"Barbie" Heads to IMAX Screens for Special Event Sept 22nd

 

Think Pink! Tickets Go On Sale Today for “Barbie” as the Year’s #1 Film Heads to IMAX® for 7 Days Only

Audiences who get tickets for the limited engagement beginning September 22 will also see a special address from history-making director Greta Gerwig, along with all-new footage selected just for the IMAX experience

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tickets are on sale now for the limited one-week run of “Barbie” in IMAX®, beginning September 22, 2023 on IMAX screens across North America and in select international markets. The announcement was made today by Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, and Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

As a special treat for IMAX audiences only, a special greeting from director Greta Gerwig will play before the film, and exclusive post-credit footage, selected by Gerwig, will follow. The announcement was made today by Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, and Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Goldstein and Cripps said, “We really wanted to super-serve all the fans out there who made this the Summer of ‘Barbie’ in every way imaginable, and we couldn’t think of a better way than to serve up the biggest film of 2023 and the biggest Warner Bros. film of all time on the biggest, most experiential screens around. Thanks to our terrific partners at IMAX and our incredible director, Greta Gerwig, we went a step further and are offering audiences an added incentive with this special post-credits footage. We encourage moviegoers everywhere, whether they’ve seen ‘Barbie’ or not, to see it in IMAX for a can’t-miss moment in film history.”

To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”) comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar nominees Margot Robbie (“Bombshell,” “I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (“End of Watch,” the “How to Train Your Dragon” films), Kate McKinnon (“Bombshell,” “Yesterday”), Issa Rae (“The Photograph,” HBO’s “Insecure”), Rhea Perlman (“I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Matilda”), and Will Ferrell (the “Anchorman” films, “Talladega Nights”). The film also stars Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Juno”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “65”), Ana Cruz Kayne (“Little Women”), Emma Mackey (“Emily,” “Sex Education”), Hari Nef (“Assassination Nation,” “Transparent”), Alexandra Shipp (the “X-Men” films), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami,” “Peaky Blinders”), Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Scott Evans (“Grace and Frankie”), Jamie Demetriou (“Cruella”), Connor Swindells (“Sex Education,” “Emma.”), Sharon Rooney (“Dumbo,” “Jerk”), Nicola Coughlan (“Bridgerton,” “Derry Girls”), Ritu Arya (“The Umbrella Academy”), Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”).

Gerwig directed “Barbie” from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story,” “The Squid and the Whale”), based on Barbie by Mattel. The film’s producers are Oscar nominees David Heyman (“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” “Marriage Story,” “Gravity”), Margot Robbie (“Birds of Prey,” “Promising Young Woman,” “I, Tonya”), Tom Ackerley (“Promising Young Woman,” “I, Tonya”) and Robbie Brenner (“Dallas Buyers Club”), with Gerwig, Baumbach, Ynon Kreiz, Richard Dickson, Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich and Cate Adams serving as executive producers.

Gerwig’s creative team behind the camera included Oscar-nominated director of photography Rodrigo Prieto (“The Irishman,” “Silence,” “Brokeback Mountain”), Oscar-nominated production designer Sarah Greenwood (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Anna Karenina”), Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“Little Women,” “Anna Karenina”), editor Nick Houy (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”), visual effects supervisor Glen Pratt (“Paddington 2,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and music supervisor George Drakoulias (“White Noise,” “Marriage Story”), with a score by Oscar winners Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (“A Star Is Born”), who also contributed to numerous songs on the film’s soundtrack. The soundtrack includes an impressive roster of today’s hottest music artists, including Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice with Aqua, Charli XCX, KAROL G feat. Aldo Ranks, Tame Impala, Dominic Fike, HAIM, The Kid LAROI, Khalid, PinkPantheress, GAYLE, Ava Max, FIFTY FIFTY and more.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Heyday Films Production, a LuckyChap Entertainment Production, an NB/GG Pictures Production, a Mattel Production, “Barbie.” The film is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 6th to 12th, 2023 - Update #13

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The Quorum, a film tracking service, surveyed 1800 "Barbie" ticket buyers over the past three weeks and found that 22 percent of them had likely not been to a movie theatre since before the pandemic.

ANIMATION/TRAILER - From Deadline:  In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the Bruce Lee classic, "Enter the Dragon," Bruce Lee Entertainment has released a teaser trailer for the anime series, "House of Lee."

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  The site's Mike Fleming, Jr. unveils the unpublished interview he conducted with the late actor, Ray Liotta, shortly before he died in May 2022.

FESTIVALS - From Deadline:  Film at Lincoln Center has set the 32 features from 18 countries that will make up the Main Slate of the New York Film Festival.

MOVIES/TRAILER - From THR:  The first trailer for "Golda" has debuted.  It is a thriller and biopic of the late Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir, and is directed by Guy Nattiv and stars Helen Mirren as Meir.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/4 to 8/6/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Barbie" with an estimated take of 53 million dollars.

From Variety:  After 17 days in release, "Barbie" has surpassed one billion dollars in global box office.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Prince Harry and Princess Meghan have bought the films rights to the bestselling Canadian romance novel, "Meet Me at the Lake," from author Carley Fortune.

ELVIS PRESLEY - From Deadline:  Riley Keough, the grandchild of Elvis Presley, has been named the sole trustee of the estate of her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, the only child resulting from the marriage of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.  The appointment was approved during a hearing Friday, Aug. 4th before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lynn Healey Scaduto.

OBITS:

From Variety:  American voice actor, comedian, writer, and producer, Johnny Hardwick, has died at the age of 64, Tuesday, August 8, 2023.  Hardwick is best known for his voice role of "Dale Gribble" on Fox's late animated sitcom, "King of the Hill" for all of its 13 seasons.  He was also a producer, writer, and story editor during the series' first six seasons.  He won a "Outstanding Animated Program" Primetime Emmy in 1999 for his work as a producer on "King of the Hill" and was nominated twice more in that category.

