Review: "DOCTOR STRANGE" Sequel is Pure Sam Raimi Goodness

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 of 2022 (No. 1840) by Leroy Douresseaux

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Running time:  126 minutes (2 hours, six minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, frightening images and some language
DIRECTOR:  Sam Raimi
WRITER:  Michael Waldron (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Mathieson
EDITORS:  Bob Murawski and Tia Nolan
COMPOSER:  Danny Elfman

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/HORROR/ACTION

Starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez; Rachel McAdams, Michael Stuhlbarg, Julian Hilliard, Jett Klyne, Sheila Atim; Ako Mitchll, John Krasinski, Anson Mount, Hayley Atwell, Lashana Lynch, Charlize Theron, and Patrick Stewart

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a 2022 superhero, action, and horror-fantasy film directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Marvel Studios.  It is the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is also a sequel to the 2016 superhero movie, Doctor Strange.  Both films focus on the Marvel Comics character, Doctor Strange, who first appeared in the comic book, Strange Tales #10 (cover dated: July 1963), and who was created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.  In the new film, Doctor Strange battles to protect the Multiverse and a young woman who can travel through it.

As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens, Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is plagued by dreams in which he finds himself involved with a mysterious young woman.  But life goes on.  Wong (Benedict Wong), Strange's friend and mentor, is now Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.  Also, Stephen's former lover, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), is getting married, and he is attending the wedding.

During the wedding, an octopus demon wreaks havoc in the neighborhood, and Stephen meets the young woman again.  Her name is America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), and she can travel through the Multiverse by punching doorways through dimensions.  Demonic forces are tracking her, and Strange believes that only the Book of Vishanti can stop these demons.  Dr. Strange turns to an expert for help, the former Avenger, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen).  However, the mastermind behind the attacks on America is quite powerful, and the identity of this attacker is quite surprising.

And things only get worse.  Dr. Strange must face his old adversary, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) … something called “the Illuminati” … and multiple versions of himself.

I have come across complaints that Marvel Studios' films are formulaic and complaints that the studios' films are not “director-driven” (whatever that means).  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not like other Marvel films, and at least to me, it seems “director-driven.”

The director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Sam Raimi, who is best known for directing Sony/Columbia Picture's first trilogy of Spider-Man films (2002-07).  Before then, Raimi's best known work was the “Evil Dead” trilogy, comprised of Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1993).  And Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems like a superhero film built on the aesthetic or, at least, the sensibilities of the “Evil Dead” trilogy.  In fact, this Doctor Strange film is like an Evil Dead movie with the budget of a … well, Marvel Studios movie.  Even more than his Spider-Man films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the truest Sam Raimi superhero movie to date.

I don't want to spoil much more than I already have, but I can say that the VFX in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not only superb, but also inventive and imaginative.  Of course, the productions values are quite good; once again, I must say that everything looks like it would in a Raimi Evil Dead movie with mega-event, tent-pole film's budget.  Also, Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen give superb performances, especially Olsen.

In spite of what Marvel Studios and Disney may say, however, I am not sure what the impact of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actually is.  I really like this movie because it really IS a Sam Raimi movie, and I love his movies.  But, is this Doctor Strange film as consequential to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Spider-Man: No Way Home seems to be...?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems most important because of what it promises – new tomorrows, new worlds, new heroes, new movies … and hopefully more Sam Raimi Marvel movies.  I am thankful that Marvel Studios allowed him to make this movie.  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is better than the original film, and it is Marvel's weirdest movie to date – a thrill ride of delightful and inspired wackiness.  Plus, it gives some of us what we hoped that the original would – a true dark fantasy/horror Doctor Strange movie.

[Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has one mid-credit scene and one end-credit scene.]

8 of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, May 6, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------------

----------------------------------

Review: " The Lion King" Still Rules the Pride Lands

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2019) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

The Lion King (2019)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – PG for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements
DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau
WRITER: Jeff Nathanson (based on the 1994 story written by Brenda Chapman and characters created by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton)
PRODUCERS: Jon Favreau, Karen Gilchrist, and Jeffrey Silver
EDITORS: Adam Gerstel and Mark Livolsi
COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer
SONGS: Elton John and Tim Rice and Beyoncé

FANTASY/DRAMA/FAMILY with elements of comedy

Starring:  (voices) Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones, John Oliver, John Kani, Alfre Woodard, JD McCary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Keegan Michael-Key, Eric André, Florence Kasumba, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Amy Sedaris, Chance Bennett (Chance the Rapper), Phil LeMarr, J. Lee, and Josh McCrary

The Lion King is a 2019 musical, fantasy-drama film directed by Jon Favreau and released by Walt Disney Pictures.  It is a live-action remake of the 1994, Oscar-winning, animated film, The Lion King.  The Lion King 2019 focuses on a young lion prince who flees his kingdom after the death of his father, which he blames on himself.

The Lion King opens in the Pride Lands of Africa.  From his perch on Pride Rock, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) leads a pride of lions and rules over the animal kingdom.  As the story begins, Queen Sarabi (Alfre Woodard) has given birth to a cub, Simba, who will one day succeed his father as king.  Simba (JD McCary) is a playful cub and enjoys romping with his best friend and future love interest, a lioness named Nala (Shahadi Wright Joseph).  Simba, however, is also a willful cub, so Mufasa must guide and prepare Simba for the day when he will rule.

Meanwhile, Mufasa’s younger brother, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), lurks in the shadows, bitter that he is not king, and he plots with a pack of hyenas to murder Mufasa.  After tragedy strikes, Simba leaves the Pride Lands, intending never to return.  Years later, an adult Simba (Donald Glover) lives in exile, and his constant companions are a meerkat, Timon (Billy Eichner), and a warthog, Pumbaa (Seth Rogen).  However, Simba’s past returns in the form of an old friend,  Now, Simba must learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery as he is forced to make important decisions about both his future and that of the Pride Lands.

The Lion King works better as an animated feature film than it does as a live-action film.  Still, The Lion King the live-action film is quite entertaining.  I think that many of Walt Disney's classic animated films need a retelling every two or three generations, and it was time for The Lion King to be retold for a new generation or two.  [No, I have never seen The Lion King the musical that was first staged in 1997 and won the Tony Award for “Best Musical.”]

The Lion King 2019 may be an inferior (but not especially inferior) work to The Lion King 1994, but director Jon Favreau and his visual effects collaborators present a visual spectacular.  When the story lags, which it does a few times, the bounding animals and the Pride Lands, with its seemingly infinite variety of environments, will grab your wandering imagination and pull you back into the story.

The animals, which, I am assuming, are mostly computer-generated and rendered, are dazzling in their photo-realism.  I find Scar to be the most impressive, looking not to lean, not to dirty, but clearly a bit raggedy, which goes great with his conniving ways and with his feelings of bitterness and envy.

