A "Star Wars" Link-o-Rama 2022 by Negromancer - Update #47

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS AND RUMORS: 

MARVEL COMICS - From BleedingCool:  The site has news on Marvel Comics' 2023 plans for its line of "Star Wars" comic books.

FUTURE - From Deadline:   After he is finished directing "Deadpool 3" and working on the final episodes of Netflix's "Stranger Things," Shawn Levy will reportedly direct a "Star Wars" film for Lucasfilm.

ANDOR - From CBR:  Season 2 of "Star Wars: Andor" begins production Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.

FUTURE - From THR:  Apparently, Damon Lindelof ("Lost," "Watchmen") and rising screenwriting star, Justin Britt-Gibson, are writing a Star Wars movie set after the 2015-19 sequel trilogy.  Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is reportedly set to direct. December 2025 is apparently the earliest date the film would arrive.

EPISODE VI - From SFGate:   The artist Marilee Heyer helped create the look for Princess Leia in "Return of the Jedi," and she wants to finally get credit and recognition.

DARTH VADER - From ScreenRant:  Actor James Earl Jones has apparently retired as the voice of Darth Vader, which has been performing since the original film, "Star Wars" (1977).  He has assigned his voice rights to Lucasfilm and Ukranian A.I. audio company, Respeecher.

ANDOR - From RollingStone:  Showrunner Tony Gilroy and stars Diego Luna and Genevieve O’Reilly tell "Rolling Stone" why the latest Disney+ show, "Star Wars: Andor," paves new ground for the saga.

ROGUE SQUADRON - From TheWrap:  Director Patty Jenkins' "Star Wars" film, "Rogue Squadron," has pulled from Disney's release schedule.  The film was due for Dec. 2023.

TALES OF THE JEDI - From Variety:  D23 Expo reveals the six-episode first season of the new animated Star Wars series, "Tales of the Jedi."  Each episode will be 15 minutes long and will debut October 26th on Disney+.

From TheWrap:  D23 reveals new footage from "The Mandalorian" Season 3 and Baby Yoda/Grogu is back.

THE ACOLYTE - From Deadline:  "Squid Game" star, Lee Jung-jae, will play the male lead in the Disney+ "Star Wars" series, "The Acolyte."

THE LAST JEDI - From IGN:  Director Rian Johnson says he's "even more proud" of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" on its fifth anniversary than he was when it first came out.

JOHN BOYEGA - From Variety:  John Boyea, who plays "Finn" in "Star Wars" Episodes VII to IX, says that he is done with the franchise.

ANDOR - From Deadline:  The "Rogue One" spinoff, "Andor," has a new trailer.  It will debut on Disney+ on Sept. 21st, 2022 with the premiere of the first three episodes.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "Star Wars" titles for October 2022 are revealed.

DISNEY+ - From Deadline:  Amandla Stenberg ("The Hate U Give") is reportedly playing the lead the upcoming "Star Wars" streaming series, "The Acolyte."  The Disney+ series will be set during the final days of the "High Republic" era.

COLLECTIBLES - From Gizmodo:  EFX Collectibles is showing off its animatronic Baby Yoda/Grogu.  Article includes a YouTube link.

FANDOM - From Variety:  Actor Simon Pegg says "Star Wars" fandom is the "most toxic at the moment."

STAR WARS - From IndieWire:  "A Nightmare on Elm Street" star, Robert Englund, talks about helping his friend Mark Hamill land an audition for "Star Wars."

SKELETON CREW - From Deadline:  Oscar-nominee Jude Law will headline a Disney+ Star Wars series, entitled "Skeleton Crew."  The series is from "Spider-Man" director, Jon Watts, and writer, Christopher Ford.

OBI-WAN - From ScreenRant:  The "Star Wars" Twitter feed takes on social media racism in defending "Obi-Wan Kenobi" actress, Moses Ingram, who plays the Imperial Inquisitor, "Reva Sevander."

EPISODE V - From THR:  The late Irwin Kershner, the director of "The Empire Strikes Back," had the perfect retort for those who complained about the film's ending. The film opened to U.S. theaters 42 years ago yesterday, May 21st.

OBI-WAN - From VanityFair:   The magazine gets a behind-the-scenes look at three upcoming Disney+ "Star Wars series from Lucasfilm, "Obi-Wan Kenobi," "Andor," and "Ahsoka."

THE ACOLYTE - From WeGotThisCovered:  The site has production and story details and more on "Star Wars: The Acolyte," the Star Wars project from "Russian Doll" co-creator Leslye Headland.

OBI-WAN - From Variety:  The release date of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" has been moved from Wednesday, May 25th to two days later, Friday, May 27th.  However, Disney+ will release the first two episodes that day rather than just release the first episode as planned.

From EW:  Hayden Christensen gives an interview to "Entertainment Weekly" and says that it is a great honor to put the "Darth Vader" suit back on for the new series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

THE MANDALORIAN - From THR:  Actor Christopher Lloyd (the "Back to the Future" series) will guest star in the third season of the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."  There is currently no release date for the series' return.

OBI-WAN - From THR:  At one point, "Obi-Wan Kenobi's" production was halted and the show was overhauled.  Reportedly, one of the characters that did not make it to the revamped story is Darth Maul.  Ray Park who played the character in "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace," had returned to play the character, but his scenes were reportedly cut.

From Deadline:  Disney has unleashed the first trailer for "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

From EW:  The magazine has exclusive first-look photos from the Disney+ series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

From EW:  Get a first look at Ewan McGregor as "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on the April 2022 cover of "Entertainment Weekly," the last print issue of the magazine (after 32 years) before it becomes an all-digital media brand.

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OBITS - From Deadline:  In 1973, Alan Ladd, Jr., then head of 20th Century Fox, signed a deal with George Lucas to write and direct "Star Wars," died at the age of 84, Wednesday, March 2, 2022.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  A preview of 3 covers and 6 interior pages from Marvel's "Star Wars: The High Republic #15," which is due in comic shops March 2nd, 2022.

THE MANDALORIAN - From StarWars:  Marvel Comics has announced a comic book adaptation of the Disney" series, "The Mandalorian."  The eight issue series will adapt each of the first season's eight episodes.  Rodney Barnes ("Killadelphai") will write and Georges Jeanty will draw.

OBI-WAN KENOBI - From Variety: Legendary film music composer and Oscar-winning "Star Wars" music master, John Williams, is writing the theme music for the Disney+ series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

From Variety:  The next Disney+ "Star Wars" series has a premiere date.  "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will premiere May 25th, 2022, which is also the 45th anniversary of the premier of the original "Star Wars" (1977).

