Review: Pam Grier is Radiant in "JACKIE BROWN," Tarantino's Best (Maybe) Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 77 of 2022 (No. 1889) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jackie Brown (1997)

Running time:  154 minutes (2 hours, 34 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong language, some violence, drug use and sexuality

DIRECTOR:  Quentin Tarantino

WRITER:  Quentin Tarantino (based upon the novel by Elmore Leonard)

PRODUCER:  Lawrence Bender

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Guillermo Navarro

EDITOR:  Sally Menke

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/CRIME

Starring:  Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Michael Bowen, Chris Tucker, LisaGay Hamilton, Tom Lister, Jr., Hattie Winston, Sid Haig, Aimee Graham, Tangie Ambrose, and T'Keyah Crystal Keymah

Jackie Brown is a 1997 drama and crime film from writer-director Quentin Tarantino.  It is based on Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel, Rum Punch.  Jackie Brown the movie focuses on a flight attendant who schemes with an aging bail bondsman in a bid to defeat both the ATF and her boss who smuggles guns into Mexico.

Jackie Brown introduces 44-year-old, Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), a flight attendant for the low-budget Mexican airline, Cabo Air.  She smuggles money from Mexico into the United States for her (kind of) boss, Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson), a gun runner in Los Angeles.  One day, Ordell's courier, Beaumont Livingston (Chris Tucker), is arrested, and he snitches about Ordell's business.

Acting on that information, LAPD Detective Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent, Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton), intercept Jackie while she is returning with some of Ordell's cash, with a small bag of cocaine thrown in.  Dargus and Nicolette use the cocaine to threaten Jackie with serious criminal charges and hard prison time.

Ordell hires bail bondsman, Max Cherry (Robert Forster), of Cherry Bail Bonds, to bail Jackie out of jail.  Feeling trapped between Ordell and the law, Jackie conspires with Max to pretend to give both sides what they want – Ordell the money and the ATF Ordell.  If this heist works, Jackie and Max will secure her future with half a million dollars of Ordell's money.

Jackie Brown is obviously writer-director Quentin Tarantino's ode to 1970s blaxploitation films.  The film is also a star vehicle that Tarantino created for the actress playing the title role in Jackie Brown, the great Pam Grier.  She starred in some of the most fondly remembered and popular blaxploitation films, most notably Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974).  The roles in those two films obviously inspired the role of “Jackie Brown,” although “Flower Child Coffin” a.k.a “Coffy” (of Coffy) and Foxy Brown are action heroes.  Instead, Tarantino makes Jackie Brown a world-weary woman, not an action hero, but a working woman willing to take the action that will help her make her way in the world.

Grier plays Jackie Brown with subtlety and grace, making Jackie comfortable in her skin.  Her sexiness is not forced, but radiates from her, buoyed by her confidence.  Grier makes it seem quite genuine that Brown would one day finally have enough with getting the crappy end of the stick in life.  Jackie takes a chance, and with nothing to lose, she works her magic.  Grier also works her magic, and the audience can believe that she is going to pull off this implausible heist of Ordell's money and also trick the ATF and LAPD by giving them only some of what they want.  Here, Grier gives the best performance of her career, and it is a shame that Hollywood has under-utilized her amazing talent and screen presence.

I have not seen enough of his performances to say that Max Cherry is actor Robert Forster's best performance of his career.  Playing Max revitalized Forster's career, which was mostly stalled at the time.  With charming stoicism, Forster perfectly plays the calm, wise, and a little weary, Max Cherry, one of the most perfect characters that Tarantino ever wrote.  Forster also convinces us that he has so totally fallen for Jackie Brown that he is willing to do everything she wants even if it is everything that he should not do.

I also think that Ordell Robbie is Samuel Jackson's best performance.  Ordell is an example of what would become the stereotypical Samuel L. Jackson character – the menacing, bad-ass Black man who loves to shoot people and curse up a storm.  However, Jackson makes Ordell a man full of angles and twists.  He is coarse with a trashy sophistication; he is menacing, but sentimental in odd ways.  He is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, so he is ultimately a cheap hood with enough low-rent ambitions to make himself a doomed idiot.

Tarantino uses Grier, Forster, and Jackson's performances and those of several others (Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, and Michael Keaton) to give his usual style, wit, humor, and rapid-fire bravado traction and depth.  Jackie Brown does not have the snappy banter nor the nonlinear antics of Tarantino's previous film, Pulp Fiction.  Jackie Brown's narrative is a straight story, Tarantino's most substantive film to date.  It may be an ode to blaxploitation and also a smooth heist film, but most of all, Jackie Brown is a character drama.  With a superb soundtrack behind it (focusing on “The Delfonics” 1969 classic song, “Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)”), Tarantino uses a slow pace to weave a delightful Los Angeles crime story about the criminal things people do when they are desperate … or in love.

I think that Quentin Tarantino and Pam Grier are a match made in cinematic heaven.  2022 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Jackie Brown's original theatrical release (December 8, 1997).  Jackie Brown has aged well, and for me, it gets better every time I watch it.

10 of 10

A+

Friday, December 30, 2022

NOTES:

1998 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Robert Forster)

1998 Golden Globes, USA:  2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical” (Pam Grier) and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical” (Samuel L. Jackson)

1998 Image Awards (NAACP):  1 nominations:  “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture” (Pam Grier)

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

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Review: "THE CANNONBALL RUN" Can Still Run

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 70 of 2021 (No. 1808) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Cannonball Run (1981)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR:  Hal Needham
WRITER:  Brock Yates
PRODUCER:  Albert S. Ruddy
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Michael Butler (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Donn Cambern and William D. Gordean

COMEDY/ACTION/SPORTS

Starring:  Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Tara Buckman, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Peter Fonda, George Furth, and Michael Hui

[I am working my way through the films that I first saw in a movie theater for which I have not previously written a movie review.  The first time I saw a movie in an in-door theater (as opposed to a drive-in cinema) was in 1980 – likely The Empire Strikes Back.  However, I am starting this process in the year 1981, and it turns out that there are only two movies left from that year that I saw in a theater for I which I have never written a formal review.  The Cannonball Run is one of them.]

