "Jurassic World" film, which is set to debut in theaters July2, 2025.  Leitch is best known for such films as "John Wick" and "Bullet Train."

AMAZON - From Deadline:  America Ferrera will make her directorial debut with "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter," which is based on Erika Sanchez's novel.  The film was previously set up at Netflix, but is not at Amazon MGM Studios' Orion Pictures.

GRAMMYS - From Variety:  The winners at the 2024 / 66th Annual Grammy Awards were announced.  The top prize, "Album of the Year," went to "Midnights" by Taylor Swift.

From Deadline:  With his daughter, Blue Ivy, at his side, Jay-Z called out the Grammys over Beyonce's lack of an "Album of the Year" award, all while accepting the "Dr. Dre Global Impact Award."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:   The winner of the 2/2 to 2/4/2024 weekend box office in Universal Pictures' "Argylle" with an estimated take of 18 million dollars.

BUSINESS - From Afrotech:  Actress and writer-producer, Issa Rae, says that she has secured money from investors to open a studio that will create opportunities for creators.

MOVIES - From Collider:  Actress Nico Parker will play "Astrid" in the live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation's Oscar-nominated hit, How to Train Your Dragon.  However, she believes the film will be its "own film, and its own interpretation."

ANIMATION/TRAILER - From SlashFilm:  There is a trailer for "Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin."  It debuts on Apple TV+ on Feb. 16th.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Jim Carrey will reprise his role as "Dr. Robotnik" in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3."  He played the role in "Sonic the Hedgehog" (2020) and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (2022).

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Actor Sam Waterson is leaving NBC's long-running legal drama, "Law & Order" after 400+ episodes as Assistant D.A. and later District Attorney "Jack McCoy."  Waterson's last episode will air Thurs., Feb. 22nd.  He joined the series in 1994.  Actor Tony Goldwyn will replace him. 

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actor and filmmaker, Donnie Yen, will star in "Kung Fu," an adaptation of the former ABC martial arts/Western drama television series, "Kung Fu" (1972-75). David Leitch is set to direct.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Brad Pitt is reunited with Quentin Tarantino for his final film, "The Film Critic," which is due in 2025.  Pitt has starred in Inglourious Basterds (2009) and won an Oscar for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

MUSIC/SPORTS - From NewYorkTimes:  Fox News demands that Grammy Award-winning superstar, Taylor Swift, stay out of politics as they fear that she will endorse President Joe Biden... again.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Tim Burton is set to direct a re-imagining of the 1958 Warner Bros.'s film, "The Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman," with Gillian Flynn ("Gone Girl") writing the script.

ANIMATION/STREAMING - From ScreenRant:  Peacock has announced a direct sequel to the DreamWorks Animation's 2010 film, Megamind.  Peacock released a trailer for "Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate," which will begin streaming on Peacock March 1st.  Debuting the same day on Peacock is an eight-episode animated series, "Megamind Rules!"

MOVIES - From AwardsWatch:  Sony Pictures Classics announced that it has acquired all rights in North America, the Middle East, India, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand to Pedro Almodóvar’s upcoming first English-language feature film, The Room Next Door.  Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, and John Turturro and produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo, the film will begin shooting March (2024) in New York and Madrid.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple TV+'s "Ted Lasso" was the most watched streaming original series in 2023, according to Nielsen.  However, the most streamed title of the year was USA'S former legal drama, "Suits" (2011-19) with 57.7 billion viewing minutes.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Country singer-songwriter and recording artist and actor, Toby Keith, has died at the age of 62, Monday, February 5, 2024.  Keith recorded 19 studio albums, many reaching No. 1 on both the "Billboard 200" album chart and Billboard's "Top Country Album" chart.  Keith had 20 No. 1 sings on Billboard's "Hot Country Songs" chart, including the most played country song of the 1990s, "Should've Been a Cowboy."  Keith was also a seven-time Grammy Award nominee.  Keith starred in two films, "Broken Bridges" (2006) and "Beer for My Horses" (2008), which he wrote.

From Variety:  Film and television actor and TV director, Carl Weathers, has died at the age of 76, Thursday, February 1, 2024.  Weathers is best known for the character, "Apollo Creed," which he first played in the Oscar-winning "Best Picture," "Rocky" (1976), and in "Rocky II" (1979), "Rocky III" (1982), and "Rocky IV" (1985).  Other best known appearances include Predator (1987), "Action Jackson" (1988), and "Happy Gilmore" (1996).  Weathers directed episodes of several TV series, including CBS' "FBI," NBC's "Chicago Med" and "Law & Order."  Weathers directed two episodes of the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."  Weathers also appeared in 9 episodes of "The Mandalorian" over its three seasons as "Greef Karga," which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" in 2021.  Weathers also played professional football for the NFL's Oakland Raiders and CFL's BC Lions.

From Deadline:  Carl Weathers, his career in photos, from "Rocky" to "Predator" and "The Mandalorian."

From LATimes:  "Everyone loved him," Sylvester Stallone, Adam Sandler, and other co-star speak on the late actor and director, Carl Weathers.

