Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Nov. 19th to 30th, 2023 - Update #32

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

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Variety:  "Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier,"  actor Sebastian Stan is playing young Donald Trump in a movie titled “The Student” from Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (“Holy Spider”).  Emmy winner Jeremy Strong ("Succession") will play Trump's awful mentor, attorney/fixer, Roy Cohn, and actress Maria Bakalova will portray Trump's first wife and mother of his spawn, Ivana Trump.

DISNEY - From Variety:  Noah Hawley's "Alien" series for FX continues to fill out its main cast.  The recent additions are Babou Ceesay, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Diêm Camille, and Adrian Edmondson.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  It’s official.  The upcoming fifth season of the CBS sitcom, "Bob Hearts Abishola" will be its last.  The fifth season will premiere Mon., Feb. 12th, and the series finale will air Monday, May 13th, the network said today (Wed., Nov. 29th).

From Variety:  Celebrity chef, Guy Fieri, has signed a new three-year deal with the Food Network that is worth $100 million.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Ethan Hawke and the original cast of the hit horror film, The Black Phone (2022), are returning for "Black Phone 2."  The film is set for a June 27, 2025 theatrical release date.

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

ANIMATION - From IGN:  The streaming service, Max, is removing from its library the rest of the classic "Looney Tunes" cartoons shorts and also the 2011-13 Cartoon Network animated sitcom, "The Looney Tunes Show" and the 2003 live-action/animated hybrid film, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.  This move is effective December 31st, 2023.  The first half of the "Looney Tunes" animated shorts were removed back in December 2022.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Actor Timothy Olyphant is joining the cast of FX's "Alien" television series, which is being overseen by Noah Hawley (FX's "Fargo").

From Variety:  Cast member Cailee Spaeny says that the standalone "Alien" franchise film, "Alien: Romulus," is set between the first two films in the series, "Alien" (1979) and Aliens (1986). Directed by Fede Alvarez, the standalone film is due in theaters Aug. 16th, 2024.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/24 to 11/26/2023 weekend box office is Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" with an estimated take of 28.8 million dollars.

MUSIC - From Variety:  The legal dispute between Grammy-winning recording duo, Daryl Hall & John Oates, seems to revolve around John Oates wanting to sell his share of Hall & Oates' joint venture, Whole Oates Enterprises, to music publishing and talent management company, Primary Wave.

POLITICS - From Politico:  Actor Hill Harper is known for his roles on the former CBS series, "CSI: NY" and ABC's "The Good Doctor," but now he is a political candidate seeking to win a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan in 2024.  A recent report says that a wealthy donor offered Hill 20 million dollars to instead mount a primary challenge to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) for her U.S. House seat.  Hill, who revealed the plot, says he declined the offer.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:   Oscar-winning actor, Jamie Foxx (Ray), is being sued for an alleged sexual assault that happened in 2015. An unidentified woman has accused Foxx of placing his hands on an her waist, then moving them under her top. He then allegedly began rubbing the plaintiff’s breasts, dragging her to a secluded area of the rooftop at Catch NYC & Roof, where he touched other areas of her body.  The case was filed under New York state's "Adult Survivors Act," which provides a one-year window for sexual assault plaintiffs to file civil claims, regardless of the statute of limitations. That window closes on Thursday, Nov. 23rd and has led to a flurry of lawsuits claiming sexual assaults.

JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  Christopher Nolan (Tenet) said that there is no truth to the rumors that he is directing the next James Bond film.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Hot actress Jenna Ortega is not returning for "Scream 7" after starring as "Tara Carpenter" in Scream (2022) and "Scream 6" (2023).  Her departure is related to scheduling and reportedly has nothing to do with the recent firing of Melissa Barrera, who played Tara's sister, "Sam Carpenter."

From Deadline:  "Scream 7" director Christopher Landon says that the firing of Melissa Barrera from the film was not his choice to make.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The first post-strikes bidding war for a TV pitch will apparently be for a proposed television series that re-imagines the film 1962 film, "Cape Fear," and its 1991 remake, also entitled "Cape Fear."  Martin Scorsese, director of the remake, Stephen Spielberg, and Nick Antosca are attached as executive producers.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Universal Pictures is developing a new film in its "Jason Bourne" franchise with Edward Berger, the director of the Oscar-winning "All Quiet on the Western Front" set to direct. Universal will reportedly approach series star, Matt Damon, about reprising the role of Jason Bourne before they approach anyone else.

SCANDAL - From Variety: Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon has been dropped by her agency, UTA, after she made controversial comments at a pro-Palestine rally in New York on Nov. 17th.

From ComingSoon:  Actress Melissa Barrera, who has starred in Scream (2022) and "Scream 6" (2023), as "Sam Carpenter," has reportedly been fired from the upcoming "Scream 7" due to comments the actress made regarding the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Doug Liman is set to direct Paramount hot-anticipated reimagining of "The Saint."  Rege-Jean Page ("Bridgerton") is set to star in and executive produce the film.  "The Saint" first appeared in Leslie Charteris' 1920 novels and is best known for the 1960s British TV series starring Roger Moore.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Kim Kardashian is attached to star in and produce the film, "The 5th Wheel," which is apparently a hot movie package.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  CBS' venerable family-cop drama, "Blue Bloods" is coming to an end with its upcoming 14th season.  10 episodes will air during the upcoming midseason, beginning Feb. 16th. The final eight episodes will run Fall 2024.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/17 to 11/18/2023 weekend box office is Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" with an estimated take of 44 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From TheNewYorker:  The venerable culture magazine interviews legendary Hong Kong director, John Woo, who talks about his upcoming nearly dialogue free revenge thriller, "Silent Night."

MOVIES - From Deadline: "Rocky" and "Creed" franchise producer, Irwin Winkler, has said that "Creed IV" is in the works, with franchise star and Creed III director Michael B. Jordan to helm it.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From Deadline:  The 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globes will move to CBS from the Globes previous home, NBC.  The awards show will also stream on Paramount+ and on the CBS app.  The 81st Golden Globes will air on CBS  Sun., Jan. 7th, 2024.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Film, television, and Broadway (on and off-) actress, Frances Sternhagen, has died at the age of 93, Monday, November 27, 2023.  She won two Tony Awards ("The Good Doctor," "The Heiress") and was nominated five other times.  She was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, twice for her best known TV role, that of "Esther Clavin," the mother of "Cliff Clavin," on the former NBC sitcom, "Cheers." Sternhagen appeared in such films as "Outland" (1981), "Misery" (1990), and "Doc Hollywood" (1991), to name a few.

From TheCarterCenter:  Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has died at the age of 96, Sunday, November 19, 2023.  A passionate champion of mental health, caregiving, and women’s rights, Mrs. Carter passed at her home in Plains, Georgia. She died peacefully, with family by her side.  Mrs. Carter was married for 77 years to Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who is now 99 years old. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Carter said. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”  She is survived by her children — Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy — and 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A grandson died in 2015.

