Review: "THEY CLONED TYRONE" Digs in the Past to Raise Hell Today

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 of 2024 (No. 1974) by Leroy Douresseaux

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)

MPA – R for pervasive language, violence, some sexual material and drug use

DIRECTOR:  Juel Taylor

WRITERS:  Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor

PRODUCERS:  Jamie Foxx, Charles D. King, Stephen “Dr.” Love, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor, and Datari Turner

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ken Seng (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Saira Haider

COMPOSERS:  Pierre Charles and Desmond Murray

SCI-FI/COMEDY/DRAMA and MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, David Alan Grier, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Tamberla Perry, Eric B. Robinson Jr., Trayce Malachi, Leon Lamar, Joshua Mikel, and Keifer Sutherland and Jamie Foxx

They Cloned Tyrone is a 2023 American science fiction comedy-drama and mystery-thriller from director Juel Taylor.  After receiving a limited theatrical release, the film began streaming on Netflix on July 21, 2023 as a “Netflix Original.”  The film focuses on a drug dealer, a pimp, and sex worker, who must uncover a bizarre mystery that seems to originate from an underground facility beneath their predominantly Black neighborhood.

They Cloned Tyrone focuses on Fontaine (John Boyega), a drug dealer living and slanging in the predominantly African-American, poverty-stricken, and crime ridden suburban neighborhood called “the Glen.”  One night, Fontaine arrives at the hotel hideaway of the pimp, Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), to get money owed to him.  Slick freaks out when he sees Fontaine, who apparently had visited him the previous night just before being gunned down by Isaac (Eric B. Robinson Jr.), a rival drug dealer.

Fontaine does not remember the previous night's events, so Slick takes him to one of his ho's, Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), in order to confirm his claims of Fontaine's death.  Yo-Yo does just that, but later, a series of eerie events thrusts the three onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy.  But can a drug dealer, a pimp, and a ho really solve a mind-bending mystery that threatens not only their own neighborhood, but Black neighborhoods everywhere?

They Cloned Tyrone got lost in the glare of two of 2023's mega-box office hits, the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer.  This month – specifically July 14th – is the one year anniversary of its limited theatrical release.  I had been putting off seeing They Cloned Tyrone, so I thought now was a good time to do so.

In They Cloned Tyrone, co-writer-director Juel Taylor and co-writer Tony Rettenmaier make many references to American popular storytelling via the characters dialogue.  However, the film's plot and narrative reference numerous previous Black speculative and genre films.  They Cloned Tyrone's conspiracy around consumer products recalls the blaxploitation homage and spoof films, Undercover Brother (2002) and Black Dynamite (2009).  Director Jordan Peele's Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) are spectral presences in They Cloned Tyrone's narrative, and I also see a passing resemblance to elements from Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You (2018).  The essences of two landmark 1971 films, A Clockwork Orange and Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song, as well as that of the 1988 cult classic, They Live, are in pungent evidence here.

Still, They Cloned Tyrone is an original.  It is a gleeful comedy and satire of America.  It also manages to be a bolder and more imaginative science fiction film than the pew-pew-pew, space opera epics that pass for modern sci-fi cinematic storytelling.  Taylor and Rettenmaier are correct.  The Founding Father's of the United States of America came up with some high ideals, but then, died and left us with the messy reality of a fractured disunited state of affairs.  These two writers are among the few to plainly state via metaphor and allegory that for too long, Black people have carried the weight of fixing that mess and trying to make the experiment called America an actual thing.

The film has great production values all around, from cinematography and editing to art direction, costume design, and score.  You might, dear readers, miss that because They Cloned Tyrone is such an engaging, crazy, lovable story driven by powerhouse performances.  John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris give killer performances, and if they were nepo babies, at least one of them (likely Foxx) would have received Oscar nominations for his or her performance here.  Parris clearly has leading lady chops, which she wields in this film to make herself a co-lead rather than a supporting player.  Foxx balances pathos and absurdity in making Slick Charles a wonderfully engaging and exceedingly likable character.