The voice performances are good.  JD McCary and Shahadi Wright Joseph, who voice the young Simba and Nala respectively, are exceptionally good.  If The Lion King 2019 has star performers, they are McCary and Ms. Joseph; they give this film the energy it needs to carry it to the rousing finale.  These young performers assure that The Lion King 2019 keeps the heart of its story – learning the meaning of being responsible, accountable, and brave.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, July 21, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------

2019 International Feature Film Oscar - 93 Countries in Consideration

93 COUNTRIES IN COMPETITION FOR 2019 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM OSCAR

Ninety-three countries have submitted films for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 92nd Academy Awards®. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track. Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first- time entrants.

Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to rename the Foreign Language Film category to International Feature Film and expand the shortlist from nine to 10 films.

The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;
Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;
Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;
Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;
Austria, “Joy,” Sudabeh Mortezai, director;
Bangladesh, “Alpha,” Nasiruddin Yousuff, director;
Belarus, “Debut,” Anastasiya Miroshnichenko, director;
Belgium, “Our Mothers,” César Díaz, director;
Bolivia, “Tu Me Manques,” Rodrigo Bellott, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “The Son,” Ines Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Invisible Life,” Karim Aïnouz, director;
Bulgaria, “Ága,” Milko Lazarov, director;
Cambodia, “In the Life of Music,” Caylee So, Sok Visal, directors;
Canada, “Antigone,” Sophie Deraspe, director;
Chile, “Spider,” Andrés Wood, director;
China, “Ne Zha,” Yu Yang, director;
Colombia, “Monos,” Alejandro Landes, director;
Costa Rica, “The Awakening of the Ants,” Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, director;
Croatia, “Mali,” Antonio Nuic, director;
Cuba, “A Translator,” Rodrigo Barriuso, Sebastián Barriuso, directors;
Czech Republic, “The Painted Bird,” Václav Marhoul, director;
Denmark, “Queen of Hearts,” May el-Toukhy, director;
Dominican Republic, “The Projectionist,” José María Cabral, director;
Ecuador, “The Longest Night,” Gabriela Calvache, director;
Egypt, “Poisonous Roses,” Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, director;
Estonia, “Truth and Justice,” Tanel Toom, director;
Ethiopia, “Running against the Wind,” Jan Philipp Weyl, director;
Finland, “Stupid Young Heart,” Selma Vilhunen, director;
France, “Les Misérables,” Ladj Ly, director;
Georgia, “Shindisi,” Dimitri Tsintsadze, director;
Germany, “System Crasher,” Nora Fingscheidt, director;
Ghana, “Azali,” Kwabena Gyansah, director;
Greece, “When Tomatoes Met Wagner,” Marianna Economou, director;
Honduras, “Blood, Passion, and Coffee,” Carlos Membreño, director;
Hong Kong, “The White Storm 2 Drug Lords,” Herman Yau, director;
Hungary, “Those Who Remained,” Barnabás Tóth, director;
Iceland, “A White, White Day,” Hlynur Pálmason, director;
India, “Gully Boy,” Zoya Akhtar, director;
Indonesia, “Memories of My Body,” Garin Nugroho, director;
Iran, “Finding Farideh,” Azadeh Moussavi, Kourosh Ataee, directors;
Ireland, “Gaza,” Garry Keane, Andrew McConnell, directors;
Israel, “Incitement,” Yaron Zilberman, director;
Italy, “The Traitor,” Marco Bellocchio, director;
Japan, “Weathering with You,” Makoto Shinkai, director;
Kazakhstan, “Kazakh Khanate. The Golden Throne,” Rustem Abdrashov, director;
Kenya, “Subira,” Ravneet Singh (Sippy) Chadha, director;
Kosovo, “Zana,” Antoneta Kastrati, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “Aurora,” Bekzat Pirmatov, director;
Latvia, “The Mover,” Davis Simanis, director;
Lebanon, “1982,” Oualid Mouaness, director;
Lithuania, “Bridges of Time,” Audrius Stonys, Kristine Briede, directors;
Luxembourg, “Tel Aviv on Fire,” Sameh Zoabi, director;
Malaysia, “M for Malaysia,” Dian Lee, Ineza Roussille, directors;
Mexico, “The Chambermaid,” Lila Avilés, director;
Mongolia, “The Steed,” Erdenebileg Ganbold, director;
Montenegro, “Neverending Past,” Andro Martinović, director;
Morocco, “Adam,” Maryam Touzani, director;
Nepal, “Bulbul,” Binod Paudel, director;
Netherlands, “Instinct,” Halina Reijn, director;
Nigeria, “Lionheart,” Genevieve Nnaji, director;
North Macedonia, “Honeyland,” Ljubo Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, directors;
Norway, “Out Stealing Horses,” Hans Petter Moland, director;
Pakistan, “Laal Kabootar,” Kamal Khan, director;
Palestine, “It Must Be Heaven,” Elia Suleiman, director;
Panama, “Everybody Changes,” Arturo Montenegro, director;
Peru, “Retablo,” Alvaro Delgado Aparicio, director;
Philippines, “Verdict,” Raymund Ribay Gutierrez, director;
Poland, “Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa, director;
Portugal, “The Domain,” Tiago Guedes, director;
Romania, “The Whistlers,” Corneliu Porumboiu, director;
Russia, “Beanpole,” Kantemir Balagov, director;
Saudi Arabia, “The Perfect Candidate,” Haifaa Al Mansour, director;
Senegal, “Atlantics,” Mati Diop, director;
Serbia, “King Petar the First,” Petar Ristovski, director;
Singapore, “A Land Imagined,” Yeo Siew Hua, director;
Slovakia, “Let There Be Light,” Marko Skop, director;
Slovenia, “History of Love,” Sonja Prosenc, director;
South Africa, “Knuckle City,” Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, director;
South Korea, “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, director;
Spain, “Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodóvar, director;
Sweden, “And Then We Danced,” Levan Akin, director;
Switzerland, “Wolkenbruch’s Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa,” Michael Steiner, director;
Taiwan, “Dear Ex,” Mag Hsu, Chih-Yen Hsu, directors;
Thailand, “Krasue: Inhuman Kiss,” Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, director;
Tunisia, “Dear Son,” Mohamed Ben Attia, director;
Turkey, “Commitment Asli,” Semih Kaplanoglu, director;
Ukraine, “Homeward,” Nariman Aliev, director;
United Kingdom, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” Chiwetel Ejiofor, director;
Uruguay, “The Moneychanger,” Federico Veiroj, director;
Uzbekistan, “Hot Bread,” Umid Khamdamov, director;
Venezuela, “Being Impossible,” Patricia Ortega, director;
Vietnam, “Furie,” Le Van Kiet, director.

The shortlist of 10 films will be announced on Monday, December 16, 2019. Nominations for the 92nd Oscars® will be announced on Monday, January 13, 2020.

The 92nd Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

---------------------

"The Lion King" Races to a Billion at Global Box Office

"The Lion King" Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

With an estimated $999 million worldwide through yesterday, Disney’s The Lion King will cross the $1 billion mark today in its 19th day of release. Along with Aladdin, it’s the second Disney-branded live-action release to reach the $1 billion threshold this year and the sixth ever to do so, following Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and the second and fourth Pirates of the Caribbean films. It is also The Walt Disney Studios’ fourth billion dollar release this year.

Preceded by a strong debut in China where it earned nearly $100 million in its first week, The Lion King debuted day-and-date globally July 19, 2019, with $446.1 million. Bolstered by an A CinemaScore, the Jon Favreau-directed film opened with $191.8 million domestically, the eighth biggest debut of all time, and continues to be No. 1 at the daily box office earning an estimated $361 million to date. Internationally, The Lion King has earned $638 million, with major markets Japan (August 9) and Italy (August 21) still to open. The film is the second highest release of 2019 in EMEA and is the highest grossing release from Disney Live Action in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Central America, Trinidad, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

---------------------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 1st to 9th, 2019 - Update #37

Support Leroy on Patreon:

DISNEY - From MarketWatch:  On CEO pay, Disney heiress Abigail Disney says "Jesus Christ himself doesn’t deserve this much money."

----------
BUSINESS-CULTURE - From WashPost:  Uber and Lyft are losing money. At some point, we’ll pay for it.

CRIME-CULTURE - From RSN:  Does Every Felony Sentence Need to Be a Death Sentence? asks John Kiriakou, a former imprisoned felon.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jordan Peele and his new film, "Us," storm SXSW 2019.

----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Taraji P. Henson and Ed Helms will star in the Netflix police drama, "Coffee & Kareem."

----------
TV-SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  CBS News correspondent-host, Gayle King, impressed viewers and commentators (and her friend Oprah), with her composure during an interview with R&B singer R. Kelly.  Kelly, who is facing 10 criminal counts of sexual abuse of minors, was quite agitated during the interview.

----------
POLITICS-BLM - From Truthout: "Flat Broke, Black Voters Want More Than Just Another Black President"

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Alex Trebek, the host of the long-running TV game-show, "Jeopardy!", announced that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  Trebek has been hosting "Jeopardy!" since 1984 when it debuted as a daily syndicated television series.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Idris Elba will replace Will Smith as the character "Deadshot" in "Suicide Squad 2."  The film will be written and directed by James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and is scheduled to arrive in theaters August 6, 2021.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  The biopic of Hollywood legend, Rock Hudson, entitled "All That Heaven Allows," moves to Universal Pictures.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Tyrese Gibson is in talks to join Jared Leto in Sony's "Spider-Man" spin-off film, "Morbius."

----------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  There is a apparently a rumor that Will Smith will play Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions, Venus and Serena Williams, in a biopic about Richard.  There are already complaints that Smith is skin color is "too light" to play the Richard Williams, who is a fairly dark brother.

----------
POLITICS-MOVIES - From RSN:  Civil rights leader Dolores Huerta says she's in "awe" of Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio (an Oscar nominee for "Roma") and freshman Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez because of conversations they are sparking in the U.S.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Two actors, Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd, have been cast in the still-developing "Star Trek" spinoff series from CBS All Access that will focus on Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

---------
MOVIES - From People:  Chiwetel Ejiofor talks about choosing "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" as his directorial debut.

----------
SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Disgraced TV star, Roseanne Barr (Roseanne"), sits down for another meltdown interview, this time with fake-Negress conservative, Candace Owens.  Of course, Barr takes time to attack another African-American woman, this time Sen. Kamala Harris.

----------
MOVIES/STREAMING - From Variety:  Theatrical distribution vs. Netflix streaming is a hot topic as the AMPAS considers Oscar rule changes.

From Variety:  Netflix responds to Steven Spielberg's criticism of streaming films being eligible for Academy Awards.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 3/1 to 3/3/2019 weekend box office is "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" with an estimated take of 30 million dollars.

From Variety:  "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" leads the international box office thanks to its $33.4 million debut in China.

From Variety:  "Green Book" apparently got a box office boost after winning the best picture Oscar at the 91st Academy Awards Sun., Feb. 24th.

----------
SCIENCE - From TheAtlantic:  In the Mariana Trench, the lowest point in any ocean, every tiny animal tested had plastic pollution hiding in its gut.

----------
OSCARS - From MSN:  With his best supporting actor Oscar win for "Green Book," Mahershala Ali becomes only the second Black actor to win more than one competitive Academy Award.  The other is Denzel Washington.

----------
MOVIES - From Vulture:  Steven Spielberg wants Netflix films banned from the Oscars.  He will bring his case to next week's Board of Governor's meeting at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

----------
ANIMATION - From THR:   Tracy Morgan is among the actors slated to perform voice roles in a "Scooby-Doo" animated film.  The film will include other characters from famed animation studio, Hanna-Barbera's library.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  "Stranger Things" star Finn Wolfhard and "Avengers: Infinity War" actress Carrie Coon are in talks to join Jason Reitman's in-development Ghostbusters sequel.

----------
STAR TREK - From TheWrap:   CBS All Access has hired "Star Trek: Discovery" director, Hanelle Culpepper, to direct the pilot of its in-development untitled Jean-Luc Picard-centric Star Trek spin-off.  Culpepper, an African-American, will be the first woman to direct a "Star Trek" pilot.

----------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Tyrese Gibson will star as R&B legend, Teddy Pendergrass, in a film produced by Lee Daniels and Donald De Line and Warner Bros.

----------
MOVIES - From Collider:  Recent Oscar-winner, Rami Malek ("Bohemian Rhapsody"), is in final negotiations to play the villain in the 25th James Bond, which will star Daniel Craig.

----------
MOVIES - From Collider:  Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage will star in a movie, "Brothers," that is similar to Ivan Reitman's 1988 Arnold Schwarzenegger-Danny DeVito film, "Twins."

----------
CANNES - From YahooEntertainment: Four-time Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has been named jury president for the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  This is the new "red band" trailer for the Lionsgate's "Hellboy" reboot film.  It is due in theaters April 12, 2019.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Former MCA/Universal Studios COO, Sidney Sheinberg, has died at the age of 84, Thursday, March 7, 2019.  Sheinberg is also known as the executive who nurtured and mentored Steven Spielberg.

From Variety:  The television actor Luke Perry has died at the age of 52, Monday, March 4, 2019.  Perry had suffered a massive stroke on Wednesday, February 27, 2019.  Perry was best known for his two runs on Fox television series, "Beverly Hills, 90210," 1990-95 and 1998-2000.  Perry was currently appearing on The CW's "Riverdale."  He was appear posthumously in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

From YahooNews:  The pro wrestler "King Kong Bundy" (whose real name was Christopher Alan Pallies) has died at the age of 61, Monday, March 4, 2019.  Bundy was best known as Hulk Hogan's rival in the 1980s.

From THR:  The actress Katherine Helmond died at the age of 89, Saturday, February 23, 2019.  Helmond was best known for playing the man-crazy mother, Mona Robinson, on the ABC sitcom, "Who's the Boss?" (1984-92).  She was also the ditzy matriarch, Jessica Tate, in the ABC sitcom, "Soap" (1977-81).  She also had a memorable supporting role in the Terry Gilliam film, "Brazil."

From Variety:  The actor Nathaniel Taylor died at the age of 80, Wednesday, February 27, 2019.  Taylor is best known for playing "Rollo Lawson" in the 1970s TV sitcom, "Sanford and Son."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 11th to 17th, 2018 - Update #18

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ANIMATION - From ICv2:  See the characters posters for the film, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," which is due for release in December.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooLifestyle:  Lee Child, the author of the "Jack Reacher" novels, explains why Tom Cruise won't reprise film roles as Reacher in a proposed TV reboot of the film franchise.

----------
ANIMATION - From THR:  Director Ralph Bakshi, known for his cult animated films ("Wizards," "Fritz the Cat") talks about how the battle for "Lord of the Rings" almost broke him.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis returning to science fiction with two film projects, ""Bios" and "Project Blue Book."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  James Cameron says that the "Avatar" sequels have wrapped production.

----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Netflix has obtained rights to Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."  The exceptions are China (where Netflix isn't) and the U.K. and Ireland where the BBC has the free TV rights.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  2019 will see Bill Cosby face trial in civil court for an alleged assault of a minor at the Playboy mansion in 1974.

----------
BOOKS - From TheRoot:  Forever First Lady Michlle Obama's new book, "Becoming," is poised to be the biggest selling book of 2018.

----------
PIXAR - From Yahoo:  First teaser trailer for "Toy Story 4" introduces new character.

---------
MOVIES - From Variety:  The German edition of "Playboy" is standing by its article that film composer Ennio Morricone called the films of Quentin Tarantino "trash."  Morricone won his only Oscar for composing music for Tarantino's 2015 film, "The Hateful Eight."  Morricone has been denying he said that.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooSports:  NFL quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, Jared Goff, caught Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry's attention when he used her name for a play call.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/9 to 11/11/2018 weekend box office is Univeral and Illumination Entertainment's "Dr. Suess' The Grinch" with an estimated take of $66 million.

----------
AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," the Mr. Rogers documentary, won "Best Documentary" at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

----------
MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  With the release of the J.J. Abrams-produced, "Overlord," here is a look at films that fuse the horror and war genres.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Legendary Hollywood screenwriter and author, William Goldman, has died at the age of 87, Friday, November 16, 2018.  Goldman won an Oscar for his original screenplay for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and another Oscar for his adapted screenplay for the film, "All the President's Men." A novelist, Goldman also adapted three of his novels, including the beloved "The Princess Bride," for the screen.  He was a chronicler of the film business, as seen in his book, "Adventures in the Screen Trade," and was also a noted "script doctor," doing uncredited rewrites and touch-ups on movies such as "The Right Stuff" and "Indecent Proposal."

From NPR:  Country music legend, Roy Clark, has died at the age of 85, Thursday, November 15, 2018.  An guitarist and singer, Clark may be best known the co-host of the long-running country music variety series, "Hee Haw."  Clark was also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and of Grand Ole Opry.

From Variety:  Actress and model, Kim Porter, died at the age of 47, Thursday, November 15, 2018.  Porter dated mogul, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and was the mother of three of his children.  She appeared on the cover of magazines such as "Essence" and "Runway."  She appeared in the film, "The Brothers," and on the TV series, "Law & Order."

MARVEL COMICS' STAN LEE:

From TheWrap:  Legendary comic book writer, editor, and creator, Stan Lee, has died at the age of 95, Monday, November 12, 2018.  Lee took Marvel Comics from a second-tier publisher to a global empire by co-creating comic book characters such as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Hulk, to name just a fraction of many.  Lee also made a numerous cameo appearances in films based on the characters he helped to create.

From Variety:  "Stan Lee, Marvel Comicbook Legend, Dies at 95"

From YahooEntertainment:  An interview from 2015 that Yahoo did of Stan Lee on the eve of San Diego Comic-Con International 2015.

From THR:  How Stan Lee brought humanity to Superheroes.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 5th, 2017 - Update #29

Support Leroy on Patreon.

TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  FOX News "personality" Eric Bolling is the latest FOX white male in trouble for sexual harassment of female co-workers.

----------
TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Scripps Network  has bought Black-oriented television network, "Bounce TV."

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Whoopi Goldberg is returning this fall for Season 21 of "The View."

----------
COMICS-FILM - From TheTrackingBoard:  Jeff Robinov's Studio 8 has optioned the independent comic book series, "Black," for film.  The series is set in a world where only African-Ameicans have super powers.

----------
TELEVISION - TheTrackingBoard:  Teagan Croft is the first cast member of "Titans," based on the comic book from DC Comics.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC's "Will & Grace" revival has been renewed for a second season before the first season makes it debut (set for September 28th).

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Jaden Smith to star in director Crystal Moselle's film about female skateboarders in New York City.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Sylvester Stallone will appear in the upcoming season of NBC's much talked about series, "This is Us."

----------
TELEVISION - From Vulture:  The "Divergent" novel series is comprised of three books.  The third book, "Allegiant," was supposed adapted into two films.  The first film, also entitled "Allegiant," was a box office disappointment, and it seems that Lionsgate is not making the second part, to be called "Ascendant."  Starz is developing "Ascendant" as a TV series, instead.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Vin Diesel's One Race Television is working on a reboot of NBC's classic TV series, "Miami Vice."

----------
COMICS-FILM - From CinemaBlend:  Dave Bautista, who plays "Drax" in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, says he will appear in a film adaptation of Valiant Comics' "Eternal Warrior" comic books.

----------
DISNEY - From THR:  Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks to voice "Scar" in Disney's live-action remake of its animated classic, "The Lion King" (1994), which will be directed by Jon Favreau.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooStyle:  President and Mrs. Obama send newlywed couple a moving note of congratulations.

----------
JAMES BOND - From YahooCelebrity:  Halle Berry does not think that James Bond should be played by a woman.  Berry was a co-star in the 2002 Bond film, "Die Another Day."

----------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Scott Cooper to write and direct "Hellhound on His Trail," about the hunt for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

----------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  NBA Legend/G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan says that Kobe is higher on the all-time list than LeBron James.

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  ABC's long-running sitcom, "The Middle," will end after this coming season, its ninth.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" begins production and releases a teaser video.

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Ian McShane joins the "Hellboy" film franchise reboot, "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen."

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Amazon is developing a TV series from Aaron McGruder (creator of "The Boondocks") and super-producer Will Packer ("Girls Trip") that will deal with a post-slavery reparations America.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Leah Remini is reuniting with her "King of Queens" cast mate, Kevin James, on his recent CBS comedy, "Kevin Can Wait."  In order to do that, the character played by Erinn Hayes in "Kevin Can Wait" will be killed off.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  50 Cent is threatening to take his hit show, "Power," from Starz.

---------
TELEVISION - From Vulture:  Jason Bateman says Season 5 of "Arrested Development" begins next week for Netflix.

---------
ANIMATION - From YahooMovies:  Sony's "The Emoji Movie" may be the worst reviewed movie of the year.

----------
LGBTQ - From YahooNews:  A federal judge orders the FBT to probe records of a 1950 program to purge LGBT federal workers from their jobs, as per Executive Order 10450 by then President Dwight Eisenhower.

----------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Legendary Major League Baseball player Pete Rose had sex with an underage girl, according to court documents.

----------
HEALTH - From Propublica:  Could "Agent Orange" exposure in Vietnam be behind Senator John McCain's (a Vietnam War prisoner of war) battle with brain cancer?

----------
CELEBRITY - From Mashable:  Mark Hamill sends a sweet DM to a fan trying to verify an old Hamill autograph.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooMovies:  Idris Elba would like to be in a third "Magic Mike" film, is one happens.  "Magic Mike" star, Matthew McConaughey, thinks so, too.

OBIT:

From People:  The British actor Robert Hardy has died at the age of 91, Thursday, August 3, 2017.  Harry Potter fans know Hardy for playing Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in four "Harry Potter" films.

From Variety:  The film and television music composer, Daniel Licht,  died at the age of 60, Wednesday, August 2, 2017.  He was best known for composing the music for all eight seasons of Showtime's serial killer drama, "Dexter."  He composed music for two of the films in the "Children of the Corn" series.

Review: "Doctor Strange" Shows Potential for Future Strange Movies

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Doctor Strange (2016)
Running time:  115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense crash sequence
DIRECTOR:  Scott Derrickson
WRITERS:  Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill (based on the comic books created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ben David (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Sabrina Plisco and Wyatt Smith
COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino
Academy Award nominee

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, and Stan Lee

Doctor Strange is a 2016 superhero and fantasy film directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Marvel Studios.  The film focuses on the Marvel Comics character, Doctor Strange, who first appeared in Strange Tales #10 (cover dated: July 1963) and who was created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.  Doctor Strange the movie focuses on a former neurosurgeon whose journey of healing takes him into the fantastic world of the magic and mysticism.

Doctor Strange introduces Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), an acclaimed neurosurgeon and scientist and also an arrogant and conceited  person.  After being in a terrible car accident, Strange discovers that his hands are damaged and rendered useless in performing the delicate surgical procedures for which he is celebrated.  He obsessively searches for a surgery that will make his hands like they were before, but when he cannot, he turns bitter, even rejecting his co-worker and former lover, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams).

Strange learns of a place called “Kamar-Taj” in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he can be cured.  What he discovers is The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and sorcerers like Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor).  They introduce him to other dimensions, to the astral plane, and to the mystic arts, but there is a darker side to this that Strange will be forced to confront.

The cast of Doctor Strange includes three actors with at least one Academy Award nomination and also one winner (Tilda Swinton).  Oscar-nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor appeared in the Oscar-winning “Best Picture,” 12 Years a Slave, and Oscar-nominated Rachel McAdams appeared in this previous year's “Best Picture” Oscar-winnner, Spotlight.  Mads Mikkelsen (who plays this film's villain, Kaecilius) has appeared in at least two films that were nominated for foreign-language film Academy Awards.

Doctor Strange needs that acting pedigree because its screenplay is soft and a little weak.  Cumberbatch and company go beyond merely making the best of the screenplay.  They create character drama, conflict, and tension where it is weak or where there is none in the story.  But we know what people are wondering about... the superhero action.

The filmmakers could have taken the material from Marvel Comics Doctor Strange comic books and made something crazy, and they did not play it safe and did indeed make something crazy.  Doctor Strange takes the visual effects of Christopher Nolan's 2010 film, Inception, with its shifting buildings and hallways and turns it into something far more nutty.

Every inch of floor, wall, street, bridge, building, structure – everything, y'all, is flipped, shifted, twisted, melted, divided, and sometimes broken.  The world of Doctor Strange is like Rubik's cube undergoing an earthquake; Salvador Dali on purple drank, and ice cream cone turned into ice cream dots.  Well, you have to see it for yourself, and you should see Doctor Strange.

Doctor Strange is Marvel's weirdest movie; it is the outsider making not only its own corner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also its own shifting realities.  Director Scott Derrickson is known for making low-budget horror films like Insidious.  He proves that he can play in the bigger sandbox that is Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures.  Doctor Strange is not perfect, but it tries to be as “out there” as a Marvel movie can be and still be part of a universe that includes the Avengers, Iron Man, and Captain America movies.  There is so much going on in Doctor Strange that I need to see it again.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, November 6, 2016

NOTES:
2017 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nominations: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, and Paul Corbould)

2017 BAFTA Awards:  3 nominations: “Best Production Design” (John Bush and Charles Wood), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Jeremy Woodhead), and “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Richard Bluff, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, and Jonathan Fawkner)


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------

---------------
 

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 10th to 16th, 2016 - Update #52

Support Leroy on Patreon. 

POLITICS - From TPM:  Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announces Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.

From RollingStone:  Why Mike Pence is the absolute worse.

--------------------
TELEVISION - From MassLive:  Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart reunite to cover the 2016 Republican National Convention.

--------------
COMICS - From IGN:  Do right by the X-Men comics franchise!

---------------
COMICS - From YahooMovies:  New photos of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman - one with Chris Pine.

---------------
SPORTS - From NBA:  Oh, no!  Los Angeles Lakers young stallion, Larry Nance, Jr., suffers a probably hand fracture.

---------------
SPORTS -  From YahooSports:   New England Patriots Super Bowl champion quaterback, Tom Brady, gives up on his "Deflage-gate" lawsuit.

---------------
MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  Chiwetel Ejiofor in talks to join Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix in the film "Mary Magdalene."  Ejiofor would play Peter the Apostle.

---------------
RACE - From YahooTV:   D.L. Hughley rips into FOX News' Megyn Kelly.

---------------
EMMYS - From YahooTV:  "Game of Thrones" leads the 2016 Emmy nominations with 23 nominations.

From YahooTV:  A complete list of 2016 Emmy Award nominations.

---------------
MOVIES - From EW:   First look at Jude Law and Charlie Hunnam in Guy Ritchie's "King Arthur."

---------------
MOVIES - From EW:  See this first look at "Pennywise the Clown" as played by Bill Skarsgard in the latest adaptation of Stephen King's It - due in theaters Sept. 2017.

---------------
RACE - From TheGuardian:  Eve Ensler - It's time for white people to reckon with racism.

---------------
COMICS - From GMAYahooNews:  Marvel kills of Bruce Banner in comic book, "Civil War II #3."

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  Even U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), an African-America, has felt the sting of the long arm of the law - both Capitol Police and law enforcement.

--------------
MOVIES - From MovieWeb:  "Saw 8" to beginning shooting in the Fall, likely in Canada.

---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool:  See Keiynan Lonsdale as "Kid Flash," appearing in the upcoming season of "Flash."

-----------------
GAMES - From Deadline:  Who is going to catch the rights to the hot franchise, "Pokemon."

---------------
MOVIES - From EW:  Sigourney Weaver talks about the fate of "Ellen Ripley" in the stalled "Alien" sequel.

HARRY POTTER - From Gamespot:  J.K. Rowling reveals why Uncle Dursley hated Harry Potter.

---------------
TELEVISION - From BuzzFlash:  The time David Letterman called Donald Trump a racist.

---------------
COMICS - From Variety:  FOX, the broadcast network, is entering the Marvel Universe with an "X-Men" action-adventure television series.  It co-produced with Marvel, and FOX is committed to a producing a pilot.  Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, and Marvel's Jeph Loeb are among executive producers.  Matt Nix is writing.

---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  The new all-girl "Ghostbusters" has a post-credit scene.

--------------
SPORTS - From YahooStyle:  Serena Williams breaks "tradition" and wears sandals to the Wimbledon champions dinner.

---------------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Javier Bardem to pick up a paycheck from Universal by appearing in its "Frankenstein" reboot.

---------------
MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Ubisoft chief says the movie based on his company's game, "Assassin's Creed," will not make money.

--------------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  NBA legend, champion, and star, Tim Duncan, has announced his retirement.  He won five championships with the San Antonio Spurs, the only team he played for.

---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  "The Secret Life of Pets" won the 7/8 to 7/10/2016 weekend box office with a $103.17 million estimated opening.  This is the largest domestic opening weekend for an original animated property.

---------------
OBITS - From the BBC:  American journalist Sydney Schanberg has died at the age of 82, Saturday, July 9, 2016.  His work in Cambodia inspired the Oscar-winning film, "The Killing Fields."

MOVIES - From Collider:  First set photo images of Sofia Boutella as the titular monster in the upcoming Tom Cruise reboot of "The Mummy."

---------------
From BleedingCool:  "Child's Play" is returning to home video.

---------------
From IndieWire:  Goldie Hawn will return to movies for the first time since 2002 in an adventure movie with Amy Schumer.

---------------
MUSIC - From IndieWire:  Ray Parker, Jr., who wrote the song "Ghostbusters" for the original film has mixed feelings about the new "Ghostbusters" theme.

---------------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Serena Williams wins the 2016 Wimbledon Women's Single title - her 7th Wimbledon singles' title.  This is her 22nd Grand Slam singles championship, which ties her with Steffi Graf for the most in professional tennis' "Open era" (which began in 1968).  The all-time women's Grand Slam singles champ is Margaret Court with 24.

From YahooSports:  Later, Serena joined her sister Venus Williams to win the 2016 Wimbledon Women's Doubles Championship - their sixth.

---------------

The Killing of #AltonSterling and #PhilandoCastille and #Dallas:

From Newsone:  The NRA will not defend Black and brown gun owners because they are not the organization's constituency.

From Truthout:  The system that killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castille cannot be reformed.

From RSN:  Beyonce says "respect our lives."

From YahooNews:  Pa. police officer picks up tab of guy who refused to sit next to him and his fellow officers in a diner.

From Clevelanddotcom:  NFL running back, Isaiah Crowell (Cleveland Browns), posted this horrible and violent image against police officers.
From YahooSports:  Now, it will cost Crowell a game check.

From TheIntercept:  Baton Rouge police reponse to #AltonSterling protests is complete militarization.  The world is watching.

From ESPN:  Four cops who were working a WNBA Minnesota Lynx game leave over T-shirts the players wore.

From YahooNews:  This buzzed-about photo from the #AltonSterling protests in Baton Rouge is quite popular and maybe iconic and may one day be legendary.

From CSM:  First use of a robot to kill a suspect in U.S. history.

From RSN:  Marc Ash: I blame the police

From RiverFrontTimes:  A young police officer ambushed during a traffic stop.  There is a Go Fund Me page for him.

From Baton Rouge Advocate:  Baton Rouge police say out-of-towners (i.e. outside-agitators) are making Alton Sterling demonstrations more violent.

From RSN:  The President Is Wrong About Dallas, Wrong About Race

From TheGuardian:  NRA afraid to support some Black gun owners?

From Metro:  London stands with #BlackLivesMatter

From WashPost:  New information on NYPD road-rage killing.

From WashPost:  Let's agree that Rudy Giulani needs to shot dead.

From Truthout:  The problem is over-policing.

From telSUR:  Four Latinos killed by police this week, and America really didn't notice.

TRAILERS-VIDEOS:

From FoxMovies:  The new trailer for Warren Beatty's film, "Rules Don't Apply."

From Facebook:  Idris Elba adds a finishing touch to a "Star Trek Beyond" mural painted on the side of a building in London by artist Jim Vision.

"Ex Machina" Dominates 2015 British Independent Film Awards

In 1998, Raindance created the British Independent Film Awards to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking.  The awards also honor new talent and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

The 2015/18th Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced in London.  The winners were announced in a ceremony on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at Old Billingsgate. The event was live streamed on www.bifa.film.

The 2015 Moët British Independent Film Awards winners:

Best British Independent Film sponsored by Moët & Chandon
EX MACHINA - Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Alex Garland

Best Director
EX MACHINA - Alex Garland

Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films
EX MACHINA - Alex Garland

Best Actress sponsored by MAC
SAOIRSE RONAN - Brooklyn

Best Actor sponsored by Movado
TOM HARDY - Legend

Best Supporting Actress
OLIVIA COLMAN - The Lobster

Best Supporting Actor
BRENDAN GLEESON - Suffragette

Most Promising Newcomer sponsored by The London Edition
MIA GOTH - The Survivalist

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
THE SURVIVALIST - Stephen Fingleton

The Discovery Award sponsored by Raindance
ORION: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING - Jeanie Finlay

Best Documentary
DARK HORSE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF DREAM ALLIANCE - Judith Dawson, Louise Osmond

Producer of the Year
PAUL KATIS, ANDREW DE LOTBINIERE - Kajaki: The True Story

Outstanding Achievement in Craft
ANDREW WHITEHURST - Visual Effects, Ex Machina

Best British Short Film:
EDMOND - Emilie Jouffroy, Nina Gantz

Best International Independent Film:
ROOM (Canada, Ireland) - Ed Guiney, David Gross, Emma Donoghue, Lenny Abrahamson

The Variety Award:
Kate Winslet
(The Variety Award recognises a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK.)

The Richard Harris Award:
Chiwetel Ejiofor
(The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2002 in honour of Richard Harris and recognizes outstanding contribution to British film by an actor.)

Special Jury Prize:
Chris Collins
(A BFI executive who died late last year.)

------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 22th to 30th, 2015 - Update #35

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From BoxOfficeMojo:  The 2015 Thanksgiving weekend box office champ is "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" with an estimated take of $51.6 million.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Inside Pixar's tech evolution.

---------------
From YahooTV:  35 years of "Bosom Buddies"

---------------
From Deadline:   This time "Peter Hammond's Notes" concern the award season.

---------------
From Deadline:  Lionsgate and Alex Proyas release statements concerning the all-white casting of "Gods of Egypt."

---------------
From Adele:  12 mind-blowing facts about Adele's smash hit album 25.

---------------
From Variety:  Roman Polanski will not be extradited to the United States from Poland to face sex crime charges.

---------------
From LATimes:  Stars talk about the appeal of made-for-TV Christmas movies.

---------------
From YahooMusic:  Sole copy of Wu-Tang album, "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," sells for at least one million dollars.  The owner cannot, an unnamed American collector, cannot be released for 88 years.

---------------
From GuardianUK:  Garrison Keillor is retiring.

---------------
From Fox:  "War of the Planet of the Apes" contest announces.

---------------
From Time:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the special effect of Hollywood diversity.

---------------
From Slate:  See Adele prank some fans/impersonators.

From Variety:  Chiwetel Ejiofor will be honored at the British Independent Film Awards on Dec. 6, 2015, where he will receive the "Richard Harris Award," which recognizes an outstanding contribution to British film by an actor.

---------------
From IndieWire:  Universal apparently financed Angelina Jolie's vanity film, "By the Sea," so that she would agree to "Wanted 2" (why, Lord, why?) and a "Bride of Frankenstein" remake/re-imagining.

---------------
From TheReelWord:  Netflix is reportedly behind a new "Lost in Space" television series.

---------------
From TheReelWord:  Vin Diesel announces a new "Riddick" film and television series set in the "Riddick" universe.

---------------
From YahooMusic:  Adele talks about the song "Hello" and its importance to her new album, "25."

---------------
From HitFix:  "Toy Story" is 20 years old, and it is as wonderful as ever.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  The #1 movie at the 11/20 to 11/22/2015 weekend box office is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 with an estimated haul of $101 million.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Brad Pitt is involved in a new sci-fi film.


HARD NEWS:

From RSN:  Native Hawaiians rise.

From InformedConsent:  White terrorism and abortion clinics.

---------------
From RollingStone:  Matt Taibbi: America is too dumb for TV News.

---------------
From TalkingPointsMemo:  President's state on Planned Parenthood shooting.

---------------
From WashPost:  Anne Frank and her family were immigrants who were turned away.

---------------
From TheVox:  Perfect response to the black-on-black crime meme.

---------------
From Outlook:  John Cusack talks to Arundhati Roy.

---------------
From Slate:  The shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago... the video.

---------------
From Slate:  Go John Bel!

---------------
From RollingStone:  Yeah, what the hell is going on with Ben Carson?

---------------
From ThinkProgress:  Donald Trump retweets racist lies; media cowers before calling him a liar and a racists.

---------------
From YahooFinance:  McDonald's is lowering prices, including bringing back more $1 menu items.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From YahooNews:  "The Green Lantern Corps." movie might be a Lethal Weapon-styled buddy movie.

---------------
From CNET:  More details on Doctor Strange film.

From YahooMovies:  You can get Joker's "Suicide Squad" car.

---------------
From Negromancer:  The first issue of "The Dark Knight III" is in comic book stores today.

---------------
From Slate:  On Netflix's "Jessica Jones" and its relation to "Gamergate."

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Remember George Miller (Mad Max) had planned to direct a Justice League movie (Justice League: Mortal)?  It was cancelled, but here is a look at that film's Wonder Woman (Megan Gale).


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  Katherine Timpf had to play with Roger Ailes' "little space nerd stick" to get a job at Fox.


TRAILER:

From YouTube:  First trailer for a creepy upcoming movie, "The Other Side of the Door."


MISC:

From GoodHousekeeping:  An amazing story about an adopted young woman who discovered that her biological father was a deceased 9/11 hero.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 8th to 14th, 2015 - Update #14

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From History.com:  On this date in 1969, "Sesame Street" debuted.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  The new James Bond movie, Spectre" won the 11/6 to 11/8/2015 box office weekend with an estimated take of $73 million.  In second place was "The Peanuts Movie" with a take of $45 million.

---------------
From IndieWire:  Nicolas Winding Refn's next film will be released to theaters by Amazon Studios.

---------------
From RSN:  Michael Moore stands with Quentin Tarantino.


HARD NEWS:

From YahooNews:  Three groups led Paris attacks.

From YahooNews:  Live blogs, ABC News updates on Paris attacks.

---------------
From the SaltLakeTribute:  Judge orders infant taking from lesbian couple.


STAR WARS:

From TheGuardian:  The newspaper examines things learned from Entertainment Weekly's special issue.

---------------
From Hitfix:  More reveals regarding "The Force Awakens" from Entertainment Weekly.


COMICS: Movies and Books:

From IndieWire:  Mariah Carey has been cast as the voice of either Commissioner Jim Gordon or the Mayor of Gotham in "The Lego Batman Movie."

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Chiwetel Ejiofor (Baron Mordo) and Benedict Cumberbatch on Marvel's "Doctor Strange" set.


TRAILERS AND REVIEWS:

From YahooMovies:  A review of "Concussion" starring Will Smith.

---------------
From YouTube:  New "Ice Age" short, "Cosmic Scrat-astrophe."


OBITS:

From EOnline:  The actor, Nathaniel Marston, has died (Wednesday, November 11, 2015).  Martson, known for a six-year run on the ABC soap, "One Life to Live," succumbed to injuries he suffered in a car accident October 30, 2015.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  The actor Gunnar Hansen has died (Saturday, November 7, 2015).  He is famous for playing one of the most iconic movie villains of all time, Leatherface, in the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Negromancer News Bit and Bites for July 1st to 4th, 2015 - Update #7

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From HitFix:  But he is a "clown in blackface..." and an Uncle Tom.

---------------
From THR:  Hollywood insiders visit Havana, Cuba.

---------------
From YahooTV:  I still watch "Dukes of Hazzard" on occasion.  It's a shame that it's come to this.

---------------
From Variety:  Laurence Fishburne to star in A&E's "Roots" remake in 2015.

---------------
From Vulture:  Anthony Mackie to play MLK to Bryan Cranston's LBJ.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  New logo for "Star Trek 3."


COMICS - Movies and Books:

From YahooTV:  New images from Batman Vs. Superman, including of Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

---------------
From Vulture:  First look at Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and his codpiece... I mean... his guns.

----------------
From YahooMovies:  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

----------------
From TheVerge: This may be the future of Marvel Comics.