From AP:  A timeline of key moments from former First Lady Rosalyn Carter's 96 years

AWARDS:

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

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

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ACTORS STRIKE:

From Variety:  SAG-AFTRA has released the full 128-page contract that ended the actors strike on Nov. 8th, with union leaders urging members to vote yes on the deal by the Dec. 5th ratification deadline.

From Deadline:  Actor Matthew Modine says that he voted against SAG-AFTRA's tentative deal to end the actors strike, and that he will vote against the full agreement, which will be released today, Fri., Nov. 24th.

From Deadline:  SAG-AFTRA has produced a summary of its "2023 Tentative Agreement" that ended the 118-day long actors' strike. SAG-AFTRA members can begin voting on the agreement tomorrow, Tues., Nov. 14th. The voting can continue until the first week of December.

From IndieWire:  The site takes a look at the details of the tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA (the actors' union) and the AMPTP (the Hollywood studios) that ended the 118-day actors' strike.

From Deadline:  The SAG-AFTRA national board, by a majority vote, approved the tentative agreement reached with the AMPTP to end the actors' strike.  Now, the actors vote...

From Variety:  The Hollywood studios have agreed to adjust language on artificial intelligence (AI) in their contract negotiations with SAG-AFTRA to end the 117-day actors' strike.

From THR:  SAG-AFTRA is evaluating the studios' "last, best and final offer" to end the actors' strike.

From Deadline:  The studios have delivered a new contract deal to SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, and more strike talks are scheduled to be held this weekend.

From Deadline:  Striking actors are set to meet the studios today for Halloween negotiations, but they are still "far apart on key issues."

From Variety:  SAG-AFTRA (actors) and AMPTP (studios) will resume strike negotiations tomorrow (Tues., Oct. 24th).

From Deadline:  SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher says that the offer from top-earning Hollywood actors to chip in some money to help end the strike "isn't legally compatible with the union's contract.

From Deadline:  Top earning Hollywood actors want to chip in some money to end the SAG-AFTRA strike.

From Deadline:  George Clooney, Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry and Scarlett Johansson were among a group of top talent guild members that spoke Tuesday (Oct. 17th) with guild president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland for a detailed debrief, we hear.

From Deadline:  The movie studios via AMPTP have suspended their talks with striking actors via SAG-AFTRA.  The snag seems to be that actors want "2 precent of potential profits" on streaming.

From Variety:  SAG-AFTRA (the actors) and AMPTP (the studios) are to resume strike talks Wed., Oct. 11th, as the actors strike enters Day 88.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood studios CEOs met for strike talks for the first time since the actors went on strike July 14th. They plan to meet again, Wed., Oct. 4th.

BREAKING - From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels.

From WGAContract:  The WGA contract page has additional information on the settlement.

From WGAContract:  A summary of the new agreement.

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From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

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Review: In "THE BLACK PHONE," the Children Answer the Call

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 of 2022 (No. 1864) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Black Phone (2022)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPA – R for violence, bloody images, language and some drug use
DIRECTOR:  Scott Derrickson
WRITERS:  Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (based on the short story “The Black Phone” by Joe Hill)
PRODUCERS:  Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brett Jutkiewicz (D.o.P.)  
EDITOR:  Frédéric Thoraval
COMPOSER:  Mark Korven

HORROR/CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, E. Roger Mitchell, Troy Rudeseal, James Ransone, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Rebecca Clarke, Tristan Pravong, Brady Hepner, Jacob Moran, Banks Repeta, and Ethan Hawke

The Black Phone is a 2022 supernatural horror, mystery,and crime thriller from director Scott Derrickson.  The film is based on the short story, “The Black Phone,” from author Joe Hill.  The story was first published in the The 3rd Alternative No. 39, the Autumn 2004 issue of the former British horror magazine.  The Black Phone the movie focuses on a teen boy who is abducted by a child killer and imprisoned in a basement where he starts receiving phone calls from a disconnected phone.

The Black Phone opens in North Denver, 1978.  A presumed serial killer, nicknamed “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke), has been prowling the streets of a particular Denver suburb and abducting teenage boys.  Shortly after the film begins, a boy named Bruce Yamada (Tristan Pravong) disappears and is presumed a victim of The Grabber.

Teen Finney Blake (Mason Thames) lives in this North Denver suburb with his younger sister, Gwen Blake (Madeleine McGraw), and their abusive, alcoholic, widowed father, Terrence Blake (Jeremy Davies).  At school, Finney is frequently bullied and harassed, but he has struck up a friendship with a classmate, Robin Arellano ( Miguel Cazarez Mora), who fends off the bullies.  Then, the Grabber gets Robin.

Meanwhile, Gwen, who has psychic dreams like her late mother, dreams of a masked man who drives a van and kidnaps Bruce, leaving black balloons in his wake.  Then, Finney has a violent encounter with the Grabber.  Finney awakens in a soundproofed basement where the Grabber has imprisoned him.  On the rear wall is a black rotary phone that the Grabber says does not work.  The black phone is supposedly disconnected, but later, the phone rings.  When Finney answers it, he here's a familiar voice – a voice of one of the Grabber's victims.  Now, Finney must rely on the instructions of ghosts, his own shaky bravery, and (unknown to him) the dreams of Gwen if he is going to survive the murderous plans of a maniac.

I have not read the short story, author Joe Hill's “The Black Phone,” upon which this film is based.  [I have read Hill's 2013 novel, NOS4A2, and his 2019 short story and novelettes collection, Full Throttle.]  Not reading the short story did not stop me from enjoying The Black Phone the movie, for the most part.

It takes a bit to really get into the nonsensical scenario:  a guy drives around in a pitch black van, snatching kids in the middle of the day, practically right out in the street, and no one sees a thing.  However, co-writer/director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill thrive on generating scares out of ridiculous scenarios, such as in their 2012 creepy horror film, Sinister.  Truthfully, horror films should not necessarily make sense; whether the film is driven by a killer, demonic possession, or haunting, horror films are a fantastic scenario.  Scary movies should not be logical or perhaps, be somewhat illogical.  Still, until the Grabber grabs Finney, I was not invested in the film, although I was already feeling some fear.

That said, the children are the stars of this film, especially the siblings, Finney and Gwen Blake.  Finney tries to find answers in the mysterious phone calls he receives on the disconnected black phone.  Gwen battles her own doubts even as she deals with an abusive father who is afraid of what will become of her and her abilities, to say nothing of the two police detectives who must come around to believing her visions.