But John Boyega:  let's be honest.  His career in America has not exploded like that of his Star Wars sequel trilogy co-star, Adam Driver... and we know why.  Boyega is every bit as good as everything that passes for the young Hollywood's A-list.  Boyega disappears inside Fontaine and makes him not so much a tragic figure or even criminal for that matter.  Fontaine's is the hero's journey even if he is not fair of hair and skin.  Boyega has moments here that are most poignant and dramatic and that only an actor both talented and skilled can pull off.

Boyega makes They Cloned Tyrone more than satire, blaxploitation, horror, science fiction, and absurdist comedy.  Boyega gives the film dramatic heft and weight.  They Cloned Tyrone is memorable and is also one of 2023's very best films because John Boyega is one of a kind.

10 of 10

Monday, July 15, 2024

NOTES:

2024 NAACP Image Awards:  9 nominations: “Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (John Boyega), “Outstanding Breakthrough Creative-Motion Picture” (Juel Taylor), “Cinematography in a Motion Picture” (Ken Seng), “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Jamie Foxx), “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture” (Juel Taylor), “Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture” (Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier), and “Outstanding Stunt Ensemble-Television or Film”

2024 Black Reel Awards:  8 nominations: “Outstanding Lead Performance” (John Boyega), “Outstanding Supporting Performance” (Jamie Foxx), “Outstanding Screenplay” (Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor), “Outstanding Ensemble” (Kim Coleman), “Outstanding Emerging Director” (Juel Taylor), “Outstanding Score” (Desmond Murray and Pierre Charles), “Outstanding Costume Design” (Francine Jamison-Tanchuck), and “Outstanding Editing” (Saira Haider)

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Jan. 21st to 31st, 2024 - Update #35

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Ava DuVernay; the Grammy Award-winning rock band, Los Lobos, and the Grammy Award-nominated rock band, "The Go Go's," are among the 2024 California Hall of Fame inductees.  The induction ceremony will be held, Tues., Feb. 6th.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nia Long will play Jackson family matriarch, Katherine Jackson, in Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International's Michael Jackson biopic, "Michael."

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen are set to reunite for the first time since the 2018 film, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs."  The Oscar-winners announced that they have already written the script for a "pure horror" film, and they could begin production on it this year.

MOVIES - Deadline:  Director Ethan Hawke's film, "Wildcat," a biopic of author Flannery O'Connor, will begin a limited theatrical on May 3rd from Oscilloscope Laboratories. From there, it will have a national rollout.  The films stars Hawke's daughter, Maya Hawke.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From THR:  Sony has released a new trailer for "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," the sequel to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The new film is due March 22nd, 2024.

From Deadline:  The cast of Universal/Illumination's "Despicable Me 4" has been revealed, and the first trailer has arrived.  The arrives in theaters, July 3rd, 2024.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/26 to 1/28/2024 weekend box office is Amazon/MGM's "The Beekeeper" with an estimated take of 7.4 million dollars.

DOCUMENTARIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has the inside track on obtaining the hot Sundance documentary, "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story." The film concerns the late actor, Christopher Reeve, who is best known for portraying Clark Kent/Superman in several films for Warner Bros., beginning with the landmark 1978 film, Superman: The Movie.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Deadline:  Universal Pictures has a release date (April 5th) and trailer for Dev Patel's "Monkey Man," in which he stars and directs. The film was saved from Netflix purgatory, by one of its producers, Oscar-winner Jordan Peele.

FILM FESTIVALS - From AwardsWatch:  The 2024 Sundance Film Festival has announced it awards in several competition categories:  "U.S. Dramatic Competition," U.S. Documentary Competition," "World Dramatic Competition Awards," World Documentary Competition Awards," "Next Awards," and "Audience Award."

SCANDAL - From THR:  The estate of the legendary late comedian, George Carlin, is suing over the release of a comedy special that uses generative artificial intelligence to mimic the deceased comedian’s voice and style of humor. The hour-long special is entitled "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead" debuted Jan. 9th on the YouTube channel, "Dudesy," a podcast hosted by Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  In an article written for "Deadline," director Doug Liman says that he will skip the SXSW premiere of his new film, "Roadhouse," a remake of the 1989 film of the same name that starred the late Patrick Swayze.  The reason for his boycott is because he says that the Amazon MGM Studios has gone back on its promise to release the film to theaters and is instead releasing into to Amazon's "Prime Video."  The new film stars Jake Gyllenhaal.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Recent Oscar-nominee, Coleman Domingo ("Rustin"), will play Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson, in Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International's Michael Jackson biopic, "Michael."  Michael's real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will portray MJ.  The film is due April 18, 2025.