From Deadline:  The American singer-songwriter and musician, Sixto Diaz Rodriquez, has died at the age of 91, Tuesday, August 8, 2023.  Known professionally as "Rodriguez," he was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary, "Search for Sugar Man" (2012). The documentary told the story of how fans in South Africa doggedly search for Rodriguez who was wildly popular in South Africa and other southern African countries and also Australia and New Zealand while being most forgotten in the United States.  Rodriguez initially released two rock and folk albums that did not sell well in the U.S.

From Variety:  American film and television director, William Friedkin, has died at the age of 87, Monday, August 7, 2023.  Part of the "New Hollywood" movement, Friedkin was best known for two films, "The French Connection" (1971) and "The Exorcist" (1973).  For "The French Connection," he won the Academy Award for "Best Director," as well as the best director awards from the Directors Guild of America and the Golden Globes.  For "The Exorcist," he received an Academy Award nomination for "Best Director" and won the Golden Globe for "Best Director."  His other notable films include "Sorcerer" (1977), "To Live and Die in L.A." (1985), and "Killer Joe" (2011), to name a few.

From Deadline:  William Friedkin: a career in photographs

From Deadline:  American film editor, Arthur Schmidt, has died at the age of 86, Saturday, August 5, 2023.  Schmidt was best known for his collaborations with director Robert Zemeckis, and it earned him to two Oscar wins. for "Best Film Editing" for the films, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) and "Forrest Gump" (1994).  Schmidt also edited Zemeckis' "Back to the Future" trilogy, "Contact" (1997), and "Cast Away" to name a few.  Schmidt also received a "Best Film Editing" Academy Award nomination for editing Michael Apted's "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980).

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline:  Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

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

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

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

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

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

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

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

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

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

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

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

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

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

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

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

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Review: SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods" is Fun for the Entire Shazamily

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 of 2023 (No. 1903) by Leroy Douresseaux

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

Running time:  130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and language

DIRECTOR:  David F. Sandberg

WRITERS:  Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan (based on the DC Comics characters)

PRODUCER:  Peter Safran

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gyula Pados

EDITOR:  Michel Aller 

COMPOSER:  Christophe Beck

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring:  Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Glazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D.J Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Meagan Good, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, and Djimon Hounsou with Gal Gadot

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a 2023 superhero and fantasy film from director David F. Sandberg.  The film is based on the DC Comics character now called “Shazam.”  Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a direct sequel to the 2019 film, Shazam! and is also the 12th installment in “DC Extended Universe” (DCEU).  Fury of the Gods continues the story of the teenage foster kid who becomes a superhero by uttering one magic word, “SHAZAM!”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens in Philadelphia two years after the events depicted in the first film.  Billy Batson (Asher Angel) can still transform into an adult hero, the champion who bears the name “Shazam” (Zachary Levi).  Billy will turn 18-year-old in a few months, which he believes means that he will loose his foster parents, Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor Vásquez (Cooper Andrews).

Billy shared the power he got from “The Wizard” (Djimon Hounsou) with his five foster siblings.  He calls them the “Shazamily.”  His foster brother, Freddie Freeman (Jack Dylan Glazer), is an adult superhero who calls himself “Captain Everything” (Adam Brody).  His older foster sister, Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey) is trying to be an adult while also being a superhero.  The other foster kid/adult hero pairs are Eugene Choi (Ian Chen and Ross Butler), Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona), Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman and Meagan Good).  Billy/Shazam is desperate to keep his “Shazamily” together, but they are having a rough time being superheroes.  After doing a less than stellar job saving civilians from a collapsing bridge, Shazam and company discover that the local media refers to them as the “Philly Fiascoes.”

Bigger troubles are ahead, however.  “The Daughters of Atlas” have imprisoned The Wizard, and they want to regain the powers he stole from the gods, including their father, the Titan Atlas, and gave to his new champions – Billy and his Shazamily.  Can they survive the attack of the daughters:  Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and the reluctant Anthea (Rachel Zegler), and save the world from destruction and from the fury of the gods?

In the first Shazam! film, the drama was driven by Billy Batson's internal conflict.  It was built around the tension between the foster family Bill could have and did not want and the biological family he wanted but could no longer have (if he ever really had it to begin with).  In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Billy/Shazam fears losing the foster family that he eventually embraced, and with such a theme, he must inevitably learn that one should not hold onto things too tightly – even loved ones.  The Daughters of Atlas must learn the same, concerning the things to which they cling too tightly.  Billy/Shazam's dilemmas don't resonate this time around the way they did in the original film, and, at times, Billy and Shazam's obsession with holding onto the family seems forced.  But at least this film has the requisite drama.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods, like Shazam!, is a very entertaining film that is part energetic superhero movie, part charming comedy, and part heartwarming family film.  The superhero action is not as intense as that found in most superhero films, although Fury of the Gods' action is more intense than in the original.  Some of the villains' murderous intentions seem really murderous.

Except for the increase in intensity, everything about Fury of the Gods is a little down from the first film.  It is not as poignant, not quite as funny, and it seems too long, although it is a littler shorter than the original film.  Still, fans of Shazam! will likely enjoy Shazam! Fury of the Gods.  It even has a nice cameo appearance by another DC Comics superhero, and that cameo makes me wish that we could get more Shazam! Films.  It would be fun to see Billy Batson and Shazam team up with other DC  heroes and pitted against DC villains.  It is likely, however, that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the final half of a truly unique pair of superhero movies.

6 of 10

B

★★★ out of 4 stars

Monday, March 20, 2023

NOTES:

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has one extra scene in the middle of the credits and one at the end of the credits.