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From Deadline:  Film and television actor, William O'Connell, has died at the age of 94, Monday, January 15, 2024.  O'Connell played the memorable "Star Trek" villain, "Thelev the Andorian," in the second season episode, "Journey to Babel" (Nov. 17th, 1967).  He appeared in several films with Clint Eastwood, including "High Plains Drifter" (1972) and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976).  O'Connell was a Korean War veteran who received the "Bronze Star," among other decorations.

AWARDS:

From THR:  Key award season dates leading up to the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards, which are Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

From Variety: The nominations for the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11.  The winners will be announced Sun., March 10th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The NAACP has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 55th NAACP Image Awards.  By visiting www.naacpimageawards.net, the public can vote to determine the winners of the 55th NAACP Image Awards’ in select categories. Voting closes February 24th at 9:00 p.m. NAACP will also recognize winners in non–televised Image Awards categories March 11–14th, which will stream via naacpimageawards.net.  The winners will be revealed during the two–hour LIVE TV special, airing Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET/ PT on BET and CBS.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2024 / 77th EE BAFTA Film Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11 nominations.  The winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From Variety:  The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 35th annual Producers Guild Awards.  For the first time in the history of the awards, two international films, "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest," have made been nominated in the PGA's top category, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures." The winners will be announced Feb. 25th.

From Variety:   The nominees for the 2024 / 51st Annie Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "Nimona" leads the features categories with nine nominations.  The winners will be announced Sat., Feb. 17th.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild nominations for the 2024 / 30th annual SAG Awards have announced. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" leads the film side of things with four nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 24th.

From Variety:  The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards.  In the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," the nominees are Greta Gerwig for "Barbie," Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” and Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers.”  The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The London Critics Circle announced the winners of its 44th annual film awards. "The Zone of Interest" won three awards, including "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) has won the 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy tied with Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers").

From Variety:  The American Cinema Editors has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 74th Annual ACE Eddie Awards.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) has named its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won three awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Studio Film." Celine Song's "Past Lives" won three, including "Best Independent Film."

From Variety:  The Motion Picture Sound Editors has revealed the nominations for the 71st annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards in categories spanning feature film, television, animation, computer entertainment and student productions.  The winners will be announced March 3rd.

From AwardsWatch: The Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" won four awards, including "Best Picture."

From Variety:  The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 22nd Annual VES Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Feb. 21st.

From AwardsWatch:  The North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Music City Film Critics Association has announces it MCFCA 2023 Film Awards.  Oppenheimer won seven awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Portland Critics Association (PCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Deadline:  The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced the 15th annual African-Ameri an Film Critics Awards. "American Fiction" was voted the #1 film and won four awards, including "Best Comedy." Ava DuVernay's "Origin" was voted the #2 film and won three awards, including "Best Drama." 

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2024 / 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Barbie" wins four awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) revealed the nominees for the "2024 / 38th Annual ASC Awards" with categories in feature film, documentary, television and music video categories.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) announced the winners in 21 categories for the 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards.  Director Celine Song’s "Past Lives" was named the "Best Picture of 2023."

From AwardsWatch:  The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) has announced the nominations for the 60th CAS Awards.  The winners will be announced March 2nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the nominations for the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards. The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) has announced it 2024 ASTRA Film Awards.  "Barbie" won eight awards, including "Best Picture.

From AwardsWatch:  The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture."

From NSFC:  The National Society of Film Critics announce its 58th annual NSFC Awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture of 2023."

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 81st Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held Sun. night, Jan. 7th, 2024.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Motion Picture-Drama," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), "Best Actor-Drama" (Cillian Murphy), and "Best Supporting Actor-Motion Pictures" (Robert Downey, Jr.). "Poor Things" won "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline:  NIGHT 2 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sun., Jan. 7th, 2024.  (Former) President Barack Obama and Keke Palmer were among the winners.

From Deadline:  NIGHT 1 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sat., Jan. 6th, 2024.  HBO's "The Last of Us" lead the night with 8 wins, including wins in both "Guest Actor in a Drama Series" categories: Nick Offerman (Guest Actor) and Storm Reid (Guest Actress).

From AwardsWatch:  The 5th annual DiscussingFilm Critics Awards were announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:   The Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" won three awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Celine Song).

From AwardsWatch:  The Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven honors, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won six awards including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese).

From AwardsWatch:  The Costume Designers Guild (Local 892) announced the official nominees list for the 26th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards). The annual CDGA ceremony will take place Wed., Feb. 21st, 2024.

From Variety:   The British Academy has unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 24 categories for the 2024 / 77th BAFTA Film Awards.  These results are known as "the longlists."  "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon," and "Oppenheimer" all appeared on the longlist of 15 categories.  The nominations will be announced Jan. 18th, and the winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The Critics Association of Central Florida (CACF) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won 10 awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan). 