The Cannonball Run is a 1981 action-comedy and car-racing film from director Hal Needham.  The film was produced by the Hong Kong film company, Golden Harvest, and distributed by 20th Century Fox.  The movie's plot was based on the 1979 running of an actual cross-country, outlaw road race, the “Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash,” which was also known as the “Cannonball Run.”

The film features an all-star ensemble cast, led by Burt Reynolds and featuring Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr., to name a few.  It was also the second Hollywood film appearance for Hong Kong martial arts legend and international movie star, Jackie Chan.  The Cannonball Run movie focuses on an illegal cross-country race and its oddball contenders who will use every dirty-trick-in-the-book to evade the law and to screw over their opponents.

The Cannonball Run opens in Connecticut were several teams of racers have gathered for the latest running of the illegal, cross-country road race, the “Cannonball Run.”  The goal of the racers, who are called “Cannonballers,” is to reach Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California.  Some of them hope to break the Cannonball's speed race record of 32 hours and 51 minutes.

The race teams that have gathered in Connecticut are an odd lot.  The most eccentric is the team of JJ McClure (Burt Reynolds), a famous racing driver and team owner, and Victor Prinzi (Dom DeLuise), his chief mechanic and co-driver.  There racing vehicle is a “Transcon Medi-Vac” ambulance outfitted with a NASCAR engine.  In order to convince any law enforcement officers that might stop them that they are a real ambulance and medical team, McClure and Prinzi draft a wacky physician, Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing (Jack Elam), into their plans.  For a patient, they kidnap a beautiful young woman, a tree-loving photographer named Pamela Glover (Farrah Fawcett).

Their competitors are right behind them and are almost as weird.  Scotch-swilling Jamie Blake (Dean Martin), an F1 racing icon, and his gambling-obsessed teammate, Morris Fenderbaum (Sammy Davis Jr.), dress as Catholic priests, and drive a red Ferrari.  Jill (Tara Buckman) and Marcie (Adrienne Barbeau) are two attractive women who use their good looks and impressive cleavage against traffic officers while driving a black Lamborghini.  Two Asian racers (Jackie Chan and Michael Hui) race in a high-tech, computer-laden Subaru hatchback.  Seymour Goldfarb, Jr. (Roger Moore), the heir to the “Goldfarb Girdles fortune,” identifies himself as the actor Roger Moore, and he even drives a silver Aston Martin DB5.

Chasing after these teams and determined to stop the race because of its effects on the environment is Mr. Arthur J. Foyt (George Furth), an agent of the federal government's “Safety Enforcement Unit.”  But can Mr. Foyt really stop all the racers, or will their dirty tricks stop each other?

I know why 15-year-old Leroy loved The Cannonball Run when he saw it in a theater in 1981 (the Vista Village Twin Cinema).  He liked the fast cars, the cool-looking cars, the pretty White women with big boobs, and he was a fan of the actors and celebrities who appeared in the film, such as Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett, Mel Tillis, and Terry Bradshaw, to name a few.  I was and still am a huge fan of the NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and legendary Steelers quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, was and still is my favorite NFL player, even though he is now a fat, old White man who supports Donald Trump.

But why did AARP Leroy, who recently watched The Cannonball Run again for the first time in 40 years (via Netflix's DVD.com), still find himself loving the movie?  Maybe, it is because I like speedy, high-end, foreign sports cars.  Maybe, it's because I still like amble breasts on White women.  Maybe, it is because I still like many members of the film's cast, and I certainly appreciate Adrienne Barbeau, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin more than I did back then.  And maybe, it is because now I appreciate the way actor Alfie Wise and former NFL defensive lineman, Joe Klecko, who both appeared in The Cannonball Run, once looked in tight jeans.

I also noticed that some of the larger profile stars in this film are best known for what they did in the 1970s.  Some continued to be star actors into the 1980s and beyond, such as Burt Reynolds.  Others, like Terry Bradshaw, found new careers.  Bradshaw has acted and appeared in numerous films and television shows, and he has had a four-decade career in sports broadcast that has earned him three Sports Emmy Awards, and he is still do that as of this writing.

Maybe, part of my enjoyment of this film is nostalgia.  I am a fan of at least ten performers who appeared in The Cannonball Run and who are now deceased, including Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise.

That aside, the film is genuinely funny, at least I think so.  It has a simple plot – win the race, trick the police, and lie-cheat-steal your opponents.  The setting is also simple, the highway and byways of the United States.  Sadly, because the film has a short-running time, it can only provide a cursory glance at the many unique places across the USA through which the Cannonballers have to travel.  Honestly, I think this concept would make for a good television series, at least a miniseries.

The characters are actually interesting.  Most of the actors are playing themselves or are playing character types, like Jack Elam's goony Dr. Van Helsing.  I'm pretty sure that Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. were each playing a character they played many times before this film, both on television and in film.  Farrah Fawcett's whispery-voiced Pamela Glover is a mostly pointless character, but Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman make better use of their “sex appeal.”

In the case of Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise, their playing to type was and still is fine with me.  Reynolds smile and his wit shine through in The Cannonball Run, which is by no means one of his better performances.  Reynolds popularity lasted so long because he was a true movie star.  As for DeLuise, if you liked what he usually did, well, he gave all of himself here.  I have always found him likable, even when the material was not top notch, which it is not here.

I think what really sold The Cannonball Run, both to teenage me and to old me, is that everyone in this movie seems to be genuinely having fun.  Back in 1981, those good feelings crossed over to the audience; The Cannonball Run was one of the year's biggest box office hits.  In a way, those good feelings have crossed over through time to me, and I found myself really enjoying this movie all over again.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, December 11, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 20th to 31st, 2019 - Update #32

Support Leroy on Patreon:

COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Director Matt Reeves confirms that Jeffrey Wright will play "Commissioner James 'Jim' Gordon" in his upcoming film, "The Batman."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Family and friends remember actor and comedian, John Witherspoon ("Friday," "The Wayan Bros.," and "The Boondocks"), who died Tuesday, October 29, 2019.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO is not going forward with the "Game of Thrones" prequel pilot starring Naomi Watts.

From THR:  However, HBO has ordered a "Game of Thrones" prequel series, "House of the Dragon" that is set 300 years before "Game of Thrones." It is created by George R.R. Martin, the author of the "Game of Thrones" novels, and Ryan Condal

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BOX OFFICE - From THR:  It turns out the ACTUAL winner of the 10/25 to 10/27/2019 weekend box office is "Malificent: Mistress of Evil" with a final take of 19.4 million dollars.  "Joker," the previously announced winner had a final box office take of 19.2 million dollars instead of 18.9 million.