AHSOKA - From THR:  Actor Ray Stevenson of the History Channel's "Vikings," has joined the cast of the Disney+/Lucasfilm series, "Ahsoka."

LUKE SKYWALKER - From Esquire:   "The Unbridled and Mildly Horrifying Evolution of CGI Luke Skywalker" by Brady Langmann.  And he has a synthesized voice.

MARVEL COMICS - From StarWars:  "Star Wars: Obi-Wan" is a new five-issue miniseries that will launch in May and is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Ario Anindito.

From BleedingCool:  The site has a 7-cover; 6-page preview of "Star Wars: Crimson Reign #2," which is due Wed., Feb. 2nd.

From BleedingCool:  The site has a 5-cover, 6-page preview of "Star Wars: The Halcyon Legacy #1," which is due Wed., Feb. 2nd.

From BleedingCool:  The site has a 3-cover, 5-page preview of "Star Wars: The High Republic: Trail of Shadows #4," which is due shops on Wed., Jan. 26th.

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AHSOKA - From THR:  Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is joining Rosario Dawson and Hayden Christensen in the budding cast of the Disney+/Lucasfilm series, "Ahsoka."

From THR:  Hayden Christensen will reprise his role of "Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader" in the Disney+/Lucasfilm live-action series, "Ahsoka."

MARVEL COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Here is a look at Marvel Comics' "Star Wars" comic book solicitations for April 2022.

BOBA FETT - From IGN:  "The Book of Boba Fett" star Temuera Morrison talks about filming that "Sarlacc pit scene" from the first episode of the series.

MARVEL COMICS - From BleedingCool:  In March 2022, writer Marc Guggenheim and artist David Messina launch a new ongoing "Star Wars" comic book, "Han Solo & Chewbacca."

EPISODE VI - From Deadline: "Return of the Jedi" is among 25 films that the Library of Congress has added to the "National Film Registry" for 2021.

COMIC BOOK NEWS:

From ComicBook:  A preview of Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: Crimson Reign #4" (April 27th) featuring the Knights of Ren.

From BleedingCool:  Here is a list of "Star Wars" related comic book titles shipping from Marvel in July 2022

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STAR WARS Movie Reviews:

From Negromancer:  "Star Wars"
From Negromancer:  "The Empire Strikes Back"
From Negromancer:  "Return of the Jedi"

From Negromancer:   "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"

From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Force Awakens
From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2008 animated film)
From Negromancer:  "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
From Negromancer:  "Solo: A Star Wars Story" 

I Reads You "Star Wars Central" comics and graphic novel review page is here.

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

Disney+ Releases First "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Teaser Trailer

 

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Disney+ Debuts Brand-New Teaser Trailer For ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2022 -- Disney+ released the teaser trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi, giving fans an exciting first look at the highly anticipated limited series, which launches exclusively on the streaming service on May 25, 2022.

The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, in which Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master, and also marks the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Darth Vader. Joining the cast are Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is directed by Deborah Chow and executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and Joby Harold.

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A "Star Wars" Link-o-Rama 2021 by Negromancer - Update #46

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS AND RUMORS: 

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  In March 2022, writer Marc Guggenheim and artist David Messina launch a new ongoing "Star Wars" comic book, "Han Solo & Chewbacca."

EPISODE VI - From Deadline: "Return of the Jedi" is among 25 films that the Library of Congress has added to the "National Film Registry" for 2021.

VIDEO GAMES - From IGN:   Lucasfilm has revealed a new video game, "Star Wars Eclipse," which is set during the "High Republic" era.  Heavy Rain and Quantic Dream are making the game.

KATHLEEN KENNEDY - From BleedingCool:  Lucasfilm boss, the Kathleen Kennedy, talks about the Hayden Christensen-Ewan McGregor reunion and what will happen to the leftovers from the stillborn "Rangers of the New Republic."

AHSOKA - From Deadline:  Actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo has been cast as the lead opposite star Rosario Dawson in the Disney+/Lucasfilm series, "Star Wars: Ahsoka."  Bordizzo will play "Sabrin Wren," a character that debuted in the 3D-animated series, "Star Wars: Rebels" (2014-18).

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics published "Star Wars" comic books for nearly a quarter-century before losing the license.  Beginning in Spring 2022, Dark Horse will once again publish Star Wars comics, this time with a line of all-ages comic books and graphic novels.

OBI-WAN - From THR:  "Obi-Wan Kenobi" star Ewan McGregor and director Deborah Chow revealed details about the upcoming series.  For instance, Kenobi will be on the run from "Jedi Hunters."

From ScreenRant:  In the upcoming Disney+ series, "Obi-Wan," there will apparently be a confrontation/reunion between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader/Annakin Skywalker - according to art and an embargoed "sizzle reel."

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ROGUE SQUADRON - From THR:  Director Patty Jenkins' Star Wars film, "Rogue Squadron," which was due to go into production next year, has been taken off the production schedule.

BOBA FETT - From Variety:   The first trailer for “The Book of Boba Fett” has dropped, with the Disney Plus series teasing the titular bounty hunter’s rise to prominence in the galactic underworld.

AHSOKA - From THR:  Multiple sources have told "The Hollywood Reporter" that actor Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in Disney+/Lucasfilm live-action series, "Ahsoka."  The series focuses on Anakin's former padawan, Ahsoka Tano.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics' 2022 "Star Wars" event is "Star Wars: The Hidden Empire."

BOBA FETT - From Variety:   "The Book of Boba Fett" will debut December 29, 2021 on Disney+.

STAR WARS: ANDOR - From Deadline:   The "Rogue One" prequel series, "Star Wars: Andor," is due on Disney+ in 2022.  Star and executive producer, Diego Luna, says that the 12-episode series is finished shooting and that it will feature some "familiar faces."

COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Marvel Comics has announced a new Star Wars comic book miniseries, "Star Wars: Crimson Reign," from writer Charles Soule and artist Steve Cummings.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  The infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special" will be re-imagined as a one-shot comic book in "Star Wars: Life Day #1," which is due in Novemer.

A NEW HOPE - From TheWrap:   George Lucas once showed an early cut of his film, "Star Wars," to his pals Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Brian De Palma.  De Palma ("Scarface") disputes Spielberg's recollection of what went down at the screening...

VISIONS - From CBR:  Lucasfilm has announced that seven of the Japanese anime (animation) industry's top studios, including Trigger and Production IG, will be involved in the production of "Star Wars: Visions," an anime anthology series.  "Star Wars: Visions" will feature 8 animated short segments and will debut exclusively on Disney+ on Septemeber 22, 2021.