From AwardsWatch:  U.K. Film Critics Association (UKFCA) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Variety: The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) has announced nominations for the 11th MUAHS Guild Awards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 led with five mentions in the film categories and ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led with four in the television categories. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 18, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture."  It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch:  The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch:  The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch:  The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards.  "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch:  The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture."  Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards.  "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture."  "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards.  "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won.  "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations.  The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023.  Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

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.

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 2

Anatomy of a Fall: 1

Barbie: 2

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 2

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 19

Past Lives: 8

Poor Things: 4

The Zone of Interest: 3

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Review: Mesmerizing "BABYLON" Sings and F**ks in the Rain

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 of 2023 (No. 1907) by Leroy Douresseaux

Babylon (2022)

Running time:  189 minutes (3 hours, 9 minutes)

MPA – R for strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity, bloody violence, drug use, and pervasive language.

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Damien Chazelle

PRODUCERS:  Olivia Hamilton, Marc Platt, and Matthew Plouffe

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

EDITOR:  Tom Cross

COMPOSER:  Justin Hurwitz

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring:  Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo, Jean Smart, Li Jun Li, Olivia Wilde, Telvin Griffin, Flea, Eric Roberts, Max Minghella, Jeff Garlin, Ethan Suplee, and Tobey Maguire

Babylon is a 2022 period film, drama, and black comedy from writer-director Damien Chazelle.  The film chronicles the rise and fall of several Hollywood characters as the film industry transitions from silent films to sound films in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Babylon opens in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, 1926.  Manuel “Manny” Torres (Diego Calva), a Mexican immigrant, helps transport an elephant.  It's destination is a debauched bacchanal (party) at the lavish mansion of Don Wallach (Jeff Garlin), chief of Hollywood's Kinoscope Studios, which produces silent films.  It is there that Manny meets a young woman who has given herself the name, Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie).  She is brash, ambitious, and declares that she is a “star” from New Jersey, and Manny is quickly smitten with her.

Manny and Nellie soon cross paths with the party's other colorful attendees, including the Chinese-American, lesbian, cabaret singer, Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li), and the Black American jazz trumpeter, Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo).  All four of them are going to find a place in the ecosystem of Hollywood, playing an important part in making silent films.  None of them will be as big as one of Hollywood's greatest silent film stars, Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), who seems to be married as often as he is starring in a new silent film epic.

But just a year later, in 1927, the first sound film, The Jazz Singer, arrives, and everything begins to change – rapidly.  A world of out-sized ambition and outrageous excess starts pretending to be a tad bit more conservative.  So will any of the stars of silent film transition to the new world of sound film, also known as “talkies?”  Will Jack Conrad remain a star?  Is there still a place for Fay Zhu?  And what of the newcomers, Nellie, Manny, and Sidney? 

For me, Babylon is the film that delivers the way I was told Damien Chazelle's earlier film, La La Land (2016), would, but did not.  What some critics saw as overwhelming in Babylon, I see as exhilarating spectacle.  In a way, Babylon isn't so much about the end of the silent film era and the beginning of sound films as it is a celebration of Hollywood's glitz and glamour, which has enthralled audiences around the world for over a century.  Chazelle treats Hollywood's excess as a wonderful, magical thing.  Debauchery is loud, proud, and colorful.  Why be conservative and safe when the audience for Hollywood's films want the opposite.  Even as silence gives way to sound, films remain weird, wild, and wonderful, even if the people behind them pretend to have cleaned up their act and grown up.

The film's production values:  cinematography, costume and production design, sound, lighting, and editing play up the fun part – the hedonism and the revelry.  Babylon is one of the best-looking films of this still young century, and when I currently think of the word “cinematic,” I think of it.

The film has a number of good performances, but I will fault Chazelle for a screenplay that doesn't really immerse itself into the characters.  This film isn't into the characters the way it dives into the spectacle and the darkness behind the Hollywood film industry and the lifestyle of the people in front of and behind the cameras.  As much as they try, Brad Pitt and especially Margot Robbie and Diego Calva cannot really raise their characters above the sound and fury of Babylon.  Speaking of sound and fury, Justin Hurwitz's score for Babylon is a thing of magic; it never lets Babylon's narrative, drama, or action fall.

I know that Babylon is a polarizing film among film critics, movie reviewers and audiences.  I see it, however, as the work of a highly skilled writer-director, Damien Chazelle, who can do great things in movies.  But will he?  As far as I'm concerned, he has delivered with Babylon.

9 of 10

A+

★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Sunday, April 30, 2023

NOTES:

2023 Academy Awards, USA:  3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Production Design” (Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino), “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures-Original Score (Justin Hurwitz), and “Best Achievement in Costume Design: (Mary Zophres)

2023 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Production Design” (Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino); 2 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Mary Zophres), and “Original Score” (Justin Hurwitz)

2023 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Original Score – Motion Picture” (Justin Hurwitz); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture” (Brad Pitt), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy” (Diego Calva), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy” (Margot Robbie)

The text is copyright © 2023 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 April 1st to 8th, 2023 - Update #19

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Damson Idris, star of FX's "Snowfall," has been chosen to co-star with Brad Pitt in Apple Studios, Joseph Kosinki, and Jerry Bruckheimer's F1 racing movie.