From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/25 to 10/27/2019 weekend box office is "Joker" with an estimated take of 18.9 million dollars.

From Patreon:  My review of "Joker."

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SCANDAL - From TheWrap:  Actor Jared Padalecki, who plays "Sam Winchester" on The CW's "Supernatural," has apparently been arrested for assaulting employees at his bar, "Stereotype," in Austin, Texas.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Australian director Baz Luhrmann has chosen Australian actress Olivia DeJonge to play Priscilla Presley in his Elvis Presley biopic for Warner Bros.

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DISNEY - From Vulture:  Now, that it complete only 20th Century Fox, Disney is reportedly placing classic Fox movies in the "Disney vault," which is causing problems for repertory movie theaters.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Crispin Glover admits that he only took the job acting in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" (the fourth film) for the paycheck.

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JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  The 25th James Bond film, "No Time to Die," has wrapped up shooting.  The film will open in the U.S. on April 8th, 2020.

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DISNEY - From THR:  "Chernobyl" creator, Craig Mazin, has been hired to reboot Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise alongside veteran "Pirates" writer, Ted Elliot.

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ECO - From Variety:  Actors Jane Fonda and Ted Danson were arrested during a climate change protest in Washington D.C. For Fonda, it is second recent climate protest arrest.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Grammy-winning recording artist, Adele, shows off a slimmer look at Grammy-winner Drake's birthday party.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominations for the 29th / 2019 Gotham Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 2nd.

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MOVIES - From RollingStone:   Vin Diesel reveals that Grammy-winning singer Cardi B will appear in the 9th installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Recording artist and choreographer, Paula Abdul, talks about choreographing the African dance scene during the aborted wedding that takes place early in the Eddie Murphy classic, "Coming to America."

----------
MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Andre Holland ("Moonlight") joins Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in the film adaptation of Nella Larsen's 1939 novel, "Passing."

----------
SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Lori Loughlin facing an additional 10 years in jail because of an additional charge in the "college admissions scandal" (the FBI's "Operation Varsity Blues).

----------
OSCARS - From Deadline:  The stars of "Ford v. Ferrari," actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale, will go head to head in the best actor Oscar race.

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CELEBRITY - From BET:  Celebrated and reviled rap music impresario, Suge Knight, is serving 28 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.  It has been reported that he has sold the rights to his life story to recording artist, actor, and TV personality, Ray J.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/18 to 10/20/2019 weekend box office is "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" with an estimated take of 36 million dollars.

From THR:  The Ang Lee-directed, Will Smith-headling "Gemini Man" could lose 75 million dollars for companies behind it.

From Deadline:  "Joker" looks like it is headed to 900 million dollars in worldwide gross.  That would make it the highest grossing R-rated film ahead of current record holder, "Deadpool," which grossed 783 million dollars.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  Tom Hanks will recevie the "Cecil B. DeMille Award" from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the 77th Annual Golden Globes Awards on Jan. 5th, 2020.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence married Cooke Maroney Sat., Oct. 18th.

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POLITICS-BDS - From Truthout:  Actor David Clennon wonders if he will be blacklisted because of his support of the Boycott Divest Sanction movement against Israel.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actor and comedian, John Witherspoon, has died at the age of 77, October 29, 2019.  His 42-year film and TV career began with a two appearances on "The Richard Pryor Show" (1977).  His longest running TV gig was playing "John 'Pop' Williams" on "The Wayans Bros" (1995-99), and he also provided the voice of "Robert 'Grandad' Freeman" for the animated series, "The Boondocks" (2005-2014).  His best known film role was as "Willie Jones" in Ice Cube's "Friday" film series.

From Deadline:  Legendary Hollywood film producer, Robert Evans, has died at the age of 89, Saturday, October 26, 2019.  He was best known as the producer of many films, including 1974's "Chinatown," for which he received an Academy Award nomination, his only Oscar nod.  He also, notoriously, produced 1984's "The Cotton Club," a production that became entangled in a murder trial. Evans was also the head of production at Paramount Pictures from 1967 to 1974.

From NPR:  Former congressman, U.S. Representative John Conyers, Democrat-Michigan, has died at the age of 90, Sunday, October 27, 2019.  Conyers was the longest serving African-American member of Congress, 1965 to 2017.

From NFL and TheMercuryNews:  Former NFL player, coach and executive,Willie Brown, has died at the age of 78, Monday, October 21, 2019, according sources with the Oakland Raiders, the team with which he is most associated.  Brown played cornerback for the Denver Broncos (1963 to 1966) and the Oakland Raiders (1967 to 1978).  Brown won three Super Bowl titles (XI, XV, and XVIII) with the Raiders, one as a player and two as a coach.

From THR:  Television writer and producer, James Schmerer, died at the age of 81, Friday, October 4, 2019.  Schmerer was known for writing episodes of TV series such as "Mannix," "CHiPs," "MacGuyver," and "The High Chaparral" (for which he was also a producer).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 13th to 19th, 2019 - Update #27

Support Leroy on Patreon:

COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Deadpool film franchise writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, said that they are waiting for Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige's approval to start working on the script for "Deadpool 3."

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DISNEY - From Variety:  Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis ("Forest Gump") is in talks to direct Disney's live-action remake of Pinocchio.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Dick Cook Studios (DCS), an independent production company helmed by former Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, will receive AUD $30 million ($20,473,020 USD) in Australian government funding to produce two fantasy features in the country.  The films are "Ranger's Apprentice" and "The Alchemyst."

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STREAMING - From TheWrap:  Greg Kinnear has joined the cast of the CBS All Access miniseries, "The Stand," in the role of Glen Bateman.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  WarnerMedia's streaming service, HBOMax, has obtained the streaming rights to the animated films of the Japanese animation powerhouse, Studio Ghibli, which produced the Oscar-winning "Spirited Away."  When they debut in 2020, it will be the first time these films will be streamed

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Kurt Sutter has been fired as showrunner from FX's "Mayans MC," a show he co-created.  It reportedly has to do with complaints against him.

