Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 10th to 16th, 2021 -- Update #18

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DC COMICS - From Variety:  See previews, performances, and personalities from upcoming films and TV, live-action and animated, based on DC Comics characters at DC FanDome 2021.

TRANS/NETFLIX - From THR:  Australian comedian, Hannah Gadsby, tears into Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos in the ongoing controversy over Dave Chappelle's most recent Netflix special, "The Closer."  Chappelle mocked gender identities in the special.

From THR:   In the ongoing controversy over Dave Chappelle's "The Closer" stand-up special, Netflix has fired an employee for leaking confidential financial data to "Bloomberg", resulting in an article published on Oct. 13 that detailed the cost ($24.1 million) of The Closer.

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SPORTS/BLM - From TheAtlantic:   Is the NFL's Jon Gruden scandal a sign that the league has a problem with bigotry among its coaches, team executives, and owners? Jemele Hill of "The Atlantic" discusses.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones is replacing Oscar-nominee Harrison Ford in Amazon's "The Burial," which will also star Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jensen Ackles ("Supernatural," "The Boys") joins the ensemble cast of the Western, "Rust," which already includes Alec Baldwin as an actor and producer.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:   Unless an agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the coming days, the 60,000 film and TV workers of the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) will go on strike on Monday, Oct. 18, at 12:01 a.m. PDT.

NETFLIX - From THR:   Squid Game drew 111 million viewers in its first month on the platform, per internal Netflix estimates, becoming the biggest launch in the streaming giant’s history.

From THR:    "Squid Game" creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, talks Season 2.

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TRAILERS-MOVIES - From ETCanada:  Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group have released a trailer for its relaunch of the "Scream" franchise with a fifth film. The film is due Jan. 14, 2022.

TELEVISION - From EW: AMC has greenlit a new spinoff of "The Walking Dead."  The anthology series, "Tales of the Walking Dead" will debut on AMC and streaming AMC+ next summer.

CELEBRITY - From TimesUK:  Rumors say that Prince William sees his uncle, Prince Andrew, as a threat to the British royal family because of Andrew's connection to the late pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, and because of his ongoing legal battles with Virginia Giuffre.  Giuffre says that Prince Andrew raped her when she was a teenager.

AWARDS - From THR:   FX’s "Pose" and "Mayans M.C." and Hulu’s "Love, Victor" were among the winners at Sunday night's 2021 Imagen Awards.  The awards recognize positive portrayals of Latinos in media.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 10/8 to 10/10/21 weekend box office is the James Bond film, "No Time to Die," with an estimated take of 56 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "No Time to Die" leads the international box office with an estimated gross of 89.54 million dollars. Its total foreign gross to date is 313.3 million.

From Negromancer:  My review of "No Time to Die."

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MOVIES - From BuzzFeed:   Timothy Chalamet shares a first-look at himself as "Willy Wonka" from the film, "Wonka," which is due in 2023.

OSCARS - From Variety:  Husband and wife entertainment mega-couple, Jay-Z and Beyonce, could make Oscar history if both received "Best Original Song" nominations.

MOVIES - From USAToday:  "Best horror movies: 10 thrilling, chilling films to watch for Halloween 2021."

POLITICS/TELEVISION - From Reuters:   How AT&T helped build far-right One America News (OAN).

From RollingStone:  "Fox News and OAN Were Deeper in the Bag for Trump Than Anyone Realized."

OBIT:

From Deadline:   Disney animator, Ruthie Thompson, has died at the age of 111, Sunday, October 10, 2021. She worked an a camera technician, animation checker, or scene planner on many Walt Disney animated films over a four decade period, including "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Mary Poppin," and "The Rescuers."  She was named a "Disney Legend" in 2000.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 10th to 16th, 2021 - Update #34

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STIMULUS - From YahooMoney:   Here's who gets a payment under Biden's $1,400 stimulus check proposal

From Truthout:  As part of his COVID stimulus package, President Biden wants a $15 minimum wage.

COVID-19 - From YahooNews:   Coronavirus death toll tops 2 million worldwide

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Even more stars, including Robert De Niro and Chris Rock, join David O. Russell's new untitled film for New Regency.