STAR WARS - From THR:  Disney announces new "Star Wars" films, including one starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

MOVIES - From THR:  The film critics at "The Hollywood Reporter" pick the "50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Irving Cartagena, the drug dealer who sold actor Michael K. Williams the drugs that killed him in 2021, has pleaded guilty to “one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin.”  He will serve a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Emmy-winner Donald Glover has revealed that Malia Obama, the elder daughter of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, is developing a short film via  his production company, "Gilga."

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney+ has unveiled "Pauline," a German original about a teenager who falls in love with the devil from the team behind Netflix’s "How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)."

TRUMP - From Truthout:  Today, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, former President Donald Trump was formally arraigned by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in New York City, making him the first former president to be indicted in United States history.

From ManhattanDA:  Read the full indictment of Donald J. Trump in PDF form from the Manhanttan District Attorney's website.

From Truthout:  Former President Donald Trump and his ratchet campaign are leveraging misinformation and anti-Jewish conspiracy theories to turn the media circus around his indictment in New York into a cash cow. 

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has unleashed "Barbie" movie posters.  The Greta Gerwig-directed film stars Margot Robbie as "Barbie" and Ryan Gosling as "Ken" and is due July 21, 2023.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Recent Oscar-nominee, Austin Butler ("Elvis"), will play crime boss, "Danny Ryan," in Sony 3000 Pictures' film adaptation of Don Winslow's 2022 novel, "City on Fire."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Michael Mann is considering "Heat 2," as his next film. It would be a sequel to his 1995 classic, "Heat."  Mann is currently in post-production on his current film, "Ferrari," which stars Adam Driver, the possible lead in "Heat 2"

DISNEY - From Variety:  Disney is set to make a live-action remake of its 2016 animated film, "Moana."  Dwayne Johnson, who made the announcement and performed a voice role in the original, is set to return for the remake.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 3/31 to 4/2/2023 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" with an estimated gross of 38.5 million dollars.

From Variety:  "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" opens with 33 millions dollars at the international box office.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The BBC is cancelling its hit comedy, "Ghosts," after its upcoming fifth season.  The series was remade as CBS' hit comedy, "Ghosts."

OBITS:

From Variety:  Japanese composer and record producer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, has died at the age of 71, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.  He won an Oscar with David Byrne and Cong Su for composing the music for the film, "The Last Emperor" (1987). His film music also won him a two Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and a Grammy Award.  He also composed the music for such films as "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," "The Sheltering Sky" (1990), "Little Buddha" (1993), and "The Revenant" (2015).  With his band, "Yellow Magic Orchestra," he was a pioneer in several electronic music genres.

From THR:  Television producer, N'Neka Garland, has died at the age of 49, Monday, March 27, 2023.  She was best known for her 22-year association with the daytime TV soap opera, "General Hospital."  She began as an assistant to veteran producer, Jill Farren Phelps, but she eventually worked her way up to series producer.  In 2021, she shared a Daytime Emmy award win for "Outstanding Drama Series," after being nominated in that category the previous two years.  Garland was also the half-sister of the late hip-hop and rap legend, Tupac Shakur.

From THR:  Animator and animation filmmaker, Leo D. Sullivan, has died at the age of 82, Saturday, March 25, 2023.  Sullivan was a groundbreaking African-American animator and a pioneer in Black animation.  Sullivan also was a writer, producer, director, layout artist and storyboard artist at studios including Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., Filmation, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, DIC Entertainment and Marvel Productions.  He worked on TV series featuring such characters as Scooby-Doo, Fat Albert, and the Animanicas, to name a few.  Sullivan also helped animated the original locomotive and graphics for the syndicated music series, "Soul Train."  Sullivan co-founded the first Black-owned animation production company, Vignette Films.

Review: Wild, Uneven "BULLET TRAIN" Has a Killer Last Act

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 of 2022 (No. 1878) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bullet Train (2022)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – R for strong and bloody violence, pervasive language, and brief sexuality
DIRECTOR:  David Leitch
WRITER:  Zak Olkewicz (based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka)
PRODUCERS:  Antoine Fuqua, David Leitch, and Kelly McCormick
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Elisabet Ronaldsdottir
COMPOSER:  Dominic Lewis

ACTION

Starring:  Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, Benito A Martinez Ocasio (Bad Bunny), Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, Masi Oka, Kevin Akiyoshi Ching, Johanna White, and Karen Fukuhara with Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds

Bullet Train is a 2022 action movie from director David Leitch.  The film is based on the 2010 novel from author Kōtarō Isaka, Maria Beetle (which was titled Bullet Train for its U.S. and U.K. Editions).  Bullet Train the movie takes place aboard a swiftly-moving bullet train where five assassins gradually discover that they have several things in common.