From StarWars:  Here is a special video clip look at "Star Wars: Visions."

 

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SOLO - From YahooEntertainment:  Emmy Award-winning actress, Thandiwe Newton, says that it was mistake to kill off her character, "Val," in "Solo: A Star Wars Story."  [She is absolutely right. I knew it the moment I saw Val's death happen in the film - Leroy] 

VISIONS - From Deadline:   Disney+ has released the trailer and unveiled the Japanese and English dub voice casts for Star Wars: Visions, its upcoming anthology series from Lucasfilm composed of short films centered on the Star Wars universe. The series launches September 22 on Disney+. Lucy Liu, Neil Patrick Harris, George Takei, Alison Brie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are among the English voice cast for the series that tells new Star Wars stories through the singular style and tradition of Japanese anime.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Here is a list of Marvel Comics' "Star Wars" comic book releases for October 2021 - with some speculation thrownin.

MANGA - From ComicBook:   VIZ Media has announced a manga that will be a prequel to the 2016 film, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."  The manga will actually be an adaptation of Greg Rucka's novel, "Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills."

THE FORCE AWAKENS - From Collider:   Concerning the "sequel trilogy," writer-director J.J. Abrams says it would have been better to have had a plan.

THE MANDALORIAN - From YahooLifestyle:   Disney has apparently decided to NOT move forward with its announced spinoff of "The Mandalorian," which was to be called "Rangers of the New Republic."

JOHN BOYEGA - From YahooEntertainment:   John Boyega reflects on bringing up "Star Wars" race issues: "I wanted to discuss the elephant in the room."

DAVE FILONI - From Variety:   Dave Filoni actually has been "executive creative director" at Lucasfilm since Summer 2020.

A NEW HOPE - From YahooEntertainment:  The "Star Wars" stars that never were: Meet the actors whose scenes were cut from "A New Hope."

From Variety:  Variety.com has offered up its 1977 review of the original "Star Wars" from its print edition.  The reviewer at that time, A.D. Murphy, really liked it.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics is publishing a "Star Wars" comic event, "War of the Bounty Hunters," which tells the story of what happened to frozen Han Solo between "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."  One of the tie-in comic books will be "Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - Jabba the Hutt #1."

OBI-WAN KENOBI - From StarWars:   The cast for the Disney+ series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi," has been revealed.  It includes (of course) Ewan McGregor.  He is joined by Hayden Christensen, Joel Edgerton, Sung Kang, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Moses Ingram, and Bonnie Piesse, among others. The series will begin shooting this month (April 2021).

LANDO - From BleedingCool:   Lando Calrissian is apparently officially "pansexual," according to LucasFilm.

OBI-WAN - From Deadline:   "Game of Thrones" actress Indira Varma reportedly joins the cast of the Disney+/Lucasfilm Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

RIAN JOHNSON - From DigitalSpy:  Some time ago, there was an announcement that director Rian Johnson ("Star Wars: The Last Jedi") was developing a new Star Wars trilogy.  It apparently is still in development, according to bestselling author Sariah Wilson, although that had been reports that the trilogy had been cancelled.

COMIC BOOKS - From StarWars:   Writer Charles Soule talks about his upcoming comic book series, "Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters."

From BleedingCool:  In May 2021, the "Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters" comic book event will take place in six Marvel Comics titles.

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THE MANDALORIAN - From Variety:   Apparently, actress Gina Carano, who portrayed the character "Cara Dune" on "The Mandalorian," has tweeted herself out of future employment with Lucasfilm.

BOOK OF BOBA FETT - From LRMOnline:  Some fan-favorite bounty hunters reportedly will appear in "The Book of Boba Fett."

From CNET:   Some answers to some questions about "The Book of Boba Fett."

COMICS - From ScreenRant:   Part of "The High Republic" publishing program will be the first original Star Wars manga, "Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance," from VIZ Media.

QUI-GON JINN - From YahooIndieWire:  Actor Liam Neeson said he would be interested in returning as the beloved Jedi "Qui-Gon Jinn."  But he is wondering if "Star Wars" is fading out on the cinematic landscape.

COMICS - From Patreon:  This link is to my review of Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: The High Republic #1." 

From Patreon:  A review of Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: Vol.: The Destiny Path" trade paperback.

VIDEO GAMES - From TheBeat:  Ubisoft is developing an "open-world" Star Wars video game.

HIGH REPUBLIC - From TheBeat: Lucasfilm Publishing’s STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC launches

HIGH REPUBLIC - From StarWars:  There is a new trailer and new information in promotion of the impending release of the first books and comic book in "Star Wars: The High Republic" publishing initiative.

NOVELS - From IndieWire:  Beloved "Star Wars" novelist, Alan Dean Foster, talks about being asked to remove a budding romance between Finn and Rey that he was setting up in his novelization of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

BOBA FETT - From StarWars:  There is more news on the recently announced Disney+ series, "The Book of Boba Fett," which will be executive produced by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Robert Rodriguez.

From Deadline:  Previously unannounced, "The Book of Boba Fett" will be a new Disney+ "Star Wars" series.  A spinoff of "The Mandalorian," the series is set to debut December 2021.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:   Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: The High Republic #1" has sold out three weeks before its release date.  Marvel has reportedly ordered a second printing.

OBIT - From CinemaBlend:  The English actor Jeremy Bulloch has died at the age of 75, Thursday, December 17, 2020.  Bulloch played the bounty hunter, "Boba Fett," in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, appearing in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of Jedi."  While Bulloch wore Boba's costume, the late American actor, Jason Wingreen ("All in the Family," "Archie Bunker's Place") provided Boba's voice.

GEORGE LUCAS - From IndieWire:  Legendary film director, Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather"), says that he feels sad that "Star Wars" dominated George Lucas' career.

OBI-WAN - From Deadline:   Hayden Christensen will return as Darth Vader in the developing Disney+ series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

ROGUE SQUADRON - From Deadline:   Patty Jenkins, the director of the "Wonder Woman" film franchise, will direct a new "Star Wars" film, "Rogue Squadron."  This will be the first "Star Wars" feature directed by a female director.

OBIT - From StarWars:   David Prowse, the actor who gave the physical performance of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, died this weekend. He was 85. 