TELEVISION - From TVInsider:   Jared Padalecki, formerly of the long running, "Supernatural," will star in The CW's "Walker," a reboot of the long-running CBS series, "Walker, Texas Ranger."  Padalecki was initially developing the series for his Supernatural co-star, Jensen Ackles, before taking the lead himself.  He says that Jensen may still be involved in the series.

TELEVISION - From TCM:  To commemorate the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday 2021, TCM has scheduled a day of reality-based films to document and celebrate the Black Experience.

MOVIES - From EW:    Here is a first look at the R-rated reboot of the "Mortal Kombat" franchise.

AWARDS - From Variety:  Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" tops the 2020 Gotham Awards.  At the virtual ceremony, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman tearfully accepted the tribute to her late husband, Chadwick Boseman, that was delivered by actor Andre Holland.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Zoe Saldana and Oscar-winner Rami Malek join director David O. Russell's untitled New Regency film.  Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington are already on board.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:   The U.S. House of Representative impeaches President Donald... again.  This time it is on one charge, "incitement to insurrection."  He becomes the first U.S. president to be impeached twice.

From LATimes:  232 to 197 - 232 is the largest numbers of votes ever tallied to impeach a U.S. president.

From RSNWashPost:  Don't forget when President Donald called the Georgia Secretary of State and berated him to change the vote...

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   OWN and Tyler Perry's drama, "The Haves and the Have Nots," will end after its current eighth season.  It is the last series created under Tyler Perry's deal with OWN.

BOND - From Deadline:   The upcoming James Bond film, "No Time to Die," is moving again - from Easter weekend 2021 to some time in the fall not yet specified.

BIDEN! - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Tom Hanks will host the primetime "Celebrating America" special that will culminate the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on January 20, 2021.

COVID-19 - From PageSix:   Action movie icon, Bruce Willis, asked to leave a Rite-Aid pharmacy in Los Angeles after he refused to wear a mask.  He left without making a purchase.

STREAMING - From THR:   Netflix says its 2021 slate will feature "a new movie every week."

CULTURE - From BET:  "Brough Brothers Distillery" in Louisville, Ky. made history in 2020 as the first Black-owned whiskey distillery in the state. On New Year’s Eve, the three brothers, Victor, Christian, and Bryson Yarbrough produced their first 5-gallon barrels, according to Whisky Advocate."

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team beat the Ohio State University Buckeyes 52-24 to win the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship.  It is Alabama's third title in the College Football Playoff era, and its sixth national title in 12 years.  By Alabama's count, this is their 18th national college football championship.  The Crimson Tide finish the 2020 season with a 13-0 record.

From YahooSports:  Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach has won his seventh national championship with Alabama's 52-24 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.  He has won six with the Tide: 2009, 2011, 2012 2015, 2017, 2020.  His first national title was in 2003 as head coach of the Louisiana State University Tigers.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 1/8 to 1/10/2021 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman 1984" with an estimated take of 3 million dollars.

STREAMING PREVIEW - From BleedingCool:  Apple TV has released the first teasertrailer for "Cherry," a new film from brothers Joe and Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Endgame") and starring Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland.

ASSAULT ON THE CAPITOL:

From Buzzfeed:   BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building...

From NBCNews:   Some Democrats in Congress are worried their colleagues might kill them

From Truthout:   At least 28 law enforcement officers from 12 states have been identified as attendees of the so-called “Save America” rally in support of Donald Trump that sparked the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6

From RSNWashPost:   President Donald watched TV while the U.S. Capitol Building was under siege.

From YahooSports:   A so-called "Olympic hero" was part of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th.  Swimmer Klete Keller won silver and bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Games; gold and bronze at the 2004 Athens Games; and gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.  Now, he has won Nazi gold for appearing at the white supremacist games.

From RSNNewYorker:  What Should We Call the Sixth of January 2021?

From Truthout:  The Right Is Planning More Armed Coup Attempts, According to the FBI

From NBC2:  Police found a pickup truck full of bombs and guns near Capitol, feds say

From YahooNews:  Arnold Schwarzenegger invokes Nazi Germany in powerful video denouncing Capitol Hill riot

From Fox5DC:  A second police officer who responded to the Wednesday, Jan. 6th Trump-incited riot at the U.S Capitol building.  Some media outlets are reporting the death of Howard Liebengood, 51-years-old, as an "off-duty" death.  The local Fox affiliate, "Fox 5" TV station, is among those reporting Liebengood's death as a suicide connected to the riot.