Bullet Train opens in Japan and introduces “Ladybug” (Brad Pitt), an assassin turned “snatch-and-grab man.”  In Tokyo, he enters a bullet train bound for Kyoto.  He is initially wary of accepting this job from his handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock), which involves him retrieving a briefcase that contains ten million dollars.  Also on the train is a young woman known as “Prince” (Joey King); the assassin brothers, “Lemon” (Brian Tyree Henry) and “Tangerine” (Aaron Taylor-Johnson); and the revenge-seeking Yuichi Kimura (Andrew Koji).

They are all passengers on this particular bullet train, directly and indirectly, because of “The Son” (Logan Lerman), the kidnapped son of the Russian-born Yakuza boss known as the “White Death” (Michael Shannon).  Ladybug, who is begrudgingly working this job, believes that it is bringing out the worst of the bad luck that he believes plagues him.  Gradually, he finds himself fighting off an ever-growing gathering of killers and miscreants.  And waiting for everyone at their final stop in Kyoto – at least for those that survive – is an ultimate showdown with the White Death and his hired killers.

Directly or indirectly, Bullet Train is a movie influenced by the films of Oscar-winning filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino.  The dialogue – full of chatter, threats, and banter – is supposed to come across as cool, but it is merely blather from a third or fourth or fifth generation take on a Tarantino screenplay.  The characters are also Tarantino retreads, and so are their actions and inaction.  Still, I must admit that I like some of them, especially Brad Pitt's Ladybug.

So is Bullet Train any good, you might ask?

Well, two-thirds of it is uneven and moves in fits and starts of violence and murder.  I was mostly uninterested, but there are some surprising cameos that captured my interest.  For instance, Zazie Beetz is the assassin, “The Hornet,” and recording artist, Bad Bunny, is the Mexican assassin, “The Wolf.”  Both, however, are barely in the film.  I think they would have improved Bullet Train a good bit had their roles been enlarged.

However, the first 80 or so mediocre minutes of this movie are worth it for the last 40 minutes.  It is as if Bullet Train suddenly explodes in its last act to reveal a much better movie that had been hiding inside the fairly awful movie.  Everything is better, even Brad Pitt, who keeps this movie from being an absolute disaster.  Sometimes, it is worth having a genuine movie star, like a Brad Pitt, star in a genre movie.  The first two-thirds of this movie deserves a grade of “C-” at best, but the last third deserves an “A.”  So I'll average that out to a “B,” and I will recommend Bullet Train because of its last act.  It really is spectacular, and it is a pay off for your patience.

6 out of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, October 29, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 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 August 14th to 20th, 2022 - Update #12

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:  Warner Bros. Discovery has shuttered HBO Max's non-scripted division.  Discovery already has a non-scripted division and HBO Max is supposed to merge with Discovery+, so...

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  Swedish video game company Embracer Group has acquired "Middle-earth Enterprises," a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, which owns the intellectual property catalogue and worldwide rights to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Financial terms of the sale were not revealed.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Viewership of streaming programming surpassed that of cable TV for the first time in July, Nielsen reported.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix has released a teaser trailer for "Wednesday," which is director Tim Burton's re-imagining of "The Addams Family."

ACADEMY AWARDS - From AlJazeera:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native-American activist who endured abuse when she took a stand at the 1973 Academy Awards against anti-Indigenous racism in the U.S. film industry.  The Academy will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of conversation and healing on September 17th, 2022.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Robert De Niro will star in Warner Bros' mob drama, "Wise Guys," which will be directed by Oscar-winner, Barry Levinson.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The very busy Kenya Barris ("Black-ish") will write and direct a re-imagining of "The Wizard of Oz" for Warner Bros.

MOVIES - From Variety:   Actress Bryce Dallas Howard says she was paid so much less than her costar, Chris Pratt, on the "Jurassic World" sequels, but that Pratt did fight for pay equity.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/12 to 8/14/2022 weekend box office is "Bullet Train" with an estimated take of 13.4 million dollars.

CRIME - From YahooPolitics:  The FBI's search warrant for Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property has been released and can be read at the "Yahoo" link.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  German film director, Wolfgang Petersen, has died at the age of 81, Friday, August 12, 2022.  He came to prominence in America with his West German war film, "Das Boot" (1981).  He earned two of the film's six Academy Award nominations, "Best Director" and "Best Adapted Screenplay."  He would go on to direct some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters and action films, including "In the Line of Fire" (1993), "Outbreak" (1995), "Air Force One" (1997), and "The Perfect Storm" (2000), to name a few.

From THR:  Prolific film and television character actress, Denise Dowse, had died at the age of 64, Saturday, August 13, 2022.  She appeared in numerous film and said that her roles in "Ray" (2004) and "Coach Carter" (2005) were her favorites.  Her extensive TV career including recurring roles in "Beverly Hills, 90210," "The Guardian" and HBO's "Insecure."