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STAR WARS Movie Reviews:

From Negromancer:  "Star Wars"
From Negromancer:  "The Empire Strikes Back"
From Negromancer:  "Return of the Jedi"

From Negromancer:   "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"

From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Force Awakens
From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

From Negromancer:  "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (2008 animated film)
From Negromancer:  "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
From Negromancer:  "Solo: A Star Wars Story" 

I Reads You "Star Wars Central" comics and graphic novel review page is here.

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BOOK REVIEWS:

From IReadsYou:  My review of the new novel, "Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage."

From IReadsYou:  My review of the new novel, "Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi." 

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Review: "Birds of Prey" is Crazy, Sexy, Tarantino

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Birds of Prey (2020)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material
DIRECTOR:  Cathy Yan
WRITER:  Christina Hodson (based on characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Sue Kroll, Margot Robbie, and Bryan Unkeless
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Matthew Libatique (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff
COMPOSER:  Daniel Pemberton

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/CRIME/COMEDY/ACTION

Starring:  Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, Dana Lee, and Steven Williams

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), or simply Birds of Prey, is a 2020 superhero fantasy film and crime comedy from director Cathy Yan.  The movie is based on several characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.  Birds of Prey focuses on a group of women who find common cause in their struggle against a violent crime boss.

Birds of Prey opens after the events depicted in the film, Suicide Squad (2016).  Psychiatrist turned crazed criminal, Dr. Harleen Quinzel a.k.a. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), has returned to Gotham City with her criminal accomplice and boyfriend, The Joker.  However, Joker breaks up with Harley and kicks her out of their house, so she moves into an apartment above a Chinese restaurant owned by a man named Doc (Dana Lee).

In Gotham City, Harley Quinn was virtually untouchable... because she was the Joker's girlfriend... which she isn't anymore.  Now, it's open season on Harley,  The man who most wants her dead is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), a sadistic gangster who masquerades as a suave nightclub owner, but Harley earns a reprieve from Sionis.  He covets something called “the Bertinelli diamond,” which is currently in the possession of a young pickpocket named Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).

However, the quest for Cain and the diamond will force Harley to unite with three other women:  Dinah Lance a.k.a. “the Black Canary” (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a burlesque singer who works for Roman; Renee Montoya (Rose Perez), a police detective in the GCPD; and Helena Bertinelli a.k.a. “the Huntress” (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a vigilante that criminals call the “crossbow killer.”  Now, Harley and these women will show Gotham's underworld that it is the criminal class that should be afraid... of these birds of prey.

Birds of Prey's paper-thin plot:  retrieving a diamond; next, protecting a teen girl; and then, battling Roman Sionis, is not important.  This is a movie about “bad girls” having fun at the expense of really bad men, and Birds of Prey is quite good at that.  Director Cathy Yan makes the best of her ingredients:  a zany mix of actors, fantastic costumes, and eclectic sets and delivers an inspired, madcap movie of brutal, comic violence.  Birds of Prey is the kind of violent comedy that finds the wicked side of comic book stories and characters, the way the Deadpool films did.

Like the best comic books, Birds of Prey is over-the-top.  Why have a pet dog when you can have a pet hyena?  Why wear merely flashy costumes when you can wear the most fantabulous fashions?  Why hit an adversary when you can maim the mutha?  And what is a car chase without a chick on roller skates?  The women of Birds of Prey:  Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Ella Jay Basco take their performances seriously without taking their roles too seriously.  Even Ewan McGregor adds just a touch of camp to his gleefully cruel creation, Roman Sionis.

I won't pretend that Birds of Prey is a great film, but it is the kind of inspired, R-rated comic book film that I wish we saw more.  And besides the soundtrack is pretty damn good.  So I am heartily recommending Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) to moviegoers who enjoy comic book films.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, February 8, 2020


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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A "Star Wars" Link-o-Rama 2018 by Negromancer - Update #81

Posted by Leroy Doureseaux - on Patreon.

EPISODE IX - From FlickeringMyth:  Todd Fisher, the brother of the late Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), says that there is enough unused footage from "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi" to make a fitting end for Fisher in Episode 9.

EPISODE IX - From BleedingCool:  According to John Boyega, "Episode 9" takes place one year after the events depicted in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (Episode 8).

COMICS - From Newsarama:  A "Star Wars" T-shirt, with art by "Star Wars Adventures'" Derek Charm, will be available for Free Comic Book Day 2019.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Variety:  Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers, and Werner Herzog are among the new cast members for the Disney+ streaming series, "The Mandalorian."

ROGUE ONE PREQUEL - From THR:  Stephen Schiff, a producer on FX's "The Americans" named showrunner for Disney+'s "Rogue One" prequel TV series.

OBITUARY/A NEW HOPE - From EW:  Gloria Katz, the screenwriter who was a script doctor on the original Star Wars film, died Sunday, November 25, 2018.  Katz worked with her husband, Willard Huyck.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Variety:  Academy Award nominated actor, Nick Nolte, joins Disney+'s "Star Wars" streaming series, "The Mandalorian."

GALAXY OF ADVENTURES - From Deadline:  Starting Friday, Nov. 30th at StarWarsKids.com, the first six animated shorts in the new series, "Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures," will debut.

EPISODE 9 - From YahooEsquire:  Luke Skywalker may return in Star Wars Episode IX, but not as a force ghost...

THE MANDALORIAN - From SlashFilm:  Unofficial word is that actor Pedro Pascal (Netflix's "Narcos") will be the lead actor in "The Mandalorian," the new Star Wars TV series for the upcoming streaming service, Disney+.

ROGUE ONE - From Variety:  Diego Luna will reprise his "Rogue One" role of "Cassian Andor" in a new "Star Wars" series for Disney's upcoming streaming service, called "Disney+".  The unnamed series will be a prequel to "Rogue One."

BOBA FETT - From The Playlist:  Lucasfilm boss, Kathleen Kennedy says that "Boba Fett" spinoff film no longer in development.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  "Star Wars: Age of Republic Special #1" is a Jar Jar Binks story.

RESISTANCE - From BleedingCool:  Elijah Wood will be a voice actor on "Star Wars Resistance" (Disney Channel), specifically the episode, "Fuel for the Fire," which is scheduled for Sun., Oct. 21st, 2018.

THE MANDALORIAN - From TheWrap:  Lucasfilm releases the first image from the upcoming streaming series, "The Mandalorian," and the names of people who will be directing episodes of the series.  Those names include Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok"), Bryce Dallas Howard, and Dave Filoni ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels).

THE MANDALORIAN - From Deadline:  That is the title of the upcoming Star Wars streaming TV series from Jon Favreau, "The Mandalorian."  It will focus on the Star Wars race that gave us bounty hunter Jango Fett and his son Boba Fett.