TELEVISION - From THR:  Jon Stewart is returning to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," where he held court for 16 years, from 1999-2015.  Recent host, Trevor Noah, hosted from 2015 to 2022, abruptly announcing that he was leaving in September 2022.  Now, Stewart will return through the 2024 election season, but he will only host on Mondays.  He will executive produce the rest of the week, which will be hosted by a variety of "Daily Show" correspondents. The new format is set to begin Feb. 12th.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  The original run of HBO's "Sex in the City" (1998-2004) is headed to Netflix in early April 2024.  All 94 episodes will be available.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. are the last studios standing in the bid to obtain an untitled genre thriller from writer-director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. Coogler wants to start production this summer.

OSCARS - From Variety: The nominations for the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11.  The winners will be announced Sun., March 10th, 2024.

From THR:  Scott Feinberg of "The Hollywood Reporter" says that that "Barbie" director, Greta Gerwig, not getting a "Best Director" nomination for the 96th Academy Awards and Barbie's lead, Margot Robbie, not getting a "Best Actress" nomination are not good optics.

From Variety: Clayton Davis of "Variety" makes his final Oscar nominations predictions ahead of the official announced Tues., Jan. 23rd.

From Echolive:  Here is a delightful interview with Breandan O' Murchu, the father of actor Cillian Murphy, about his son's "Best Actor" nomination for "Oppenheimer."

MOVIES - From THR:  Screenwriter David Koepp is apparently deep into writing the next "Jurassic World" movie.  Koepp co-wrote Jurassic Park (1993) and wrote its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park.  The new film will apparently involve a new story line that is different from the one began in Jurassic World (2015), and it may arrive in theaters as early as 2025.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix's film chief, Scott Stuber, has left the streamer to form his own media company.  What does his exit mean for Netflix's future.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Alcon Entertainment is shopping a television series prequel to Denzel Washington's hit film, The Book of Eli (2010), to "premium buyers."  John Boyega is set to headline and executive the project, which hails from the movie’s writer, Gary Whitta, creator/writer/executive producer of the potential series, and its directors, the Hughes Brothers (Albert and Allen), who executive produce.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/19 to 1/21/2024 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Mean Girls" with an estimated take of 11.7 million dollars.

LGBTQ - From GLAAD:  GLAAD has announced the nominees for the the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.  The winners will be announced Sat. May 11th, 2024.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  The "Harry Potter" television series is entering the "premise stage." Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran, and Michael Lesslie are among those who are presenting their visions of a "Harry Potter" television series to HBO Max and Warner Bros Television, according to sources. 

MOVIES - From THR:  Marlon Wayans has scored a leading role in "GOAT," a psychological horror film about the scary side of perfection from Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions.  Peele will be one of the film's producers while Justin Tippings directs.

OBITS:

From THR:  Film and television actor, Gary Graham, has died at the age of 73, Monday, January 22, 2024.  Graham may have been best known for his role on the former Fox science fiction drama, "Alien Nations" (1989-90), which a spin off of the 1988 sci-fi film of the same name.  He also starred in the five "Alien Nation" TV films that spun-off from the series.  In addition, Graham played a sleazy porn film dealer in Paul Schrader's film, "Hardcore" (1979), and as Tom Cruise's older brother in "All the Right Moves" (1983).  Graham appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" and was a recurring character in "Star Trek: Enterprise" (2001-05).

From Deadline:  Canadian film and television writer, director, and producer, Norman Jewison, has died at the age of 97, Saturday, January 20, 2024.  Jewison directed Best Picture Oscar winner, In the Heat of the Night (1967).  He directed and produced the Best Picture Oscar nominees:  "Fiddler on the Roof," (1971), A Soldier’s Story (1984), "Moonstruck" (1987), and "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" (1966).  He was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and in 1999 at the 71st Academy Awards, Jewison received the "Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award."

From Deadline:  American film and stage actor, David Emge, has died at the age of 77, Saturday, January 2024.  Emge's acting career was brief, but he had a major role in an iconic horror movies, George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" (1978). Emge played "Stephen 'Flyboy' Andrews," the doomed pilot and father-to-be who would become a zombie.

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AWARDS:

From THR:  Key award season dates leading up to the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards, which are Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The NAACP has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 55th NAACP Image Awards.  By visiting www.naacpimageawards.net, the public can vote to determine the winners of the 55th NAACP Image Awards’ in select categories. Voting closes February 24th at 9:00 p.m. NAACP will also recognize winners in non–televised Image Awards categories March 11–14th, which will stream via naacpimageawards.net.  The winners will be revealed during the two–hour LIVE TV special, airing Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET/ PT on BET and CBS.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2024 / 77th EE BAFTA Film Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11 nominations.  The winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From Variety:  The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 35th annual Producers Guild Awards.  For the first time in the history of the awards, two international films, "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest," have made been nominated in the PGA's top category, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures." The winners will be announced Feb. 25th.

From Variety:   The nominees for the 2024 / 51st Annie Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "Nimona" leads the features categories with nine nominations.  The winners will be announced Sat., Feb. 17th.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild nominations for the 2024 / 30th annual SAG Awards have announced. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" leads the film side of things with four nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 24th.

From Variety:  The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards.  In the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," the nominees are Greta Gerwig for "Barbie," Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” and Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers.”  The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) has won the 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy tied with Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers").

From Variety:  The American Cinema Editors has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 74th Annual ACE Eddie Awards.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) has named its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won three awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Studio Film." Celine Song's "Past Lives" won three, including "Best Independent Film."

From Variety:  The Motion Picture Sound Editors has revealed the nominations for the 71st annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards in categories spanning feature film, television, animation, computer entertainment and student productions.  The winners will be announced March 3rd.

From AwardsWatch: The Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" won four awards, including "Best Picture."

From Variety:  The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 22nd Annual VES Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Feb. 21st.

From AwardsWatch:  The North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Music City Film Critics Association has announces it MCFCA 2023 Film Awards.  Oppenheimer won seven awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Portland Critics Association (PCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Deadline:  The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced the 15th annual African-Ameri an Film Critics Awards. "American Fiction" was voted the #1 film and won four awards, including "Best Comedy." Ava DuVernay's "Origin" was voted the #2 film and won three awards, including "Best Drama." 

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2024 / 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Barbie" wins four awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) revealed the nominees for the "2024 / 38th Annual ASC Awards" with categories in feature film, documentary, television and music video categories.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) announced the winners in 21 categories for the 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards.  Director Celine Song’s "Past Lives" was named the "Best Picture of 2023."

From AwardsWatch:  The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) has announced the nominations for the 60th CAS Awards.  The winners will be announced March 2nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the nominations for the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards. The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) has announced it 2024 ASTRA Film Awards.  "Barbie" won eight awards, including "Best Picture.

From AwardsWatch:  The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture."

From NSFC:  The National Society of Film Critics announce its 58th annual NSFC Awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture of 2023."

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 81st Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held Sun. night, Jan. 7th, 2024.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Motion Picture-Drama," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), "Best Actor-Drama" (Cillian Murphy), and "Best Supporting Actor-Motion Pictures" (Robert Downey, Jr.). "Poor Things" won "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline:  NIGHT 2 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sun., Jan. 7th, 2024.  (Former) President Barack Obama and Keke Palmer were among the winners.

From Deadline:  NIGHT 1 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sat., Jan. 6th, 2024.  HBO's "The Last of Us" lead the night with 8 wins, including wins in both "Guest Actor in a Drama Series" categories: Nick Offerman (Guest Actor) and Storm Reid (Guest Actress).

From AwardsWatch:  The 5th annual DiscussingFilm Critics Awards were announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:   The Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" won three awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Celine Song).

From AwardsWatch:  The Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven honors, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won six awards including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese).

From AwardsWatch:  The Costume Designers Guild (Local 892) announced the official nominees list for the 26th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards). The annual CDGA ceremony will take place Wed., Feb. 21st, 2024.

From Variety:   The British Academy has unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 24 categories for the 2024 / 77th BAFTA Film Awards.  These results are known as "the longlists."  "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon," and "Oppenheimer" all appeared on the longlist of 15 categories.  The nominations will be announced Jan. 18th, and the winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The Critics Association of Central Florida (CACF) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won 10 awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan). 

From AwardsWatch:  U.K. Film Critics Association (UKFCA) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Variety: The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) has announced nominations for the 11th MUAHS Guild Awards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 led with five mentions in the film categories and ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led with four in the television categories. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 18, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture."  It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch:  The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch:  The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch:  The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards.  "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch:  The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture."  Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards.  "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture."  "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards.  "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won.  "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations.  The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023.  Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From THR:   The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations.  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters.  The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR:  The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced.  "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch:  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association).  The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023."  Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th.  Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 2

Anatomy of a Fall: 1

Barbie: 2

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 2

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 19

Past Lives: 8

Poor Things: 4

The Zone of Interest: 2

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Review: "THE WOMAN KING" Delivers a Beat Down for Your Viewing Pleasure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 53 of 2022 (No. 1865) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Woman King (2022)
Running time:  135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing material, thematic content, brief language and partial nudity
DIRECTOR:  Gina Prince-Bythewood
WRITERS: Dana Stevens; from a story by Dana Stevens and Maria Bello
PRODUCER:  Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Cathy Schulman, and Julius Tennon
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Polly Morgan (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Terilyn A. Shropshire
COMPOSER:  Terrence Blanchard

HISTORICAL/DRAMA/WAR

Starring:  Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Shelia Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren, and Chioma Antoinette Umeala

The Woman King is a 2022 epic war film and historical drama from director Gina Prince-Bythewood.  The film is a fictional account of the all-female military regiment, the Agojie, who protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey during the length of its existence (from approximately 1600 to 1904).  The Woman King focuses on a woman general who must face the ghosts of her past as she leads her all-female band of warriors in a bid to protect their kingdom.

The Woman King opens in 1823 in West Africa in the Kingdom of Dahomey.  The kingdom has a new monarch, the young King Ghezo (John Boyega), who is ambitious and has plans for a better future for Dahomey,which is currently paying tributes to the Oyo Empire.  His kingdom is protected by the female warriors called the “Agojie,” whose notorious and fearsome reputation has led people to call them the “Dahomey Amazons.”

Agojie leader, General Nanisca (Viola Davis), knows that Dahomey is threatened with destruction from Oyo and its allies.  Her enemy is the fearsome Oyo warrior, Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), so she must recruit new warriors to replace the ones who have died in battle.  Among her new recruits is Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a stubborn girl who was given away by her father.  Nanisca is running out of time as Dahomey's enemies plot against the kingdom.  Also, the threat of European slave traders means that some of her own warriors could end up in barracoons (cages) before they are carried away as slaves.  Meanwhile, Nanisca must face both a ghost and a demon from her past.

The “Dora Milaje,” the all-female “king's guard” of the Disney/Marvel Studios' film, Black Panther (2018), are based on the Agojie.  Since the Dora Milaje kicked ass in the Marvel film, The Woman King had to depict the Agojie as ass-kickers, and the film does.  The action choreography is quite good – martial arts, historical war epic, and superhero movie good.  The Woman King, in some ways, is similar to films like Braveheart (1995) and Gladiator (2000).  The Woman King manages to be quite the crowd-pleaser by having the female warrior kill their enemies, which includes plenty of white men involved in the slave trade.

I am not surprised that The Woman King reminds me of another Marvel film, last year's Black Widow (2021).  The fight choreography in The Woman King sometimes resembles the techniques used by the character, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.  Also like Black Widow the film, The Woman King delves into how much it costs the Agojie to be warriors.  Via Nanisca, we see how hard these women work and how much they sacrifice.  As Nanisca, Viola Davis gives her best performance since her Oscar-winning turn in Fences (2016), if not her best performance ever.  Davis' muscular performance makes Nanisca gritty and determined and that defines the rest of the Agojie.  It also defines this film because producers Maria Bello and Cathy Schulman had to show grit and determination as they tried to convince studios to finance this film.