From GuardianUK:  The television, film, and stage actress, Anne Heche, has died at the age of 53, Thursday, August 11, 2022 after being declared "brain dead."  She first came to fame as the twins "Vicky Hudson" and "Marley Love" on the daytime soap opera, "Another World" from 1987-91, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award.  She came to prominence in the mid to late 1990s in a number of prestigious films, including "Donnie Brasco" (1997), "Psycho" (1998), and "Six Day, Seven Nights" (1998).  In recent years, she had recurring roles on such television series as NBC's "Chicago P.D." and CBS' former series, "All Rise."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 7th to 13th, 2022 - Update #15

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BREAKING NEWS - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actress Anne Heche has been taken off life support.  She suffered grave injuries in a fiery car crash last Friday, August 5th.

From Variety:  Anne Heche has reportedly been declared "legally dead" in the state of California.  Her heart remains beating and she may not have been taken off life support.  Heche was an organ donor, and the waiting may be the result of determining the viability of her organs for donation.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sienna Miller and Sam Worthington are the leads in "Horizon," the passion project that Kevin Costner will direct, produce, and finance.

DOCUMENTARIES - From Deadline:  Production is underway on a feature documentary inspired by "New York Times" columnist Charles Blow’s book "The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto." The book suggests a "reverse great migration," in which Black people would migrate from the north back to the south.

From Deadline:  Director Sam Pollard is working on a documentary about recently deceased pro basketball and NBA legend, Bill Russell, for Netflix.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  France’s Why Not Productions has unveiled a playful first teaser image of Johnny Depp in the role of King Louis XV in French director Maïwenn’s historical love story "Jeanne du Barry."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The superstar team of actor-producer Tom Cruise and writer-director-producer Christopher McQuarrie are working on "Mission: Impossible 8" and art planning three new projects.  One of them is a song-and-dance-like musical in which Cruise would star.

BREAKING - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actress Anne Heche is far worse off than initially reported in the wake of her fiery car crash on Friday, Aug. 5th.  She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness, according a statement from her representative.

MOVIES - From BloodyDisgusting:  Horror film producer Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment says that there will be some big news near the end of the year about a return of the "Friday the 13th" film franchise.  The last film was released in 2009, and there is currently a disagreement over rights issues between the series first screenwriter, Victor Miller, and director Sean Cunningham.

BOX OFICE - From BoxOfficePro:   The winner of the 8/5 to 8/7/2022 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "Bullet Train" (starring Brad Pitt) with an estimated take of 30.1 million dollars.

From BoxOfficePro:  The site has an interview with "Bullet Train" director, David Leitch."

CELEBRITY - From TMZ:  Actress Anne Heche was involved in a car crash in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles in which she crashed her vehicle into a house and caused a blaze on Fri., Aug. 5th. Just moments earlier, Heche reportedly crashed into the garage of an apartment complex before driving away and crashing into the house.

AMAZON - From THR:  Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of "The Lord of the Rings" film series says that Amazon asked him to be involved with its megabudget "Lord of the Rings" streaming TV series and then cut off contact with him.  Amazon suggests the story isn't quite so simple.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Actor, stuntman, martial artist, and professional wrestler, Gene LeBell, has died at the age of 89, Tuesday, August 9, 2022.  He worked on over 1000 films and television shows.  LeBell fought Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Steven Seagal, to name a few, and his fight with Seagal had a notorious conclusion not in Seagal's favor.  LeBell was one of the inspirations for Brad Pitt's character, "Cliff Booth," in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

From Variety:  Australian singer-songwriter and actress, Olivia Newton-John, has died at the age of 73, August 8, 2022.  She famously starred in the 1978 musical film, "Grease," and the film's soundtrack, which is still one of the best-selling musical albums of all time, included two hits songs featuring Newton-John and her Grease co-star, John Travolta.  She was the top female pop vocalist of the 1970s and continued to have "Billboard Top 10" hits into 1983.  She also starred in the 1980 film, "Xanadu," which yielded three more hits singles for her, and the 1983 film, "Two of a Kind," which yielded another hit single for her. Newton-John won four Grammy Awards and received eight other nominations.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 1st to 5th, 2022 - Update #16

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

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR:  Will Smith is returning for the long-talked about sequel to his hit 2007 film, "I Am Legend." This time actor Michael B. Jordan will also star in the film as well as be one of its producers.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   The first photographic image has been released from the action film, "Dead Zone," which stars Michael Jai White and Chad Michael Collins.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Reportedly, rapper Jack Harlow's first screen audition lands him a role in the reboot of writer-director Ron Shelton's 1992 sports comedy, "White Men Can't Jump."

TRAILER - From Deadline:  There is a trailer for the 50th Anniversary re-release of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather."  This film and the others in the series will also have a 4K Ultra HD and Ultra Blu-ray release.

STREAMING - From Variety:  Actor Anthony Mackie will star in and executive produce a TV series based on the Sony Playstation video game, "Twisted Metal." The series is being produced for NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock.

OSCARS - From Variety:   Samuel L. Jackson says, ‘I Should’ve Won’ an Oscar, but Oscars Don’t Get ‘Asses in Seats’ Like I Do

TRAILER - From Variety:  Sony Pictures has released the official trailer for the stylish action movie, "Bullet Train" starring Brad Pitt and directed David Leitch.