The Black Phone is one of those times when both a boy and a girl come of age and undergo the heroic journey at the same time in the same movie.  That makes the struggle and victory all the more satisfying.  Mason Thames as Finney and Madeleine McGraw as Gwen are convincing as both the heroes and as the sensible ones.  They make The Black Phone's last act visceral and invigorating, and dear readers, you will vicariously fear for your life, which makes the resolution so, so satisfying.  It is rare that I cheer the end of a horror movie, but I did it for The Black Phone.

7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, September 10, 2022


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

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TRAILER: Disney+ Releases "Introducing Moon Knight" Video Featurette

The latest Marvel Studios series, MOON KNIGHT, starts streaming March 30th on Disney+.  The video featurette below about the series is entitled, "Introducing Moon Knight":

USC Libraries Announce 33rd-Annual Scripter Awards Finalists

USC Libraries Name Finalists for 33rd-Annual Scripter Awards

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries named the finalists for the 33rd-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:

•     Mike Makowsky for “Bad Education” based on the New York magazine article “The Bad Superintendent” by Robert Kolker
•     Jon Raymond and Kelly Reichardt for “First Cow” based on the novel “The Half-Life” by Jon Raymond
•     Screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson and playwright August Wilson for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
•     Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” based on the nonfiction book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century” by Jessica Bruder
•     Screenwriter and playwright Kemp Powers for “One Night in Miami”

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

•     Mark Richard and Ethan Hawke, for the episode “Meet the Lord,” from “The Good Lord Bird,” based on the novel by James McBride
•     Sally Rooney and Alice Birch for the fifth episode of “Normal People,” based on the novel by Sally Rooney
•     Ed Burns and David Simon for the sixth episode of “The Plot Against America,” based on the novel by Philip Roth
•     Scott Frank for the episode “Openings,” from “The Queen’s Gambit,” based on the novel by Walter Tevis
•     Anna Winger for the first episode of “Unorthodox,” based on the autobiography “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots” by Deborah Feldman

Traditionally held in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library at the University of Southern California, the USC Libraries will this year announce the winning authors and screenwriters to a worldwide audience on Saturday, Mar. 13, 2021, online at scripter.usc.edu.

The 2021 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 87 film and 65 episodic series adaptations. Howard Rodman, USC professor and past president of the Writers Guild of America, West, chairs the 2021 committee.

Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin, Anne Thompson and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon and Janet Fitch; screenwriters Mark Fergus, Greta Gerwig and Hawk Ostby; producers Jennifer Todd and Paula Wagner; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.

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

    “Bad Education”—HBO Films and New York magazine
    “First Cow”—A24 and Bloomsbury
    “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”—Netflix and Plume
    “Nomadland”—Fox Searchlight and W. W. Norton
    “One Night in Miami”—Amazon and Modern Classics

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

    “The Good Lord Bird”—Showtime and Riverhead Books
    “Normal People”—Hulu and Random House
    “The Plot Against America”—HBO and Vintage International
    “The Queen’s Gambit”—Netflix and Vintage Contemporaries
    “Unorthodox”—Netflix and Simon & Schuster

For more information about Scripter or how to join the March online ceremony and celebration, please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.

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2017 Austin Film Festival Announces First Films and Television Line-Up

Austin Film Festival Reveals First Slate of Films and TV for 24th Annual Line-up, Including Season Finale of "The Deuce" and Marquee Titles "Permanent," "Please Stand By," and "An Ordinary Man"

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today the first wave of films included in their 2017 film slate.

October 26 - November 2 - AFF will premiere the season finale of HBO’s new drama "The Deuce." Other titles include Permanent, Please Stand By, 24 Hours to Live and romantic comedy Amanda and Jack Go Glamping.

The complete list of programming will be announced in late September.

AFF FIRST WAVE:
*indicates in attendance

24 Hours to Live
Writers: Zach Dean, Jim McClain, Ron Mita
Director: Brian Smrz
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Liam Cunningham

Amanda & Jack Go Glamping
World Premiere
Writer/Director: Brandon Dickerson*
Starring: David Arquette*, Amy Acker, Adan Canto, June Squibb

Confessions of a Serial Killer – 1985 Retrospective
Writer/Director: Mark Blair*
Starring: Robert Burns, Dennis Hill

The Deuce-Season Finale
World Premiere
Creators: David Simon*, George Pelecanos*
Starring: James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Zoe Kazan

Flock of Four
World Premiere
Writer/Director: Gregory Caruso*
Starring: Braeden Lemasters, Shane Harper, Reg E. Cathey

Mr. Fish: Cartooning from the Deep End
World Premiere
Director: Pablo Bryant*

An Ordinary Man
North American Premiere
Writer/Director: Brad Silberling
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Hera Hilmar, Peter Serafinowicz

The Outdoorsman
US Premiere
Writer: Ryan Gilmour*
Director: David Haskell*
Starring: Brent Morin*, Sasheer Zamata*, Spencer Grammer

Permanent
Writer/Director: Colette Burson
Starring: Kira McClean, Rainn Wilson, Patricia Arquette

Please Stand By
Writer: Michael Golamco
Director: Ben Lewin
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette

Touched
North American Premiere
Writer/Director: Karl R. Hearne
Starring: Hugh Thompson, Lola Flanery


ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. For media credentials, complete the application. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST.

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Sony Pictures Announces "The Magnificent Seven" for Worldwide IMAX Release

The Magnificent Seven TO BE RELEASED WORLDWIDE IN IMAX® THEATRES

LOS ANGELES – IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, and Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that The Magnificent Seven, starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke and directed by Antoine Fuqua, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format. The Magnificent Seven, which Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures present in association with LStar Capital and Village Roadshow Pictures, will be released into IMAX® theatres worldwide coinciding with the film’s general release dates. The Magnificent Seven will be released domestically on September 23, 2016.

"The Magnificent Seven is not only among the most highly anticipated films of the fall, but Antoine Fuqua is delivering the visceral action that is perfect for the IMAX screen," said Rory Bruer, President of Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures. "The Magnificent Seven and IMAX are a great complement to each other and will play great to audiences around the world."

"After partnering on The Equalizer, we are excited to work again with the incredibly talented director Antoine Fuqua and the whole team at Sony, as well as our friends at MGM, on this exciting new film, The Magnificent Seven," said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "We believe the film’s sweeping visual style and heart-pounding action is the ideal fit for the IMAX presentation and we can’t wait for fans worldwide to enjoy the ride in IMAX."

The IMAX® release of The Magnificent Seven will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Director Antoine Fuqua brings his modern vision to a classic story in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ and Columbia Pictures’ The Magnificent Seven. With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople, led by Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua. The screenplay is by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk. The producers are Roger Birnbaum and Todd Black.


About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content. In addition, MGM has investments in domestic and international television channels. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March 31, 2016, there were 1,066 IMAX theatres (952 commercial multiplexes, 17 commercial destinations and 97 institutions) in 68 countries. On Oct. 8, 2015, shares of IMAX China, a subsidiary of IMAX Corp., began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX ® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 6th to 12th, 2015 - Update #22

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From BleedingCool:  "The Hateful Eight" was originally conceived as a novel starring Django.