The Woman King also has the distinction of being one of those rare films in which every performance is outstanding – from the largest to the smallest roles, in addition to Viola Davis' superb turn.  John Boyega is surprisingly regal as King Ghezo.  As Nawi, Thuso Mbedu nearly steals this entire film, and as her quasi-paramour, Malik, Jordan Bolger is a light-skinned Mandingo … and his acting is good, too.  Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim fairly leap off the screen as Nanisca's lieutenants, Izogie and Amenza, respectively.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and her cohorts deliver a film that is an absolute blast.  The mix of historical and alternate history feels uplifting, and it's totally fine for us to cheer and celebrate the battles and who gets killed in them.  Thank you, Maria Bello (who should have been Oscar-nominated for her performance in the film, The Cooler) and Cathy Schulman for getting this started.  Thank you, Viola Davis for leading all these goddesses in one of 2022's best films, The Woman King.

9 of 10
A+
★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Friday, September 16, 2022


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

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

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS AND RUMORS: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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STAR WARS Movie Reviews:

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

From Negromancer:   "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"

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

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

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

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BOOK REVIEWS:

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

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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 16th to 22nd, 2021 - Update #16

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Recent "Superman" actor, Henry Cavill, is in talks to play the lead in the Lionsgate's reboot of the 1986 film, "Highlander."  Chad Stahelski ("John Wick") is scheduled to direct.

STREAMING - From THR:   Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr. has joined the cast of "Knives Out 2."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Alice Englert ("Ratched") and Nicholas Denton ("Glitch") have been cast as the notorious lovers "Merteuil" and "Valmont" in Starz’s original series, "Dangerous Liaisons," a reimagining of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ classic 18th century novel, from Lionsgate TV, Colin Callender’s Playground Entertainment and Tony Krantz’ Flame Ventures.

COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:   Oscar-nominated actress Salma Hayek has revealed her secret and near-fatal battle with COVID-19.

HEALTH - From YahooWashPost:   Nineteen percent of adults with high blood pressure take drugs that worsen the condition.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Reports indicate that Amazon is in talks to buy movie studio, MGM.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Writer-director Joe Cornish is reuniting with actor John Boyega for a sequel to their cult sci-fi film, "Attack the Block," the film that launched Boyega's career.  Cornish and Boyega are also among the four producers of "Attack the Block 2."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 5/14 to 5/16/2021 weekend box office is "Spiral: From the Bok of Saw" with an estimated take of 8.7 million dollars.

AT&T/DISCOVER - From YahooFinance:  AT&T admits it made a terrible mistake getting into media business with Discovery deal as it spins off WarnerMedia and merges it with Discovery.

From Variety:  WarnerMedia and Discover are officially merged, and Discovery Inc. President and CEO David Zaslav will lead the combined companies.

From Deadline:  AT&T, which owns WarnerMedia, is considering combining its media assets with Discovery.

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BROADCAST TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The site presents a photo gallery of broadcast network TV series that were cancelled during the 2020-21 television season.

From Deadline:  CBS has cancelled its courtroom drama, "All Rise," after two seasons.

CABLE TELEVISION - From Variety:   CNN personality Don Lemon is getting a new show.  "CNN Tonight with Don Lemon" has been replaced with "Don Lemon Tonight."

MOVIES - From YahooTelegraph:  Irish actor Liam Cunningham talks about "Game of Thrones" and wealth and privilege and the working class.

OBITS:

From Deadline:    Comedian, writer, actor, and social critic, Paul Mooney, has died at the age of 79, May 19, 2021.  Mooney may be best known as Richard Pryor's writing partner, writing for and with the legendary Pryor.  Mooney was the head writer on Pryor's groundbreaking show, "The Richard Pryor Show," which ran for four episodes in September and October of 1977.  He co-wrote material for three of Pryor's comedy albums, including "Live on Sunset Strip" (1982).  Mooney is also well-known for his appearances on Comedy Central's late sketch comedy series, "Chappelle's Show."

From Deadline:  Actor, talk show host, comedian, and author, Charles Grodin, has died at the age of 86, Tuesday, May 18, 2021.  Grodin was best known as a supporting actor in many high profile comedies in the 1970s and 1980s, including "Heaven Can Wait" (1978), "Real Life" (1979), and "Seems Like Old Times" (1980).  He co-starred with Robert De Niro in the 1988 action-comedy "Midnight Run."  Grodin made numerous TV appearances, and in 1978, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on "The Paul Simon Special."  Lesser known about Grodin is his work for fair sentencing for non-violent drug offenders.