The DC Comics character, Shazam, was the first comic book character to have the name “Captain Marvel.”  A boy named Billy Batson became Captain Marvel by uttering the word, “Shazam!”  Captain Marvel was created by comic book artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker.  He first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (cover-dated:  February 1940) which was published by Fawcett Comics.  A legal dispute caused Fawcett to stop publishing Captain Marvel comic books in 1953.  DC Comics revived the character in 1972, but by then, Marvel Comics owned the trademark to the name “Captain Marvel.”  Thus, the original Captain Marvel is now called Shazam.

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "F9" is for the "Fast & Furious" Family of Fans

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 of 2021 (No. 1781) by Leroy Douresseaux

F9 (2021)
Running time: 145 minutes (2 hours, 25 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Justin Lin and Daniel Casey; from a story by Justin Lin, Daniel Casey, and Alfredo Botello (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Justin Lin, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Clatyon Townsend, and Samantha Vincent
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Greg D'Auria, Dylan Highsmith, and Kelly Matsumoto
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Charlize Theron, Jon Cena, Kurt Russell, Anna Sawai, Don Omar, Shea Whigham, Vinnie Bennett, Finn Cole, JD Pardo, Michael Rooker, Lucas Black, Shad Moss, Jason Tobin, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Isaac and Immanuel Holtane, Cardi B, and Helen Mirren

F9 is a 2021 action movie from director Justin Lin and is produced by Universal Pictures.  It is the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious movie franchise (now also called the “Fast Saga”).  A direct sequel to 2017's The Fate of the Furious, F9 finds Dom and his racing family facing a powerful figure from Dom's birth family.

As F9 begins, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) has retired from his previous life.  He is living in seclusion with his wife, Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), and his son, Brian (Isaac and Immanuel Holtane), the child he conceived with his former girlfriend, the late Elena Neves.  Dom and Letty get a surprise visit from his team/family:  Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel).  Their sometime compatriot, covert operative Frank Petty (Kurt Russell), a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” apparently captured cyberterrorist, Cipher (Charlize Theron).  The plane in which Mr. Nobody was transporting Cipher was attacked by rogue agents, but Mr. Nobody was able to send a coded distress signal meant for Dom and his team.

The leaders behind this attack are Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen), the mysterious son of a very wealthy and politically powerful man, and Jakob (Jon Cena), a man who has close ties to Dom.  Soon, Dom's sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), a former member of Dom's team, returns to join the hunt for Jakob.  They must stop Jakob and Otto before they can obtain and activate a device called “Aries,” which can hack into any computer system in the world.  Before this mission is over, however, Dom will have to reveal his past and his past mistakes, and he will need help from a few figures from his past – including one thought to be dead.

As I write this, it is the morning after I saw F9 at a Thursday night preview show.  I can say the same thing about F9 that I wrote about The Fate of the Furious in a review I wrote a few days ago.  I love F9.  It is the latest installment of a film franchise that has seen its over-the-top action become so … over-the-top that it is practically a kind of superhero and car chase movie series.  However,  F9 sends this franchise higher – literally – than it has ever gone before.  The ludicrous and ridiculous, but oh-so-fun set pieces are a hallmark of this franchise, but F9 actually takes two characters into space.  Gravity and physics are totally subverted, but “Fast & Furious” fans won't give a damn while watching F9 anymore than they did watching the last 12 years of this franchise.

I will give F9 credit, however, for inserting some dark and edgy family drama into the story, melodrama even darker and edgier than what The Fate of the Furious gave audiences.  And, as in that film, Vin Diesel gets to show his dramatic chops, and he reveals that Dom isn't right all the time, and that sometimes his errors really cost the people close to him.  I don't think F9 is quite as good as The Fate of the Furious because the new film's villains are not quite as diabolical as Fate's super-villain (the aforementioned Cipher).  Still, I like how F9 puts the family in the fast and the furious.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, June 25, 2021


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

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Review: THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS is Perfectly 2 Fast 2 Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 of 2021 (No. 1780) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of violence and destruction, suggestive content, and language
DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Chris Morgan and Michael Fottrell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Christian Wagner and Paul Rubell
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, Elsa Pataky, Kristopher Hivju, Patrick St. Esprit, Luke Evans, and Helen Mirren

The Fate of the Furious is a 2017 action movie from director F. Gary Gray and was released by Universal Pictures.  It is the eighth installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise (now called the “Fast Saga”).  A direct sequel to 2015's Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious introduces a mysterious woman who has the power to turn Dominic Toretto into a terrorist.

As The Fate of the Furious begins, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) are on their honeymoon in Havana, Cuba.  While there, Dom meets a mysterious woman who turns out to be the elusive cyberterrorist, Cipher (Charlize Theron).  She has obtained something that she uses to coerce Dom into working for her.  Soon afterwards, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), recruits Dom and his team – his family:  Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) to retrieve an EMP device from a military outpost in Berlin.  However, Dom betrays them all and steals the device for Cipher, and Hobbs and Dom's family, including Letty, are branded criminals.

Intelligence operative and leader of a covert ops team, Frank Petty (Kurt Russell), a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” arrives with his protege, Eric Reisner (Scott Eastwood), and he has an offer.  Mr. Nobody wants Hobbs and Dom's family to help him find Dom and capture the highly elusive Cipher.  Mr. Nobody also has a surprise for Hobbs and company.  He has recruited Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the rogue British Special Forces assassin who was hunting Dom and his family until they defeated him and Hobbs and the DSS imprisoned him.  But will even Shaw be enough?  Cipher can disappear at will and with Dom at her side, she seems unbeatable.  Cipher's threat to the world and Dom's betrayal will test the family as never before.

When The Fate of the Furious was initially released to theaters in April 2017, I was too mired in family troubles to bother going to a movie theater to see it.  And quite frankly, after what I considered to be a barely average installment in Furious 7, I thought I was done with the franchise.  In fact, I didn't even watch The Fate of the Furious when it started playing on basic cable.  Recently, I saw a clip from the soon-to-be-released F9 (2021), and I was shocked to see Dominic Toretto playing with a baby.  A friend informed me of the events in The Fate of the Furious, and because he and I talked about seeing F9, I decided to rent The Fate of the Furious via Netflix.

Well, I will never doubt you again, Fast & Furious / Fast Saga.  I loved The Fate of the Furious.  This film franchise's over-the-top action has become so … over-the-top that it is practically a kind of superhero and car chase movie series.  These movies are fun, but I thought that the series had reached narrative exhaustion with Furious 7.  The Fate of the Furious was the hot-shot injection of jet fuel that the series needed, as far as I'm concerned.  And Vin Diesel may have given his best performance of the series in The Fate of the Furious.  He really seemed like an evil terrorist, but, at the same time, his grit and determination to manage the evil in order to protect his family feels genuine.

I also want to credit Universal Pictures and The Fate of the Furious in using Havana, Cuba as the setting for the film's opening scenes.  It is a love letter to a place that looks beautiful on film.  And The Fate of the Furious is also a crazy, mad, insane, and beautiful action movie.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, June 23, 2021


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

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Sony Pictures Classics Announces Roger Mitchell's "The Duke"

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires The Duke

NEW YORK – Sony Pictures Classics announced that they have acquired all rights in the U.S., Latin America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe (Ex. Poland, the Czech Republic and the former Yugoslavia), Russia/CIS, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, South Africa, South East Asia (Ex. Japan and China) and India to THE DUKE, following its critically acclaimed World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill) from a script by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman, the dramedy stars Oscar winners Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren.

THE DUKE is set in 1961 when Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.  It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government agreed to provide television for free to the elderly. What happened next became the stuff of legend.  Only 50 years later did the full story emerge – a startling revelation of how a good man set out to change the world and in so doing saved his son and his marriage.

A Pathé, Ingenious Media and Screen Yorkshire presentation of a Neon Films Production, THE DUKE is produced by Nicky Bentham and executive produced by Cameron McCracken and Jenny Borgars for Pathé, Andrea Scarso for Ingenious Media, Hugo Heppell for Screen Yorkshire, Peter Scarf and Christopher Bunton.

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 39 Academy Awards® (35 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 175 Academy Award® nominations (149 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, 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 Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries.  For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com

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WaterTower Music Announces "The Good Liar" Soundtrack

The Good Liar Soundtrack Available on WaterTower Music

Two-time Academy Award Nominated Composer Carter Burwell Provides New Music for Director Condon’s Suspense Thriller Starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music is excited to announce today’s digital release of the soundtrack to The Good Liar, a thriller from New Line Cinema about the secrets people keep and the lies they live. The film stars legendary actors Helen Mirren (Oscar winner, The Queen) and Ian McKellen (two-time Oscar nominee, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Gods and Monsters), together on the big screen for the first time. Directed by Bill Condon and based on the widely acclaimed novel by Nicholas Searle, The Good Liar hits theaters nationwide Friday, November 15, 2019. The music from the film is composed by Emmy Award winning and two-time Oscar nominated composer Carter Burwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Carol).

Condon, who won an Oscar as screenwriter of Gods and Monsters, glowingly discussed his frequent creative collaborator and what the composer brings to the music of The Good Liar. “Carter is a master of bringing out emotions that may exist under the surface and, if you go back and know what you’re looking for, he has a wonderful way of dropping little musical clues throughout. The scoring is the final element that ties all the pieces together.”

Burwell further elaborated on the film and its music. “The Good Liar opens with a classic overture, during which the main characters and their musical themes are introduced. The characters meet and we see that, like most people, they are not completely honest with each other. But five minutes into the film you know the level of deceit is much more serious than that.”

“As is obvious from its title,” the composer continued, “The Good Liar is about untruth, so early on I asked Bill how much lying the music should do. He felt the most important role for the score was to keep drawing us in, weaving its own web to tangle us enjoyably in the misdeeds we’re watching. Not so much lying to the audience as making them co-conspirators.”


ABOUT CARTER BURWELL
Carter Burwell has composed the music for more than 90 feature films, including Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Rob Roy, Fargo, The Spanish Prisoner, Gods and Monsters, Velvet Goldmine, Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (BAFTA Award nominee for Film Music), Before Night Falls, A Knight’s Tale, The Rookie, Adaptation., Intolerable Cruelty, No Country for Old Men, In Bruges, Burn After Reading, Twilight, Where the Wild Things Are (Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Score), A Serious Man, The Blind Side, The Kids Are All Right, True Grit, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 & 2, Mr. Holmes, Legend, Anomalisa, Hail, Caesar!, The Founder and Goodbye Christopher Robin.

Burwell wrote the music for 2017’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell and written and directed by Martin McDonagh. He received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Music for his work on the film. His other recent films include Wonderstruck, which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was Burwell’s fourth collaboration with director Todd Haynes; and the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a six-part Western anthology film for Netflix which marked their 17th project together and premiered in November 2018. His original score for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was named to the 2019 Oscar shortlist. He also wrote the music for the animated feature Missing Link directed by Chris Butler. Among his recent credits, Burwell wrote the music for The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup and Steve Carell.

Burwell wrote the music for the drama Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara and directed by Todd Haynes, which premiered in Cannes and was released in theatres in November 2015. He received his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Score for Carol, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award. He won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s Award for Best Music Score for Carol and Anomalisa. Burwell previously worked with Haynes on Velvet Goldmine and the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslet, for which he was nominated for two Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

His theater work includes the chamber opera The Celestial Alphabet Event and the Mabou Mines productions of Mother and Lucia’s Chapters of Coming Forth by Day.

In 2005 he developed a concert work for text and music titled Theater of the New Ear, presented in New York, London and Los Angeles. The text, by Joel and Ethan Coen and Charlie Kaufman, was performed by a dozen actors, including Meryl Streep, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hope Davis, Peter Dinklage and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The music was performed by the eight-member Parabola Ensemble, conducted by Burwell.

Burwell’s dance compositions include the pieces The Return of Lot’s Wife, choreographed by Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, and RABL, choreographed by Patrice Regnier. He has performed around the world with his own ensembles as well as others, such as The Harmonic Choir. His writing includes the essay "Music at Six: Scoring the News Then and Now," published in the inaugural issue of Esopus magazine in 2003 and reprinted in Harper's Magazine in 2004, and the essay “No Country for Old Music” in the 2013 Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Burwell has taught and lectured at The Sundance Institute, New York University, Columbia University, and Harvard University. His website is carterburwell.com.

ABOUT THE FILM
Consummate con man Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) has set his sights on his latest mark: the recently widowed Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren), worth millions. And Roy means to take it all. From their very first meeting, Roy begins plying Betty with his tried and true manipulations, and Betty, who seems quite taken with him, is soon going along for the ride. But this time, what should have been a simple swindle escalates into a cat-and-mouse game with the ultimate stakes—revealing more insidious deceptions that will take them both through a minefield of danger, intrigue and betrayal.

Helen Mirren and McKellen star together on screen for the first time, in this smart and suspenseful thriller from New Line Cinema about the secrets people keep and the lies they live. The Good Liar was directed by Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Gods and Monsters, from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (Mr. Holmes), based on the widely acclaimed novel by Nicholas Searle. The main cast also includes Russell Tovey (The History Boys, Quantico) and Jim Carter (Downton Abbey).

The film was produced by Greg Yolen and Bill Condon. Richard Brener, Andrea Johnston, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth, Anjay Nagpal, Jack Morrissey and Nick O’Hagan served as executive producers. The creative filmmaking team included director of photography Tobias Schliessler, production designer John Stevenson, editor Virginia Katz, and costume designer Keith Madden. The music was composed by Carter Burwell.

New Line Cinema presents, in association with BRON Creative, a 1000 Eyes Production, a Bill Condon Film, The Good Liar. It is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Goodliarmovie.com

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Movie Review: "Hobbs & Shaw" a Good Start for a Spin-Off Series

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2019) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Running time: 135 minutes; MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material and some strong language
DIRECTOR:  David Leitch
WRITERS:  Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce; based on Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS:  Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Morgan, and Jason Statham
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela
EDITORS:  Christopher Rouse
COMPOSER:  Tyler Bates

ACTION

Starring:  Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren, Eiza Gonzalez, Eddie Marsan, Eliana Su'a, Cliff Curtis, Rob Delaney, and Lori Pelenise Tuisano,  with (no screen credit) Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a 2019 action movie from director David Leitch.  It is a spin-off from The Fast and the Furious movie franchise.  Hobbs & Shaw focuses on a federal agent and a mercenary who are forced to work together to keep a super-human villain from obtaining a deadly virus that could lead to human extinction.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens in London where Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) and her team of MI6 agents attempt to retrieve a virus, known as “Snowflake.”  This virus can be programmed to decimate millions of people, and the mysterious terrorist and tech organization, “Eteon,” wants it.  Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) is an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants inside his body that allow him to perform superhuman feats.  Eteon has assigned Lore to obtain Snowflake, but before he can do so, Agent Shaw escapes with the virus.  So Lore uses Eteon's media sources to brand Shaw a traitor who killed her team.

Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is a federal agent working for the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service).  Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is a former British Special Forces assassin-turned-mercenary.  Hobbs and Shaw are both informed of the missing Snowflake virus and are assigned to work together to find it and Hattie Shaw, who is Deckard's estranged sister.  Hobbs and Shaw have a troubled history together and refuse to team-up.  However, Brixton Lore's advanced cybernetic implants give him strength and speed far beyond that of normal humans.  He is practically a “Black Superman,” and if Hobbs and Shaw want to stop him, they will have to stop him together.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is not a great movie, but it is an entertaining action movie.  If you, dear reader, like the crazy car chases offered by The Fast and Furious franchise, Hobbs & Shaw offers wreck-filled automobile chase scenes that recall the great Mad Max: Fury Road.  Luxury sports cars, souped-up trucks, military vehicles, motorcycles, drones, and more tear across roads, onto walls, and over buildings.  This is a non-stop thrill-machine of car chases, crashes, and wrecks.

I do have to be honest.  I think Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham's screen chemistry seems forced.  It will probably get better in potential sequels.  Personally, I am not crazy about actress Vanessa Kirby; she just doesn't work for me.  Idris Elba delivers a good performance, but he could have made Brixton Lore a remarkable villain is this film's screenwriting were better.

Hobbs & Shaw also offers some surprise appearances by actors who are not featured or emphasized in any of the film's trailers and previews:  Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Helen Mirren.  Reynolds and Hart are actually quite good in their supporting roles; Mirren's role (as Magdalene Shaw, Deckard and Hattie's mother) feels contrived and forced.  If there is a sequel to this film, Reynolds and Hart must return in bigger roles.

I do think that Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw runs too long by about 15 or 20 minutes.  The last act is mixed – exciting action set pieces, but the family reunion melodrama is forced.  Maybe the thing that keeps Hobbs & Shaw from being as good as the best Fast & Furious films is that too much of it feels forced.  The filmmakers want this movie to be “2 fast, 2 furious,” but the movie often feels too forced and too contrived.  They need 2 relax.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw has the ingredients to start a quality action movie franchise.  Warts and all, this first movie is a good start.

6 out of 10
B

Saturday, August 3, 2019


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

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Academy Announces Third Round of Presenters for 91st Oscars

ROUND 3: A DOZEN MORE STARS TAKE OSCARS STAGE

Elsie Fisher, Danai Gurira, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Keaton, Helen Mirren, John Mulaney, Tyler Perry, Pharrell Williams, Krysten Ritter, Paul Rudd and Michelle Yeoh

Stars continue to line up to present on the Oscars® - the year’s most-watched, live entertainment event - on Sunday, February 24, 2019, announced show producer Donna Gigliotti and co-producer and director Glenn Weiss. The Oscars air live on the ABC Television Network, and is broadcast in more than 225 countries and territories.