STAR WARS TV - From WeGotThisCovered:  Jon Favreau's "Star Wars" TV series for Disney's streaming service is looking at "Game of Thrones" actor Pedro Pascal for lead role.

STAR WARS RESISTANCE - From IndieWire:  Japanese-American actor, Christopher Sean, talks about his voice acting role in the upcoming (Sun., Oct. 7th) Disney Channel animated series, "Star Wars Resistance."

LEGACY - From NewJerseyHerald:  A story about Greg Hildebrandt, his iconic poster for the first "Star Wars" film, and working with his twin brother, Tim, who also worked on that poster.

LUCASFILM - From Variety:  Lucasfilm extends Kathleen Kennedy's deal as president to 2021.

OBITUARY - From Variety:  "Star Wars" producer Gary Kurtz has died at the age of 78, Sunday, September 23, 2018.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From YahooCelebrity:  Billy Dee Williams pranked young Mark Hamill during the 1980 royal premiere of "The Empire Strikes Back."  Read the story.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  "This is the Age of Star Wars! STAR WARS: AGE OF REPUBLIC, AGE OF REBELLION and AGE OF RESISTANCE chronologically tell a series of spectacular adventures featuring your favorite characters from ALL THREE STAR WARS TRILOGIES."

FRANCHISE - From Variety:  Michael K. Williams, who lost his part in "Solo" because of scheduling, still wants to be part of the "Star Wars" universe.

EPISODE IX - From BleedingCool:  Oscar Isaac ("Poe Dameron") says that the late Carrie Fisher is with the cast as they film Star Wars 9.

EPISODE IX - From Variety:  Matt Smith, who played the 11th incarnation of "the Doctor" in "Doctor Who," has joined the cast of Star Wars 9

EPISODE IX - From Deadline:  Dominic Monaghan was one of the stars of J.J. Abrams' TV series, "Lost."  Now, he reunites with Abrams as Monaghan has joined the cast of "Star Wars 9."  Monaghan also appeared in "The Lord of the Rings" films.

STAR WARS RESISTANCE - From StarWars:  See the first trailer for the new Disney Channel / Disney XD, animated Star Wars TV series, "Star Wars Resistance."

EPISODE IX - From CNET:  Latest rumor, Episode 9 may be titled "Star Wars: A New Order."

From CinemaBlend:  New photo from the set of "Episode 9."

From WeGotThisCovered:  Could there be a Hutt connection from "Return of the Jedi" in Star Wars Episode 9.

From WeGotThisCovered:  There is a rumor that "Star Wars 9" could be the longest film in the series, so long that it might be split into 2 films.

From WeGotThisCovered:  John Boyega teases a new hairdo for Finn.
---------------------------

STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  According to an article in "The New York Times," the "Star Wars" series that Jon Favreau is developing for "The Disney Streaming Service" will have a budget of $100 million for a 10-episode season.

RETURN OF THE JEDI - From WeGotThisCovered:  James Marquand, the son of "Return of the Jedi" director, the late Richard Marquand, defends his father's work on the final installment of the original Star Wars trilogy.

STREAMING - From IndieWire:  The "Star Wars" films (the three main trilogies and the stand alone films) won't be on Disney's upcoming streaming service until 2024.

EPISODE IX - From Deadline:  J.J. Abrams tweets first photo from the set of "Star Wars Episode IX."

EPISODE IX - From WeGotThisCovered:  George Lucas to be working with Disney on the script for "Star Wars IX."

EPISODE IX - From StarWars:  The cast for Star Wars Episode IX was officially announced today.  Returning cast members include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, and Billie Lourd. Joining the cast of Episode IX are Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell, who will be joined by veteran Star Wars actors Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams, who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian.

From BleedingCool:  Carrie Fisher will return in Star Wars IX via unused footage from Episode VII.
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THE CLONE WARS - From StarWars:  Beloved CGI animated series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" will return for a new season of 12 episodes... which will be available on Disney's "direct-to-consumer" streaming service.  This article also includes an interview with supervising director and "shepherd of the series," Dave Filoni.

EPISODE IX - From THR:  Sources confirm that Billy Dee Williams will return as "Lando Calrissian" for Star Wars Episode 9.

EPISODE IX - From THR:   Keri Russell is in talks to join Star Wars 9.  Russell previously appeared in Episode 9 director, J.J. Abrams' breakout TV series, "Felicity."

FRANCHISE - From Collider:  Sources say that Lucasfilm is putting the development of future "anthology films" or spinoff films (like "Rogue One," and "Solo") on hold.

EPISODE IX - From ScreenRant:  Rumors heat up that Billy Dee Williams will appear in Star Wars 9.

FRANCHISE - From WeGotThisCovered:  Lucasfilm Reportedly Has 9 Star Wars Movies In Development Right Now

GEORGE LUCAS - From DenofGeek:  Via an interview for James Cameron's TV series, "James Cameron's 's Story of Science Fiction," George Lucas reveals a few details about his unused plans for the Star Wars "sequel trilogy" (Episodes 7 to 9).

FRANCHISE - From ScreenRant:  "Star Wars" is taking a break.

LUCASFILM - From ScreenRant:  Star Wars Rumor: Kathleen Kennedy Stepping Down From Lucasfilm?

EPISODE IX - From FanthaTracks:  "Star Wars 9" changes working title from ""Black Diamond" to "trIXie"

EPISODE IX - From WeGotThisCovered:  Is Lando Calrissian returning for "Star Wars 9."

FUTURE - From SlashFilm:  Emilia Clarke is currently starring in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and is the lead in HBO's "Game of Thrones."  She says that "Game of Thrones" TV series creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, will make their announced Star Wars TV series "Star Wars on acid."

FUTURE - From TheWrap:  There is a report that Oscar-nominated James Mangold has been hired to write and direct a "Boba Fett" movie.

EPISODE IX - From WeGotThisCovered:  Rumors are that "Legends" characters turned "Rebels" star, Grand Admiral Thrawn, will appear in Star Wars 9.

OBI-WAN - From JoBlo:  The rumored "Obi-Wan Kenobi" movie would be a prequel to "Star Wars: A New Hope" (Episode IV).

EPISODE IX - From FlickeringMyth:  Rumoured plot breakdown for Star Wars: Episode IX surfaces online

EPISODE IX - From WeGotItCovered:  Bizarre Star Wars: Episode IX Leak Points To Time Jumps And More

FRANCHISE - From EveningStandard:  The British newspaper site ranks the Star Wars films from best to worst - according to the writers.