A "Star Wars" Link-o-Rama 2020 by Negromancer - Update #94

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

Support Leroy Doureseaux on Patreon.

TRAILERS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

REVENGE OF THE SITH - From IGN:   Star Wars Stunt Co-Ordinator Selling Lightsabers From Revenge of the Sith

HIGH REPUBLIC - From WeGotThisCovered:   A preview of pages from Marvel Comics' "Star Wars: The High Republic" reveals a look at a younger Yoda.

JOHN BOYEGA - From Deadline:   John Boyega Had A “Transparent, Honest” Phone Call With Kathleen Kennedy After "Star Wars" Race Comments

HIGH REPUBLIC - From Previews:   In its first contribution to Lucasfilm’s "Star Wars: The High Republic" publishing campaign spanning comics and prose, IDW announced the February 3rd, 2021 launch of "Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures," an ongoing comic book series set 200 years before the live action film continuity.

PREQUEL TRILOGY - From IndieWire:  An upcoming book, "Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005," reveals stunning new details of George Lucas' plans for the sequel trilogy (Episodes 7 to 9).  This includes resurrected Darth Maul and making him the "godfather of crime" in the universe.

FUTURE - From IndieWire:  Leslye Headland, creator of Netflix's "Russian Doll," says that her Disney+ TV series will be set in a part of the "Star Wars" timeline that fans "don't know much about."

JOHN BOYEGA - From THR:  This wide-ranging article features interviews with actors John Boyega and Letitia Wright, and Oscar-winning filmmaker, Steve McQueen.  In the interview, Boyega says that he met with a high-ranking Disney executive (that he did not name) about his criticisms of the way "people of color" were treated in the recent "Star Wars" trilogy.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Deadline:  SPOILER - Actor Temuera Morrison makes a cameo appearance in Episode 1 of "The Mandalorian" Season Two.  Morrison played Jango Fett, Boba Fett's father, in "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones."  Rumor says he will play Boba in "The Mandalorian."

OBI-WAN - From MensHealth:   Ewan McGregor Wore His Obi-Wan Robes on the Set of The Mandalorian

MANGA - From ScreenRant:  Yen Press has released a preview of its upcoming manga-graphic novel, "Leia: Princess of Alderaan."

HIGH REPUBLIC - From BleedingCool:  A "High Republic" story written by author Charles Soule will be serialized in "Star Wars Insider," likely beginning in December 2020.

ROGUE ONE SPINOFF - From Deadline:  Director Toby Haynes ("Black Mirror") has replaced Tony Gilroy as director of the first three episodes of the Disney+ "Rogue One" spinoff.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  IDW will adapt author Greg Rucka's 2015 Star Wars junior novel, "Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure," as a comic book miniseries.

MERCHANDISE - From People:  Shoe maker and Adidas and "Star Wars" launch a fur-covered "Chewbacca" themed sneaker which you can buy at Adidas.com

OBI-WAN - From ET:  In an "Entertainment Tonight," actor Ewan McGregor talks about his "Long Way Down" and "Long Way Up" series.  Concerning what we really want to know about, the Disney+ "Obi-Wan," he says they will start filming spring of next year and that there plans are for one standalone season only.

JOHN BOYEGA - From GQUK:  Here is the John Boyega feature/interview that has caused quite a stir.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Esquire:  George Lucas cradles Baby Yoda - with social media reactions.

ROGUE ONE - From Deadline:  Actress Adria Arjona will join star Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) in the Disney+ "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" prequel series.

LEIA - From io9:  An upcoming book, "Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection" (Oct. 20th), will have details about Leia's lightsaber from "The Rise of Skywalker."

GEORGE LUCAS - From Deadline:  Tom Pollock was a studio executive and an entertainment lawyer.  He died at the age of 77, Sat., Aug. 1st.  He pulled off what is likely Hollywood's all-time greatest deal - the one that got George Lucas sequel and merchandising rights to "Star Wars."