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From Deadline:  Ron Howard updates "Arrested Development" Season 5.

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From BuzzFlash:  J.K. Rowling says Donald Trump is worse than Lord Voldemort.

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From Vulture:  Idris Elba may have the lead in the adaptation of Stephen King's "Dark Tower."

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From YahooTV:  2015 Golden Globe nominations.

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From TheWrap: SAG nominations.

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From IndieWire:  David Oyelowo to play Muhammad Ali for Ang Lee.

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From TheHollywoodReporter:  An article about the upcoming debuts and features at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

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From Deadline:  Queen Latifah to star in Lee Daniels project for Fox.

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From Vulture:  Bill Murray will play a dog in a Wes Anderson stop-motion film.

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From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/4 to 12/6/2015 box office is "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part Two," the film's third straight weekend at the top.

From TheHollywoodReporter:  The performance of holiday-themed horror film, "Krampus," surprised with its second place finish at the weekend box office ($16 million).  I was not surprised, and I thought it might actually gross a little more.  "Chi-raq" is reportedly a huge hit in Chicago, the setting of Spike Lee's film.

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From GoldDerby:  Director Sean Baker and star Mya Taylor talk about their buzzed-about film, "Tangerine."

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From Variety:  Ethan Hawke joins Luc Besson's "Valerian."


COMICS - Films and Books:

From Variety:  Cate Blanchett in talks to join Marvel's "Thor: Ragnarok."


MOVIE AWARD SEASON:

From Deadline: African-American Film Critics name "Straight Outta Compton" best picture.

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From TheHollywoodReporter:  Los Angeles Film Critics Association names "Spotlight" the best film of the year.  However, "Mad Max: Fury Road" wins in three category, including "Best Director" for George Miller.  It was the runner-up in two categories, including the "Best Film" category.

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From TheHollywoodReporter:  The Boston Society of Film Critics names "Spotlight" the best picture of 2015.

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From TheHollywoodReporter:  Alex Garland's "Ex Machina" is named Best British Independent Film at the 2015 British Independent Film Awards, and dominates with 4 wins.


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  Have a seat, John Boyega tells William Shatner.

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From YahooTV:  While in Australia promoting "The Force Awakens," Harrison Ford responds to his fan, Donald Trump.


TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  Official "X-Men Apocalypse" trailer.

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From Vulture:  First trailer for Warner Bros.' "The Legend of Tarzan."

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From Deadline:  The debut trailer for Spielberg's "The BFG."

J.K. Simmons Wins "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Robert Duvall in “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood”
Edward Norton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Mark Ruffalo in “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash” WINNER

2014 Gotham Awards Nominations - Complete List

by Leroy Douresseaux

Honoring independent films, the Gotham Awards are the first major awards of the film awards season.  This year, the 2014 edition kicks off the 2014-15 season.  The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, December 1, 2014 at Cipriani Wall Street.

Richard Linklater's Boyhood leads the 24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP with four nominations, including “Best Feature.”

The 2014/24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award nominations are:

Best Feature:

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Boyhood
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, producers (IFC Films)

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson, director; Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Love Is Strange
Ira Sachs, director; Lucas Joaquin, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

Under the Skin
Jonathan Glazer, director; Nick Wechsler, James Wilson, producers (A24)

Best Documentary:

Actress
Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Robert Greene, producers (The Cinema Guild)

CITIZENFOUR
Laura Poitras, director; Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky, producers (RADiUS, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films)

Life Itself
Steve James, director; Zak Piper, Steve James, Garrett Basch, producers (Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films)

Manakamana
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, directors; Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, producers (The Cinema Guild)

Point and Shoot
Marshall Curry, director; Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin, Matthew Van Dyke, producers (The Orchard and American Documentary / POV)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award:
Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Kino Lorber)
James Ward Byrkit for Coherence (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Eliza Hittman for It Felt Like Love (Variance Films)
Justin Simien for Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

Best Actor*
Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)
Ethan Hawke in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year (A24)
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Miles Teller in Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

* The 2014 Best Actor nominating panel also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award jointly to Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum for their ensemble performance in Foxcatcher(Sony Pictures Classics).

Best Actress
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
Julianne Moore in Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin (A24)
Mia Wasikowska in Tracks (The Weinstein Company)

Breakthrough Actor:
Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Macon Blair in Blue Ruin (RADiUS)
Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood (IFC Films)
Joey King in Wish I Was Here (Focus Features)
Jenny Slate in Obvious Child (A24)
Tessa Thompson in Dear White People (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant:
For the fourth consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

The nominees are:
Garrett Bradley, director, Below Dreams
Claire Carré, director, Embers
Chloé Zhao, director, Songs My Brothers Taught Me

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award:
New this year, IFP members will have a voice in determining the 5th Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Awardwith nominees comprised of the 15 nominated films in the Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award categories. All IFP current, active members at the Individual Level and above will be eligible to vote.  Voting will take place online from November 19th at 12:01 AM EST and conclude on November 26th at 5:00 PM EST. In addition, IFP will be scheduling screenings of many of the nominated films for IFP members in the theater at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Brooklyn. These screenings will take place from November 5-12. The winner of the Audience Award will be announced at the Gotham Awards Ceremony on December 1, 2014.

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"12 Years a Slave" Wins 2014 "Best Adapted Screenplay" Oscar

Adapted screenplay:

 “12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley WINNER

Nominees:
“Before Midnight” Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Screenplay by Terence Winter

2013 Women Film Critics Circle Awards - Complete List

The Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) is an association of women film critics, who are involved in print, radio, online and TV broadcast media.  Founded in 2004, this group is the first women critics’ organization in the United States.

