Review: "KINGSMAN: The Golden Circle" Improves on the First Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 of 2022 (No. 1834) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Running time: 141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of strong violence, drug content, language throughout and some sexual content
DIRECTOR:  Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS:  Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (based on on the comic book, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons)
PRODUCERS:  Adam Bohling, David Reid, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  George Richmond (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Eddie Hamilton
COMPOSERS:  Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson

COMEDY/ACTION/SPY/SCI-FI

Starring:  Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alström, Calvin Demba, Thomas Turgoose, Tobi Bakare, Bruce Greenwood, Emily Watson, Elton John, Sophie Cookson, and Michael Gambon

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a 2017 spy movie and action-comedy from director Matthew Vaughn.  It is a direct sequel to the 2015 film, Kingsman: The Secret Service.  Both films are based on characters and elements from the 2012 comic book, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.  The Golden Circle focuses on two elite secret organizations that must band together to defeat a common enemy that is holding the world hostage.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle opens a year after Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) defeated and killed the diabolical Internet billionaire, Richmond Valentine.  Eggsy has officially joined the independent intelligence agency, Kingsman, and has taken his late mentor. Harry Hart's (Colin Firth) position as agent “Galahad.”  Eggsy is also dating Tilde (Hanna Alström), Crown Princess of Sweden, whom he saved from Valentine.

One night in London, Eggsy is ambushed by Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft), a rejected Kingsman applicant.  Eggsy defeats Charlie, who escapes.  However, Charlie has a new employer, a mysterious organization known as “The Golden Circle.”  Its leader, Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore), the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of illegal drugs and narcotics, launches an attack against the Kingsman that leaves the agency devastated.  The survivors, Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong), make contact with “Statesman,” the American counterpart of Kingsman, which uses a Kentucky-based bourbon whiskey business as a front.  [The Kingsman's front is as a Savile Row tailor.]

With the help of the Statesman, Agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal) and Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), Eggsy tries to stop Poppy Adams' plot to use a toxin in the drugs and narcotics she sells to hold the world for ransom.  She wants her demands met or she will withhold an antidote to the toxin, which means hundreds of millions of people will die.  In order to stop her, Eggsy will have to face many challenges … and a number of surprising reveals.

I enjoyed Kingsman: The Secret Service quite a bit, but it was mostly a substance-free past-time.  As much as I enjoyed the film, I had mostly forgotten about it a few hours after seeing it.  Kingsman: The Golden Circle isn't quite as substance-free as its predecessor.  The bonds and obligations of friendship and love weigh on the characters, especially Eggsy.  He can no longer just live for the job, not when there is a serious relationship commitment in front of him.

I found some of the Statesman characters to be either superfluous or simply boring, with the exception of Halle Berry's Ginger Ale.  I am a longtime fan of Berry's, and she makes the casually smart and calm Ginger an endearing character.  Elton John also makes a surprising and shocking turn as something of a fun and offbeat action hero.

The film also has a wacky-ass and fun soundtrack.  It uses John Denver's 1971 hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” including a poignant version sung by Mark Strong's Merlin.  There are a few Elton John hits, of course, some performed in the film by Elton.  The best song on the soundtrack may be a funky, country rock version of Cameo's “Word Up” by the German musical act “The BossHoss.”

Taron Egerton as Eggsy has star appeal and leading man quality, which is a surprise to me.  I wish the film had given some of the narrative time devoted to the Statesman characters back to Eggsy.  Egerton takes the Kingsman film franchise to the next level.  Kingsman: The Golden Circle is an improvement over the original film, enough of an improvement that I hope to see another sequel.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, February 16, 2022


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

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

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 18th to 24th, 2020 - Update #23

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

Support Leroy on Patreon and please visit I Reads You:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

JAMES BOND - From Variety:  Apparently, Netflix and Apple were among the streaming services that considered the possibility of acquiring the next Bond film, "No Time to Die," which has seen its release delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

STREAMING - From YahooHuffPost:  Even if you don't have Amazon, you can still see that notorious scene starring President Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm."

TELEVISION - From THR:  "Seinfeld" creator Larry David reveals his favorite episode of the iconic NBC series, and it's (of course) "The Contest," the 11th episode of the series' fourth season.

TELEVISION - From THR:   What is the Walt Disney Co. going to do with ESPN?

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Roxanne, Roxanne" star Chante Adams has landed the female lead opposite Michael B. Jordan in Sony’s "Journal For Jordan," directed by Denzel Washington.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   NBC has given a put pilot commitment to drama Sovereign, from Emmy winner Ava DuVernay and Bird Runningwater.

DISNEY+ - From ShadowandAct:   Chosen Jacobs ("It") and Lexi Underwood ("Little Fires Everywhere") will star in the Disney+ pop/hip-hop musical, "Sneakerella."

CELEBRITY - From Variety:   In his new memoir, "Greenlights," Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey reveals that he was sexually abused during his teenage years.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Simon Kinberg will write and produce Universal's "Battlestar Galactica" movie (hopefully with better results than Kinberg's "X-Men" work for Fox).

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Tim Burton is looking to develop of a live-action TV series based on "The Addams Family" property.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman talk about their decision to shut down short-form streaming service, "Quibi." 

From Deadline:  And this is what they are talking about - Quibi shuts down.

POLITICS - From Deadline:  In his first ever "political video," iconic American filmmaker and comedian Mel Brooks ("Blazing Saddles") endorses the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket for President/Vice-President of the United States.

DISNEY+ - From EW:  Actor Warwick Davis and director Ron Howard are for a Disney+ sequel series to their beloved 1998 fantasy film, "Willow."

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning actor, Jeff Bridges, has announced that he has been diagnosed with Lymphoma, but that his prognosis is good.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 10/16 to 10/18/2020 weekend box office is "Honest Thief" with an estimated take of 3.7 million dollars.

From Deadline:   The international box office is being dominated by a Japanese anime film, "Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train," which is setting records for an animated film.

From Deadline:  Movie theater owners are happy to be reopening their business in New York state.

POLITICS-AVENGERS - From Deadline:  Directors Joe and Anthony Russo are gathering from some of the actors from their "Avengers" movies for a fundraiser for Joe Biden. 

FILM FESTIVALS - From Deadline:  The Danish comedy, "Another Round," which stars Mads Mikkelsen, won "Best Film" at the 2020 BFI London Film Festival.

MOVIES - From Vulture:   Which "Welcome to the Blumhouse" Horror Movies Should You Watch? -  guide.

OBITS:

From THR: Television writer and producer, Dana Baratta, has died at the age of 59, Sunday, October 18, 2020.  Baratta was a writer and producer on several television series, including "Dawson's Creek" (The WB), "Private Practice" (ABC), and Marvel/Netflix's "Jessica Jones."

From Deadline:   Broadway and television actress, Doreen Montalvo, has died at the age of 56, Saturday, October 17, 2020.  Montalvo was appearing in the Broadway musical, "Mrs. Doubtfire," before it was shutdown due to COVID-19.  Her television appearances included episodes of "Law & Order" and "The Good Wife."  She is still set to appear in two films, director John M. Chu's "In the Heights" and Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story."

From ESPN:  Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Fred Dean, has died at the age of 68, Wednesday, October 14, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Dean played defensive end for the San Diego Chargers (who drafted him in 1975) and the San Francisco 49ers.  Dean was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the 49ers and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

COVID-19:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From TheIntercept:  The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...

From TheAtlantic:  The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.

From ProPublica:  Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/30 - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") reveals that he had a bout with COVID-19.

7/31 - From YahooEntertainment:  Writer and actress, Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls, reveals that she contracted COVID-19 and the symptoms she experiences and still experience.

7/30 - From YahooGMA:  In their bid to crackdown on illegal gatherings amid COVID-19, New York authorities break up an alleged sex party.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/2 - From TheDailyBeast:  In Mississippi, COVID-19 has coroners terrified.

8/6 - From YahooNews:  Testing everyone constantly could stop the spread of COVID-19... according to this article.

8/8 - From YahooNYT:  The coronavirus is new, but your immune system might recognize it.

8/8 - From YahooNBC:  They thought COVID-19 was a hoax, and they almost died from it or are watching family and loved ones suffer with it or die from it.

8/9 - From YahooNews:  The rest of the world is incredulous at the pitiful U.S. response to COVID-19.

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

9/19 - From WashPost:  U.S. coronavirus death toll reaches 200,000

9/23 - From CNBC:  Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," suggests that every household in American get a $1000 check every two weeks for the next two months.

9/28 - From Deadline:  John Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker reports that over 1 million people have died of COVID-19 worldwide.

10/2 - From YahooNews:  President Donald and the First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

From TheGuardian:  Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five," says in an interview, "Trump would have had me hanging from a tree in Central Park."

From NPR:  Prosecutors' plea deal required drug suspect to name Breonna Taylor a "co-defendant."

From ChicagoSunTimes:  Rev. Jesse Jackson: America has millions of people in poverty because Americans choose not to demand the policies that would lift them out of poverty.

From APNews:  No one will be held accountable for the killing of Louisville African-American resident, Breonna Taylor.

From Channel4:  Revealed: Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016

From GuardianUK:  California is going to consider paying reparations to the descendants of African slaves after adopting a landmark law to study and to develop proposals around the issue.

From TheRoot:   What to Do When Your Country Turns Into a Dumpster Fire

From Vox:  It's True: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans Have Died in the Covid-19 Pandemic

From CBS:  Breonna Taylor's boyfriend certain cops didn't identify themselves

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

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

OCT171221    9/11 GN (MR)    $9.99
JUN171676    ALL TIME COMICS BLIND JUSTICE #2 MAIN & MIX CVRS (MR)    $5.99
NOV171317    AMORY WARS GOOD APOLLO #10 (OF 12) (MR)    $3.99
NOV171148    ANIMOSITY #12 (MR)    $3.99
AUG171147    APOCALYPSE GIRL #2    $3.99
NOV171261    ARCHIE AND ME COMICS DIGEST #4    $6.99
NOV171268    ASPEN LEGACY 15TH ANNIVERSARY (ONE SHOT)    $0.15
NOV171259    B & V FRIENDS JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #258    $6.99
OCT171595    BATTLE OF CHURUBUSCO GN US REBELS MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR    $22.99
DEC171257    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 (MR)    $5.99
DEC171259    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 BATH TIME (MR)    $5.99
DEC171271    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 BATH TIME NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171263    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 BATH TIME TOPLESS (MR)    $7.99
DEC171269    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 KILLER BODY (MR)    $5.99
DEC171264    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 KILLER BODY NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171278    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171261    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 SHIELD MAIDEN (MR)    $5.99
DEC171272    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 SHIELD MAIDEN NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171260    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 STUNNING (MR)    $5.99
DEC171265    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 STUNNING NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171268    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 VIKING VIXEN (MR)    $5.99
DEC171274    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 VIKING VIXEN NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171270    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 WETWORKS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171266    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 WETWORKS SPLATTER NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171258    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 WRAP (MR)    $5.99
DEC171276    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #3 WRAP NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC171771    BEST OF ENEMIES HIST OF US MIDDLE EAST RELATIONS HC VOL 03 1    $24.99
NOV171260    BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #260    $6.99
NOV171331    BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #5    $3.99
NOV171332    BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #5 SUBSCRIPTION ACT    $3.99
SEP171271    BLACK AF AMERICAS SWEETHEART GN    $9.99
DEC171947    BLACK CLOVER GN VOL 10    $9.99
NOV171757    CATALYST PRIME KINO #3    $3.99
NOV171183    CHIM CHUM & PORTLY SAMURAI #1 CVR A ROPP MAIN    $3.99
NOV171184    CHIM CHUM & PORTLY SAMURAI #1 CVR B ROPP DOUGHNUT    $3.99
NOV171291    CLANDESTINO COMP COLL TP (MR)    $14.99
OCT171597    COMPLETE CREPAX HC BOX SET VOL 01-02 DRACULA & TIME EATER (M    $150.00
OCT171600    COMPLETE CREPAX HC EVIL SPELLS (MR)    $75.00
JUL171898    COMPLETE PEANUTS BOX SET 1963-1966    $39.99
NOV171151    DARK ARK #5    $3.99
SEP171583    DF DOOMSDAY CLOCK #1 CGC GRADED    $89.99
NOV172041    DIVINITY COMP TRILOGY DLX ED HC    $59.99
NOV171920    DOCTOR WHO 10TH YEAR THREE #13 CVR A ZANFARDINO    $3.99
NOV171921    DOCTOR WHO 10TH YEAR THREE #13 CVR B PHOTO    $3.99
OCT171838    DOCTOR WHO 11TH SAPLING TP VOL 01 GROWTH    $16.99
DEC171339    DRACULA SUICIDE CLUB GN    $14.99
OCT171146    EQUILIBRIUM GUN KATA CASE BOOK BONK MAIN CVR    $3.99
OCT171147    EQUILIBRIUM GUN KATA CASE BOOK DLX PHOTO CVR    $3.99
NOV171290    ETERNAL OGN (MR)    $7.99
NOV172035    ETERNITY #4 CVR A DJURDJEVIC    $3.99
NOV172036    ETERNITY #4 CVR B MULLER    $3.99
DEC171942    FOOD WARS SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA GN VOL 22    $9.99
SEP171099    GALAKTIKON #4    $3.99
AUG172239    GFT TAROT #4 CVR A RIVEIRO    $3.99
AUG172240    GFT TAROT #4 CVR B    $3.99
AUG172241    GFT TAROT #4 CVR C    $3.99
AUG172242    GFT TAROT #4 CVR D MYCHAELS    $3.99
SEP171294    GODSHAPER TP    $19.99
AUG171290    GRAVETRANCERS #2 (MR)    $3.99
NOV172138    GRIMM TALES OF TERROR 2017 B&W ONE SHOT A CVR QUALANO    $5.99
NOV172139    GRIMM TALES OF TERROR 2017 B&W ONE SHOT B CVR ORTIZ    $5.99
NOV172140    GRIMM TALES OF TERROR 2017 B&W ONE SHOT C CVR MALSUNI    $5.99
SEP171316    GUNNERKRIGG COURT HC VOL 06    $26.99
NOV171724    H G WELLS WAR OF THE WORLDS GN    $24.99
DEC171949    HAIKYU GN VOL 20    $9.99
DEC171971    HAYATE COMBAT BUTLER GN VOL 31    $9.99
NOV172048    IMMORTAL HOUNDS GN VOL 06    $12.95
NOV171859    INFERNOCT #4    $3.99
DEC171601    IS THIS GUY FOR REAL GN    $19.99
NOV171293    IT SECRET WORLD OF MODERN BANKING 2 #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
NOV171894    JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCI FI VORTEX #4 (OF 8) (MR)    $3.99
DEC171943    JOJOS BIZARRE ADV 3 STARDUST CRUSADERS HC VOL 06    $19.99
NOV171251    JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS TP VOL 02    $12.99
OCT171354    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 (MR)    $5.99
OCT171366    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 BIKINI BABES (MR)    $5.99
OCT171360    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 BIKINI BABES NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171357    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 LUSCIOUS (MR)    $5.99
OCT171359    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 LUSCIOUS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171356    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 NATURAL BEAUTY (MR)    $5.99
OCT171368    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 NATURAL BEAUTY NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171361    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171365    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 SIRENS (MR)    $7.99
OCT171375    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 SIRENS NUDE (MR)    $9.99
OCT171363    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 SIRENS SNAKESKIN (MR)    $7.99
OCT171374    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 SIRENS TOPLESS (MR)    $9.99
OCT171358    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 SULTRY (MR)    $5.99
OCT171362    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 SULTRY NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171355    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 WRAP (MR)    $5.99
OCT171372    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #8 WRAP NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171720    KAIJUMAX SEASON 3 #6 (MR)    $3.99
NOV171614    KITARO GN VOL 05 VAMPIRE SLAYER    $12.95
DEC171970    KUROKO BASKETBALL 2IN1 TP VOL 10    $16.99
OCT171532    LARKS KILLER #5 (OF 7) CVR A PEARSON    $3.99
OCT171533    LARKS KILLER #5 (OF 7) CVR B ZULLO    $3.99
OCT171534    LARKS KILLER #5 (OF 7) CVR C WILLINGHAM    $3.99
NOV171345    LAZARETTO #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
NOV171861    LONG LOST #3    $3.99
OCT171330    LOOKERS EMBER #5 (MR)    $5.99
OCT171348    LOOKERS EMBER #5 GGA HOMAGE (MR)    $5.99
OCT171341    LOOKERS EMBER #5 GGA HOMAGE NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171336    LOOKERS EMBER #5 LUSCIOUS (MR)    $5.99
OCT171351    LOOKERS EMBER #5 LUSCIOUS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171340    LOOKERS EMBER #5 NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171333    LOOKERS EMBER #5 RED HOT (MR)    $5.99
OCT171338    LOOKERS EMBER #5 RED HOT NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171349    LOOKERS EMBER #5 SEXY SPIES (MR)    $5.99
OCT171352    LOOKERS EMBER #5 SEXY SPIES NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171335    LOOKERS EMBER #5 SHELLSHOCK (MR)    $5.99
OCT171350    LOOKERS EMBER #5 SHELLSHOCK BIKINI (MR)    $5.99
OCT171344    LOOKERS EMBER #5 SHELLSHOCK NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171346    LOOKERS EMBER #5 SHELLSHOCK TOPLESS (MR)    $7.99
OCT171334    LOOKERS EMBER #5 WORKOUT (MR)    $5.99
OCT171339    LOOKERS EMBER #5 WORKOUT NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171332    LOOKERS EMBER #5 WRAP (MR)    $5.99
OCT171337    LOOKERS EMBER #5 WRAP NUDE (MR)    $7.99
OCT171716    LOVE MACHINES HC (MR)    $19.99
DEC171973    MAGI GN VOL 28    $9.99
SEP172051    MAXWELLS DEMONS #2 (OF 5)    $3.99
NOV171771    MERCENARY DEFINITIVE ED HC VOL 02    $17.99
DEC171340    MERLIN LEGEND BEGINS GN    $16.99
DEC171944    MY HERO ACADEMIA GN VOL 11    $9.99
DEC171969    ORESAMA TEACHER GN VOL 23    $9.99
APR161282    OVERTAKEN #5 (OF 5) DIRECT MARKET CVR A (RES)    $3.99
APR161283    OVERTAKEN #5 (OF 5) DIRECT MARKET CVR B (RES)    $3.99
DEC171341    OZ GN VOL 01 GATHERING OF HEROES    $16.99
OCT171596    PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 16 1967-1968    $34.99
NOV172012    QUANTUM & WOODY (2017) #2 CVR A TEDESCO    $3.99
NOV172013    QUANTUM & WOODY (2017) #2 CVR B ULTRA FOIL SHAW    $3.99
NOV172014    QUANTUM & WOODY (2017) #2 CVR C BLANK CVR    $3.99
SEP172052    REACTOR #2 (OF 4)    $3.99
SEP171802    REDLINE TP VOL 01    $19.99
NOV171818    REGAL ACADEMY GN VOL 01 SCHOOL FOR FAIRY TALES    $9.99
NOV171820    REGAL ACADEMY GN VOL 02 HAPPILY EVER AFTER    $9.99
NOV171819    REGAL ACADEMY HC VOL 01 SCHOOL FOR FAIRY TALES    $14.99
NOV171821    REGAL ACADEMY HC VOL 02 HAPPILY EVER AFTER    $14.99
SEP171346    REGULAR SHOW TP VOL 10    $14.99
NOV171797    RICK & MORTY #34    $3.99
NOV171236    RIVERDALE (ONGOING) #10 CVR A CW PHOTO    $3.99
NOV171237    RIVERDALE (ONGOING) #10 CVR B CW PHOTO    $3.99
NOV171173    ROCKY & BULLWINKLE SHOW #1 DOUBLE SGN ED    $19.99
DEC171965    SP BABY GN VOL 02 (MR)    $9.99
SEP171273    SPACE RIDERS GALAXY OF BRUTALITY #4    $3.99
DEC171597    SPEAK GN 2ND ED    $19.99
SEP172009    STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #8 (OF 8) CVR A HUANG    $3.99
SEP172010    STREET FIGHTER VS DARKSTALKERS #8 (OF 8) CVR B LEWIS    $3.99
DEC171963    TAKANE & HANA GN VOL 01    $9.99
NOV171465    TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #108 (MR)    $2.95
NOV171964    THE BEAUTIFUL DEATH (STATIX) #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
NOV171182    THREE STOOGES TV TIME QUADRUPLE SGN PEOPY CVR    $24.99
DEC171972    TORIKO GN VOL 41    $9.99
DEC171342    TROMA CHILLERS GN VOL 02 (MR)    $14.99
DEC171153    UBER INVASION #11 (MR)    $3.99
DEC171155    UBER INVASION #11 BLITZKREIG CVR (MR)    $3.99
DEC171156    UBER INVASION #11 PROPAGANDA POSTER CVR (MR)    $3.99
DEC171158    UBER INVASION #11 VIP PREMIUM CVR (MR)    $9.99
DEC171157    UBER INVASION #11 WAR CRIMES CVR (MR)    $3.99
DEC171154    UBER INVASION #11 WRAP CVR (MR)    $3.99
DEC171442    VAMPIRELLA DYNAMITE YEARS OMNIBUS TP VOL 02    $39.99
NOV171751    VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER TP VOL 02 PILGRIMAGE    $14.99
NOV171667    WEIRD WORLD OF LAGOOLA GARDNER    $10.00
NOV171747    WELCOME TO BALLROOM GN VOL 09    $12.99
DEC171955    YU GI OH 3IN1 TP VOL 13    $14.99

MAGAZINES
DEC172088    CARTOONS MAGAZINE #13    $5.99
DEC172084    HI FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE QUARTERLY #46    $7.95
SEP172239    MEGAMI DEC 2017    $20.00
SEP172240    NEWTYPE DEC 2017    $20.00
NOV172237    SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #107    $9.95
NOV172233    THE CREEPS #13 (MR)    $5.95

BOOKS
NOV171882    ARIFURETA FROM COMMONPLACE LIGHT NOVEL VOL 01    $14.99
DEC171872    ARROW FATAL LEGACIES MMPB    $7.99
NOV172171    BATMAN IS TRUSTWORTHY YR PICTURE BOOK    $4.95
DEC171875    BLACK WINGS OF CTHULHU MMPB VOL 05    $14.95
DEC171869    COMP PREDATOR OMNIBUS MMPB    $9.99
OCT171591    DREW FRIEDMAN`S CHOSEN PEOPLE HC    $19.99
NOV172215    I M A LEBOWSKI YOURE A LEBOWSKI 20TH ANNIV ED    $20.00
NOV172189    JUSTICE LEAGUE YR TP BIZARRO & DOPPELGANGERS OF DOOM    $5.95
NOV172190    JUSTICE LEAGUE YR TP BLACK ADAM & ETERNITY WAR    $5.95
NOV172191    JUSTICE LEAGUE YR TP GORILLA GRODD & PRIMATE PROTOCOL    $5.95
NOV172192    JUSTICE LEAGUE YR TP JOKER & HARLEY QUINNS JLA JAILHOUSE    $5.95
NOV171885    PERFECT BLUE COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS NOVEL    $14.99
OCT171589    SPARRING GIL KANE SC DEBATING HISTORY AESTHETICS COMICS    $22.99
OCT172095    STAR WARS COOKBOOK BB-ATE AWAKEN TO FORCE OF BREAKFAST    $18.99
NOV172174    SUPERMAN IS A GOOD CITIZEN YR PICTURE BOOK    $4.95
NOV172196    SUPERMAN YOU CHOOSE YR STORIES APOKOLIPS INVASION    $6.95
NOV172198    SUPERMAN YOU CHOOSE YR STORIES METALLO ATTACKS    $6.95
NOV172199    SUPERMAN YOU CHOOSE YR STORIES METROPOLIS MAYHEM    $6.95
NOV172197    SUPERMAN YOU CHOOSE YR STORIES SUPERMAN DAY DISASTER    $6.95
NOV172175    SWEET DREAMS SUPERGIRL YR HC    $15.95
DEC171873    TIME SHARDS MMPB    $14.95
DEC172884    WARHAMMER 40K FAULTLESS BLADE PROSE NOVEL SC    $16.00
DEC172887    WARHAMMER 40K SAINT PROSE NOVEL SC    $21.00
DEC172889    WARHAMMER 40K TALLARN PROSE NOVEL SC    $18.00
NOV172176    WONDER WOMAN IS RESPECTFUL YR PICTURE BOOK    $4.95

Amazon Studios Secures Producing Deals with 3 Production Companies

Amazon Studios Secures Producing Deals with Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions

Each production company will have two-year deals with the distributor

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon Studios announced that it has struck exclusive first-look deals with Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa’s Bona Fide Productions and Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler’s Killer Films will each have an exclusive first-look deal in both film and television for two years. John Lesher’s Le Grisbi Productions will have an exclusive first-look deal for indie-sized films for two years.

Currently, Amazon Studios is working alongside Bona Fide Productions on Marc Webb’s The Only Living Boy in New York, starring Jeff Bridges, Callum Turner and Kate Beckinsale and Killer Films on Wonderstruck, the latest film from Academy Award-nominated director Todd Haynes, starring Julianne Moore. Wonderstruck will screen in competition at the upcoming 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. Both The Only Living Boy in New York and Wonderstruck are slated for release in 2017.

“Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions each have a long history of making critically acclaimed and award-winning films with accomplished filmmakers,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re proud to be working with each of them and excited about our future creative collaborations.”

Bona Fide Productions has produced award-winning films such as Little Miss Sunshine, Little Children and Nebraska. Killer Films is the company behind award-winning titles Still Alice, Carol, Wiener-Dog, a film Amazon Studios purchased at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and the Amazon Original Series “Z: The Beginning of Everything.” John Lesher’s Le Grisbi is currently in post-production on Scott Cooper’s Hostiles, starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike, and production on White Boy Rick, which is being directed by Yann Demange and starring Matthew McConaughey. Previously, Le Grisbi has produced Fury, Black Mass, End of Watch and Birdman, which won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2014 Academy Awards.


About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series. First announced in January 2015, Amazon Original Movies in an initiative by Amazon Studios to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release and early window distribution exclusively for Prime members. Like Amazon Original Series, Amazon Original Movies focuses on unique stories, voices and character from top and up-and-coming creators. In 2015 Amazon Studios released its first film, Chi-raq, from critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee. Chi-raq is now available for Prime members to stream exclusively. James Gray’s The Lost City of Z is currently in theaters. Up next, Amazon Studios will release Doug Liman’s The Wall on May 12th, Amir Bar-Lev’s Long Strange Trip on May 26th and Michael Showalter’s The Big Sick on June 23rd.

About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:

•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Amazon Channels: Over 100 video subscriptions to networks like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV, and more, available to Amazon Prime members in the US as add-ons to their membership. To view the full list of available channels, visit www.amazon.com/channels.
•     Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers.
•     Instant Access: Customers can instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on compatible TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
•     Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content.

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

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

Mahershala Ali Wins "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Nominees
Mahershala Ali - Moonlight - WINNER

Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water

Lucas Hedges - Manchester by the Sea

Dev Patel -Lion

Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals

North Carolina Film Critics Name "La La Land" Best Narrative Film of 2016

The North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) was formed by Kenneth R. Morefield in 2012 to promote film journalism in North Carolina. It is comprised of film journalists who either live in North Carolina or write for outlets that serve readers in this state. The NCFCA votes annually on awards for achievements in film.

The winners of the 5th NCFCA Awards were announced at the NCFCA site on Monday, January 2, 2017. The nominees were announced Tuesday, December 27, 2016.

2016 / 5th NCFCA Award winners:

BEST NARRATIVE FILM

La La Land

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

O.J.: Made in America

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The Handmaiden

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle — La La Land

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Linus Sandgren — La La Land

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Doctor Strange

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck — Manchester by the Sea

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jeff Bridges — Hell or High Water

BEST ACTRESS

Emma Stone — La La Land

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis — Fences

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Taylor Sheridan — Hell or High Water

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Eric Heisserer — Arrival

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD - (To an artist or film with a special connection to North Carolina.)

Jeff Nichols

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

 

Phoenix Film Critics Society Name "La La Land" Best Picture of 2016

The Phoenix Film Critics Society is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, self-funded, independent organization consisting of professional film critics and film journalists in Arizona.

2016 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards were announced December 20, 2016.

2016 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST PICTURE

La La Land

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle – La La Land

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Emma Stone – La La Land

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Viola Davis – Fences

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING

Hell or High Water

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Hell or High Water

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL

Hacksaw Ridge

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR

Sing Street

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Elle – Belgium, France, Germany

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Gleason

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

La La Land – City Of Stars

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

La La Land

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

La La Land

BEST FILM EDITING

Hacksaw Ridge

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

La La Land

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Doctor Strange

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH

Alex R. Hibbert – Moonlight

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

 

Detroit Film Critics Name "La La Land" Best Picture of 2016

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

The winners of the 2016 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards were announced Monday, December 19, 2016.

2016 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST PICTURE
LA LA LAND

BEST DIRECTOR
DAMIEN CHAZELLE – LA LA LAND

BEST ACTOR
CASEY AFFLECK – MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

BEST ACTRESS
EMMA STONE – LA LA LAND

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES – HELL OR HIGH WATER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
VIOLA DAVIS – FENCES

BEST ENSEMBLE
20TH CENTURY WOMEN

BEST BREAKTHROUGH
KELLY FREMON CRAIG – EDGE OF SEVENTEEN – DIRECTOR/WRITER

BEST SCREENPLAY
DAMIEN CHAZELLE – LA LA LAND

BEST DOCUMENTARY
O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA

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

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Names "Manchester by the Sea" Best Film of 2016

Founded in 1967, The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) says that it is the "second oldest professional film critics" association in the United States" (behind the New York Film Critics Circle).  The organization is composed of media film critics in the Kansas City metropolitan area.  The KCFCC’s awards are named for the group’s founder, James Loutzenhiser, who died in November 2001.

2016 / 50th KCFCC Annual Awards:

Best Film: Manchester by the Sea

Robert Altman Award for Best Director: Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actor: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Jackie)

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis (Fences) & Naomie Harris (Moonlight)

Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Arrival

Best Original Screenplay: Hell or High Water

Best Foreign Language Film: The Handmaiden (South Korea)

Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Best Animated Film: Zootopia

The Vince Koehler Award for Best SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Film: Arrival

Tom Poe Award for Best LGBT Film: Moonlight

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

National Board of Review Names "Manchester by the Sea" Best Film of 2016

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, which is made up of film enthusiasts, academics, students, and filmmakers, historically launches the movie awards season.

The 2016 version of the organization’s Annual Gala will be held on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 with NBC’s Willie Geist set to return as host.

The National Board of Review has named Manchester by the Sea 2016’s Best Film of the Year.  That was announced Tuesday, November 29, 2016, along with the organization’s other year-end honors.

2016 National Board of Review award winners:

Best Film: Manchester by the Sea

Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best Actress: Amy Adams, Arrival

Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese, Silence

Best Animated Feature: Kubo and the Two Strings

Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower, The Fits

Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults, Krisha

Best Foreign Language Film: The Salesman

Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Best Ensemble: Hidden Figures

Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg

NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Cameraperson

2016 Top Films
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hail, Caesar!
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Moonlight
Patriots Day
Silence
Sully

2016 Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Elle
The Handmaiden
Julieta
Land of Mine
Neruda

2016 Top 5 Documentaries
De Palma
The Eagle Huntress
Gleason
Life, Animated
Miss Sharon Jones!

2016 Top 10 Independent Films
20th Century Women
Captain Fantastic
Creative Control
Eye in the Sky
The Fits
Green Room
Hello, My Name is Doris
Krisha
Morris from America
Sing Street

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 22nd to 31st, 2016 - Update #54

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda (of the Broadway smash, "Hamilton") to headline Disney's "Mary Poppins" sequel.

---------------
PIXAR - From YahooMovies:  Is that a lesbian couple in "Finding Dory."

---------------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Dan Aykroyd, who co-created "Ghostbusters," praises the all-female remake.

----------------
MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  Before he died, Stanley Kubrick apparently wanted to make a war film and a children's film.

---------------
MOVIES - From THR:  Dwayne Johnson confirmed to star in Shane Black's "Doc Savage" film.

---------------
COMICS - From Vox:  "X-Men: Apocalypse" is what happens when a superhero franchise runs out of ideas.

--------------
SPORTS - From ThePostGame:  Notable college and professional athletes killed during military service.

---------------
TELEVISION - From YahooNews:  LeVar Burton on why the "Roots" reboot matters.

---------------
ECO - From RSN:  Actor/activist, Mark Ruffalo, on why Los Angeles is toxic.

---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From Truthout:  Malcolm X predicted the progress of racism in the United States.

---------------
COMICS - From YahooMovies:  Jeremy Irons, who plays Alfred, Batman's butler, also has criticism for "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

---------------
COMICS - From CBR:  On the reveal that Captain America is an agent of Hydra, Marvel legend Stan Lee says "I think it's crazy, but it's a good idea."

From CinemaBlend:  Director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) doesn't think Hydra Cap is a big deal, either.

---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Jeff Bridges has apparently joined "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," the sequel to "Kingmans: The Secret Service."

---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Actors Adam West and Burt Ward, star of the 1960s "Batman" television series have something secret planned for later this year.

---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The Memorial Day weekend, 5/27 to 5/29/2016, weekend goes to "X-Men: Apocalypse" with an estimated take of $65 million.

From YahooMovies:  Did Disney seriously believe that "Alice Through the Looking Glass" would be a hit.  They got lucky with the first one, Tim Burton's mediocre "Alice in Wonderland."  It was a fluke.

---------------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Meet Malachi Kirby, the young British actor playing "Kunta Kinte" in the "Roots" remake.

---------------
MOVIES - From IndieWire:  A list of female directors ready to direct a blockbuster film.

---------------
MOVIES - From YahooNews:  "Transformers: The Last Knight" offers a cryptic tease for Memorial Day.

---------------
MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  John Carpenter, who defined the slasher film genre with 1978's "Halloween" is not a fan of the original "Friday the 13th."

---------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Sam Mendes who directed "Skyfall" and "Spectre" said he will not return for the next James Bond movie.

---------------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Dylan O'Brien was apparently nearly killed in an on-set accident during filming of "The Maze Runner: The Death Cure."  The film is now scheduled for release in 2018, although the start date for resuming of production is unknown.

---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Robert Rodriguez has a star for his "Battle Angel Alita."  James Cameron is producing.

---------------
MOVIES - From TrackingBoard:  Amy Schumer heads to a male friend's bachelor party in "Who Invited Her?"

---------------
CELEBRITY - From TheWrap:  Johnny Depp-Amber Heard divorce turns ugly real quick.

---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Sony's animated Spider-Man film may involve Miles Morales, the African-American/Latino teen who is Spider-Man.

---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Cute Jamie Bell ("Billy Elliot," "Fantastic Four") is rumored to be contention to play James Bond, which means that they are going  young for the next Bond, as Bell is 30.  Actually, Bell almost looks like he could be current Daniel Craig's son.  Meanwhile, Craig may not be finished with the franchise...

---------------
MOVIES - From GameSpot:  More striking images from "Alien: Covenant" set.

---------------
MUSIC - From YahooCelebrity:  15 children that are not biologically his (although he claimed them) are fighting over B.B. King's estate.

---------------
COMICS - From YahooMovies:  See photos from the Ellis Island premiere of the first X-Men movie back in 2000.

---------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Harry Styles of the boy band, One Direction, has cut his signature locks for the movie "Dunkirk."  This link has a photo of Styles from the set.

---------------
CELEBRITY - From People:  Amber Heard files for divorce from Johnny Depp.

---------------
MUSIC - From YahooNews:  New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton:  "so-called rap artists who are basically thugs."

---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Wesley Snipes wants back as Blade.

---------------
STAR TREK - From YahooMovies:  Secrets from the "Star Trek Beyond" set.

---------------
OBIT - From Variety:  The pioneering CBS News correspondent, Jeanne Parr, died at 92, Friday, May 20, 2016.  She was also the mother of actor Chris Noth ("The Good Wife," "Sex in the City").

---------------
MOVIES - From OliverStone:  Oliver Stone posts his commencement speech to the Class of 2016 at the University of Connecticut.

---------------
OBIT - From TheGuardian:  The actor Burt Kwouk has died at the age of 85, Tuesday, May 24, 2016.  He was best known for playing Inspector Clouseau's manservant, Cato, in the Peter Sellers' "Pink Panther" movies.
  
---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From ProPublica:  Crime prediction software targets black people - of course.

--------------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  John Carpenter will return to executive produce a new "Halloween" film, the tenth sequel to the original "Halloween" that was released in 1978.

---------------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  Images from the Prometheus sequel, "Alien Covenant."

---------------
TELEVISION - From DeadlineTV:  Showtime is prepping a documentary on legendary "Saturday Night Live" alumnus and actor, John Belushi.

--------------
MOVIES - From Variety:  It's the 36th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," specifically May 23rd.

--------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Actor Elijah Wood says child abuse on Hollywood is kept secret by power players.

---------------
MOVIES:  From CinemaBlend:  Karl Urban freely talks about why the super-excellent sci-fi comic book film, Dredd, was a box office flop.  He blames marketing.

---------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Get your first glimpse of Emma Watson as "Belle" in Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast," which is due March 17, 2017.

----------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  "The Angry Birds Movie" won the 5/20 to 2/22/2016 box office weekend with an estimated haul of $39 million.

---------------
AWARDS - From Variety:  Ken Loach wins the Palme d'Or at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.  The win, for his film "I, Daniel Blake," is his second one.

---------------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Anthony Mackie talks playing Dr. Martin Luther King for HBO.

---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Shane Black, the legendary screenwriter of "Lethal Weapon," talks about his new film, "The Nice Guys."  He also talks about the "Lethal Weapon 5" that almost was, and, of course, Mel Gibson.

---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  40 most anticipated movies of Summer 2016.

---------------
COMICS - From ThePlaylist:  11 reasons why "Captain America: Civil War" is better than "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The third trailer for Pixar's "Finding Dory."

From YouTube:  The first trailer from FOX for the film "Morgan," directed by Luke Scott, the son of Ridley Scott.

Review: "Surf's Up" Has Impressive Animation

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 136 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Surf’s Up (2007) – computer animation
Running time: 85 minutes (1 hour, 25 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild language and some rude humor
DIRECTORS: Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
WRITERS: Don Rhymer and Ash Brannon and Chris Buck and Christopher Jenkins; from a story by Christopher Jenkins and Christian Darren with Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse
PRODUCER: Christopher Jenkins
EDITORS: Ivan Bilancio and Nancy Frazen
Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/COMEDY/SPORTS with elements of drama

Starring: (voices) Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods, Diedrich Bader, Mario Cantone, Brian Posehn, and Dana Belben

The subject of this movie review is Surf’s Up, a 2007 computer-animated film directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck. The film is a mock documentary or “mockumentary” (with This is Spinal Tap being the most famous example). It was one of three 2007 films to receive best animated feature Oscar nominations (a category Ratatouille won).

A documentary film crew follows a young penguin who loves to surf in Surf’s Up, the computer-animated film from Sony Pictures Animation (Open Season) which takes the notion that penguins invented surfing.

Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) is not like the other penguins in Shiverpool, Antarctica. He’d rather surf than process fish all day. Opportunity arrives when he talks his way into the Big Z Memorial Surf-Off, an international surf tournament named in memory of Cody’s idol, the legendary surfing penguin, Zeke “Big Z” Topanga.

When Cody arrives on Pen Gu Island, he realizes that he doesn’t really fit in very well because he is a small wave surfer in a big wave event. He quickly earns the ire of a mouthy surfing promoter, a hedgehog named Reggie Belafonte (James Woods), and the 9-time reigning champion, the utterly arrogant penguin Tank “The Shredder” Evans (Diedrich Bader). Cody does manage to make a fast friend in Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), a surfing rooster from Michigan, and also attract the attention of sexy lifeguard, Lani Aliikai (Zooey Deschanel). However, it’s when he meets the mysterious Geek (Jeff Bridges), a reclusive penguin who lives on the other side of the island that Cody learns there is more to discover in surfing than just how to win a tournament.

Although on the surface it resembles leftovers from the Oscar-winning computer-animated hit, Happy Feet (2006), Surf’s Up is actually a good film on its own. It is an entertaining comedy that not only has some really cool surfing scenes, but also has a nice message about friendship. Shia LaBeouf and Jeff Bridges have excellent chemistry, which may be due to the fact that the voice actors recorded their dialogue together in one room – a rarity in feature film animation. As the burnt-out, but wise teacher, Geek, and his stubborn pupil, Cody, Bridges and LaBeouf respectively add solid dramatic weight and traction to the characters’ relationship with their voice performances. Each actor brings both gentle sarcasm and humor to their roles, but they both know when to add a somber touch when the story calls for it.

As for the rest of the cast: Jon Heder manages to seem fresh, although even here he is pretty much playing the same kind of goofy dude part he’s been repeatedly playing for the last three years. Zooey Deschanel is always a nice presence – somehow managing to add a touch of sweetness to any film in which she appears. James Woods is shrill and his character, Reggie Belafonte, is way more annoying than he needs to be.

The aforementioned surfing scenes are surprisingly good – a testament to how supernaturally skilled these programmers, software guys, and animators who make computer-animated films are. That they make the surfing look so good with penguins on the surf boards adds to the amazement.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, November 10, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 1nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Ash Brannon and Chris Buck)

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

Warner Bros.' "Seventh Son" Starts Production in Canada.

Production Begins on “Seventh Son” for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore and Ben Barnes Lead the International Cast

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ fantasy action adventure “Seventh Son.” Shooting began on March 19, under the direction of award-winning filmmaker Sergei Bodrov, director of the Oscar®-nominated foreign language films “Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan” and “Prisoner of the Mountains.” “Seventh Son” stars Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart,” “Iron Man”), Oscar® nominee Julianne Moore (“Far From Heaven,” “The Hours”), and Ben Barnes (“The Chronicles of Narnia” films).

In a time long past, an evil is about to be unleashed that will reignite the war between the forces of the supernatural and humankind once more. Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) is a knight who had imprisoned the malevolently powerful witch, Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), centuries ago. But now she has escaped and is seeking vengeance. Summoning her followers of every incarnation, Mother Malkin is preparing to unleash her terrible wrath on an unsuspecting world. Only one thing stands in her way: Master Gregory.

In a deadly reunion, Gregory comes face to face with the evil he always feared would someday return. Now he has only until the next full moon to do what usually takes years: train his new apprentice, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) to fight a dark magic unlike any other. Man’s only hope lies in the seventh son of a seventh son.

The film’s international cast also includes Alicia Vikander (“The Crown Jewels”), Antje Traue (“Pandorum,” upcoming “Man of Steel”), Olivia Williams (“Hanna”) and Kit Harington (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”).

Bodrov is directing the film from a screenplay by Matt Greenberg, Charles Leavitt and Steve Knight, based on the book The Spook’s Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. “Seventh Son” is being produced by Basil Iwanyk (“The Town,” “Clash of the Titans” upcoming “Wrath of the Titans”), Thomas Tull (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight” upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises”) and Lionel Wigram (“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the “Harry Potter” films). The executive producers are Jon Jashni, Brent O’Connor and Alysia Cotter, with Jillian Zaks and Erica Lee serving as co-producers.

The behind-the-scenes team collaborating with Bodrov includes director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel (“Drive”); three-time Oscar®-winning production designer Dante Ferretti (“Hugo,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Aviator”); Oscar®-nominated editor Paul Rubell (“Collateral,” “The Insider”); Oscar®-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Social Network”), and Oscar®-winning visual effects supervisor John Dykstra (“Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2”).

“Seventh Son” will be filmed entirely on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, “Seventh Son” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Houston Film Critics Declare "The Descendants" the Best

The Houston Film Critics Society was founded in 2007. It is a not-for-profit organization of 26 print, broadcast and Internet film critics based in the Greater Metropolitan Houston area.

The HFCS awards gala will be January 7, 2012 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Brown Auditorium.

Houston Film Critics Society 2011 nominees and winners (in bold):

Best Picture
"The Artist"
"The Descendants" WINNER
"Drive"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"The Help"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
"Win Win"

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn, "Drive" WINNER
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Michael Fassbender, "Shame" WINNER
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"
Michael Shannon, "Take Shelter"

Best Actress
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Elizabeth Olsen, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" WINNER
Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, "Drive" WINNER
Armie Hammer, "J. Edgar"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Andy Serkis, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Alex Shaffer, "Win Win"

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Shailene Woodley, "The Descendants" WINNER

Best Screenplay
"The Artist"
"The Descendants" WINNER
"50/50"
"Midnight in Paris"
"Win Win"

Best Cinematography
"The Artist"
"Drive"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life" WINNER
"War Horse"

Best Score
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"The Artist" WINNER
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"Shame"
"War Horse"

Best Song
"Lay Your Head Down" from "Albert Nobbs"
"Star Spangled Man" from "Captain America: The First Avenger"
"The Living Proof" from "The Help"
"Life's a Happy Song" from "The Muppets" WINNER
"Think You can Wait" from "Win Win"

Best Animated Film
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"Happy Feet Two"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango" WINNER
"Winnie the Pooh"

Best Foreign Film
"The Artist"
"Elite Squad: The Enemy Within"
"I Saw the Devil" WINNER
"The Skin I Live In"
"13 Assassins"

Best Documentary
"Buck"
"Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
"The Elephant in the Room"
"Project Nim" WINNER
"Undefeated"

Worst Film of the Year
"Jack and Jill"
"Red Riding Hood"
"The Sitter"
"The Smurfs"
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1"
"Your Highness" WINNER/LOSER