MOVIES - From Consequence:  There is a report that says that Oscar-winning film producer, Brad Pitt, has come on board as a producer on the long-rumored sequel to "Beetlejuice" (1988).

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  The beloved sci-fi animated comedy, "Futurama," is returning on Hulu with 20 episodes and with "Bender" voice actor, John DiMaggio.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  On the comeback trail, actress Lindsay Lohan strikes two-picture deal with Netflix.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners of the 2022 / 22nd annual Black Reel Awards were announced Monday evening, Feb. 28th in a livestream.  The Black Western, "The Harder They Fall" led with 6 wins, and "King Richard" was named "Outstanding Film" of 2021.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  The Walt Disney Company is temporarily pulling its theatrical releases from Russian movie theaters due to Russia's invasion of the nation of Ukraine.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/25 to 2/27/2022 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "Uncharted" with a take of 23 million dollars.

MOVIES - From CNN:  Mid-budget Hollywood movies are in decline.  What does that mean for American cinema?

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American film executive and film producer, Alan Ladd, Jr., has died at the age of 84, Wednesday, March 2, 2022.  Ladd won an Oscar for producing "Braveheart" with Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey.  He was also the president of 20th Century Fox who approved the production of "Star Wars" and he was an executive at MGM/UA.

From Deadline:  Broadway and television actor, Ned Eisenberg, has died at the age of 65, Sunday, February 27, 2022.  Eisenberg was best known for his recurring role on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit" as the villainous defense attorney Roger Kressler.  Eisenberg had a prolific career in film and TV and on stage.

From Deadline:  Actress Farrah Forke has died at the age of 54, Friday, February 25, 2022.  Forke is best known for her recurring role as "Alex Lambert" on Seasons 4 through 6 of NBC's former sitcom, "Wings."  She also appeared on ABC's former romantic drama, "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" and the CBS comedy, "Dweebs."

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94TH ACADEMY AWARDS:

OSCARS - From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 94th Academy Awards have been announced.  "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 nominations.  The winners will be revealed March 27th.

From Deadline:    With his "Best Actor" nomination for "The Tragedy of Macbeth," Denzel Washington is the most nominated Black actor is Oscar history.  He has been nominated in two acting categories a total of 10 times with two wins total.

From Variety:   With her "Best Director" Oscar nomination for "The Power of the Dog," Jane Campion becomes the first woman nominated twice in that category. She was previously nominated in that category for "The Piano" (1993).

From Variety:  With his three nominations today, Kenneth Branagh of "Belfast" becomes the first person to have been nominated in seven individual categories over his career.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From Deadline:   The winners at the 2022 / 28th annual SAG Awards. "CODA" wins the top prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."

From Variety:  Here is a complete list of winners at 2022 / 53rd NAACP Image Awards in the film, television and music categories.  Jennifer Hudson was named "Entertainer of the Year."

From Deadline:   The 2022 / 9th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards were announced.  The Amazon film, "Coming 2 America" (the sequel to the 1988 film, "Coming to America"), led with three wins.

From Deadline:  The 2022 BAFTA Film Awards nominations have been announced.  "Dune" leads with 11 nominations.  The winners will be announced March 13th.

From Deadline:   The 2022 / 33rd annual Producers Guild of America Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced Saturday, March 19th.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 74th annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced March 12th.

From COFCA:  The Columbus Film Critics Association name "The Power of the Dog" the "Best Film" of 2021.

From Deadline:  Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," was named the "Best Picture" of 2021 at the 13th annual African American Film Critics Association Awards.  The Western tied with "King Richard" for most wins with four.  Will Smith was named "Best Actor" for "King Richard."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.

From Variety:  The snubs and surprises in the nominations for the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

From Variety:   At the 2022 / 79th Golden Globes, "The Power of the Dog" wins "Best Motion Picture-Drama" and "West Side Story" wins "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Variety:  The National Society of Film Critics names the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the best film of 2021.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards were announced a few weeks ago. Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," has a record 20 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 27, 2022.

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association announced the nominations for their annual film awards.  Director Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 noms.  The winners will be announced Thurs., Jan. 6th, 2022.

From Deadline:  The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the "Best Picture" of 2021.

From Deadline:  The 2022 / 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominations. "Zola" leads with six nominations. The winners will be announced Sun., March 6, 2022.

From THR:  The 2022 / 79th Golden Globes Awards nominations have been announced.  "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog" lead with seven nominations each.  Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From GoldDerby:   The 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "West Side Story" leads with 11 nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From Deadline:   The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."

From THR:  Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."

From Variety:   The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."

From Deadline:  The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards.  Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."

From THR:  Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th).  The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

From Deadline:  This link will take you to Deadline's Halyna Hutchins page, which articles related to everything about her shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  Matt Hutchins, the husband of Halyna Hutchins, blames Alec Baldwin for Halyna's accidental shooting death on the set of the doomed Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  The family and estate of Halyna Hutchins has filed suit against Alec Baldwin (who accidentally shot Hutchins), a slew of production companies and entities, producers, and key crew members involved in the Western film, "Rust," for her death.