2013 Women Film Critics Circle Awards:

BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN: Philomena
RUNNER UP: Mother Of George

BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN: Enough Said, Nicole Holofcener
RUNNER UP: Inch' Allah, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER [Screenwriting Award]: Julie Delpy: Before Midnight
RUNNER UP: Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said

BEST ACTRESS: Judi Dench: Philomena
RUNNER UP: Barbara Sukowa: Hannah Arendt

BEST ACTOR: Chiwetel Ejiofor: 12 Years A Slave
RUNNER UP: Michael B. Jordan: Fruitvale Station

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS: Onata Aprile: What Maisie Knew
RUNNER UP: Waad Mohammed: Wadjda

BEST COMEDIC ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy: The Heat
RUNNER UP: Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha

BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN: Wadjda
RUNNER UP: Inch' Allah

BEST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: Philomena
RUNNER UP: Girls In The Band

WORST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: The Bling Ring
RUNNER UP: Machete Kills

BEST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: 12 years A Slave: Chiwetel Ejiofor
RUNNER UP: Enough Said: James Gandolfini

WORST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE: Only God Forgives
RUNNER UP: Out Of The Furnace

BEST DOCUMENTARY BY OR ABOUT WOMEN: Stories We Tell
RUNNER UP: Girls In The Band

BEST SCREEN COUPLE: Before Midnight: Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke

BEST THEATRICALLY UNRELEASED MOVIE BY OR ABOUT WOMEN: Hellen Mirren in Phil Spector
RUNNER UP: Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES: Before Midnight
RUNNER UP: Enough Said

BEST ANIMATED FEMALES: Frozen
RUNNER UP: The Croods

BEST FAMILY FILM: The Wind Rises
RUNNER UP: Black Nativity

WOMEN'S WORK/BEST ENSEMBLE: Ginger & Rosa
RUNNER UP TIE: Winnie Mandela and August: Osage County

*SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS*

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
EMMA THOMPSON: For her eclecticism in switching from period films to fantasy genre, to contemporary settings. And embodying all kinds of women with raw and pure interpretations.

ACTING AND ACTIVISM AWARD
CHARLIZE THERON: For her work for The Global Fund, and for starting the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. Which educates young people about HIV/AIDS

COURAGE IN FILMMAKING
LAURA POITRAS: For bringing the Edward Snowden NSA revelations to light, driven into exile in Germany for doing so, and currently making a documentary about it.

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: (A film that most passionately opposes violence against women): Augustine
RUNNER UP: Lovelace

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: For best expressing the woman of color experience in America: 12 Years A Slave
RUNNER UP: Go For Sisters

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD: For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity: Winnie Mandela
RUNNER UP: Wadjda

COURAGE IN ACTING: [Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen]: Soko: Augustine

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD [Performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored]
Sandra Bullock: Gravity

BEST SONG: “Would You Bleed For Love” Jennifer Hudson, Winnie Mandela

MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD:
*Kristin Scott Thomas - Only God Forgives

JUST KIDDING AWARD: Best Male Images In A Movie: Last Vegas

*WFCC HALL OF SHAME*

Blue is the Warmest Color: I went in knowing almost nothing except general buzz but I hated the sex scenes which were way too long and midway thru I couldn’t wait to flee the theater. Coming out I read how many takes Kechiche required and I was thoroughly repulsed. Who was this for? Then I read the graphic novel and discovered that critical plot points were deleted. Like the fact that Adele’s parents find her in bed with Emma which is why she has to move out — and I was enraged. A three hour movie, and Kechiche is so busy salivating over his actresses that he can’t bother telling a coherent story. Hype for this film makes me nauseous!

Blue is the Warmest Color: It's so obvious a dude with a fetish directed this, it's not only unappealing, it's creepy. His overcompensating hubris isn't worth the praise this is receiving.

The Canyons: Women depicted as powerless and manipulative. Plus, the acting is horrid.

Captain Phillips: The whole might of the USA coming down on 3 starving Somalis?! Repulsive. When the obscenely beefy SEALS arrived and the audience started to cheer, I felt I was watching a “macho” director brainwash audience members into blindly accepting the worst stereotypes of jingoistic male behavior.

Dallas Buyers Club: Shame on Dallas Buyers Club for completely ignoring the LGBT as a group who drove the fight against AIDS to the forefront. The only time gays were mentioned was to let Matthew McConaughey's homophobic redneck character get a laugh at the expense of Jared Leto's transsexual character. The film made it seem as if the whole AIDS community stood on the shoulders of Ron Woodruff when in fact, groups like Act Up were starting the war for proper testing and more drugs way before Ron entered into the picture. It completely demeaned the backdrop Dallas Buyers Club was utilizing for their own characterizing "hero" agenda. Also the film took an extreme opinion against the AZT drug in favor for a plot line when in fact it was helping some patients. The only saving grace was Jared Leto's fantastic performance but unfortunately it wasn't enough.

Enough Already: Why is it that when actresses and even screen goddesses hit a certain age, they're all cast as nags, loons and shrews. No matter how accomplished any of these films may be, the tally of older actress shrewish nags on board is really high this year, as usual. Including Oprah Winfrey in The Butler, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in August: Osage County, Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine, June Squibb in Nebraska, Kristin Scott Thomas in Only God Forgives, and Julianne Moore in Carrie. Refreshing exceptions being Judi Dench in Philomena, Yolonda Ross in Go For Sisters, and Mary Steenburgen in Last Vegas.

Gravity: The women in this group make meaningful choices each year so they speak for me in these areas, the lone exception being Sandra Bullock's performance in Gravity. She's a fine actress, but I found the character to be whiny, cowardly, and full of the wrong stuff - a damsel in distress who needed a man (even if it was just her imagination) to pull her out of danger. I can hardly believe they'd send someone so panicky into space. Give me Sigourney Weaver any day.

Les Salauds [Bastards]: All of the women in this film are depicted as complicit in their own oppression and exploitation. Though it’s a patriarchal system that they exist within, they refuse to fight for themselves or each other, even when a minor is involved. The indictment then is not of the men but of the women. I found this problematic and disappointing from Denis.

Spring Breakers: No depth, little plot and a pitiful depiction of today's college kids. Gratuitous in nothing more than flesh and violence. A grossly and dangerously skewed depiction of young women and their values in today's America.

*Please Note: The WFCC Top Ten Hall Of Shame represents the ‘don’t tell me to shut up’ sidebar contribution of individual members, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Circle. Or may even dissent from an awarded nomination. Also, members may be objecting to particular characters in a film, and not the entire movie. Clarification: If an aspect of the movie is intentionally negative to make a point, rather than offensive, that is not under consideration for this category.

*ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: Adrienne Shelly was a promising actress and filmmaker who was brutally strangled in her apartment in 2006 at the age of forty by a construction worker in the building, after she complained about noise. Her killer tried to cover up his crime by hanging her from a shower rack in her bathroom, to make it look like a suicide. He later confessed that he was having a “bad day.” Shelly, who left behind a baby daughter, had just completed her film Waitress, which she also starred in, and which was honored at Sundance after her death.

*JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: The daughter of a laundress and a musician, Baker overcame being born black, female and poor, and marriage at age fifteen, to become an internationally acclaimed legendary performer, starring in the films Princess Tam Tam, Moulin Rouge and Zou Zou. She also survived the race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois as a child, and later expatriated to France to escape US racism. After participating heroically in the underground French Resistance during WWII, Baker returned to the US where she was a crusader for racial equality. Her activism led to attacks against her by reporter Walter Winchell who denounced her as a communist, leading her to wage a battle against him. Baker was instrumental in ending segregation in many theaters and clubs, where she refused to perform unless integration was implemented.