OBITS:

From YahooSports:   Former NFL player, Tim Lester, has died at the age of 52, Tuesday, January 12, 2021 from complications of COVID-19.  Lester was a running back/fullback and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1992.  He played from 1992 to 1999 for the Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys.  Lester was best known for his four-year tenure with the Steelers (1995-98), where he blocked for legendary Steeler, Jerome Bettis, for three of those seasons.

From YahooLATimes:  British film director, Michael Apted, has died at the age of 79, Thursday, January 7, 2021.  One of the most prolific English directors of his generation, Apted may be best known for the groundbreaking "Up" documentary series — which chronicled the lives of 14 British men and women starting at age 7 in seven-year increments, from 1964's "Seven Up!" to 2019's "63 Up."  He also directed such films as "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980), "Bring on the Night" (1985), "Gorillas in the Mist" (1988), and the James Bond movie, "The World is Not Enough" (1999), to name a few.

From LATimes:  Retired Major League Baseball pitcher and manager, Tommy Lasorda, has died at the age of 93, Thursday, January 7, 2021.  Lasorda, of course, is best known as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 to 1996.  He managed the team to eight division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships (1981 and 1988).

Review: "Batman: Under the Red Hood" is Very Red

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) – straight-to-video
Running minutes: 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violent content and some drug references
DIRECTOR: Brandon Vietti
WRITER: Judd Winick
PRODUCERS: Bobbie Page and Bruce Timm
EDITOR: Margaret Hou
COMPOSER: Christopher Drake
ANIMATION STUDIO: Answer Studio

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of drama

Starring: (voices) Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, John Di Maggio, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Isaacs, Wade Williams, Carlos Alazraqui, Gary Cole, Kelly Hu, Phil LaMarr, Jim Piddock, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Alexander Martella

Batman: Under the Red Hood is a 2010 direct-to-video superhero animated film from Warner Bros. Animation. Starring DC Comics avenger of the night, Batman, this is also the eighth feature in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.

The film is adapted from two storylines that appeared in Batman comic book titles published by DC Comics. The first is “A Death in the Family,” which was published in Batman #426-429 (1988-89). The second is “Under the Hood,” which was published in Batman #635-641, 645-650, Batman Annual #25 (2005-2006) and was written by Batman: Under the Red Hood screenwriter, Judd Winick.

Batman: Under the Red Hood begins when tragedy strikes Batman (Bruce Greenwood) and Jason Todd (Alexander Martella), the second young man to be Robin, during a mission to stop The Joker (John Di Maggio). Five years later, a new masked vigilante is using The Joker’s old alias, Red Hood (Jensen Ackles) and is wreaking havoc in Gotham City’s organized crime community.

Batman with his original Robin by his side, now called Nightwing (Neil Patrick Harris), try to put a stop to Red Hood, but find him to be more than a match for both of them. Crime boss, Black Mask (Wade Williams) is determined to get rid of the Red Hood, even if it means making a most dangerous choice. For the villain whom Black Mask hires to assassinate Red Hood will set in motion a game of death.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is dark and edgy, first of all because it is one of the most violent (if not the most violent) of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film is also surprisingly morbid with its scenes that depict the death of a young person, multiple corpses, the theft of a corpse, exhumation, a funky resurrection scene, mass shootings, brutal beatings, etc. This is a dark, dark, Dark Knight indeed.

The Joker is practically a supporting character with relatively few scenes (although his presence hangs over the entire narrative). This version of the character is well written and also superbly voice acted by John Di Maggio, who gives the kind of turn that adds a rude and dark humor to The Joker’s edginess. Neil Patrick Harris is an odd touch as Nightwing, but his performance gives this film some needed warmth. Jensen Ackles, best known as “Dean Winchester” in the television series, “Supernatural,” brings some righteous rage and energy to this movie. That is the opposite of Bruce Greenwood as Batman, whose voice stands out only in a few scenes. Also, either Wade Williams is the reason that Black Mask is a joke or the character is simply inappropriately and unintentionally comical.