“We are excited to welcome these amazing artists and filmmakers to the show,” said Gigliotti and Weiss. “They bring excitement, momentum, and elements of surprise to this year’s Oscars.”

Previously announced presenters include: Awkwafina, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Tina Fey, Allison Janney, Brie Larson, Jennifer Lopez, Frances McDormand, Gary Oldman, Amy Poehler, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Amandla Stenberg, Charlize Theron, Tessa Thompson and Constance Wu.

Javier Bardem, Angela Bassett, Chadwick Boseman, Emilia Clarke, Laura Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, Stephan James, Keegan-Michael Key, KiKi Layne, James McAvoy, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Momoa and Sarah Paulson.

The 91st Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

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Director Bill Condon's "The Good Liar" Begins Production

Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen Headline Director Bill Condon’s Drama “The Good Liar,” Starting Production April 23 in London

- Based on the Nicholas Searle Book -

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography began on location in London, on the New Line Cinema drama “The Good Liar,” pairing Oscar winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Gods and Monsters”) on the big screen for the first time. Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Gods and Monsters,” will direct and produce from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (“Mr. Holmes”), based on the widely acclaimed book by Nicholas Searle.

Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

“The Good Liar” also stars Russell Tovey (TV’s “Quantico”) and Jim Carter (TV’s “Downton Abbey”).

Condon produces alongside producer Greg Yolen. Serving as executive producers are Jack Morrissey, Nick O’Hagan, Aaron L. Gilbert, and Jason Cloth.

The creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Tobias A. Schliessler (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Mr. Holmes”), production designer John Stevenson (BAFTA nominee, “Burton and Taylor”), editor Virginia Katz (“Mr. Holmes,” ACE Award winner for “Dreamgirls”) and costume designer Keith Madden (miniseries “Patrick Melrose,” “Mr. Holmes”).

“The Good Liar” will film on location in London and Berlin. It is set for a 2019 release.

A New Line Cinema presentation, in association with BRON Creative, “The Good Liar” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 21st to 27th, 2016 - Update #40

Support Leroy on Patreon.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick causes discomfort by not standing for the National Anthem in protest.

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CULTURE - From AmericanHeraldTribune:  American exceptionalism means we can sell cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia to kill civilians in Yemen.

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CRIME - From NBCNews:  Rodney Earl Sanders charged with the the death of two 68-year-old nuns in Mississippi.

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OBIT - From TheWrap:  The actor Marvin Kaplan has died at the age of 89, Thursday, August 25, 2016.  Kaplan was best known for his role on the sitcom, "Alice," as the phone lineman Harry Beesmeyer.  He was also noted for his voice work on the animated series, "Top Cat."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Sam Mendes is in early talks to direct a live-action film based on Roald Dahl's book, James and the Giant Peach.  20 years ago, Disney released a version of "James and the Giant Peach" that mixed live-action and stop-motion animation.

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COMICS-FILM:  From THR:  The screenwriters of the hit film, "The Fault in Our Stars," are working on the script for "New Mutants," Fox's adaptation of one of the X-Men spinoff comic books.  The lineup of characters has also been announced.

From CBR:  Josh Boone, the director of "The Fault in Our Stars," is slated to direct "New Mutants."  He co-wrote the early drafts of the script with Knate Lee, and credited the original creative team of the "New Mutants," Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooNews:  Joe and Anthony Russo are telling tales of "Captain America: Civil War" for its DVD release.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  See pages from an unpublished comic book adaptation of "Peter Pan."

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  Seth McFarlane and Jon Favreau unite for a sci-fi comedy that just sounds like crap.

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Jeremy Renner is joining the voice cast "Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad."

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  Chris O'Dowd and Ray Romano will be the lead in Epix's "Get Shorty" series, based on the book and movie.

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POLITICS - From RollingStone:  Curt Schilling is the next Donald Trump says Matt Taibbi.  I think losing his fortune is what is driving him crazy.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Helen Mirren in talks to join Disney's "The Nutcracker" film.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sarah Paulson in talks to join the all-female "Ocean's Eight."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Denzel Washington is interested in starring in "Inner City," a legal drama from Dan Gilroy, the mastermind behind 2014's "Nightcrawler."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Victor Miller, the writer of the original "Friday the 13th," is seeking to reclaim rights to the movie, which has lead to a lawsuit.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Beloved French film, "The Intouchables" (2011), is being remade with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart.  Neil Burger is set to direct.

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MOVIES - From YahooNews:  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the highest-paid actor.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  The fallout from a summer full of movie flops.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment announced a new comic book movie, "Dark Universe," also known as "Justice League Dark."  Doug Liman has been announced as the director.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Marvel Studios has a short-list of three female directors to helm its "Captain Marvel" movie, which is not due until March 2019.

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Prince's "Paisley Park" to open to public tours in October 2016.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Amazon and Warner Bros. is developing a TV version of Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning film, "The Departed," which was based on a Hong Kong film, "Infernal Affairs."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  The actor Steven Hill has died at the age of 94 on Tuesday, August 23, 2016.  Hill was best known as New York City District Attorney Adam Schiff on "Law & Order" during the series first decade.  Schiff was also played "Dan Briggs," the first leader of the Impossible Missions Force during the first season of "Mission: Impossible."  [Actor Peter Graves' Jim Phelps replaced Hill's Briggs as the leader for the series second season.]

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Jennifer Lawrence is the world's  highest paid actress.

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BOX OFFICE - From YahooMovies:  Box office flop, "Ben-Hur," a remake of an Oscar-winning 1959 film, may lose up to $100 million dollars.

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MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard:  If you want more original films and fewer remakes and sequels, buy tickets to original films.

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COMICS - From Mashable:  The new African-American female Iron Man will be called "Iron Heart."

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MOVIES - From FlickeringMyth:  John Boyega gives a small update on "Pacific Rim 2."

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FILM - From Variety:  10 actors to watch.

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CULTURE - From HitFix:  Napster founder, Sean Parker, offered Ian McKellen $1.5 million to marry him and his bride, but McKellen had to dress as "Gandalf" from the Lord of the Rings.  McKellen declined.

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COMICS-FILM - From ScreenRant:  Doctor Strange may appear in "Thor: Ragnarok."

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SPORTS - From YahooFinance:  Kobe Bryant has set up a $100 million dollar venture capital fund with tech entrepreneur and investor, Jeff Stibel.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/19 to 8/21/2016 weekend box office is "Suicide Squad" with an estimated take of $20.7 million.

From Deadline:  "The Secret Life of Pets" #1 at international box office.

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PRINCE - From YahooNews:  An official in the investigation of the death of Prince says that synthetic drugs were found at his estate and those pills fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

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MOVIES - From TheDailyBeast:  Comedy god/legend Mel Brooks talks about his films, including the controversial and fantastic "Blazing Saddles."

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CRIME - From ChicagoSunTimes:  Chicago cops throw the bodycam microphones on a roof.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  A special clip wishing "Happy Birthday" to Katherine Johnson, one of the women whose story is told in the movie, "Hidden Years," due January 13, 2017.

From YouTube:  The first trailer for the film, "Rings," which may be a reboot of or sequel to "The Ring" horror movie franchise.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 12th to 18th, 2016 - Update #54

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount looking to revive "The Saint" again.  Roger Moore or nothing, baby!

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Summer Redstone looks like a Deadite, but he's still fighting for Viacom.

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MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard:  Judi Dench boards period film, "Victoria and Abdul."

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BOX OFFICE - From Showbiz411:  FOX is apparently preparing for bad news regarding Independence Day: Resurgence.

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OBIT - From TheWrap:  The actor Ron Lester has died at the age of 45, Friday, June 17, 2016.  He was best known for the 1999 film, "Varsity Blues."

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PIXAR - From YahooMovies:  Pixar changed a voice in "Finding Dory."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooNews:  Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and soon-to-be-President Hillary Clinton, welcomes a baby boy with her husband, Marc Mezvinsky.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  Michael Brown's family are suing the city of Ferguson, Missouri; Mike's killer (former cop Darren Wilson); and other enemies and adversaries.  Lawyers for the enemy want Mike's juvenile record, which has so far been refused them.

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BOX OFFICE - From HitFix:  How will "Independence Day: Resurgence" before at the box office?  Can it match the original film?

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Common to star in a television adaptation of "Black Samurai."  Marc Olden's 1974 book series, "Black Samurai," which was previously adapted as a 1977 film starring Jim Kelly.

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LGBT - From VillageVoice:  If only America could embrace queer and trans before they're dead.

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MUSIC/CRIME - From YahooBeauty:  New information on the pathetic killer of Christina Grimmie, a contestant on NBC's "The Voice."

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SPORTS/CRIME - From NYPost:  Some female swimmers at Stanford thought convicted rapist, Brock Turner, was a creep before he was arrested for sexually assaulting a Stanford student.

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COMICS - From EOnline:  Tyler Hoechlin will play "Superman" on the "Supergirl," the former CBS series that is moving to The CW this fall.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  "A Star is Born" remake that is to be directed by Bradley Cooper, who will also star in the film, may feature Lady Gaga as the female lead.  Beyonce was once attached to the project.

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OBIT - From Variety:   The actress Ann Morgan Guilbert died at the age of 87, Tuesday, June 14, 2016.  She was best known for her role as neighbor "Minnie Helper on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Yetta Rosenberg," the forgetful grandmother on "The Nanny."

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MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  Image of Michael Fassbender as "David" on the set of "Alien: Covenant."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:   "Beverly Hills Cop 4" has it directors.

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:   Orlando Jones and Demore Barnes join Starz's "American Gods."

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COMICS - From DenofGeek:  DC Entertainment's Diane Nelson talks Wonder Woman.

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MOVIES - From Hitflix:  Helen Mirren is joining cast of "Fast 8."

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to return for a ninth season on HBO.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Matt Lucas joins Season 10 of "Doctor Who."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Craig Gillespie to direct Margot Robbie in Tonya Harding biopic.

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SPORTS - From Time:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:  Muhammad Ali Became a Big Brother to Me - and to All African-Americans.

COMICS - From WeGotThisCovered:  Donald Glover signs to join next year's "Spider-Man Homecoming."

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BROADWAY - From LATimes:  Complete list of 2016 Tony Award winners.

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FILM - From TheWrap:  Oscar-nominated, Emmy Award winner Bill Murray to receive the "Mark Twain Prize for American Humor" on October 23rd, 2016.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  8 reasons why the GOP should dump Trump.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  See the massive championship rings received by the Denver Broncos for the win in Super Bowl 50.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Andy Goddard, a "Downton Abbey" director, to helm a film about the Rolling Stones and the recording of their legendary LP, "Exile of Main Street."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 6/10 to 6/12/2016 weekend box is "The Conjuring 2" with an estimated take of $40.35 million.

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SPECIAL - #PulseShooting in Orlando, Florida:

CRIME - From YahooNews:  50 people dead in worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

From YahooNews:  Remembering the victims fatally shot at the Pulse.

From telSUR:  Omar Mateen's wife was told by the FBI not to tell the U.S. media that she and family members thought he was gay.

From YahooNews:  Florida found Omar Mateen suspicious and refused to sell him body armor and bulk amunition.

From TheWrap:  Disney gives $1 million to Orlando victims.

From InformedConsent:  Omar Mateen and Rightwing Homophobia: Hate Crime or Domestic Terrorism?

From ThinkProgress:  LGBT people can still be fired from their jobs in Florida for being gay.

From YahooNews:  CNN's Anderson Cooper grills Florida Attorney General and anti-gay politician, Pam Bondi, on her anti-gay activism.

From RSN:  Omar Mateen committed LGBT mass murder, and we must confront that.

From YahooNews:  Anderson Cooper's moving tribute.

From YahooNews:  Omar Mateen's father apologizes for his son's murderous actions.

From YahooFinance:  Pulse shooter, Omar Mateen, was a regular at the club.

From CNN:  Orlando shooting article with updates.

From YahooNews:  Pulse shooting victims mourned nationally and globally.

From YahooNews:  What is known about #PulseShooting killer, Omar Mateen.

From YahooNews:  President Obama's statement.

From YahooNews:  Omar Mateen's father speaks.

From YahooNews:  Donald Trump's self-congratulatory tweets prove that he should not and cannot be President of the United States.

From BleedingCool:  Comic book people react to #PulseShooting.

From YahooNews:  Witness accounts of shooting at Orlando dance club, Pulse.

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ANIMATION - From BleedingCool:  A trailer has been released for Disney's next animated film, "Moana."  However, that trailer has been released overseas where the movie is called "Vaiana."

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From Truthout:  What is the future of resistance to racist police violence.

COMICS - From CBR:   Comic Book Resources has gathered all the character designs and re-designs for DC Comics' "Rebirth" event in one place.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Norman Reedus of "The Walking Dead" has a new reality series, "Ride with Norman Reedus."  Here are 25 things you may not know about him.

Director David Frankel's "Collateral Beauty" Begins Filming

Filming Begins on the Ensemble Drama “Collateral Beauty” with an All-Star Cast

Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Michael Peña, Naomie Harris, Jacob Latimore, and Helen Mirren Star; David Frankel is Directing

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on New Line Cinema’s and Village Roadshow Pictures’ thought-provoking drama “Collateral Beauty,” being helmed by Oscar-winning director David Frankel (“Dear Diary,” “The Devil Wears Prada”). The film has been slated for release on December 16, 2016.

“Collateral Beauty” features an all-star cast, including Will Smith (upcoming “Suicide Squad,” “Concussion”), Edward Norton (“Birdman or [The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance]”), Keira Knightley (“The Imitation Game”), Michael Peña (“The Martian”), Naomie Harris (“Spectre”), and Jacob Latimore (“The Maze Runner”), with Oscar winners Kate Winslet (“The Reader,” “Steve Jobs”) and Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” “Trumbo”).

When a successful New York advertising executive (Smith) experiences a deep personal tragedy and retreats from life entirely, his colleagues devise a drastic plan to force him to confront his grief in a surprising and profoundly human way.

Frankel is directing “Collateral Beauty” from an original screenplay by Allan Loeb (“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” “21”). Loeb is also a producer on the film, together with Bard Dorros (“Triple 9”) and Michael Sugar (Oscar-nominated Best Picture “Spotlight”) under the Anonymous Content banner; Anthony Bregman (“Foxcatcher”) for Likely Story; and Kevin Frakes (“John Wick”) for PalmStar Media.

Frankel’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Maryse Alberti (“Creed”), production designer Beth Mickle (“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”), editor Andrew Marcus (“American Ultra”) and costume designer Leah Katznelson (“How to Be Single”).

A presentation of New Line Cinema and Village Roadshow Pictures, “Collateral Beauty” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 1st to 5th, 2015 - Update #18

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NEWS:

From Deadline:  "Trainspotting" sequel lands at TriStar, with original principal cast returning.

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From TheWrap:  T.I., Mekhi Phifer, and James Purefoy join A&E's "Roots" miniseries.

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From YahooMusic:  Coldplay may do the Super Bowl 50 halftime show in Feb. 2016.

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From ThePlaylist:  Steven Spielberg does not think that Indiana Jones will ever be recast.

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From TVLine:  New episodes of "Samurai Jack" for 2016; article has a short teaser video.

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From ThePlaylist:   The 15-film shortlist for the "Best Documentary" Oscar is out, and the Kurt Cobain doc, "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck" did not make it.

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From Vulture:  Reese Witherspoon is developing a biopic about Ruth Handler, the creator of the Barbie doll.  Unfortunately, Witherspoon is not playing Barbie.

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From Variety:  Helen Mirren in talks to join Will Smith in new drama.

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From Deadline:  Fox is developing "Rambo: New Blood," a series which would focus Sylvester Stallone's "John Rambo" and his son.  Stallone would at least executive produce the series.

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From YahooNews:  Lupita Nyong'o recalls being Ralph Fiennes assistant on "The Constant Gardner."


HARD NEWS:

From RSN:  On Dec. 4th, remember Fred Hampton of the Black Panters.

From the NYTimes:  The children left behind after mass shootings.

From YahooNews:  An Iraqi War veteran among those killed by the White terrorist who attacked Planned Parenthood in Colorado.


STAR WARS:


From YahooNews:  Chinese poster for "The Force Awakens" has some noticeable changes from other posters.

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From YahooTV:  J.J. checks people complaining about "Black stormtroopers."


COMICS - Films and Books:

From Variety:  Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) in talks to direct Marvel's "Black Panther."

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From CinemaBlend:  Robert Downey, Jr. confirms Spider-Man in "Captain America: Civil War."

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From TheWrap:  5 things about Black Panther.


TRAILERS:

From DCComics:  The new "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" trailer.  And it is quite good.


OBIT:

From Variety:  The actor, Robert Loggia, died today (Friday, December 4, 2015) at the age of 85.  He appeared in such films as "Big," "Independence Day," and "Scarface," among many.  He earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role in the film, "Jagged Edge."