From Deadline:  Kurt Sutter tells his side of the story on being fired from FX's "Mayans MC."

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MOVIES-TRAILER - From ShadowandAct:  There is a first trailer for "She Ball," the first film from Cash Money Films in partnership with Nick Cannon's Ncredible Entertainment.

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Ron Ely was the star of NBC's 1960s "Tarzan" television series (1966-68).  The police found Ely's wife, Valerie, stabbed to death at the couple's home in the Hope Ranch community of Santa Barbara, California.  The suspect in Valerie's death was Ron and Valerie's son, Cameron, whom the police shot to death.  Ron Ely was reportedly unharmed.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:   Jada Pinkett Smith is in talks to return for "The Matrix 4."  Smith played Niobe in "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions."

From Deadline:  Actress Jessica Henwick, who appeared in Marvel/Netflix's "Iron Fist," is in talks to take a lead role in "The Matrix 4."

From Variety:  Emmy-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris is joining the cast of "The Matrix 4."  Production on the film is set to begin in early 2020.

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SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Huffman has reported to prison to begin serving her 14-day sentence for her role in the "college admissions scanda," also known as "Operation Varsity Blues."

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic: The nominations for the class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 have been announced.  Their are 16 nominated acts, including Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, and Dave Matthews Band.

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ECO - From Grist:  Legendary and Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda was recently arrested during a climate protest, and she says she plans to do it again.

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STREAMING - From Netflix:  Netflix and Ava DuVernay face a lawsuit over its Emmy-winning miniseries, "When They See Us."

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CULTURE - From YahooLifestyle:  A "ghost kitchen" may be preparing your Chick-fil-A.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Zoe Kravitz has won the role of "Selina Kyle/Catwoman" in Matt Reeves' The Batman, in which Robert Pattinson plays Batman.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  Nominations have been announced for the 4th Annual / 2019 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/11 to 10/13/2019 weekend box office is "Joker" with an estimated take of 55 million dollars.

From Variety:  "Joker" still dominating the international box office with an estimated haul of 123.7 million dollars in 79 markets.

From Patreon:  My review of "Gemini Man."

From Patreon:  My review of "Joker."

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POLITICS - From TheGuardian:  Robert De Niro calls President Trump a "gangster president," among other things he says.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Quentin Tarantino offers praise for the late actor Robert Forster.  Forster, who died Friday, Oct. 11th, appeared in Tarantino's 1997 film, "Jackie Brown" with Pam Grier.  Tarantino said that casting Forster, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in the film, one of the best casting choices he has ever made.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Idina Menzel is in talks to join Sony Pictures' "Cinderella" in the role of the evil stepmother.  Menzel, a Tony Award-winning Broadway actress and singer, is probably best known to the general public for her voice role as "Queen Elsa" in Disney's animated film, "Frozen," and for sing that film's worldwide hit song, "Let It Go."

OBITS:

From TheBaltimoreSun:   U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, a Democrat from Baltimore, has died at the age of 68, Thursday, October 17, 2019.  Cummings was known for his blunt oratory and for his devotion to the city of Baltimore, Maryland.  As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, he was a key figure in the impeachment inquiry in President Donald Trump.

From Variety:  The actor Bill Macy has died at the age of 97, Thursday, October 17, 2019.  Macy was best known for his role as "Walter Findlay," the husband of Bea Arthur's "Maude," on the former CBS TV series, "Maude" (1972-78).

From Deadline:  The so-called "pimp to the stars" and "Hollywood hustler," Scotty Bowers, died at the age of 96, Sunday, October 13, 2019.  A former marine and gas station attendant, Bowers was allegedly a sexual companion to or sexual facilitator (pimp) for numerous stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, Spencer Tracy, Charles Laughton, Cole Porter, and Laurence Olivier, to name a few.  In his 2012 memoir, "Full Service," Bowers gave insight into the secretive sex lives high-profile Hollywood stars of the golden era.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 11th to 17th, 2019 - Update #30

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES-CULTURE - From THR:  NBA great and author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has taken issue with the portrayal of legendary martial artist and actor, Bruce Lee, in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

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STREAMING-ANIMATION - From Variety:  Netflix orders "Agent King," an adult animated action-comedy series that depicts Elvis Presley as a secret agent or super spy.

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Neill Blomkamp says he is off MGM's "Robocop Returns."

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DISNEY/BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  With "Toy Story 4" crossing the one-billion dollar mark in global box office, Walt Disney Pictures becomes the first movie studio to have five pictures cross the billion dollar mark in global box office in a single year.  Two late year releases, "Frozen 2" and "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" could make it seven.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Kevin Hart will star in and produce the superhero comedy, "Night Wolf," for STXfilms.

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MOVIES - From SlashFilm:  Alexandre Aja ("Crawl") leads a talented group of filmmakers in an attempt to make an interactive haunted house movie.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Henry Golding ("Crazy Rich Asians") is in talks to star in the "G.I. Joe" spinoff, "Snake Eyes."

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DISNEY - From People:  Disney offers a sneak peek at its live-action remake of its classic animated film "Lady and the Tramp" with a photo of its canine stars.

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TELEVISION - From Blackfilm:  BET and Tyler Perry add new cast members, including DeVale Ellis and Kevin Walton, to their upcoming one-hour drama, "Sistas," which is due this fall.

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MOVIES - From Blackfilm:  Vanessa Bell Calloway will reprise her role of "Imani Izzi" in the Coming to America sequel, which is due to hit theaters December 18, 2020.  Comedian Luenell is also joining the cast.

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LGBTQ - From Variety:  IMDb is changing its policy on publishing birth names in response to transgender customers and other entertainment figures.

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MEDIA - From Deadline:  After 13 years apart (that long!), CBS and Viacom are once again one.  The new entity will be called ViacomCBS Inc.  Regulatory approval of the merger is expected to come in the next several months.

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STREAMING/BDS - From Truthout:  In the op-ed, "I Said No to a Netflix Series Audition Because I Support Palestinian Rights," actor David Clennon explains why he declined to participate in Netflix's upcoming series, "Sycamore," a co-production with Israel.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/9 to 8/11/19 weekend box office is "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" with an estimated take of 25.4 million dollars.

From Patreon:  My review of "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  New Line Cinema is the winner of an intense bidding war for Olivia Wilde's directorial effort which exists as a spec script, entitled "Don't Worry Darling."