From THR:   A Republican New Mexico legislator, State Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell, on Monday introduced a bill that would require all film set personnel who handle firearms to complete a safety course offered by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.  This is in the wake a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, being fatally shot on the set of the Western, "Rust," last year by Alec Baldwin with a weapon he says he thought was not loaded with live ammunition.

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin and the other producers of the doomed Western film, "Rust," want a California judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed against them by the script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell.

From Deadline:   Alec Baldwin has finally turned over his cell phone to police for their probe into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin's Western film, "Rust," last October in New Mexico.

From Variety:  One of the producers of tragic Western film, Rust, Emily Salveson, pushes tax shelters and hid income.

From THR:  "I let go of the hammer and 'Bang,' the gun goes off" says Alec Baldwin says in his first interview of the moment when a gun he was holding accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin will sit down with ABC's news-reading clown George Stephanopoulos for a one hour special tomorrow night to talk about what happened on the set of the movie "Rust."  It will be Baldwin’s first extensive interview about the shooting.

From Deadline:  Industry veteran, Thall Reed, the father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Western, "Rust," may have handed the police a tip on why the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot to death on the set.

From THR:  A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday for a prop shop sheds light on how alleged live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film, "Rust," where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October.

From Deadline:  A month after cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed on the New Mexico set the movie Western, "Rust," by a prop gun “discharged” by Alec Baldwin, those closest to the cinematographer held a private ceremony and interred her ashes at an unknown location.

From Deadline:  Actor Daniel Baldwin defends his brother, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film, "Rust."  "Someone loaded that gun improperly," Daniel says.

From Deadline:  The newest lawsuit involving the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," has been filed by the film's script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, against Alec Baldwin, the producers, the production company, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed, and others.

From Deadline:  Serge Svetnoy, the gaffer on "Rust," has filed a lawsuit against several parties related to the film, including the production, the financiers, star Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and first Assistant Director David Halls.

From THR:   In the wake of the tragic accidental shooting on the set of his film, "Rust," Alec Baldwin on Monday took to social media to urge Hollywood to employ a police officer on every film and TV set that uses guns.

From THR:   The budget for "Rust" - Alec Baldwin was set to earn $150,000 as lead actor and $100,000 as producer, while $7,913 was earmarked for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and $17,500 was set aside for the rental of weapons and $5,000 for rounds.

From Deadline:  Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film, "Rust," said that they’re looking into whether a live bullet was placed in a box of dummy rounds with the intent of  “sabotaging the set.”

From THR:   Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, "Rust," released a statement through her lawyers.  She says she had “no idea where the live rounds came from” that were recovered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's during the investigation of the accidental on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

From Jacobin:  An opinion piece says that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the set of the film, "Rust," was not a freak accident, but was about Alec Baldwin and his fellow producers' cost-cutting decisions.  Baldwin accidentally fired the gun that killed Hutchins.

From Deadline:   Two of executive producers on "Rust," Allen Cheney and Emily Salveson, disavow responsibility for the film's troubled production.

From THR:   Iconic "Ghostbusters" actor Ernie Hudson is reeling from the news of the death of Halyna Hutchins, like the rest of Hollywood. Hudson also appeared in the film, "The Crow," the film in which its star, Brandon Lee, was killed because of an on-set accidental shooting.  He also agrees with the call to ban real guns from movie sets.

From THR:  The Sheriff of Sante Fe County says that his office has recovered three guns and 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of the movie "Rust" where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

From Deadline:  Regarding criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, "all options are on the table - no one has been ruled out."

From THR:  Does Hollywood Need Guns? Will new regulations lead to an overreactions to a tragedy.

From Deadline:   "Rust" producers have opened an internal investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film.  They have hired outside lawyers to conduct interviews with the film's production crew.

From Deadline:  "Rust's" AD (assistant director), Dave Halls, has come under scrutiny in the wake of the on-set shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The affidavit of Sante Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano has been made public. It can be read at "Deadline."  The affidavit was for a search warrant from the property were the Western, "Rust," was being filmed.

From THR:  The production company behind "Rust" has shut the film down until the police investigation into the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is through.  The Sante Fe County Sheriff's Office has also revealed a timeline of the shooting.

From Deadline:  The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday night that Alec Baldwin “discharged” a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the movie, "Rust."  As a result, one crew member, director of photography Halyna Hutchins, was killed and director Joel Souza was injured and remains in a local hospital - his condition unknown.

From THR:  "Rust" director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the accidental on-set shooting, says that he is "gutted" by the death of his cinematographer on the film, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" may have been "recorded" according to detective for Santa Fe Sheriff's Department.

From Deadline:  The production company behind the film, "Rust," will launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins; possible prior gun incidents; and a camera crew walkout.

From CNN:   Crew member yelled "cold gun" as he handed Alec Baldwin prop weapon, court document shows.

From Variety:  Actor Alec Baldwin releases statement on the death of Halyna Hutchins: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness."

From Variety:  The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership.