Finalists for 34th USC Libraries Scripter Award Named

SC Libraries Name Finalists for 34th-Annual Scripter Awards

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries named the finalists for the 34th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based.

The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:

•     Screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve, for “Dune” based on the novel by Frank Herbert
•     Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter” based on the novel by Elena Ferrante
•     Rebecca Hall for “Passing” based on the novel by Nella Larsen
•     Screenwriter Jane Campion and author Thomas Savage for “The Power of the Dog”
•     Screenwriter Joel Coen and playwright William Shakespeare for “The Tragedy of Macbeth”

The finalist writers for television are, in alphabetical order by series title:

•     Danny Strong, for the episode “The People vs. Purdue Pharma,” from “Dopesick,” based on the nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America,” by Beth Macy
•     Molly Smith Metzler for the episode “Dollar Store,” from “Maid,” based on the memoir “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive” by Stephanie Land
•     Patrick Somerville for the episode “Wheel of Fire,” from “Station Eleven,” based on the novel by Emily St. John Mandel
•     Barry Jenkins for the episode “Indiana Winter” from “The Underground Railroad,” based on the novel by Colson Whitehead
•     Jac Schaeffer for the episode “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience,” from “WandaVision” based on Marvel Comics characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Barry Jenkins, a nominee for “The Underground Railroad,” will receive the USC Libraries Literary Achievement Award for his contributions to cinematic storytelling, including his work adapting the 2017 Scripter winner “Moonlight” and the 2019 finalist “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

The 2022 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 69 film and 42 television adaptations. Howard Rodman, USC professor and past president of the Writers Guild of America, West, chairs the 2022 committee.

Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin, Anne Thompson and Kenneth Turan; authors Janet Fitch and Walter Mosley; screenwriters Mark Fergus and Erin Cressida Wilson; producers Mike Medavoy and Gail Mutrux; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.

The studios distributing the finalist films and current publishers of the printed works are:

    “Dune”—Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace
    “The Lost Daughter”—Netflix and Europa Editions
    “Passing”— Netflix and Serpent’s Tail
    “The Power of the Dog”— Netflix and Back Bay Books
    “The Tragedy of Macbeth”—Apple Original Films/A24 and Penguin

The networks and streaming platforms broadcasting the finalist television series and current publishers of the works are:

    “Dopesick”—Hulu and Back Bay Books
    “Maid”—Netflix and Hachette Books
    “Station Eleven”—HBO Max and Vintage Books
    “The Underground Railroad”—Amazon and Anchor Books
    “WandaVision”—Disney+ and Marvel Comics

The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library at the University of Southern California. After being held in a virtual format last year amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the Scripter Awards are currently planning to return to an in-person event subject to up-to-date COVID-19 safety protocols.

Since 1988, Scripter has honored the authors of printed works alongside the screenwriters who adapt their stories. In 2016, the USC Libraries inaugurated a new Scripter award, for episodic series adaptation. For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 26th to 30th, 2021 - Update #16

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From Deadline:   Tim Federle will direct and Madhuri Shekar will write "Sister Act 3" for Disney+. Whoopi Goldberg will reprise her role as "Deloris," the nightclub singer turned nun.  Goldberg will also produce the film along with Tyler Perry and Tom Leonardis.

SCANDAL - From VanityFair:  Film, TV, and Broadway titan, Aaron Sorkin, says that scandal-ridden bully and super-producer (and Sorkin's collaborator), Scott Rudin, got what he deserved.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network has signed a deal for a 20-episode third season of "All Rise," the legal drama that CBS cancelled in this past May.  The Warner Bros TV-produced series will air on OWN beginning in 2022.  Star Simone Missick and most of the cast will return.

TELEVISION - From EOnline:  Ellen Pompeo remembers that time she called Denzel Washington a "m*therf*cker."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Eleven years after dumping it, NBC is reviving its beloved crime drama, "Law & Order," for a 21st season.  No premiere date has yet been announced.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  J. Michael Straczynski is set to write and executive a reboot of his 1990s science fiction syndicated TV series, "Babylon 5," for The CW.  The series ran for fives seasons (1994-99), including a pilot film (1993) and five other television movies.  The pilot TV movie and the series' first four seasons were syndicated via the "Prime Time Entertainment Network."  Season 5 aired on cable network TNT.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:   Grammy-winning recording artist, R. Kelly, has been found guilty on all nine counts in his federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Brooklyn. Sentencing is set for May 4th, 2022.

CELEBRITY - From GQ:  Oscar-nominated, box office champion, Will Smith, is the cover feature in November 2021 issue of "GQ." "Introducing the Real Will Smith" is the title of the article.

TELEVISION - From TheHill:  "Saturday Night Live" is adding a comedian, James Austin Johnson, to its cast who's been dubbed the world's greatest impersonator of former President Trump.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/25 to 9/27/2021 weekend box office is "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" with an estimated 13.3 million dollars.

From Negromancer:  My review of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Former child star, Dante Baco (who played "Rufio" in Steven Spielberg's 1991 film, "Hook") talks about his career and transition from child to adult actor.

MARVEL - From THR:   On Friday, Sept. 24, Marvel Entertainement filed a series of lawsuits against the estates of a group of comic book creators who created many of their most popular characters.  Those creators, all deceased, include Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and Steve Ditko.  The dispute is over something called "copyright termination," but you can read more at the article.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Joel Coen and actor Frances McDormand answer questions about their new film, "The Tragedy of Macbeth," which also stars Denzel Washington and opened the 2021 New York Film Festival.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Kidnapping, assassination and a London shoot-out: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks qne Julian Assange.

OBITS:

From THR:  Actor and former Disney child star, Tommy Kirk, has died at the age of 79, found dead on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.  Kirk was best known for the films he made for Walt Disney Studios from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s.  These include "Old Yeller" (1957), "The Shaggy Dog" (1959), "Swiss Family Robinson" (1960), and "Son of Flubber" (1963), to name a few.  He also played boy detective, "Joe Hardy," of "The Hardy Boys" on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in 1956.  The late Walt Disney reportedly personally fired Kirk from the studio in 1963 when he learned that the 21-year-old was involved in a gay relationship.  Kirk was elected as a "Disney Legend" in 2006.

From Deadline:  British film editor, Jon Gregory, has died at the age of 77, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.  Gregory was nominated for a "Best Film Editing" Oscar nomination for his work on "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017).  He was a four-time BAFTA nominee, including for his work on films like "Four Wedding and a Funeral" (1994) and "In Bruges" (2008).  Gregory is also known for his work with director Mike Leigh, including on films "Naked" (1993) and "Secrets & Lies" (1996).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 10th to 16th, 2020 - Update #29

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BLACK AMERICA AND COVID-19 - Crisis or... :

From TheVox:  (May 8th) - Social distancing arrests target people of color.

From YahooNews:  A tale of two parks: Enjoying the sun in wealthy Manhattan, social distancing under police scrutiny in the Bronx

From YahooGMA: (4/28) - Rana Zoe Mungin, a 30-year-old teacher from Brooklyn, died on Monday, April 27th for COVID-19.  She had twice been denied a test for the coronavirus after showing symptoms.  Her family and friends blame racial disparity in the health care system.

From RSNWashPost:  How COVID-19 is a perfect storm for Black Americans.

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From NBCNews:  Because COVID-19 is NOT killing enough black people fast enough for some people... Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT worker, was killed in a botched police raid on the part of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

From ABCNews:  This article has a picture of the three Klansmen... I mean Louiville police officers who slaughtered Breonna Taylor.

################
From NewYorkTimes:  Because COVID-19 isn't killing enough black people fast enough for some people... a timeline in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.

From YahooSports:  NBA superstar and champion, LeBron James, speaks on the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.  "We're literally hunted everyday," James says.

From YahooSports:  NFL champion and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Tom Brady, signs letter on Ahmaud Arbery.

################
From USAToday:  Because COVID-19 isn't killing enough black people fast enough for some people... Dreasjon "Sean" Reed was killed by the Indianapolis Metro Police Department on May 7th.

From TMZ:  Cops joke about "closed casket" funeral after killing Sean Reed.

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

From CDC:   The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From JuanCole:  Remeber when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19.  Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.

From RSN:  Former U.S. Secretary of Labor (under President Bill Clinton), Robert Reich, list the new "class divides" with their inequalities that he says the COVID-19 pandemic has created.

From Grist:  The scientists that saw coronavirus coming are hunting for the next pandemic.

From YahooNews:  Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) blames former President Obama for current President Donald's piss-poor response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 OBIT:

From CNN:  Entertainer and magician, Roy Horn, has died at the age of 75, May 8, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Horn was best known as one-half of the Las Vegas animal and magic act, "Siegfried & Roy," with his partner Seigfried Fischbacher.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Danny Boyle is set to direct Micheal B. Jordan in the film, "Methuselah," which is based on the Biblical character.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. is remaking director Blake Edwards' 1979 comedy, "10," which originally starred Julie Andrews, Dudley Moore, and Bo Derek.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Universal Pictures has tapped Luca Guadagnino ("Call Me By Your Name") to direct its reboot of the film "Scarface."  Joel Coen and Ethan Coen wrote the latest version of the script.

DISNEY - From Variety:  Disney+ is in the early stages of developing the "Percy Jackson" book series as a live-action series.  Fox previously produced two live-action films based on the books by Rick Riordan.

MOVIES - From CNN:  Russell Crowe's thriller, "Unhinged," gets a July 1st, 2020 release date.  This may make it the first new film to arrive in movie theaters during the pandemic.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney+ will stream a filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Hamilton." beginning July 3, 2020.  Director Tommy Kail, who also directed the musical, comprised the film version by shooting three live performances of the musical.  Disney paid $75 million for the worldwide rights to the movie.

From GQ:  Robert Pattinson shot his own cover for the latest "GQ" magazine and its "A Dispatch from Isolation" interview with him.  He talks about a number of things including his role in "The Batman" and his struggle to describe the plot of Christopher Nolan's "Tenet."

From THR:  For its Fall 2020 schedule, Fox is picking on "L.A.'s Finest," a scripted original series for cable provider, Spectrum.

From Deadline:  Ryan Murphy is working on an anthology spinoff of his hit FX series, "American Horror Story."  It will be titles "American Horror Stories."

From Variety:  There will be no Cannes Film Festival this year - even in the fall.

From Deadline:  Not even a basket of horrid "X-Men" can stop writer-producer Simon Kinberg's career trajectory.  Netflix has picked up his heist spec script, "Here Comes the Flood," for deal in the mid-7 figures.

From Deadline:  Kal Penn talks about CBS' 2020-2021 TV sequel to the 1991 Oscar-winning film, "Silence of the Lambs."

From Deadline:  CBS has picked up three new series for next season: The Equalizer reboot starring Queen Latifah; "Silence of the Lambs," sequel "Clarice," starring Rebecca Breeds; and the Chuck Lorre-Marco Pennette multi-camera comedy, "B Positive," headlined by Thomas Middleditch and Annaleigh Ashford.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Veteran film and television character actor, Fred Willard, has died at the age of 86, Friday, May 15, 2020.  Willard was known for playing a long list of roles in various comedic films ("Best in Show" and "How High" to name a few) and television series ("Fernwood 2 Night" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" to name a few).  On IMDb, Willard has 311 credits.  He will be seen posthumously in the upcoming Netflix comedy, "Space Force," with Steve Carell.

From THR:  The comedian and actor, Jerry Stiller, has died at the age of 92, Monday, May 11, 2020.  He is best known for TV series.  First is for the recurring role of "George Costanza's" father, "Frank," on the NBC series, "Seinfeld" (1989-1998), from 1993 to 1998.   The second role is that of series regular, "Arthur Spooner," on CBS' "The King of Queens" (1998 to 2007).  Decades ago, Stiller was best known for being part of the comedy team of Stiller and Meara with the late Ann Meara, who would become his wife.  The couple had two children, actor and filmmaker, Ben Stiller, and

From Essence:  Noted R&B and soul singer, Betty Wright, has died at the age of 66, Sunday, May 10, 2020.  Noted for her use of the "whistle register," Wright had a number of hit songs.  His signature single was "Clean Up Woman" (1974), a top 10 hit on "Billboard" magazine's "Hot 100" and "R&B" charts.  In 1975, she had a hit with what is called a "proto-disco" song, "Where is the Love?"  She won a "Best R&B Song" Grammy Award for composing the song with Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of "KC & the Sunshine Band."  Wright was also a prolific and prominent background vocalist who performed on recordings for a number of popular recording artists, including Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, and David Byrne, to name a few.

From RollingStone:  One of the founding fathers of rock and roll music, Little Richard, has died at the age of 87, Saturday, May 9, 2020.  He combined blues and gospel music to create a thrilling new sound, and his flamboyant and gender-bending persona helped to create the sound and spirit of a new art form, rock and roll or rock 'n' roll music.  His best known recordings included "Tutti Frutti" (1955), "Long Tall Song" (1956), and "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (1958).  In 1986, Little Richard was among the first inductees of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

From RollingStone:  Little Richard wrote this tribute to himself in 2010 for "Rolling Stone's" "100 Greatest Artists" issue.

Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 31, 2018

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Review: Tom Hanks is Magnificent in "Bridge of Spies"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bridge of Spies (2015)
Running time:  141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language
DIRECTOR:  Steven Spielberg
WRITERS:  Matt Charman and Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
PRODUCERS:  Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, and Steven Spielberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Janusz Kaminski
EDITOR:  Michael Kahn
COMPOSER:  Thomas Newman
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/HISTORICAL/THRILLER

Starring:  Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell, Will Rogers, Sebastian Koch, Jillian Lebling, Noah Schnapp, Eve Hewson, and Jesse Plemons

Bridge of Spies is a 2015 historical drama from director Steve Spielberg.  This American-German co-production is based on the true story of lawyer James B. Donovan, who negotiated the exchange of a Soviet KGB spy, who was captured and convicted in the United States, for an American U-2 pilot, who was captured and imprisoned in the Soviet Union.  The film's title apparently refers to the place, Glienicke Bridge, where the exchange of prisoners took place.

Bridge of Spies opens in Brooklyn, New York in 1957.  The FBI is watching suspected Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), who lives alone as a painter of portraits.  Believing that he has recently retrieved a secret message, the FBI agents arrest him.  Because he refuses to cooperate, the FBI tries Abel, but the U.S. government wants Abel to get a “fair trial” as counter-propaganda to any Soviet propaganda and also to show the world that America is true to its ideals.  [Yeah, segregation and Jim Crow:  I get the irony.]

The bar association chooses insurance attorney James B. “Jim” Donovan (Tom Hanks) to defend Abel.  Donovan, who had previously worked on the prosecutions of Nazi war crimes in the Nuremberg trials, takes his work as Abel's attorney seriously.  However, his firm, the prosecuting attorneys, and the judge  want Donovan only to go through the motions.  When he refuses and puts all his efforts into saving Abel's life, his professional and social position, as well as his family, suffer for it.

Some time after these events, military pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) flies a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union, where he is shot down and captured.  The USSR proposes a prisoner exchange:  Powers for Abel, and Donovan agrees to handle the negotiations.  After he arrives in communist East Germany where the exchange is to take place, Donovan finds numerous complications and competing interests – on all sides.  If he is to complete his mission, Donovan will have to decide what is the best deal, but his life and freedom will be on the line.

Tom Hanks has been one of the world's best English-speaking actors of the last four decades.  If he painted his house, he could make that look like a major moment in another Oscar-worthy performance.  Hanks is a true movie star, not a faker like those young white male actors who are treated like A-list talent only because they have appeared in a hit action or superhero movie.

Hanks can carry a movie, and so, he carries Bridge of Spies, and not because this is a mediocre movie that needs to be propped up.  Bridge of Spies is a superbly written period piece that deftly balances the social and political arguments and points of contention of the late 1950s and early 1960s with riveting spy drama and international intrigue.

Of course, director Steven Spielberg makes Bridge of Spies a historical drama with bite in two ways.  First, he draws out excellent performances from his cast by allowing veteran actors to do what they do best – fashion the characters on the page of a script into characters on the screen that genuinely feel like real people (as is the case with Mark Rylance as “Rudolf Abel”).  Secondly, Spielberg captures the tensions of the time and recreates the Cold War as a moody film that evokes classic Hollywood Film-Noir with the gravitas of a muscular stage drama.

Still, the script, the directing, and the supporting actors are satellites drawn to the gravity and brilliance of Bridge of Spies' sun, Tom Hanks.  The best of America is exemplified in Hanks' Jim Donovan, and Hanks is up to the task of making this character an exemplar, rather than a caricature spouting corny bromides.  When Donovan tells a CIA agent tailing him what the Constitution of the United States means to a country full of people from a multitude of backgrounds, his words ring out from film and become a beacon – the true shining light on a hill.

Bridge of Spies is an excellent movie, but what makes it exceptional is Tom Hanks giving one of the best performances of his career.  That Hanks did not receive an Oscar, BAFTA, or Golden Globe nomination for this performance speaks to the fact that we have come to take a great American film star for granted.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, May 22, 2016


NOTES:
2016 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Mark Rylance); 5 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt, and Kristie Macosko Krieger), “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen), “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Thomas Newman), “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, and Drew Kunin), and “Best Achievement in Production Design” (Adam Stockhausen-production design, Rena DeAngelo-set decoration, and Bernhard Henrich-set decoration)

2016 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Mark Rylance)

2016 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Supporting Actor” (Mark Rylance); 8 nominations: “Best Film” (Kristie Macosko Krieger, Marc Platt, and Steven Spielberg), “David Lean Award for Direction “ (Steven Spielberg), “Best Original Screenplay” (Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen), “Best Cinematography” (Janusz Kaminski), “Best Editing” (Michael Kahn), “Best Production Design” (Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo, and Bernhard Henrich), “Best Original Music” (Thomas Newman), and “Best Sound” (Drew Kunin, Richard Hymns, Andy Nelson, and Gary Rydstrom)

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

Monday, January 30, 2017

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 13th to 19th, 2016 - Update #27

Support Leroy on Patreon.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  President-elect Trump wants the cast of the Broadway musical, "Hamilton" to apologize to Vice-President-elect and anti-gay bigot, Mike Pence.

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MOVIE - From THR:  Marc Forster is directing Disney's live-action movie about "Christopher Robin," Winnie the Pooh's friend.

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OBIT - From TheWrap:  Sharon Jones, who is the lead singer of "Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings," has died at the age of 60, Friday, November 18, 2016.

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CULTURE - From RSN:  Is America possible, Michelle Alexander asks, especially as we are just learning to walk.

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MOVIES - From CNN:  Shelley Duvall, the actress who is known for such film as "The Shinning" and "Popeye," reveals that she suffers from mental illness.

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ECO - From RollingStone:  Neil Young celebrates his 71st birthday with a concert at Standing Rock #NoDAPL protest site.

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SPORTS - From the Steelers:  The NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers announce the "The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research."

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MOVIES - From ETCanada:  Michelle Williams to play rock legend Janis Joplin in upcoming biopic.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Halle Berry celebrates 50 with a new lingerie line.

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COMICS - From Vulture:  A fascinating piece on, Steve Ditko, the artist who created The Amazing Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Stan Lee.  The writer even tries to meet Ditko, who is an infamous recluse.

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  Marvel, IMAX, and ABC team for a big budget "Inhumans" television show.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" set for release April 2018.

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OBITS - From NYTimes:  Award-winning and groundbreaking political reporter and author, Gwen Ifill, died at the age of 61, Monday, November 14, 2016.

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ACADEMY AWARDS - From Variety:  Jackie Chan receives an Oscar.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/11 to 11/13/2016 weekend box office is "Doctor Strange" with an estimated take of $43 million.

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POLITICS - From YesMagazine:  6 historic firsts for women on election night 2016.

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SPORTS - From LATimes:  Serena and Venus Williams are returning to their hometown of Compton to renew ties to the community.

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POLITICS - From OregonLive:  Anti-Trump protests in Portland Oregon turn violent Saturday night.

From YahooSports:  Damian Lillard, a star of the Portland Trailblazers, troubled by the anti-Trump protests in Portland.

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OBIT:  From People:  Songwriter and musician, Leon Russell, has died at the age of 74, Sunday, November 13, 2016.  He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Class of 2011.

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TELEVISION - From USAToday:  Dave Chappelle hosted "Saturday Night Live" last night (11/12/2016) and revived some favorite characters from "The Chappelle Show."

----------
POLITICS - From NYTimes:  Oscar-winning filmmaker, Ethan Coen, pens thank you notes to the people who helped us end up with President-elect Trump.

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MOVIES - From THR:  David Yates says that he is directing all "Fantastic Beasts" films, which are set in the "Harry Potter" universe.

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ANIMATION - From Variety:  DreamWorks Animation and Universal have shut down production on "The Croods 2," the sequel to the Oscar-nominated, "The Croods."

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Sting reopens Bataclan one year after the Paris terror attacks.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  New trailer (second official?) for Hidden Figures (which I want to see so badly), which is due January 6, 2017.

From YouTube:  First official trailer for Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast," due Spring 2017.

From YouTube:  Here is the first trailer for "Ghost in the Shell," which is due  March 31, 2017.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 6th, 2016 - Update #32

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Leonardo DiCaprio to star in "Conquest" from Paramount.

---------------
AWARDS -  From Yahoo:  Michael B. Jordan and diversity celebrated 2016 Image Awards, with complete list of winners.

---------------
TELEVISION -  From UPI:  Adam West will be one of the guest stars on the 200th episode of "The Big Band Theory."

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COMICS - From ScreenRant:  Still, there is some fun to be had of Walt Disney and Stan Lee Media - now with a Hillary Clinton connection.

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OSCARS - From TheWrap:  President Obama weighs in on #OscarsSoWhite.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Here is how next year's Oscars may not be so white.

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OSCARS - From TheWrap:  The Coen Bros. address #OscarsSoWhite in a manner befitting white privilege and with a lack of awareness that is surprising but should be.

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OSCARS - From TheWrap:  Oscars so white... literally.

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POLITICS - From CounterPunch:  Freeing Julian Assange - the final chapter.

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OSCARS - From THR:  Kareem Abdul-Jabar: Why black people are invisible to Oscar voters.

----------------
ANIMATION - From YahooTV:  Joe Alaskey was one of the successors to Mel Blanc as the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and other Looney Tunes characters.  He died at the age of 63 of cancer on Wednesday, February 3, 2016.

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Maurice White, the founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, died Wednesday, February 3, 2016.  He will always remain a "Shining Star."  R.I.P.

---------------
CRIME - From RSN:  Exonerations in the United States hit a record high.

---------------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Steven Soderbergh is coming out of retirement to make a film with Matt Damon and Channing Tatum.
 
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OSCARS - From TheWrap:  Helen Mirren things #OscarsSoWhite is unfair to the Academy.

---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool:  There is some backlash against DC Comics for its "re-imagining" of Scooby-Doo, which will be seen in an upcoming comic book series.

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CRIME - From RSN:  Police across the country rethinking use of violence - 'bout time.

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POLITICS - From RollingStone:  A right-wing, hawkish FOX News analyst who claimed to be ex-CIA turned out to be a fraud and is now facing trail.

---------------
MUSIC - From HuffingtonPost:  David Bowie leaves most of his $100 million estate to his wife, two children, and a few close friends.

MUSIC - From LATimes:  David Bowie's "Bowie bonds" were revolutionary for its time.

---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Marvel prepares to announce its plans for Josh Brolin as "Thanos."

---------------
MOVIES - From People:  Kate Winslet talks about her "Titanic" co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Universal sets dates for 9th and 10th installments of Fast and Furious franchise. Part 8 comes out in 2017.

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POLITICS - From RawStory:  Sarah Palin says she did not blame President Obama for her son beating his girlfriend.

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MOVIES - From ScreenDaily:  Rooney Mara to play Mary Magdalene

----------------
TELEVISION - From ThePlaylist:  Naomi Watts and Tom Sizemore joins Netflix's "Twin Peaks" revival.  By the way, David Lynch is said to be directing all the episodes.

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BLACK HISTORY:  From IMDb:  Top 10 highest grossing Black directors by box office total.

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OSCARS - From IMDb:  The staff's Oscar snubs list.

---------------
MOVIES:  From BusinessInsider:  Anthony Ingruber looks like a young Harrison Ford, and played a young Ford in a recent movie, so... he's young Han Solo.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooPolitics:  How Ted Cruz out-trumped Trump.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooPolitics:  Clinton vs. Sanders to close to call...

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  An article about Nate Parker, director of "Birth of a Nation."

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ANIMATION - From CBR:  See Disney classics drawn Tim Burton style.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nate Parker's "Birth of a Nation" tops 2016 Sundance Film Festival; here is a winners list.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The 2016 Art Directors Guild Awards are announced with "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Revenant" among top winners.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Kung Fu 3" sets an opening weekend record in China.

---------------
MOVIES - From Complex:  FOX Searchlight pays a record $17.5 million for Nate Parker's "Birth of a Nation," the top winner at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From ThinkProgress:  Before the cops killed him, Quintonio LeGrier called 911 three times for help.

---------------
OSCARS - From Complex:  Steve McQueen, the Black director who won an Oscar as a producer on "12 Years a Slave," speaks about #OscarsSoWhite.

Indiana Film Critics Pick "Spotlight" Best Film of 2015

The Indiana Film Journalist Association (IFJA) is a film critics’ organization only formed in December 2009.  It seeks to promote film criticism in the state of Indiana and also gives out its annual awards in December.

The full list of 2015 Indiana Film Journalist Association Awards:

Best Film
Winner: "Spotlight"
Runner-up: "Room"

Other Finalists (listed alphabetically):
"Anomalisa"
"The Big Short"
"Carol"
"The End of the Tour"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"The Martian"
"Steve Jobs"
"Straight Outta Compton"

Best Animated Feature
Winner: "Anomalisa"
Runner-Up: "Inside Out "

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: "Son of Saul"
Runner-Up: "Goodnight Mommy"

Best Documentary
Winner: "Amy"
Runner-Up: "Meru"

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, "Spotlight"
Runner-up: Matt Charman, Joel & Ethan Coen, "Bridge of Spies"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Emma Donoghue, "Room"
Runner-up: Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, "The Big Short"

Best Director
Winner: George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Runner-up: Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"

Best Actress
Winner: Brie Larson, "Room"
Runner-up: Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Greta Gerwig, "Mistress America"
Runner-up: Elizabeth Banks, "Love & Mercy"

Best Actor
Winner: Jacob Tremblay, "Room"
Runner-up: Jason Segel, "The End of the Tour"

Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight"
Runner-up: Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation"

Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance
Winner: Phyllis Smith, "Inside Out"
Runner-up: Tom Noonan, "Anomalisa"

Best Musical Score
Winner: Junkie XL, "Mad Max: Fury Road"
Runner-up: Disasterpeace, "It Follows"

Original Vision Award
Winner: "Anomalisa"
Runner-up: "Chi-Raq"

The Hoosier Award
Winner: Angelo Pizzo, writer/director/producer

(As a special award, no runner-up is declared in this category.)

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

2016 Writers Guild Awards Screenplay Nominations Announced - Complete List

The Writers Guild of America is a labor union representing film, television, radio, video game, and new media writers.  The Writers Guild of America Award acknowledges outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio and has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2015, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting during 2015. Winners will be honored at the 2016 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 13, 2016, at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Bridge of Spies, Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen; DreamWorks Pictures

Sicario, Written by Taylor Sheridan; Lionsgate

Spotlight, Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy; Open Road Films

Straight Outta Compton, Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff; Universal Pictures

Trainwreck, Written by Amy Schumer; Universal Pictures


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Big Short, Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis; Paramount Pictures

Carol, Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy; Based on the Novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith; The Weinstein Company

The Martian, Screenplay by Drew Goddard; Based on the Novel by Andy Weir; Twentieth Century Fox

Steve Jobs, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Walter Isaacson; Universal Pictures

Trumbo, Written by John McNamara; Based on the Biography by Bruce Cook; Bleecker Street Media


DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Being Canadian, Written by Robert Cohen; Candy Factory Films

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Written by Brett Morgen; HBO Documentary Films

Prophet’s Prey, Written by Amy J. Berg; Showtime Documentary Films

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 18th to 24th, 2015 - Update #16

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From HitFix:  The movies Spielberg wishes he'd made.

---------------
From ChicagoMagazine: Spike Lee: Rahm Emanuel tried to bully me.

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From Deadline:  George Clooney set to direct a script by Joel and Ethan Coen.

---------------
From Variety:  R.J. Cyler of "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is the "Blue Ranger" in the Lionsgate reboot.

---------------
From GoldDerby:  An article about best animated feature dark horse, Anomalisa.

From Variety:  Fox is apparently re-imagining "Rocky Horror Picture Show" as a TV special.  Laverne Cox of "Orange in the New Black" has been cast as "Frank-N-Furter."

---------------
From Variety:  Chris Rock may host the 88th Oscar ceremony.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Fox may have found a director for its future box office disappointment, Gambit, an X-Men film starring Channing Tatum.  That might be Doug Liman.

---------------
From TheWrap:  Oscar and multiple-Grammy winner Adele teases new music? First album in five years supposed to hit in November

----------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Goosebumps" wins the 10/16 to 10/18/2015 weekend box office with an estimated take of $23.5 million.


COMICS: Titles and Films:

From CinemaBlend:  Marvel's next wide idea.

---------------
From TheWrap:  David Goyer is developing a TV show about Superman's home planet, Krypton, for the Syfy Channel.

---------------
From Empire:  "Ant-Man" director, Peyton Reed, is in negotiations to return for the 2018 film, "Ant-man and the Wasp."

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  "Ant-Man" is a big hit in China.


STAR WARS:

From YahooNews:  112 views in 24 hours.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  The final trailer is here.


TRAILERS and PREVIEWS:

From YouTube:  See the new trailer for David O. Russell's "Joy" starring Jennifer Lawrence.

"Dheepan" Wins Palme d'Or at 2015 Cannes Film Festival

The 68th annual Cannes Film Festival was held in Cannes, France from May 13 to May 24, 2015.  The closing ceremony and the 2015 awards ceremony were held on Saturday, May 23, 2015.

I have included a list of winners from the “In Competition” categories; this is the main competition in which films compete for the festival’s top prize, the “Palme d’Or” (Golden Palm).  I’ve included the winners from other Cannes award competitions, including “Un Certain Regard” and the “Golden Camera.”

The “Grand Prix” is the second most prestigious prize given at Cannes, after the Palme d’Or.  The competition known as “Un Certain Regard” is a part of Cannes that runs parallel to the competition for the Palme d’Or.

2015 / 68th Cannes “In Competition” winners:

Palme d'Or: "Dheepan," Directed by Jacques Audiard

Grand Prix: "Son of Saul," Directed by Laszlo Nemes

Best Director: "The Assassin," Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien for

Best Screenplay: "Chronic," Written by Michel Franco

Camera d'Or (Best First Feature): "La Tierra y la Sombre," Directed by Cesar Acevedo

Jury Prize: "The Lobster," Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Best Actress: Rooney Mara for "Carol" and Emmanuelle Bercot for "Mon Roi" (Shared Prize)

Best Actor: Vincent Lindon for "The Measure of a Man"

Palme d'Or (Short Film): "Waves '98," Directed by Ely Dagher


Judges for the Main Competition – “In Competiton”:
Joel and Ethan Coen, American film directors. Main Jury Presidents
    Rossy de Palma, Spanish actress
    Sophie Marceau, French actress and film director
    Sienna Miller, English actress
    Rokia Traoré, Malian singer-songwriter and composer
    Guillermo del Toro, Mexican film director
    Xavier Dolan, Canadian film director and actor
    Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor


UN CERTAIN REGARD:
Prize of Un Certain Regard - HRÚTAR (RAMS) Directed by Grímur HAKONARSON

Jury Prize - Un Certain Regard - ZVIZDAN (THE HIGH SUN) Directed by Dalibor MATANIC

Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard - KISHIBE NO TABI (JOURNEY TO THE SHORE) Directed by KUROSAWA Kiyoshi

Un Certain Talent Prize - COMOARA (THE TREASURE) Directed by Corneliu PORUMBOIU

Promizing Future Prize Ex-aequo:
NAHID Directed by Ida PANAHANDEH
MASAAN Directed by Neeraj GHAYWAN

CINEFONDATION:
1st Prize Cinéfondation - SHARE Directed by Pippa BIANCO

2nd Prize Cinéfondation - LOCAS PERDIDAS (LOST QUEENS) Directed by Ignacio JURICIC MERILLÁN

3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo:
VICTOR XX Directed by Ian GARRIDO LÓPEZ
THE RETURN OF ERKIN Directed by Maria GUSKOVA

GOLDEN CAMERA:
Caméra d'or - LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA Directed by César Augusto ACEVEDO

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Producers Guild Names "Birdman" Best Motion Picture of 2014

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) describes itself as “the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media.”  Film fans know the organization because of its annual PGA Awards.

The 2015 Producers Guild Award winners were announced on Saturday, January 24th, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. This year, the Producers Guild also presented special honors to the following:  Jon Feltheimer (Milestone Award); Mark Gordon (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television); Gale Anne Hurd (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures); the HBO television motion picture, The Normal Heart (Stanley Kramer Award); and production company Plan B Entertainment (Visionary Award).

2015 (26th Annual) Producers Guild Award winners:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Producer: Dan Lin, p.g.a.

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:
(The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.)
"Fargo" (FX)
Producers: Adam Bernstein, John Cameron, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Michael Frislev, Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield, Chad Oakes, Kim Todd

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Life Itself (Magnolia Pictures)
Producers: Garrett Basch, Steve James, Zak Piper

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
"Breaking Bad" (AMC)
Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:
"Orange Is The New Black" (Netflix)
Producers: Mark A. Burley, Sara Hess, Jenji Kohan, Gary Lennon, Neri Tannenbaum, Michael Trim, Lisa I. Vinnecour

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:
"COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey" (FOX/NatGeo)
Producers: Brannon Braga, Mitchell Cannold, Jason Clark, Ann Druyan, Livia Hanich, Steve Holtzman, Seth MacFarlane

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television:
"The Voice" (NBC)
Producers: Stijn Bakkers, Mark Burnett, John De Mol, Chad Hines, Lee Metzger, Audrey Morrissey, Jim Roush, Kyra Thompson, Mike Yurchuk, Amanda Zucker

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" (NBC)
Producers: Rob Crabbe, Jamie Granet Bederman, Katie Hockmeyer, Jim Juvonen, Josh Lieb, Brian McDonald, Lorne Michaels, Gavin Purcell

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program:
"Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" (HBO)

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program:
"Sesame Street" (PBS)

The Award for Outstanding Digital Series:
"Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee" (http://www.crackle.com/c/comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee)

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"12 Years a Slave," "The Dirties" Lead Vancouver Critics Awards

The Vancouver Film Critics Association or Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) was apparently founded to represent Vancouver’s print, on-line, and broadcast media.  The group honors the best in Canadian and international filmmaking with the annual VFCC Awards.

In anticipation of the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards, here, is a look at the 2014 VFCC Award winners.

2014 Canadian Screen Awards (for the year in film 2013) – a complete list of winners follows:

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS:

BEST FILM
12 Years a Slave

BEST ACTOR
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Hunt

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Act of Killing

CANADIAN AWARDS:

BEST CANADIAN FILM
The Dirties

BEST ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Matt Johnson, The Dirties

BEST ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
Sophie Desmarais, Sarah Prefers to Run

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A CANADIAN FILM
Alexandre Landry, Gabrielle

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A CANADIAN FILM
Lise Roy, Tom at the Farm

BEST DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN FILM
Jeff Barnaby, Rhymes for Young Ghouls

BEST CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY
My Prairie Home

BEST FIRST FILM BY A CANADIAN DIRECTOR
The Dirties

BEST BRITISH COLUMBIA FILM
Down River

IAN CADDELL AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT
Al Sens

AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT
Corinne Lea

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Review: "Barton Fink" is Something ... Else (Happy B'day, John Turturro)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 72 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Barton Fink (1991)
Running time:  116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some scenes of violence
DIRECTOR:  Joel Coen
WRITERS:  Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
PRODUCER:  Ethan Coen
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Roger Deakins (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Roderick Jaynes (The Coen Brothers)
COMPOSER:  Carter Burwell
Academy Award nominee

COMEDY/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring:  John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney, Tony Shalhoub, Jon Polito, and Steve Buscemi

The subject of this movie review is Barton Fink, a 1991 period drama co-written and directed by Joel Coen and co-written and produced by Ethan Coen, although both brothers likely shared in producing and directing the film.  Barton Fink focuses on a renowned New York playwright who is enticed to Hollywood to write film scripts for a film studio only to discover hellish truths about his new job and home.

In 1991, The Coen Brothers, co-writer/director Joel and co-writer/producer Ethan, took the Cannes Film Festival by storm with their film Barton Fink, winning the Golden Palm as Best Picture and the award for Best Direction (an award that Joel has since won twice more).  John Turturro also won the Best Actor award for his role as the title character.  As much as I like the Coens' work, this is by far my least favorite film of theirs.

In 1941, intellectual New York playwright Barton Fink (John Turturro) moves to California to write a B-movie script for a major studio.  His new boss, Jack Lipnick (Michael Lerner) wants that Barton Fink touch for a new Wallace Beery wrestling movie.  Fink takes up residence in the Hotel Earle, a rundown establishment with a sheen of faux-grandeur.  He eventually meets his neighbor, the blustery, strange, and mysterious Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), who claims to be a traveling insurance salesman.  Although he meets many interesting characters, Fink is busy fighting writer’s block, and his new home becomes a hell for him as his deadline to deliver a script looms.

The first warning to a viewer before he sees Barton Fink is that the film is surrealistic, a situation in which the story contains lots of symbolism.  This is not standard, linear filmmaking, so the viewer has to closely watch the film for visual hints and listen to the soundtrack for audio clues to understand the story in lieu of having literal, obvious story details.  Don’t read this sentence as it may spoil the surprise of unraveling this film’s mysteries:  Hotel Earle is hell, the hell in which Barton suffers writer’s block, and Charlie Meadows is not only a killer, but he may well be “the devil.”  If you try to take this film literally, you will find it atrocious and boring.  Creative people, especially writers, will certainly understand, through Barton, the intense frustration that writer’s block can cause a scribe.

Still, for all its pretensions to art and its portrayal of the intellectual’s strong need to produce “something good,” Barton Fink is a misstep.  I will give a hearty nod to the Coens' ambitious intentions.  The acting is very good.  It’s less technical and more show.  It’s flamboyant and colorful and immediately describes the characters to the audience, none of this serious method stuff, just old-fashioned, grand pretending that fills the screen.  I really liked the film’s element of suspense and mystery.  The hotel is automatically creepy, but it’s nothing compared to the unusual landscape of the relationship between the characters.  One thing that certainly kept my interest was trying to figure out what these people had going on amongst themselves.  I could understand when two people were connected, but the joy was figuring out why they had a relationship.

Overall, the film is slow and occasionally plodding, especially in between moments of drama and intrigue, but the brothers have a way of waking you up just when you think that their film is loosing steam.  I recommend this to fans of the Coens’ films and to people who like that different kind of film that is called “art,” the ones that are about something other than just entertaining you.

No sirree, Bob.  The Coens might entertain you, but never at the cost of giving you cheap candy, not when they can use their talents to make a complicated confection, even if the end result doesn’t quite taste right.

5 of 10
B-

NOTES:
1992 Academy Awards, USA:  3 nominations: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Michael Lerner), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Dennis Gassner and Nancy Haigh), and “Best Costume Design” (Richard Hornung)

1992 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (John Goodman)

1991 Cannes Film Festival:  3 wins: “Best Actor” (John Turturro), “Best Director” (Joel Coen), and “Palme d'Or” (Joel Coen-won unanimously)

Updated:  Friday, February 28, 2014

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Houston Film Critics Name "12 Years a Slave" Their Best Picture of 2013

The Houston Film Critics Society was founded in 2007.  It is a not-for-profit organization of print, broadcast and Internet film critics based in the Greater Metropolitan Houston area.

2013 Houston Film Critics Society winners (in bold) nominees:

Best Picture:
"All is Lost"
"American Hustle"
"Before Midnight"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Fruitvale Station"
"Gravity"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"Saving Mr. Banks"
"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

Best Director:
Joel and Ethan Coen, "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity" WINNER
Paul Greengrass, "Captain Phillips"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"

Best Actor:
Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave" WINNER
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Mads Mikkelsen, "The Hunt"
Robert Redford, "All is Lost"

Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity" WINNER
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Brie Larson, "Short Term 12"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"
Emma Thompson, "Saving Mr. Banks"

Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Michael Fassbender, "12 Years A Slave"
James Gandolfini, "Enough Said"
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER
Matthew McConaughey, "Mud"

Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years A Slave" WINNER
Octavia Spencer, "Fruitvale Station"
June Squibb, "Nebraska"
Oprah Winfrey, "Lee Daniels’ The Butler"

Best Screenplay:
"American Hustle"
"Before Midnight"
"Her"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"12 Years A Slave" WINNER

Best Animated Film:
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Frozen" WINNER
"Monsters University"
"The Wind Rises"

Best Cinematography:
"All Is Lost
"Gravity" WINNER
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Prisoners"
"12 Years A Slave"

Best Documentary:
"The Act of Killing"
"Blackfish"
"Inequality for All"
"Stories We Tell"
"20 Feet from Stardom" WINNER

Best Foreign Language Film:
"Blue is the Warmest Color"
"The Grandmaster"
"The Hunt" WINNER
"Wadjda"
"The Wind Rises"

Best Original Score:
"Gravity" WINNER
"Her"
"Man of Steel"
"Saving Mr. Banks"
"12 Years a Slave"

Best Original Song:
"I See Fire” from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Let It Go” from "Frozen"
"The Moon Song” from "Her"
"Please Mr. Kennedy" from Inside Llewyn Davis" (Written by Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel & Ethan Coen; sung by Justin Timberlake, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver) WINNER
"Young and Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby"

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Toronto Film Critics Choose "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "Watermark"

by Amos Semien

The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) was established in 1997 and is comprised of Toronto based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary.  All major dailies, weeklies and a variety of other print and electronic outlets are represented.

The Toronto Film Critics Association announced the 2013 TFCA Awards back on Monday, December 16, 2013.  Inside Llewyn Davis won two top prizes in 2013 awards of the Toronto Film Critics Association.  Joel and Ethan Coen’s tale of a folk singer making his way through Greenwich Village, 1961, won “Best Picture” and “Best Actor” (Oscar Isaac).

The 2013 TFCA Awards were presented at a gala dinner at Toronto’s Carlu on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, hosted by Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival.  At the dinner, the documentary, Watermark, was revealed as the winner of the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, which carries a record-setting $100,000 cash prize, the richest arts award in the country.  The awards was presented to the Watermark’s director’s, Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky.  The runners-up will each receive $5,000.

Under the TFCA’s guidelines, contenders eligible for the 2013 awards include films released in Canada in 2013 plus films that qualify for the 2013 Oscars and have Canadian distribution scheduled by the end of February 2014.

The full list of 2013Toronto Film Critics Association Awards winners and runners-up:

BEST PICTURE: “Inside Llewyn Davis” (Mongrel Media)

Runners-up:
“Her” (Warner Bros.)
“12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ACTOR: Oscar Isaac, “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Runners-up
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

Runners-up
Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight”
Greta Gerwig, “Frances Ha”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

Runners-up
Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”
James Franco, “Spring Breakers”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”

Runners-up
Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
June Squibb, “Nebraska”

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón, “Gravity”

Runners-up
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED OR ORIGINAL: Spike Jonze, “Her”

Runners-up
Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight”
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, “Inside Llewyn Davis”

BEST FIRST FEATURE: “Neighboring Sounds”, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho

Runners-up
“Fruitvale Station”, directed by Ryan Coogler
“In a World …”, directed by Lake Bell

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “The Wind Rises” (Touchstone Pictures)

Runners-up
“The Croods” (20th Century Fox)
“Frozen” (Walt Disney Pictures)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM:  “A Touch of Sin” (Films We Like)

Runners-up
“Blue Is the Warmest Color” (Mongrel Media)
 “The Hunt” (Mongrel Media)

BMO ALLAN KING DOCUMENTARY AWARD: “The Act of Killing” (Films We Like)

Runners-up
“Leviathan” (Films We Like)
“Tim’s Vermeer” (Mongrel Media)

ROGERS BEST CANADIAN FILM AWARD FINALISTS
“Watermark” (Mongrel Media) – WINNER - $100,000 przie

Runners-up ($5,000 to each):
“The Dirties” (Phase 4 Films)
“Gabrielle” (Entertainment One)

www.torontofilmcritics.com

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