TRAILERS:

From YahooMovies:  Dark first trailer for Secrets in Their Eye, with Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Review: "12 Years a Slave" is the Best of Its Year and Among the Best of All Years

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

12 Years a Slave (2013)
Running time:  134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)
MPAA - R for violence/cruelty, some nudity and brief sexuality
DIRECTOR:  Steve McQueen
WRITER:  John Ridley
PRODUCERS:  Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas, Arnon Milchan, and Bill Pohlad
CINEMATOGRAPER:  Sean Bobbitt (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Joe Walke
COMPOSER:  Hans Zimmer
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/HISTORICAL/BIOPIC

Starring:  Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard, Adepero Oduye, Garret Dillahunt, Scoot McNairy, Taran Killam, Chris Chalk, Michael Kenneth Williams, Liza J. Bennett, Devyn A. Tyler, Kelsey Scott, Quvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Zeigler, Dwight Henry, and John McConnell

12 Years a Slave is a 2013 historical drama and period film from director Steve McQueen.  The film is based on the 1853 memoir and slave narrative, Twelve Years a Slave.  At the 86th Oscars, 12 Years a Slave became the first film directed and produced by a black filmmaker (Steve McQueen) and also the first film to be written by an African-American (John Ridley) to win the Academy Award for “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (for the year 2013).  12 Years a Slave the movie is the story of a free black man from upstate New York, who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in antebellum Louisiana.

12 Years a Slave introduces Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man.  In 1841, Solomon lives in New York with his wife, the former Anne Hampton (Kelsey Scott), and his children, Alonzo (Cameron Zeigler) and Margaret (Quvenzhané Wallis).  Solomon works as violinist, and that is what gets him the offer of a two-week job as a musician in Washington D.C.  What Solomon does not realize is that this job offer is a trap.  His erstwhile employers drug and abduct him, and later sell Solomon to a slave trader in New Orleans.

The slave trader gives Solomon a new name, “Platt.”  He is sold first, to sugar cane plantation owner, William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), and then, to cotton plantation owner, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender).  It is on Epps' plantation that Solomon meets Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), a young female slave.  Through her, Solomon learns the true depravity of slavery and falls into despair, believing that he may never see his family again.

12 Years a Slave is not only the best film of 2013, it may also be the best film of the 21st century.  Everything about it is magnificent.  Steve McQueen's directing is a work of art – truthfully.  McQueen stages and composes this film with a painter's attention to detail, dedication to story (both narrative and message), and an artist's quest for the sublime and for even the divine.

McQueen creates a sense of intimacy between his characters – master/slave, oppressor/oppressed, abuser/abused – so that the action and emotions between characters feels like the interactions between real people.  This is a masterstroke in film-making, with the film drama having the power and immediacy of stage drama.  Hans Zimmer's evocative and heartbreaking score has uncannily perfect timing and tone in emphasizing story, setting, and mood, and also in embellishing and strengthening McQueen's choices.

12 Years a Slave is buttressed by three incredible and dumbfounding performances that are also works of art.  Damn, you could take the performances given by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o, individually, in pairs, or as a trio, and hang them on a museum wall.

Fassbender could become the most honored actor of the next quarter-century the way that Daniel Day-Lewis has been the most honored of the last quarter-century or so.  As Edwin Epps, Fassbender personifies both the banality of evil of slavery and also of the institution's naked lust for money (as in the need to recoup costs and to make even more money).  Fassbender received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor in 2014, but lost to Jared Leto as the cartoonish stereotype, Rayon (in Dallas Buyers Club).  That's a shame and maybe even a tragedy.  For real, it should have been Fassbender's.

On the other side, as Patsey, Lupita Nyong'o becomes the face of the slaves, especially the face of black female slaves, surviving brutality and enduring degradation even while wishing for the sweet freedom that death might bring.  The depth, the poignancy, and the prowess of Nyong'o as an actor defy description, but at least she won her Oscar as best supporting actress for her supernaturally good acting.

Chiwetel Ejiofor lost the best actor Oscar to Matthew McConaughey who played Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.  McConaughey did deliver an exceptional performance, but the reason film award voters were so impressed with McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club was because they did not know that he had a Ron Woodroof in him.  Up to that point, McConaughey had spent much of his career playing shallow pussy-hounds, grown-ass men in a state of pathetic arrested development, and leading roles that required him to do little more than give good face.  Being a white man also gave McConaughey an advantage with Oscar voters.

On the other hand, it is easy to take Ejiofor for granted; he is always good.  In film, he has perhaps never been better than he is in 12 Years a Slave.  He carries this movie because it is his character's story, a personal and hellish travelogue into the darkest and cruelest countries of mankind's nature.  Ejiofor opens up his heart, his mind, his personality, his emotions – his very being – to the audience.  Through him, we experience the suffering and dehumanization of Solomon Northup.

I think this movie is, in large measure, about how people will make others suffer for their own material gain and how some humans degrade others for their own satisfaction and pleasure.  Few films have depicted that as well as 12 Years a Slave does.  Maybe, it is indeed too hard for some to watch, but 12 Years a Slave is a great film (one of the greatest of all time), and it is a necessary one – more necessary than some of us will admit.

10 of 10

Saturday, March 7, 2015


NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  3 wins: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, and Anthony Katagas), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Lupita Nyong'o), and “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (John Ridley); 6 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Chiwetel Ejiofor), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Michael Fassbender), “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Patricia Norris), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Steve McQueen), “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Joe Walker), and “Best Achievement in Production Design” (Adam Stockhausen-production design and Alice Baker-set decoration)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  2 wins: “Best Film” (Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Steve McQueen) and “Best Leading Actor” (Chiwetel Ejiofor); 8 nominations: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Hans Zimmer); “Best Adapted Screenplay” (John Ridley), “Best Supporting Actor” (Michael Fassbender), “Best Supporting Actress” (Lupita Nyong'o), “Best Cinematography” (Sean Bobbitt), “Best Editing” (Joe Walker), “Best Production Design” (Adam Stockhausen and Alice Baker), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Steve McQueen)

2014 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Motion Picture – Drama;” 6 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Chiwetel Ejiofor), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Michael Fassbender), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Lupita Nyong'o), “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steve McQueen), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (John Ridley), and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Hans Zimmer)

2014 Black Reel Awards 2014:  8 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture” (Brad Pitt, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohlad, and Arnon Milchan – Fox Searchlight Pictures), “Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture” (Chiwetel Ejiofor), “Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture” (Lupita Nyong'o), “Outstanding Director, Motion Picture” (Steve McQueen), “Outstanding Screenplay (Adapted or Original), Motion Picture” (John Ridley), “Outstanding Ensemble” (Francine Maisler (Casting Director), “Outstanding Score” (Hans Zimmer), and “Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female” (Lupita Nyong'o); 1 nomination: “Outstanding Song” (Alicia Keys: Performer & Writer for the song "Queen of the Field (Patsey's Song))

2014 Image Awards:  4 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Lupita Nyong'o), “Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture - (Theatrical or Television)” (John Ridley), and “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture” (Steve McQueen); 2 nominations: “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Alfre Woodard)


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------------