*KAREN MORLEY AWARD: Karen Morley was a promising Hollywood star in the 1930s, in such films as Mata Hari and Our Daily Bread. She was driven out of Hollywood for her leftist political convictions by the Blacklist and for refusing to testify against other actors, while Robert Taylor and Sterling Hayden were informants against her. And also for daring to have a child and become a mother, unacceptable for female stars in those days. Morley maintained her militant political activism for the rest of her life, running for Lieutenant Governor on the American Labor Party ticket in 1954. She passed away in 2003, unrepentant to the end, at the age of 93.

http://wfcc.wordpress.com/

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Utah Film Critics Choose "Gravity" as the Best Picture of 2013

The Utah Film Critics Association is an organization of cinema journalists affiliated with publications, broadcasting stations, and online media based in the state of Utah.  The group meets every December to votr on the Utah Film Critics Association Awards.

2013 Utah Film Critics Association Award winners:

Best Picture: "Gravity"
(Runner-up: "12 Years a Slave")

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
(Runner-up: Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave")

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: Oscar Isaac, "Inside Llewyn Davis")

Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos, "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: [tie] Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" and Sandra Bullock, "Gravity")

Best Supporting Actor: Bill Nighy, "About Time"
(Runner-up: Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave")

Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson, "Her"
(Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle")

Best Adapted Screenplay: "Before Midnight"
(Runner-up: "12 Years a Slave")

Best Original Screenplay: "The World's End"
(Runner-up: "The Way, Way Back")

Best Cinematography: "Gravity"
(Runner-up: "Inside Llewyn Davis")

Best Animated Feature: "Frozen"
(Runner-up: [tie] "From Up on Poppy Hill" and "The Wind Rises")

Best Non-English Language Feature: "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: "The Past")

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

Indiana Film Journalists Choose "12 Years a Slave" as 2013's Best

by Amos Semien

Last year, the Indiana Film Journalist Association surprised many when they picked Safety Not Guaranteed as the "Best Film" of 2012.  This time, they went with the familiar and named 12 Years a Slave as the "Best Film" of 2013.  The film's director, Steve McQueen, also earned "Best Director" honors.

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

The full list of 2013 Indiana Film Journalist Association Awards:

Best Film: "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: "Her")

Other Finalists (alphabetical)
"All is Lost"
"Before Midnight"
"Captain Phillips"
"Frances Ha"
"Mud"
"Prisoners"
"Spring Breakers"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Best Director: Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: Spike Jonze, "Her")

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club")

Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos, "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: Brie Larson, "Short Term 12")

Best Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
(Runner-up: Jeremy Renner, "American Hustle")

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
(Runner-up: June Squibb, "Nebraska")

Best Adapted Screenplay: "Before Midnight"
(Runner-up: "12 Years a Slave")

Best Original Screenplay: "Her"
(Runner-up: "Rush")

Best Musical Score: "12 Years a Slave"
(Runner-up: "Rush")

Best Animated Feature: "Frozen"
(Runner-up: "The Wind Rises")

Best Foreign Language Film: "Blue is the Warmest Color"
(Runner-up: "The Grandmaster")

Best Documentary: "The Act of Killing"
(Runner-up: "Stories We Tell")

Original Vision Award: "Her"
(Runner-up: "Gravity")

The Hoosier Award: Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart, "Medora"

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

2014 Writers Guild Award Nominations - Feature Film Categories

by Amos Semien

On Friday, January 3, 2014, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing during the year 2013 – the 2014 Writers Guild Awards.  The winners will be honored at the 2014 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 1, 2014, during simultaneous ceremonies held in both Los Angeles and New York.

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.

A complete list of 2014 Writers Guild Award nominations can be found here: http://www.wga.org/wga-awards/nominees-winners.aspx.

SCREEN NOMINEES:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Hustle, Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell; Columbia Pictures

Blue Jasmine, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Dallas Buyers Club, Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack; Focus Features

Her, Written by Spike Jonze; Warner Bros.

Nebraska, Written by Bob Nelson; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
August: Osage County, Screenplay by Tracy Letts; Based on his play; The Weinstein Company

Before Midnight, Written by Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke; Based on characters created by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan; Sony Classics

Captain Phillips, Screenplay by Billy Ray; Based on the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty; Columbia Pictures

Lone Survivor, Written by Peter Berg; Based on the book by Marcus Lutrell with Patrick Robinson; Universal Pictures

The Wolf of Wall Street, Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on the book by Jordan Belfort; Paramount Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Dirty Wars, Written by Jeremy Scahill & David Riker; Sundance Selects

Herblock – The Black & The White, Written by Sara Lukinson & Michael Stevens; The Stevens Company

No Place on Earth, Written by Janet Tobias & Paul Laikin; Magnolia Pictures

Stories We Tell, Written by Sarah Polley; Roadside Attractions

We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks; Written by Alex Gibney; Focus Features

END

L.A. Film Critics Tie on "Gravity" and "Her" as 2013's Best Picture

by Amos Semien

In a year of ties, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named the films, Gravity and Her, as "Best Picture" of 2013.  However, when it came to "Best Director," Gravity's Alfonso Curon did not have to share with runner-up Spike Jonze of Her.  Other ties include "Best Actress," Cate Blanchett and Adèle Exarchopoulos; and "Best Supporting Actor," James Franco and Jared Leto.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is a professional organization of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics working in the Los Angeles print and electronic media.  Since 1975, LAFCA members vote on the year's Achievement Awards each December, honoring screen excellence on both sides of the camera.

39th Annual (2013) Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:

BEST PICTURE: "Gravity" and "Her" (TIE)

BEST DIRECTOR:  Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
Runner-up: Spike Jonze ("Her")

BEST ACTOR: Bruce Dern "Nebraska"
Runner-up: Chiwetel Ejiofor ("12 Years a Slave")

BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" and Adèle Exarchopoulos, "Blue Is the Warmest Color" (TIE)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: James Franco, "Spring Breakers," and Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" (TIE)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"
Runner-up: June Squibb ("Nebraska")

BEST SCREENPLAY: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke, “Before Midnight"
Runner-up: Spike Jonze ("Her")

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Gravity"
Runner-up: Bruno Delbonnel ("Inside Llewyn Davis")

BEST PRODCUTION DESIGN: K.K. Barrett, "Her"
Runner-up: Jess Gonchor ("Inside Llewyn Davis")

BEST EDITING: Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, "Gravity"
Runner-up: Shane Carruth and David Lowery ("upstream color")

BEST MUSIC SCORE: T Bone Burnett, "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Runner-up: Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett ("HER")

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: "Blue Is the Warmest Color" - Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
Runner-up: "The Great Beauty" directed by Paolo Sorrentino

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM: "Stories We Tell" - Directed by Sarah Polley
Runner-up: "The Act of Killing" by Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, and Christine Cynn

BEST ANIMATION: "Ernest & Celestine" – Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, and Benjamin Renner
Runner-up: "The Wind Rises" directed by Hayao Miyazaki