The animation is high quality, which shows in the action scenes. The art direction is good, but there have been better visualizations of Batman’s world, especially Gotham City, in other animated features. Still, Batman: Under the Red Hood is a good film, but there is something about it that keeps me from fully embracing it. Could it be the whole “death in the family” thing or the film’s emphasis on violence that is bothering me? Maybe.

7 of 10
A-

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

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Review: "My Bloody Valentine" Remake is the Bloody Bee's Knees

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2009) by Leroy Douresseaux

My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language
DIRECTOR: Patrick Lussier
WRITERS: Todd Farmer and Zane Smith (based upon the 1981 screenplay by John Beaird and 1981 story by Stephen Miller)
PRODUCER: Jack L. Murray
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brian Pearson
EDITORS: Cynthia Ludwig and Patrick Lussier

HORRO/DRAMA/MYSTERY

Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsy Rue, Edi Gathegi, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe, Megan Boone, and Karen Baum

The 3D movie had a golden era in the 1950s, especially the mid-50s with such films as House of Wax (1953) and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Another peak from 1980 to 1984 saw the release of films like Friday the 13th Part III (1982) and Jaws 3-D (1983). With the technological improvement in cameras and projectors, the 3D movie now has the popular RealD system. While RealD has been used prominently in computer animated films (Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons), Lionsgate has used the process for its new film My Bloody Valentine 3D.

The story begins with a tragedy. There’s a cave in at the north side of the mine belonging to the Hanniger Mining Co., and only one man, Harry Warden, survives. After a year in a coma, Harry awakens on Valentine’s Day and unleashes a killing spree, a bloody massacre that takes the lives of 22 people. Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), the boss’ son whose actions were responsible for the cave-in, barely survives Warden’s killing rampage.

Ten years later, Tom returns to his hometown in order to sell the mine. He discovers that his former girlfriend is now Sarah Palmer (Jamie King) and is married to the new Sheriff Alex Palmer (Kerr Smith). The townsfolk are not happy to see Tom, neither is his late father’s business partner, Ben Foley (Kevin Tighe), who doesn’t want the mine sold. They will all learn that they have bigger problems than old lovers, cheating spouses, and losing the mine. The killings have begun again. Has Harry Warden returned to take the heart out of Valentine’s Day?

My Bloody Valentine 3D is a remake of the 1981 Canadian slasher film, My Bloody Valentine. I’ve never seen the original movie [Since writing this review, I have seen the original - LD]; nor did I see the new movie in a theatre with RealD capabilities. Watching the movie in 2D, I was still able to identify many of the sequences in the film that were meant to take advantage of 3D to scare the audience, so I can’t consider myself deprived of anything. Even in 2D, My Bloody Valentine 3D had me frozen in my seat.

Director Patrick Lussier is known for his two decades as a film editor of movies and episodes of TV series. His previous directorial efforts, flicks like Dracula III: Legacy and White Noise 2, were straight-to-DVD efforts. His first theatrical feature, Dracula 2000, was pretty bad, and like many stylish horror flicks, it was laughable and cheesy. Lussier delivers the lovely guts of good horror flick, this time around. This film is scary and aggressive. My Bloody Valentine 3D goes after your ass. Lussier lets it all hang out, not afraid to show the killer’s pickaxe doing some gnarly digging in human heads and torsos. There’s even a fine sequence early in the film of a curvy, large-breasted, young woman running around completely naked except for her high heel shoes.

This is a return to the kind of slasher films of the late 1970s and early 1980s that offered a little gratuitous sex and four times the bloody mayhem. What about the acting in this movie? Well, it’s horror movie acting. What about the script? It focuses on creating scenes that are simply opportunities for graphic violence. One of the co-writers of this movie, Todd Farmer, even gets to play a small part, complete with a sex scene. No, this movie is not an insightful character drama, but it’s a blood chilling, senses-shattering horror flick. There is blood splatter throughout, with enough sangre to cover up the holes in the narrative. My Bloody Valentine 3D is a bloody good time, and Mr. Director, it’s all on you. Cheers!

6 of 10
B

Monday, January 19, 2009

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