EPISODE IX - From WeGotThisCovered:  Rumors have it that J.J. Abrams is looking for a new female lead for "Star Wars Episode 9."

ANIMATION - From Variety:  Disney Channel ordered the anime-inspired series, "Star Wars Resistance," which will debut this fall on Disney XD.

CARRIE FISHER - From SideshowToys: Todd Fisher talks about his late sister, Carrie, and late mother, Debbie, in this video interview.

EPISODE IX - From YahooMoviesUK: Lucasfilm has hired Victoria Mahoney as J.J. Abrams' second unit director on "Star Wars Episode 9."  She is the first black woman to work as a director on a Star Wars film.

FRANCHISE - From BleedingCool:  Rian Johnson says the "Star Wars" franchise needs directors who are not white guys.

EPISODE 9 - From EmpireOnline:  At "AwesomeCon 2018 (in Washington DC), John Boyega dropped some info saying that Finn and Rey would be reunited after spending "The Last Jedi" separated for almost the entire film.

FRANCHISE - From YahooDigitalSpy:  Not even Steven Spielberg could get the rights to use 'Star Wars' in 'Ready Player One'

CELEBRITY - From LATimes:  Mark Hamill gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

From Variety:  Harrison Ford remembers Carrie Fisher at the ceremony for Mark Hamill's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

-------------------------------
STREAMING - From StarWars.com:  Jon Favreau to Executive Produce and Write Live-Action Star Wars Series

From YahooEntertainment:  Jon Favreau hired for 'Star Wars' series: Why fans have mixed feelings
-------------------------------

COMIC BOOKS - From StarWars:  How Dark Empire Kickstarted Star Wars Comics for a New Generation

TELEVISION - From CinemaBlend:  Could "Star Wars Resistance" be the next "Star Wars" animated or first live-action TV series?

FRANCHISE - From PopSugar:  All the Details We Have on the Upcoming Star Wars Films

EPISODE IX - From BleedingCool:  J.J. Abrams says he has a script for "Star Wars: Episode 9," and a start date for production.

THE FORCE AWAKEN - From DenofGeek:  New tidbits about "The Force Awakens," including an earlier different title for the film.

A NEW HOPE - From Oscars.org:   Myth-making: STAR WARS and the Art of Advertising

NEW FILMS - From Movieweb:  Will there be two "Star Wars" per year?

NEW FILMS - From StarWars:  "Game of Thones" creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, write and produce a new series of Star Wars films.  These films will be separate from the episodic Skywalker saga and the recently announced Rian Johnson trilogy.

CHARACTERS - From CinemaBlend:  More "Expanded Universe" characters may soon become canon, as "Grand Admiral Thrawn."

CARRIE FISHER - From USMagazine:  Carrie Fisher posthumously won the Grammy Award for "Best Spoken Word Album" at the 60th Grammy Awards for the audio version of her 2016 memoir, "The Princess Diarist."

OBI-WAN - From YahooEntertainment:  After winning a Golden Globe for his performance in the FX (mini) series, "Fargo," Ewan McGregor was backstage to speak with the press and got grilled about playing Obi-Wan Kenobi.

EPISODE 9 - From YahooEntertainment:  How 'Star Wars: Episode IX' can give Princess Leia the ending she deserves

FRANCHISE - From TheNewYorker:  A Field Guide to the Musical Leitmotifs of “Star Wars”

ORIGINAL TRILOGY - From DenofGeek:  The secrecy of the Star Wars films apparently drove a wedge between Darth Vader actor, David Prowse, and Lucasfilm.

NEW TRILOGY - From TheScotsman:  The new Star Wars trilogy, to be created by Rian Johnson, is set to begin filming Summer 2018 in Scotland... according to this website.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 27th to 30th, 2015 - Update #15

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From Deadline: A new label will distribute Michael Moore's doc, "Where to Invade Next."

---------------
From Vulture:  A spinoff of the smash hit FOX television series, "Empire," is apparently happening.

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From DeadlineTV:  Amazon has plans for a "Jack Ryan" television series.

---------------
From Variety:  "Pacific Rim 2" has been delayed; some think the film has been scrapped all together.

---------------
From THR:  Jim Carrey's girlfriend, Cathriona White, found dead of an apparent suicide.

From Variety:  Jim Carrey releases a statement about the apparent drug overdose death of his girlfriend, Irish makeup artist, Cathriona White.

---------------
From YahooTV:  5 reasons not to worry about "The Daily Show" under Trevor Noah.

From YahooTV:  Ken Tucker reviews Noah's first show.

---------------
From BleedingCool:  Idris Elba talks about his Star Trek villain as "groundbreaking."

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  "Trainspotting 2" is moving forward, but with a title change.  The sequel novel to the original Trainspotting novel is entitled "Porno," so no, that will not be the title of the film.

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From TheWrap:  "Flight 462" is a web series that will tie into "Fear the Walking Dead."

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From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/25 to 9/27/2015 weekend box office is "Hotel Transylvania 2" with an estimated take of $47.5 million.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Did Vin Diesel reveal the end of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise?

---------------
From THR:  Denzel Washington talks about his son's career, diversity, and more in a talk held on Sept. 17th.

---------------
From THR:  Rose McGowan still on spittin' fire.


COMICS: Books and Films:

From CBR:  The creators of the infamous manga, "Death Note," debuted a color illustration from their upcoming manga.

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From BleedingCool:  When Black comic book fans avoid Black comic book creators...


TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  A second trailer for the film, "The Revenant," with Leonardo DiCaprio, which looks really good.

From BleedingCool:  See Marvel/Netflix's "Jessica Jones" teaser trailer.

Don Cheadle's "Miles Ahead" Heads to Sony Pictures Classics

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES DON CHEADLE’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT MILES AHEAD

NEW YORK (August 5, 2015) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired worldwide* rights to Don Cheadle’s directorial debut, MILES AHEAD. MILES AHEAD tells the story of a few lost days in the life of Miles Davis (Cheadle), the virtuoso, fighter and genius, as he bursts out of his silent period, conspires with a Rolling Stone writer (McGregor) to steal back his music, and relives the years he had with his great love, Frances Taylor (Corinealdi). The film was recently announced as this year’s Closing Night selection for the 53rd New York Film Festival.