New Generation: Megan Ellison

Legacy of Cinema: Criterion Collection

The Douglas Edwards Experimental/Independent Film/Video Award: "Cabinets Of Wonder: Films and a Performance by Charlotte Pryce"

Special Citation: The creative team of "12 Years a Slave"

http://www.lafca.net/

END

Review: "The Purge" is Thrilling and Accusing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 76 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Purge (2013)
Running time:  85 minutes (1 hour, 25 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong disturbing violence and some language
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  James DeMonaco
PRODUCERS:  Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, and Sebastien Lemercier
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jacques Jouffret
EDITOR:  Peter Gvozdas
COMPOSER:  Nathan Whitehead

SCI-FI/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Rhys Wakefield, Tony Oller, Arija Bareikis, Chris Mulkey, and Tisha French

The Purge is a 2013 science fiction film and crime-thriller from writer-director James DeMonaco.  Set in the near-future, The Purge focuses on a wealthy family whose home is under siege on a night when violent crimes like murder and rape are legal and sanctioned by the American government.

The Purge is set in the United States of America in the year 2022.  Unemployment is at one percent.  Crime is at an all-time low, and violence barely exists.  How did this come to pass?  There is an event called “The Annual Purge,” when practically all criminal activity is legal.  Over a 12-hour period, Americans can rob, assault, rape, and murder each other and they will not face legal consequences.  This event, started by what the film calls America’s “New Founding Fathers,” allows Americans to purge or vent negative emotions and repressed/violent urges.

The Purge opens on March 21, 2022.  At 7 p.m. (Eastern, I presume), the Purge begins.  James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) is a wealthy home security salesman who lives in an exclusive suburb of San Francisco, California.  After adding new security features to his house, James believes that he and his family:  wife, Mary (Lena Headey); daughter, Zoey (Adelaide Kane); and son, Charlie (Max Burkholder), can sit out this year’s edition of the Purge in the safety of their heavily fortified home.  However, a complication arises, and the Sandins end up receiving uninvited guests, and some want to kill them.

Several years ago, I happened to be watching CNN during one of those sadly rare moments when a guest says something thoughtful or thought-provoking about which we should all spend time considering.  That someone (“conservative film critic,” Michael Medved, I believe) talked about how he went from being a supporter of Robert F. Kennedy to becoming a political and social conservative.  These are not his exact words, but he basically said that sometimes we (the country as a whole) has to go to war.

My question to that statement and others like it is, “But who goes to war; who is going to do the fighting?”  Over the years, I’ve run into many people who consider or call themselves Republican, conservative, libertarian, etc., who are always demanding U.S. military action/intervention, yet they themselves never volunteer for the armed services so that they can do the fighting they so vociferously demand.  During last year’s U.S. Presidential campaign, a photograph of historical footnote Mitt Romney emerged which showed a young Mitt marching in favor of the Vietnam War.  He was even carrying a sign with a pro-war slogan.  This should have been embarrassing to Romney as he had successfully used a religious exemption as a Mormon to avoid military service.  I feel safe in assuming that Mitt was not embarrassed by the revelation of the photo.

The Purge, one of the most politically astute and socially relevant science fiction films to come around in years, delves into these notions and ideals of what it means to sacrifice for one’s country and also who or what is the sacrifice.  Writer-director James DeMonaco directly and bluntly asks why the people who benefit the most from what America offers feel that they should sacrifice the least for that same country.  Why are some people expendable merely because the elites believe that they have no value?  If sacrifice is so noble and valuable, then, would a destitute nobody really be a worthy sacrifice?

I like The Purge because it can be described as the attack the wealthy, the 1 percent, the old guard families, and the moneyed elites film.  I think this film is a commentary on American warfare, both class and military.  This is science fiction that is not escapist entertainment meant to generate merchandising revenue.  This is science fiction as pertinent speculative fiction, screaming out to the cattle and herders alike.  The Purge screams out that not everyone is willing to take one for the team unless everyone is willing to take one for the team.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: Suspenseful "Taking Lives" is Also Predictable (Happy B'day, Ethan Hawke)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Taking Lives (2004)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence including disturbing images, language and some sexuality
DIRECTOR:  D.J. Caruso
WRITER:  Jon Bokenkamp, from a screenstory by Jon Bokenkamp (based upon the novel by Michael Pye)
PRODUCER:  Mark Canton and Bernie Goldmann
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Amir Mokri (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Anne V. Coates
COMPOSER:  Philip Glass

CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER with elements of action and drama

Starring:  Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands, Olivier Martinez, Tchéky Karyo, Jean-Hughes Anglade, and Paul Dano

The subject of this movie review is Taking Lives, a 2004 psychological thriller from director D.J. Caruso.  The film is loosely based on the novel, Taking Lives, a thriller written by Michael Pye and first published in 1999.  Taking Lives the movie focuses on an FBI profiler who is called in by French Canadian police in order to help them catch a serial killer that takes on the identity of each new victim.

Have modern film audiences seen everything?  Are they too jaded?  Sometimes I think they are, and sometimes I don’t.  Still, if films like Taking Lives are any indication, someone thinks film audiences, if they haven’t seen it all, have seen a lot.  Perhaps, a directors and screenwriters feel impelled to employ every twist and turn of a plot or story to shock the audiences into thinking, “Gee, I’ve never seen that before!”

In Taking Lives, Angelina Jolie is Illeana, an FBI profiler on loan to the French Canadian police in Montreal.  She is trying to track a serial killer who takes on the identity of each new victim.  When the police turn up Costa (Ethan Hawke), an alleged witness to one of the killer’s crimes, Illeana has an important lead in finding the illusive murderer, but when she begins to have strong feelings for Costa, she ends up getting dangerously closer to the mystery killer than she ever intended.

The film is competently directed, enough so to make it a standard and maybe a bit clunky, by-the-book thriller.  The acting is somewhat suspect.  In some scenes, Ms. Jolie hits her stride and without a word of dialogue, she’s able to transform Illeana from the typical, cardboard cutout FBI girl detective into a serious investigator with creepy insight into the mind of a psycho killer.  At other moments, her performance is pedestrian, and the only thing left for the viewer is to enjoy her beauty and admire those magical lips.

Taking Lives has some genuinely suspenseful and terrifying moments, but early in the film it starts to be a little too obvious who the killer really is and everything else becomes poorly disguised red herrings.  Taking Lives isn’t all that bad; it’s actually quite intriguing in a few places.  However, it’s not necessarily worth a trip to the theatre, but it’ll probably make a fairly decent rental.