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  2019 Teen Choice Awards were announced.  "Avengers: Endgame" and "Riverdale" take the top prizes.

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STREAMING - From IndieWire:  In the end, things worked out for "Fast Color," a film about African-American female superheroes.  Amazon will produce a TV series based on the film.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Universal Pictures has cancelled its release of the now-controversial film, "The Hunt."  Produced in part by Jason Blum, the film was due September 27th.

From Variety:  President Trump has been calling out Hollywood "racism," with "The Hunt" apparently being one of the "racist films" he targeted.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Quentin Tarantino says that if he comes up with a good idea, his next (and supposedly final) film would be a horror movie.

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ANIMATION - From IndieWire:  The Walt Disney Company's "Disney discipline" hits Fox's former animation studio, Blue Sky Studios ("Ice Age" and "Rio" franchises).

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, who wrote the recent "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies and "Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol," are writing a script for a "G.I. Joe" spinoff movie, which will reportedly be an ensemble piece.  A "Snake Eyes" movie is due October 2020.

OBITS:

From THR:  The Canadian born animator and filmmaker, Richard Williams, has died at the age of 86, Friday, August 16, 2019.  Williams was best known for directing the animation on the live-action/animation hybrid, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988).  He won an Oscar for his animated short film "A Christmas Carol" (1971), and in 1989, he shared a visual effects Oscar for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," as well as receiving a "special achievement" Oscar for the film.

--------------------------------
From Deadline:  The actor, Peter Fonda, has died at the age of 79, Friday, August 16, 2019.  Fonda's best known film is the groundbreaking, counter-culture movie, "Easy Rider" (1969).  Fonda also produced "Easy Rider," and shared an Oscar nomination for "Best Original Screenplay" with Terry Southern and the film's director, Dennis Hopper, for writing the film.  Fonda was the son of legendary Golden Age actor, Henry Fonda, and was the young brother of actress Jane Fonda.  Fonda's daughter, Bridget, is also an actor.

From Deadline:  Jane Fonda issues a statement on the passing of her brother, Peter Fonda.

From Deadline:  Hollywood reacts to the passing of actor Peter Fonda.
-------------------------------

From CNN:  Actor and former firefighter, Dango Nguyen, has died at the age of 48, Saturday, August 10, 2019.  Nguyen, who acted under the name "Dango Nu Yen," appeared in the third season of "The Walking Dead."

From YahooSports:  NFL coach Darryl Drake has died at the age of 62, Sunday, August 11, 2019.  Drake was currently the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receivers coach.  Drake has a brief NFL and CFL career after playing college football for Western Kentucky University (1975-1978).  After a 20-year career coaching in the college ranks, in 2004, he began his NFL coaching career.  He was a coach on the Chicago Bears 2006 team that won the NFC Championship and lost in the Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts.

From NFL:  Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin issues a statement on Darryl Drake's passing.

From NFL:   Pittsburgh Steelers Team President Art Rooney II issues a state on Darryl Drake's passing.
-----------------------------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 17th to 23rd, 2016 - Update #65

Support Leroy on Patreon.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has picked Senator Tim Kaine - Democratic Senator from Virginia as her running mate.  He is also the former governor of that state.

BLACK LIVES MATTER - From DailyMail:  Black cops warn that white cops are looking for a reason to kill a black man.

----------------
2016 San Diego Comic-Con International - #SDCC2016:

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  "Black Panther: World of Wakanda" will be Marvel Comics' lead LGBTQ title.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  CBS's new "Star Trek" series, "Star Trek Discovery" (which will be part of the network's digital service "All Access") will unfold like a novel according to a Comic-Con panel.

Star Trek - From Variety:  A teaser trailer for "Star Trek Discovery."

COMICS - From YahooMovies:  The Wonder Woman Comic-Con trailer - the first full trailer for the film which arrives in 2017.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  At a Comic-Con panel, Adam Wingard's film, "The Woods" (which arrives in September), was revealed to be a sequel to "The Blair Witch Project" (1999).

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Your 2016 Eisner Award winners.

COMICS - From YahooTV:  "Luke Cage" showrunner says that the world is ready for a bullet-proof black man" at Comic-Con panel.

COMICS - From BleedingCool: "Do I have to choke you," at the "Black Panel."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  At "The Walking Dead" Comic-Con panel, the Season 7 trailer debuted and a first look at new character King Ezekiel.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  In "Bates Motel," the television series based on Alfred Hitchcock's film, "Psycho," new cast member, Rihanna, will play "Marion Crane."  In the film, the late Janet Leigh played Crane who is stabbed to death in the film's iconic shower scene.

COMICS - From ComicBookMovie:  The first action-packed for the upcoming animated "Justice League Action" debuts. The show arrives on Cartoon Network in the Fall.

MOVIES - From CBR:  Luc Besson drops juicy details on his upcoming film, "Valerian."

MOVIES - From EntertainmentWeekly: "Valerian" footage gets standing ovation.

COMICS - From YahooNews:  At a SDCC panel, Marvel introduces a trailer for Netflix's "Luke Cage" and a teaser for Netflix's 2017, "Defenders."

COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Marvel and Netflix drop first "Iron Fist" trailer.  It intrigues...

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

STAR TREK - From YahooMovies:  Sulu's "gay kiss" was cut from "Star Trek Beyond."

---------------
MOVIES - From ThrillList:  This article is an opinion piece about the 21 best horror films since "The Blair Witch Project."  It is a good read, although I think that except for the riveting final 10 minutes; "The Blair Witch Project" is not scary, but is rather awful.

---------------
STAR TREK - From YahooNews:  At a special White House screening of "Star Trek Beyond," First Lady Michelle Obama notices handsome guests, Karl Urban, Chris Pine, and Simon Pegg.

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  After one white cop violently throws a female African-American teacher to the ground, his partner says that black people have "violent tendencies."

---------------
SPORTS-OBITS: - From ESPN:  Former NFL head football coach, Dennis Green, has died at the age of 67, Friday, July 22, 2016.  He coached the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals over 13 seasons.  Green had the second highest win total for an African-American NFL head coach.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.  He is now the Republican nominee for President of the United States, and he says, "Everything is terrible, and I alone can fix it."