Written by Steven Baigelman and Cheadle, MILES AHEAD stars Cheadle, Ewan McGregor, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Keith Stanfield. Cheadle, Lenore Zerman, Pamela Hirsch, Daniel Wagner, Robert Ogden Barnum, Darryl Porter and Vince Wilburn, Jr. produced the film. Mark Amin, Baigelman, Jonathan Gardner and Brian Pope executive produced. Davis’ son, Erin Davis, and daughter, Cheryl Davis, are also executive producers, and the film was made with the participation of The Miles Davis Estate. The film was financed by BiFrost Pictures.

"Miles was many things…a supreme artist and a national treasure but also an enigma to those around him, especially during his so-called quiet period," said Cheadle. "With the family’s blessing and Miles’ tenets on creativity as our guide, we used these cloistered years as a jumping off point to compose the story of a self-exiled artist creating his own ‘centrifugal adventure’ to spin himself back into playing music again. And now I’m delighted that we’ve found the perfect partners in Michael, Tom and the SPC team to take this journey with us."

"What Don Cheadle has done here with the spirit of Miles Davis is truly astounding. We are not only witnessing for the first time this part of Miles Davis’ story as it deserves to be told, but also the birth of a major film director who happens to portray the iconic musician in a jaw dropping performance. This movie will be embraced by audiences everywhere and we are so pleased to help make that happen," stated Sony Pictures Classics.

The deal was negotiated by SPC with UTA Independent Film Group, which arranged the financing and represented the filmmakers in the deal. IM Global handled pre-sales in multiple territories.*

*Pre-sale territories were Portugal, Switzerland, UK, Ex-Yugoslavia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel and Middle East.


ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992, which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.

Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 32 Academy Awards® (28 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 158 Academy Award® nominations (132 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

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.

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Review: "Trainspotting" is Still Cool (Happy B'day, Kelly Macdonald)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 69 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Trainspotting (1996)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  United Kingdom
Running time:  94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – R for graphic heroin use and resulting depravity, strong language, sex, nudity and some violence
DIRECTOR:  Danny Boyle
WRITER:  John Hodge (from the novel by Irvine Welsh)
PRODUCER:  Andrew Macdonald
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brian Tufano (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Masahiro Hirakubo
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA with elements of comedy

Starring:  Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Peter Mullan, and Kelly Macdonald

The subject of this movie review is Trainspotting, a 1996 British drama and black comedy from the team of director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, and writer John Hodge.  The film is based on the 1993 novel, Trainspotting, by author Irvine Welsh.  Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, Trainspotting the film focuses on a heroin addict who tries to clean up despite the allure of the drugs and the influence of his friends.

Director Danny Boyle captured movie audiences’ attentions with his film Shallow Grave, but it was Trainspotting that blew him up big time.  It’s the story of five young Scotsmen and their decrepit lives – rarely has nasty and slovenliness seemed so appealing.

Mark “Rent-boy” Renton (Ewan McGregor) is a serious heroine addict, deeply involved in the Edinburgh drug scene, who tries to kick his habit and change his life.  Three of his friends are also hooked on smack:  Daniel “Spud” Murphy (Ewen Bremner), Simon David “Sick Boy” Williamson (Jonny Lee Miller), and Tommy MacKenzie (Kevin McKidd).  His other homey is a wacked-out, violent, thief, and ex-con named Francis Begbie (Robert Carlyle), whom everyone calls Begbie.  Renton enjoys the dope, the violent friends, and the wild sex, but despite the allure, he wants to go clean.  If only his friends would let him be and that includes Diane (Kelly Macdonald), the hot young thing whose jailbait body can’t get enough of Renton.

The first half of Trainspotting seems to drag, but the death of a minor, but important character, really kicks off the festivities.  It seems that it took a horrible and gruesome discovery in the narrative flow to wake up screenwriter John Hodge’s storytelling beast.  Suddenly, the vibrant soundtrack, clever editing, dead-on acting, and drug fugue merge to make something splendid.  Boyle’s directing style for this film earned comparisons to films like Pulp Fiction and A Clockwork Orange, and the narrative spool of this film does mirror the latter film in style and execution, but Trainspotting is about sad people.  In Pulp Fiction and Clockwork, the characters are dangerous and dangerously sexy; in Trainspotting, they’re pretty pathetic, more sexual stank than sexually attractive.  Even McGregor’s Renton is a bore.

However, there is a neat trick Boyle and Hodge pull on us.  The closer Renton comes to the surface to free himself from his morass, the more attractive and sympathetic he becomes.  He goes from being the lead loser, the least repellent of the lowlife, to a hero for whom we can root.  As he cleans himself up, the film becomes all the more beautiful.

Trainspotting is something different, but something good, and it requires patience on the part of a viewer.  There’s a reward at the end of the rainbow.  Boyle and Hodge make this Renton’s story, about a kind of resurrection.  They wed him to the viewer, and as he rises, so does the viewer.  It’s an electric experience that has to be experienced; for the adventurous film fan, it’s a reward watching Renton finally win and leave the filth behind, not unlike kicking a bad habit.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
1997 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (John Hodge)

1996 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (John Hodge); 1 nomination: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (Andrew Macdonald and Danny Boyle)

1997 BAFTA Awards, Scotland:  2 wins: “Best Feature Film” (Andrew Macdonald-producer, Danny Boyle-director, and John Hodge-writer), “Best Actor – Film” (Ewan McGregor); 3 nominations: “Best Actor – Film” (Robert Carlyle), “Best Actress – Film” (Kelly Macdonald), and “Best Writer” (John Hodge)

Updated:  Sunday, February 23, 2014


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

Review: Didn't Want to Stay for "Stay"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 68 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Stay (2005)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some disturbing images
DIRECTOR: Marc Forster
WRITER: David Benioff
PRODUCERS: Eric Kopeloff and Tom Lassally
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roberto Schaeffer
EDITOR: Matt Chesse
COMPOSERS: Asche & Spencer (Tom Scott and Thad Spencer)

DRAMA/THRILLER with elements of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins, Janeane Garofalo, Elizabeth Reaser, and B.D. Wong

The subject of this movie review is Stay, a 2005 fantasy drama and psychological thriller from director Marc Forster. The film focuses on a psychiatrist who attempts to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide, while his own grip on reality slips.

A New York psychiatrist, Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor), inherits a secretive and highly unusual young man bent on suicide as his new patient. His name is Henry Lethem (Ryan Gosling), and he is capable of making bizarrely accurate predictions about the future. Henry announces to Sam that he is planning on committing suicide at midnight the coming Saturday – the day of his 21st birthday. After Henry disappears, Sam is desperate to find his patient before he offs himself, but his investigation begins to have reality-shattering effects on him.