5 of 10
C+

Updated:  Wednesday, November 06, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "Before Sunset" is an All-Time Great Romance

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 234 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Before Sunset (2004)
Running time: 80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and sexual references
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
WRITERS: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, and Richard Linklater; from a story by Kim Krizan and Richard Linklater (based upon characters by Kim Krizan and Richard Linklater)
PRODUCERS: Anne Walker-McBay and Richard Linklater
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lee Daniel
EDITOR: Sandra Adair
Academy Award nominee

ROMANCE/DRAMA

Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

The subject of this movie review is Before Sunset, a 2004 romantic drama from director Richard Linklater. It is the sequel to the 1995 film, Before Sunrise. Set nine years after the first film, Before Sunset follows the young American man and young French woman who first met on a train and spent a night in Vienna as they reunite in Paris.

It’s been nine years since Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) first met in Vienna. Back then they promised to meet again in six months, but it didn’t happen. Now, Jessie is on the European leg of his book tour. He’s in Paris for a book signing session at a small (and intimate) book store when he spies Celine off to the side… and they pick up where they left off nine years ago.

It must seem nearly impossible that Before Sunset, Richard Linklater’s sequel to his romance classic, Before Sunrise, surpasses the original. Just as in the first film, the lead characters talk and talk and talk, but this time there is the baggage of nine years of disappointments between their meetings. Whereas, in Sunrise, the talk was existential and about hope and promise, this time every topic leads back to two questions for the characters: What if we had both kept our promise to meet again in Vienna?” and the unspoken question, “Are we supposed to be together.”

Sometimes, when we meet old and dear friends whom we haven’t seen for a long time, we find that we pick up with the relationship right where we left off. Linklater, Hawke, and Ms. Delpy take that phenomenon and turn it into art, art that lives and breathes. Before Sunset is a great romantic film and a great film period – a love idyll about ideal romance. Would that more films be about love rather than hate and make us invest ourselves in the outcome of romantic love. Plus, look out for that knock out surprise ending.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Richard Linklater-screenplay/story, Julie Delpy-screenplay, Ethan Hawke-screenplay, and Kim Krizan-story)

Review: "Before Sunrise" a True Romance

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 233 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Before Sunrise (1995)
Running time: 105 min (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for some strong language
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
WRITERS: Kim Krizan and Richard Linklater
PRODUCER: Anne Walker-McBay
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lee Daniel
EDITORS: Sandra Adair and Sheri Galloway
COMPOSER: Fred Frith

ROMANCE

Starring: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

The subject of this movie review is Before Sunrise, a 1995 romantic drama film from director Richard Linklater. The film follows a young American man and a young French woman who meet on a train and spend one night in the city of Vienna, walking, talking, and getting to know each other.

After he breaks up with his girlfriend in Spain, American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) takes a train tour of Europe. On the Budapest-Vienna train, he meets Celine (Julie Delpy), a French grad student. They strike up a conversation, and Jesse convinces her to skip her stop and get off the train with him in Vienna where he’s scheduled to take a flight back to American the following morning. They walk and talk and fall in love before Jesse leaves at sunrise, but will they ever meet again?

Before Sunrise is a true romantic film. It’s about two people falling in love, but director Richard Linklater’s film is such an unusual romance because he doesn’t sell the romance between Jesse and Celine using swelling orchestral music or beautiful cinematography of lush sunsets and sunrises. Instead, he forces the audience to accept or reject the believability of the couple’s growing friendship, fascination with each other, and eventual falling in love based upon how they talk to each other. And boy, do they talk. They talk about love, life, relationships, gender, men & women, politics, history, and they sometimes even make small talk.

Before Sunrise is an acquired taste, but if you can accept how unnaturally natural Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are in their performances, how they really seem to be getting to know each other (both as actors and characters), for real, then you’ll like this movie. This is one of those times when a film that is literally filled end to end with thick dialogue is actually as riveting as an action thriller. The ending seems a little too stretched out, but Before Sunrise is an exceptional and unique motion picture.

8 of 10
A

Review: "Sinister" is Indeed Sinister

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Sinister (2012)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – R for disturbing violent images and some terror
DIRECTOR: Scott Derrickson
WRITERS: Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill
PRODUCERS: Jason Blum and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Christopher Norr (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Frédéric Thoraval
COMPOSER: Christopher Young

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, Fred Dalton Thompson, James Ransone, Michael Hall D’Addario, Clare Foley, and Nick King with Vincent D’Onofrio (no screen credit)

Sinister is a 2012 supernatural horror film and mystery thriller from director Scott Derrickson. Starring Ethan Hawke, the film focuses on a true-crime writer who finds a cache of 8mm "snuff" films in his new home and then begins an investigation of what seems like the work of a serial killer.

Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a washed up true-crime novelist whose last hit was a decade ago, a controversial book called Kentucky Blood. He is desperate to find a murder case that he can turn into another hit true-crime novel. Ellison moves his family into a Pennsylvania house where the previous family was found murdered. Four of the family members were hanging from a tree, while a fifth member, a daughter, was missing.

Oddly, Ellison does not tell his wife, Tracy (Juliet Rylance), about the house’s terrible history, and the family never really settles into their new home. Their son, Trevor (Michael Hall D’Addario), starts having the worst night terrors he’s ever had, and their daughter, Ashley (Clare Foley), is painting bizarre pictures on the walls.

Ellison finds a box containing some reels of Super 8 film and a projector. This discovery leads him to begin researching a serial killer whose career dates back to the 1960s. As Ellison tries to solve this mystery, a sinister force threatens him and his family.

Watching Sinister, I was reminded of how important sound effects and music are to horror films, thrillers, and other scary movies. There are indeed some creepy visuals and ideas in Sinister, but sound is what makes this movie really work the scares. Creaking noises in the house, footsteps in the night, gusts of wind, and everything that seems determined to go bump in the night, especially when someone is alone. The excellent sound effects in this movie had me watching the film in what was almost like a fetal position. And the music: it won’t make you shake your ass, but it’ll have you quaking in your boots.

I don’t want to spoil too much for potential viewers, but I must complain about the villain. He was less supernatural disturbing and more low-rent death metal scary. Sinister’s ending is a bit of a letdown, compared to the sheer frightener that the rest of this flick is.

Ethan Hawke carries this movie because the story is largely centered on Ellison Oswalt (a moniker that apparently blends the names of writer Harlan Ellison and actor/comedian Patton Oswalt). It’s a good performance with depth. Horror movie require that the viewer suspend disbelief, but this film explains why someone would do stupid things when faced with the supernatural. Ellison Oswalt is obsessed with writing a book, and his obsession makes his already self-centered nature even worse, to the point that he makes nothing but bad decisions. Hawke’s performance conveys this.

I did also like James Ransone as the sadly under-utilized character, Detective So-and-So. Once again, I want to do something I generally avoid. I want to heartily recommend Sinister. Even with its ending, it’s one of the best horror movies of the year 2012.

7 of 10
A-

Sunday, March 03, 2013