From YahooNews:  Trump's acceptance speech anchored by debunked claims and outright lies.

From HuffingtonPost:  "Former" Ku Klux Klansman David Duke running for a U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana.

From YouTube:  Here is David Duke's YouTube video announcement.

---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Margot Robbie continues to line up the projects, including a film based on Matt Ruff's novel, "Bad Monkeys."

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  His hands were really up!  Unarmed man shot by cop in North Miami, Florida.

From YahooNews:  He meant to hit the autistic man with a toy truck.

From CNN:  The doofus cop has been identified.

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STAR TREK - From People:  J.J. Abrams says he will not recast the role of Pavel Chekov in Star Trek.  The actor Anton Yelchin has played the role in three Star Trek films, beginning in 2009, but he was recently killed in a freak accident.

---------------
POLITICS - From CNNPolitics:  It's tragically official.  Donald Trump is the official Republican presidential nominee.

---------------
OBITS - From Variety:  Garry Marshall, the prolific filmmaker and television creator, has died at the age of 81, Tuesday, July 19, 2016.  He directed the smash hit, 1990 film, "Pretty Woman."  His TV work included iconic series like "Happy Days," "Laverne and Shirley," and "The Odd Couple," among many.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews:   There was a charity concert during the Republican National Convention at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  1990s hit makers, Third Eye Blind, gave the largely Republican audience more than they expected.

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From Jacobin:  How not to talk about race.  It is time to stop fooling ourselves with the racecraft of “because of the color of their skin” and acknowledge the emotional instability, poor judgment, inadequate training, and ill-considered policies that turn human beings, not the victims’ skin color, into killers.

---------------
CULTURE - From RSN:  The trojan drone.

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POLITICS - From TheNewYorker:  The guy who actually wrote "The Art of the Deal," Trump's ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz, tells all.

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From RSN:  Remembering the 12-Gauge Police Eviction of a 67-Year-Old Grandmother in the South Bronx

---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Prince quietly bought the house used as his home in the film, "Purple Rain."

---------------
MOVIES - From Indiewire:  Nate Parker's follow-up to his upcoming "Birth of a Nation" has been acquired Legendary.

---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  There will be a "Ghostbusters" sequel... says Sony.

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TELEVISION - From IndieWire:  "Degrassi" reunion at Netflix.  Drake?

--------------
MOVIES - From THR:  Amazon may fully finance Woody Allen's next film, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Belushi, for $25 million.

---------------
MOVIES - From THR:  Ava DuVernay's documentary about mass incarceration and the prison industry "The 13th," will open at the New York Film Festival.

---------------
CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Actor/comic Leslie Jones ("Ghostbusters") shares the horrible, racists tweets she gets.

From YahooNews:  Twitter announces crackdown in wake of Jones' controversy.  Some Twitter accounts were permanently suspended.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews:  #BlackWordsMatter - Melania Trump, wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech from 2008 while giving her opening remarks at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

From TheIntercept:  It was more than a portion, boo.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooTV:  Stephen Colbert of the "Late Show" crashes the Republican National Convention.

From Politico:  Stephen Colbert says that Donald Trump is beyond satire.

---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  The latest in the saga of Kanye West and Taylor Swift.  Yes, there is a latest.

---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the7/15 to 7/17/2016 weekend box office is "The Secret Life of Pets" with an estimated take of $50.5 million.

From YahooMovies:   "Ghostbusters" finishes second for this box office weekend with a total of $46 million.

---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool:  How to draw Batman in 3 minutes.

---------------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Norman Reedus ("The Walking Dead") geeks out of guest start, Peter Fonda.

---------------
TELEVISION - From Vulture:  Walter Goggins on 25 years of playing that guy.

---------------
STAR WARS - From BleedingCool:   "Star Wars Rebel" Season 3 trailer teases returns and debuts.

---------------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Alden Ehrenreich official as "young" Han Solo.

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

The Killing of #AltonSterling and #PhilandoCastille and Police Officers:

From NPR:  Cops taught to pull the trigger too quickly - surprised when people pull the trigger to quickly on them.

From YahooNews:  Three officers were killed this morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

From ABC:   The killer of three officers in Baton Rouge, LA has been identified as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Missouri.

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

TRAILERS - VIDEOS:

From Facebook:  "Star Trek Beyond" the final trailer.

From YouTube:  Star Trek Beyond "Jaylah Featurette" - including statements from J.J. Abrams, Simon Pegg, and Sofia Boutella ("Jaylah")

From YouTube:   Star Trek Beyond "Justin Lin" featurette, featuring lots of quotes.

From YouTube:  Star Trek Beyond clip: "Scotty Meets Jaylah" clip.

From YouTube:  "Star Trek Beyond" the final countdown.

Review: "3:10 to Yuma" Remake a Superb Modern Western

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Running time:  122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence and some language
DIRECTOR:  James Mangold
WRITERS:  Halsted Welles and Michael Brandt & Derek Haas (based on the short story by Elmore Leonard)
PRODUCERS:  Cathy Konrad
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Phedon Papamichael (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Michael McCusker
COMPOSER:  Marco Beltrami
Academy Award nominee

WESTERN/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Vinessa Shaw, Alan Tudyk, Luce Rains, Gretchen Mol, and Ben Petry

Director James Mangold’s rousing, edgy Western, 3:10 to Yuma, is a remake of a 1957 film of the same name that starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin.  Mangold (Walk the Line) isn’t robbing the grave of Hollywood classics; instead, he has fashioned the Western as a modern, suspense-thriller that is as close to an old-fashioned horse opera as a modern film can be.  Both the first film and Mangold’s remake are based on the short story, “Three-Ten to Yuma,” written by Elmore Leonard and first published in the March 1953 issue of Dime Western Magazine.

Rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) struggles to support his ranch and family during a long drought.  Desperate for money, Evans agrees to transport the captured outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), from nearby Bisbee to Contention, the closest town with a rail station.  There, they’ll wait for the 3:10 train to Yuma, where Wade will be imprisoned while awaiting trial for his numerous crimes, mostly murder and robbery.  Holed up in a Contention hotel, Wade attempts psychological havoc on Evans, offering Evans much more money in exchange for his freedom than he would get for holding Wade captive.  Meanwhile, Wade’s henchmen, led by the vicious Charlie Prince (Ben Foster), storm into town offering money to any man who will shoot Wade’s captors.  Complicating matters, Dan’s son, William (Logan Lerman), has stubbornly joined his father on this deadly mission.