Technical Achievement: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Humanitarian Honor: Joanne Herring

Lifetime Achievement: Jeff Bridges

Review: "The Big Lebowski" is Surreal, Screwy, Unforgettable

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 130 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Big Lebowski (1998)
Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence
DIRECTOR: Joel Coen
WRITERS: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
PRODUCER: Ethan Coen
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roger Deakins
EDITORS: Tricia Cooke and Roderick Jaynes (Joel and Ethan Coen)
COMPOSER: Carter Burwell

COMEDY/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, Flea, John Turturro, Peter Stormare, Torsten Voges, David Thewlis, Marshall Manesh, Jon Polito, Ben Gazzara, Leon Russom, Ajgie Kirkland, Aimee Mann, and Sam Elliot

For their seventh film together, the Coen Brothers (co-writer/producer Ethan and co-writer/director Joel) tackle the screwball comedy in The Big Lebowski. Coming off their Oscar win for writing the brilliant Fargo, it was a daring project that could have turned off the audiences that were coming as a result of seeing Fargo. I don’t think the Coen’s gave a damn. They have a vision of how to tell a story using film as their medium, and they build a movie around their vision.

In the film, Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), known by everyone as The Dude (in fact, that is the name he prefers), receives a visit from a few thugs looking for money owed to their boss by the missus, Bunny (Tara Reid). Truth is they have the wrong Lebowski; there is another Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a millionaire, and Bunny is his trophy wife. One of the intruders takes a whiz on The Dude’s rug, so naturally The Dude seeks recompense from Bunny’s hubby, the other Lebowski. This case of mistaken identity ensnares to The Dude in a web of abduction and competing interests with The Dude and his temperamental homeboy, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), right in the middle.

The Coen’s are without a doubt two of the premiere creators of surreal films. They embrace classic Hollywood style with a post modern skewed view. The Big Lebowski is part Woody Allen and part David Lynch in the brothers’ approach to character and story. The abduction of Bunny uncoils into a delightful mixture of wacky comedy and film noir whodunit. As in all their films, there is always a sense of dread, however small, and as usual Joel can weave a thriller out of the most benign and ordinary events. It’s as if what seems really obvious and ordinary is also the unknown, and the unknown is so far “out there” and potentially dangerous.

Perhaps the thing that really makes a Coen film is the cast. Without good character actors, the brothers couldn’t sell us their strange brews. Amidst a stellar cast of players, Jeff Bridges and John Goodman, especially Bridges, carry this film. They have great chemistry together, and Bridges, one of the finest actors of the last two decades can carry two films at once on the broad back of his immense talent. This movie is almost totally from his point of view, and we have to buy into his character. If we don’t believe that he is who he says he is and that he believes what he believes, The Big Lebowski would be just a failed mainstream pic playing at being indie cool. The Big Lebowski is bravura work from two great American filmmakers, and they once again show their savvy by picking just the right guy to make this movie really soar.

8 of 10
A

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

2011 Lebowski Fest Has "The Big Lebowski" Cast Reunion

In celebration of The Big Lebowski Limited Edition Blu-ray™ debuting on Aug 16th, join Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore + T Bone Burnett for a very special evening celebrating all things Lebowski on August 16, 2011 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The date will also mark the launch of Jeff Bridges' self-titled album.

The evening will include a special Q & A with Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and T Bone Burnett, as well as a screening of the film and other festivities.

2011 marks 10 years of beautiful tradition with Lebowski Fest and Universal Studios Home Entertainment has teamed up to bring the Achievers the pop-culture event of the century! This limited seating event at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom will be the ultimate celebration of all things Lebowski.

Tickets are now on sale on Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/The-Big-Lebowski-tickets/artist/14764

Mark it 10!

For more information, please visit http://www.lebowskifest.com/.

Review: "TRON: Legacy" is All Good All on its Own

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

TRON: Legacy (2010)
Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)
MPAA – PG sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language
DIRECTOR: Joseph Kosinski
WRITERS: Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz; from a story by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal (based upon the characters created by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird)
PRODUCERS: Sean Bailey, Steven Lisberger, and Jeffrey Silver
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Claudio Miranda
EDITOR: James Haygood
COMPOSER: Daft Punk
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett, and Michael Sheen

TRON: Legacy is a 2010 science fiction film. It is the sequel to Walt Disney Pictures’ 1982 sci-fi film, Tron. Tron: Legacy follows Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin Flynn, the innovative software engineer who entered the Digital World, a place that existed inside a computer (as depicted in the original Tron).

In 1989, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), who was also the CEO of ENCOM International, disappeared seven years after he defeated the Master Control Program in the Digital World. Twenty years later, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), now a tech-savvy 27-year-old, has little interest in ENCOM, although he is the controlling shareholder. His father’s friend and ENCOM executive, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner), tells Sam that he has received a mysterious page from a number originating at Kevin Flynn’s old arcade, which has been shutdown for 20 years.

Entering the arcade, Sam finds a concealed computer laboratory hidden in the basement. Sitting at his father’s computer, Sam accidentally transports himself to the Grid, a virtual world inside his father’s computer. There, he finds a world of gladiatorial games and fierce computer programs, and the Grid is ruled by CLU, a renegade program that looks like a young Kevin Flynn and was actually created by Flynn. Escaping CLU’s attempt to kill him, Sam is reunited with his now older father and Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a warrior and Kevin Flynn’s confidant. Together, reunited father and son try to stop CLU’s plot to invade the real world.

With its dazzling visuals and state-of-the-art production design, Tron: Legacy is one of the most innovative films of the last few years. It is a digital light show that dazzles the mind via the eyes, sometimes threatening to fry both. The computer-generated, younger version of Jeff Bridges as CLU is quite impressive, except for those few moments when CLU looks too plastic and moves awkwardly.

As in the original Tron, the human characters and story occasionally get lost in Tron: Legacy, especially amidst the elegant, eye-popping special effects. It is not that the story is bad. This is a standard action movie pitting good guys against bad guys, but a movie this visually adventurous deserves a more daring story. However, with the imaginative landscapes and production design and inventive costume design, this standard action movie doesn’t look so standard.

At this point, I have to say that you, dear reader, should see this visually splendid film for yourself. Some of the effects are breathtaking, and the simply magnificent score by the electronic music duo, Daft Punk, is the perfect soundtrack for a milestone film like Tron: Legacy. Modern with the touch of retro-1980’s synthesizer music, Daft Punk’s score thunders and swells, and best of all, it sweeps you off your feet just like film. It may be a little soft on story and character, but Tron: Legacy soars to the next level visually, sonically, and musically.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2011 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague)

Friday, June 10, 2011

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