Manhattan, where Sam lives, begins to transform into a constantly and wildly shifting dreamscape, and the deeper Sam tries to go into Henry’s subconscious, the more it changes the rational world for Sam. His search for Henry is also causing havoc in Sam’s relationship with his girlfriend, Lila Culpepper (Naomi Watts), a former patient of Sam’s who tried to kill herself. It isn’t long before both Sam and Lila are wondering where Sam ends and Henry begins.

Stay has some big names behind it. Director Marc Forster directed Halle Berry to an Academy Award in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, and his last film, Finding Neverland, earned several Oscar nominations including a Best Picture nod. The cast includes some heavyweights – Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, and a star-in-the-making – Ryan Gosling. In this film, Ryan definitely shows that something that has him marked as a movie star, a quality actor, and a matinee idol.

However, audiences will find Stay to be either fascinating or dull. It’s really a riff on Ambrose Bierce’s famous short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and the 1990 thriller, Jacob’s Ladder. The visuals are dazzling on a few occasions and quite inventive and imaginative most of the time. However, most of the time Stay also seems like an ambitious if not pretentious film from a talented novice, which means the director makes clever visual choices that still amount to a haphazard narrative. Only the film’s last ten minutes redeem everything that came before it, and that’s disappointing.

3 of 10
C-

Friday, April 7, 2006

Updated: Friday, June 21, 2013

Review: Lean "Haywire" is Hard and Mean

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Haywire (2011)
U.S. release – January 2012
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for some violence
EDITOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
WRITER: Lem Dobbs
PRODUCER: Gregory Jacobs
COMPOSER: David Holmes

ACTION/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Angarano, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Matthieu Kassovitze, Anthony Brandon Wong, and Bill Paxton

Haywire is a 2011 action movie and espionage thriller from director Steven Soderbergh. Released in the United States earlier this year, Haywire focuses on a female secret operative who must go rogue in order to stay alive.

Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) works for a private firm employed by the American government to perform covert operations. Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) is the firm’s director and, until recently, he was Mallory’s boyfriend. He sends Mallory and a team to Barcelona, Spain to rescue Jiang (Anthony Brandon Wong), a Chinese national being held hostage. After the mission, things go haywire. Mallory goes on the run with Scott (Michael Angarano), a young man she meets at a restaurant. Aaron (Channing Tatum), a member of her team, is pursuing her. Now, she must outwit her pursuers on both sides of the Atlantic if she is going to outlast them and discover who betrayed her.

Although he didn’t write the script, Haywire is a definitely a Steven Soderbergh movie, as he not only directed it, but also photographed it (under the name Peter Andrews) and edited it (under the name Mary Ann Bernard). The film is fast and spare, unlike the extravagant norm of many Hollywood spy and espionage thrillers and action movies. Haywire skewers closer to reality, from the gritty hand to hand combat to Gina Carano’s body and facial features. Mallory Kane looks like a woman who has really served in the military and is trained to do security and covert ops work.

However, there is much about this movie that is flat. There is too much impersonal dialogue and delivery between the characters, and the few scenes of intimacy and personal relationships come across as phony. Much of the cast is underutilized. There isn’t enough of the fantastic Michael Fassbender, and Bill Paxton as John Kane, Mallory’s father, looks as if he is chomping at the bit to do more in this movie.

Still, Haywire is a nice anecdote to the overcooked action, post-human cinema tech, and computer-generated effects that dominate most of the action thrillers now splashed across American movie theatre screens. I like the rough-and-ready Mallory Kane that actress Gina Carano creates. I want more of her, especially if Soderbergh would direct a hypothetical sequel. Haywire is a lean, mean, fighting machine, a breath of fresh air in Hollywood kick-ass cinema.

6 of 10
B

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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Review: "Down with Love" With is a Showcase for Costume Design (Happy B'day, Renee Zellweger)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Down with Love (2003)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual humor and dialogue
DIRECTOR: Peyton Reed
WRITERS: Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake
PRODUCERS: Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jeff Cronenweth
EDITOR: Larry Bock

COMEDY/ROMANCE

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Sarah Paulson, David Hyde Pierce, Rachel Dratch, Jack Plotnick, Tony Randall, and Jeri Ryan

The subject of this movie review is Down with Love, a 2003 romantic comedy. Directed by Peyton Reed, it is a pastiche of early 1960s sex comedies.

The Renée Zellweger-Ewan McGregor comedy, Down with Love, was apparently an attempt to recreate the Doris Day-Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk in both appearance and mood. Down with Love also tries to capture the time period of similar comedies from the 1950’s and 1960’s, like the 1964 Natalie Wood movie, Sex and the Single Girl, from which Down with Love borrows the plot device of a heroine writing a best selling book. The film does want to be something from the past, but it is more retro than accurate. The anachronisms may be deliberate, but that makes the film a strange hybrid of being both historical fiction and a naïve nostalgic revival. It’s so peculiar that the best I can do is say that I found it mildly entertaining and pleasant with its wall to wall tongue-in-cheek humor, but I can’t say any reader of this review will like it, although the film clearly had admirers including several print, television, and online reviewers.

Barbara Novak (Ms. Zellweger) writes a best-selling book, Down with Love, that leads a lot of women to start looking at love, relationships, and sex the way men do. Barbara earns the ire of dashing playboy journalist, Catcher Block (McGregor). A womanizer who is described as a “man’s man, ladies’ man, man about town,” Block targets Barbara for a takedown. He adopts the guise of an innocent Southern gentleman and astronaut and courts Barbara in an attempt to make her do just what her book says women should not do, fall in love with a man, but will Catcher fall in love with Barbara?

Down with Love is coy and filled with sexual innuendo. The innuendo is good for some laughs, but the coyness ultimately hurts the film. In the final analysis the films seems to encourage marriage, while also suggesting that a woman assume some feminist position of power. Chase a man, then run away from the man when you realize that you’ve mistakenly fallen in love with him. Make him beg to respect you, play hard to get, then give in – I don’t know what’s going on here. However, Down with Love certainly looks like the few romantic comedies from the 1950’s and 60’s I’ve seen. The art direction resulted in some truly beautiful sets and the cinematography is both of a fine quality and convincingly looks like the time period it attempts to mimic.

Ms. Zellweger and McGregor are charming, but are more or less on automatic, relying on star power, their good looks and reputations rather than on acting chops. The actual standout performer in Down with Love is the costume designer Daniel Orlandi and his crew. Every costume (from head to toe) was custom made for each character. So I’ll recommend this film for fans of the lead performers and romantic/comedies, especially of those from the 1950’s and 60’s.

5 of 10
B-

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