Mangold’s sturdy remake isn’t an exercise in pointless violence, although the film is indeed violent, and while it is more graphically violent than Westerns from the 30’s to the 60’s, this modern version of 3:10 to Yuma heals the wounded heart of the Western genre which has, with a few exceptions, been in steep decline on the big screen.  This is a grand character study, and acting its chief strength, relying on the considerable talents of Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

The good guy/bad guy relationship between Crowe’s Ben Wade and Bale’s Dan Evans has to be played just right in order to work, or the relationship will seem like a tired old storytelling cliché.  The characters that Bale usually play seem like the everyman as quiet man.  Evans isn’t a hero or even a brave man, as we usually think of bravery, and his son William reminds him every chance he gets, by words, with a stare, or in his sullen expression.  Evans, however, is determined this one time – in dealing with Ben Wade – to be heroic.

On the other hand, Russell Crowe’s Ben Wade is the devil – pure and simple.  Supernaturally wily, he seems faster, stronger, smarter, and more vicious than any other human he encounters.  He has given in to his pure instincts and wants – like an animal, but much more dangerous because he is ultimately a human without the checks and balances of ethics and morals.

The viewer wouldn’t be overdoing it by seeing Evans as the Christ-like sacrifice and Wade his devilish tempter.  The good/bad dynamic, however, is a staple of the Western, and 3:10 to Yuma is rife with the genre standards.  That is how this extremely well-acted and superbly-directed film honors the American Western, and 3:10 to Yuma honors this venerable genre with gusto.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards:  2 nominations:  “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score (Marco Beltrami) and “Best Achievement in Sound” (Paul Massey, David Gaimmarco, and Jim Stuebe)

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Review: Steven Soderbergh Tries Noir in "The Limey"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Limey (1999)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence and language
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
WRITER: Lem Dobbs
PRODUCERS: John Hardy and Scott Kramer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ed Lachman
EDITOR: Sarah Flack
COMPOSER: Cliff Martinez

DRAMA/CRIME/MYSTERY

Starring: Terence Stamp, Leslie Ann Warren, Luis Guzmá, Peter Fonda, Barry Newman, and Nicky Katt

Director Steven Soderbergh’s (sex, lies, and videotape) style probably took a radical turn when he saw Quentin Tarantino’s film Jackie Brown. The juxtaposition to time and scenes that made Jackie Brown so engaging is very evident is Soderbergh’s excellent 1998 film, Out of Sight (which shared the same production company as Brown), but this isn’t a knock on him, like accusing him of merely coping. Artists absorb from their experiences. Soderbergh just happened to find another way to tell a film story that would not only force the audience to pay attention and follow the story, but that would also add a dimension to the time, setting, and characters.

He breaks into this new style with a stride in the neo-noir flick, The Limey. He uses flashbacks and flash forwards that might be flashbacks. He has dialogue that overlaps into the present or that runs over a scene that happened in the past. It is not at all confusing, but it is rather bracing. This is beautiful and delicious eye candy. You could find yourself wanting more of this time slippage, indeed, eagerly awaiting each new time shift in the narrative. I really liked how dialogue that is read in one scene, actually belongs in another, but relates to both. Soderbergh uses this not only to establish the story’s timeline, but to establish character and motivation. This seems to give a better understanding of what each character means to the story, whether his part be large or small. It brings so much depth to the film and makes it all the more interesting.

Soderbergh has previously worked with The Limey screenwriter, Lem Dobbs, in Kafka from 1991. They have something special together although Dobbs had complained at the time that Soderbergh had taken liberties with the Kafka script that Dobbs didn’t like. Together they create something that isn’t just different; it’s also a kind of cinematic storytelling that takes advantage of all of film’s visual possibilities.

The story, about an English father who comes to the United States to confront the man he considers responsible for his daughter’s death, is very good. Things aren’t what they seem because what starts out as a hardboiled tale becomes a study of two men’s past and how that shapes their relationship with the same woman. Terence Stamp (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), as the matter of fact rogue, is endearing in an odd sort of way, and the supporting cast, including Lesley Ann Warren, Luiz Guzman, and Peter Fonda, serve the story and the lead quite well.

This is a little film that passed people by, but fans of Soderbergh or Stamp’s work shouldn’t miss it. The Limey is a quality film on a landscape that is covered with too many movies that leave you with an empty feeling.

7 of 10
B+

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

"East Fifth Bliss" Opens 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival

World Premiere of "EAST FIFTH BLISS" Starring Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu and Peter Fonda to Kick Off 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2011 Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) proudly announces the World Premiere of EAST FIFTH BLISS as its Opening Night film. The Gala red carpet screening of EAST FIFTH BLISS will take place on Thursday, April 28th, 2011 at 7:30pm at Edwards Big Newport (300 Newport Center Drive), followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew. The Opening Night Gala reception will take place at Fashion Island (401 Newport Center Drive). The 12th annual NBFF will run from April 28th - May 5th, 2011.

EAST FIFTH BLISS stars Golden Globe® winner Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels), Academy Award® nominee Peter Fonda (Easy Rider), Chris Messina (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), Brad William Henke (Choke) and Sarah Shahi (Fairly Legal).

EAST FIFTH BLISS (2011, USA, 97 minutes) is a comedy / drama about 35 year-old Morris Bliss who is clamped in the jaws of New York City inertia: he wants to travel, but has no money; he needs a job, but has no prospects; he still shares an apartment with his widowed father; and perhaps worst of all, the premature death of his mother still lingers and has left him emotionally walled up. When he finds himself wrapped up in an awkward relationship with the sexually precocious daughter of a former high school classmate, Morris quickly discovers his static life comically unraveling and opening up in ways that are long overdue. (Not yet rated, but anticipated to be PG-13)

EAST FIFTH BLISS, filmmaker Michael Knowles's third narrative feature, is an adaptation of the novel of the same title by author Douglas Light. The book won the "Benjamin Franklin Popular Fiction" award in 2007. EAST FIFTH BLISS is co-written for the screen by Douglas Light and Michael Knowles, and produced by John Ramos and Michael Knowles of 7A Productions and John Will of Torn Sky Entertainment.

“I am thrilled Newport Beach Film Festival chose EAST FIFTH BLISS as the opening night film of this year’s festival. It feels good to have such a prestigious festival support and believe in our film. I'm looking forward to sitting in the amazing opening night theater and experiencing East Fifth Bliss with 1100 people, because for me, that's what it's all about,” stated director Michael Knowles.

Cast and crew from EAST FIFTH BLISS are scheduled to appear at the red carpet and screening. Press check in will be from 5:30pm - 6:30pm and red carpet arrivals will take place from 6:30pm - 7:30pm. The screening will commence at 7:30pm. All press must be credentialed prior to covering the Opening Night event. Press can register for credentials online at www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.

Following the screening, the Festival, in partnership with Fashion Island and Esquire Magazine, will host an Opening Night Gala at Fashion Island. The Gala will feature culinary tastings from over twenty-five of Orange County’s premier restaurants, a runway fashion show spotlighting the latest looks from several of Fashion Island's top retailers including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom and a hosted bar provided by Absolut Vodka, Stella Artois and Perrier.

Tickets to the Opening Night screening and Gala are $125 each and are now available at http://www.newportbeachfilmfest.com/. Patrons can also purchase tickets to the Opening Night Gala for $80 each. Dress is black tie optional. Guests must be at least 21 years old.

The Newport Beach Film Festival will showcase over 400 films from over 45 countries and host nightly special events, red carpet galas, compelling conversations with filmmakers, international spotlight events and seminars. The Festival offers filmgoers unique opportunities to mingle with celebrities, filmmakers from around the globe and film industry professionals in a beautiful seaside locale.

The NBFF is sponsored in part by Absolut Vodka, Fashion Island, Regal Entertainment Group, Newport Lexus, Los Angeles Times, Time Warner Cable, and the City of Newport Beach.

Passes and tickets for film screenings, galas and special events are currently on sale. To purchase tickets and for information about the Newport Beach Film Festival visit http://www.newportbeachfilmfest.com/.

About the Newport Beach Film Festival
Celebrated as one of the leading lifestyle film festivals in the United States, the Newport Beach Film Festival seeks to bring to Orange County the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world. Committed to enlightening the public with a first-class international film program, a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the NBFF focuses on showcasing a diverse collection of studio and independent films from around the globe. The 12th annual Newport Beach Film Festival runs April 28th - May 5th and will spotlight over 350 films from around the world.

Review: "Ghost Rider" in the Mediocre Sky

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ghost Rider (2007)
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for horror violence and disturbing images
DIRECTOR: Mark Steven Johnson
WRITER: Mark Steven Johnson; based upon his screen story (based on the Marvel Comic)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Steven Paul, Michael De Luca, and Gary Foster
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russell Boyd, ACS
EDITOR: Richard Francis-Bruce, A.C.E.

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/HORROR/ACTION

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliot, Donal Logue, Peter Fonda, Matt Long, Raquel Alessi, and Brett Cullen

With his new movie, Ghost Rider, Mark Steven Johnson has written and directed his second mediocre film based upon a comic book (2003’s Daredevil being the other). In spite of both Johnson and a comically amateurish performance by Nicolas Cage as the hero, Ghost Rider survives on visual effects that create some scary monsters and cool, disturbing images.

When he was a young man, carnival stunt motorcyclist, Johnny Blaze (Matt Long) sold his soul to the devil, Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda), in order to save his father, Barton Blaze’s (Brett Cullen) life, and that deal also cost Johnny his girlfriend, Roxanne Simpson (Raquel Alessi). Years later, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) is the world’s most famous motorcycle daredevil, but that other devil has come for his due. Mephistopheles is at war with his son, Blackheart (Wes Bentley), and he wants Blaze to stop Blackheart from finding something that both hellish father and son want – a lost contract of damned souls belonging to Mephistopheles.

To that end, Blaze discovers the gift/curse of power that Mephistopheles had given him for the price of his soul. At night, in the presence of evil, Johnny becomes the fiery, motorcycle-riding demon with a flaming skull, Ghost Rider. Although obligated to serve his dark master, Johnny is also struggling to rekindle his romance with Roxanne (Eva Mendes), now a TV news reporter, and she’s isn’t buying Johnny’s story that he is the mysterious Ghost Rider. Perhaps, the only one who truly believes Johnny and knows what he’s going through as Ghost Rider is the mysterious grave keeper, Caretaker (Sam Elliot), and Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider will need Caretaker’s help as he takes on Blackheart and his demonic minions.

Mark Steven Johnson based his screen story and screenplay for Ghost Rider upon the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Created by writers Roy Thomas and Mark Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, Ghost Rider first appeared in the comic magazine, Marvel Spotlight #5 (1972), and would later be updated for the 1990’s by writer Howard Mackie and artist Javier Saltares. For this new Ghost Rider movie, Johnson has borrowed elements from throughout the character’s publishing history.

Despite four decades of source material from which to cherry pick, Johnson still delivers a cheesy, superhero horror flick. Ghost Rider is of the same quality as one of those low-end Sci-Fi Channel original movies, except GR has the production and promotional budget of a Hollywood blockbuster and a big movie star as the film lead.

There’s nothing much to be said of Nicolas Cage’s performance in this film. He’s an admitted, serious comic book fan. Still, his sincerity and love of the material doesn’t wring from him, for Ghost Rider, the kind of great performances that won him an Oscar (Leaving Las Vegas) and earned him another nomination (Adaptation). Here, Cage does a kind of hammy riff on Elvis Presley, which, speaking as a fan of Cage’s work, is embarrassing.

However, when Ghost Rider (which is certainly a computer generated character) is onscreen, especially when he’s facing off against Blackheart (well played by Wes Bentley), the film is actually fun, though still cheesy. The fiery motorcycle stunts, the wicked villains, and the frightening (and occasionally) disturbing images – mostly generated by computer – are fun. Beyond fans of comic books and comic book-based movies, Ghost Rider may attract the attentions of action movie junkies and some fans of Cage. This is simply a mediocre movie, although Eva Mendes looks white hot in a form-fitting white dress, and that’s worth seeing.

4 of 10
C

Saturday, February 17, 2007