THE MANDALORIAN - From THR:    Disney+/Lucasfilm's hit series, "The Mandalorian," received 15 nominations at the 2020 / 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama Series."

THE HIGH REPUBLIC - From THR:  The new "Star Wars" publishing initiative, "The High Republic," will connect to existing "Star Wars canon."

BAD BATCH - From Variety:  Disney+ has made a series order for the animated series, "Star Wars: Bad Batch."  It is a spinoff of the long-running animated series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," and will follow an elite and experimental unit of clone troops.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From Variety:  For the first time since 1997, "The Empire Strikes Back" is back on top of the weekend box office.  Back in 1997, the film was re-released under the "Special Edition" banner and included new scenes and changes to the film.  Reissued again, this time as "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," the film is estimated to gross between $400,000 and $500,000 in this post-COVID-19 theatrical box office.

THE MANDALORIAN - From StarWars:  StarWars.com reveals an extensive publishing program of books and titles for all ages based on the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."  This will include comic books from both Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing.

THE HIGH REPUBLIC - From IGN:  Read the First Chapter of "Star Wars: The High Republic - Light of the Jedi" by Charles Soule.

THE HIGH REPUBLIC - From YahooEntertainment:  New Star Wars book reveals why The High Republic fell – and kicks off a new era of stories

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From YahooEntertainment:  "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" will get a "4K" restoration re-release in the United Kingdom in celebration of the film's 40th anniversary.

From Collider:  See graphic designer Matt Ferguson's poster designs for "The Empire Strikes Back" 4K re-release.

TIMELINE - From YahooEntertainment:  Here is a detailed (and interesting) Star Wars timeline.

JOHN BOYEGA - From IndieWire:  Star Wars' very on "Finn," actor John Boyega, gave an impassioned speech in support of Black Lives Matter in London on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From StarWars:  In an interview done to commemorate the 40th anniversary of "The Empire Strikes Back," George Lucas says that he doesn't know why "Star Wars" is so popular.

REVENGE OF THE SITH - From YahooMovieUK:  There is a fan petition demanding that Disney release an alleged four-hour cut of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith."

JAR JAR BINKS - From YahooEntertainment:  The voice actor behind prequel trilogy star, "Jar Jar Binks," Ahmed Best, will be the host of the upcoming game show, "Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge," on YouTube's "Star Wars Kids" channel.

STAR WARS OBIT - From Variety:  "Boom operator" (sound department) veteran Ken Nightingall has died at the age of 92, Tuesday, May 19, 2020.  He worked on over 47 films, including the original 1977 film, "Star Wars."  In recent years, he became a cult figure when a photo of him emerged in which he was shirtless and wearing pink shorts while his arms were hoisting a boom microphone over Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, CP30, and R2D2 during a scene shot in Tunisia.  To fans, Nightingall was the "pink shorts boom guy."

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From YahooEntertainment:  George Lucas apparently changed the ending of "The Empire Strikes Back," slightly, early in original release.

THE MANDALORIAN - From SlashFilm:  Katee Sackhoff will appear in Season 2 of "The Mandalorian" in which she will play in live-action the character "Bo-Katan Kryze," that she has given voice to in the animated TV series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels."

THE MANDALORIAN - From THR:  Actor Temuera Morrison, who played "Jango Fett" in "Attack of the Clones," will reportedly play "Boba Fett" in Season Two of Disney+'s "The Mandalorian."

REBELS - From WeGotThisCovered:  Rumors say that Lucasfilm is developing a spinoff of the animated series "Star Wars Rebels."  The alleged live-action spinoff would focuse on the character, "Kanan Jarrus."

FRANCHISE - From TheWrap:  34 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Were in ‘Star Wars’ Movies (with photos)

WAITITI - From StarWars:  Oscar-winner Taika Waititi will co-write and direct a new "Star Wars" film.

ROGUE ONE - From BritishGQ:  In an interview, actor Riz Ahmed, who appeared as "Bohdi Rook" in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," says that two of his family members have died of COVID-19.

ROGUE ONE SPIN-OFF - From THR:   The Disney+ "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" spinoff has a new showrunner, Tony Gilroy.  Gilroy came in to co-write (or script doctor) "Rogue One," and may have directed new scenes for the film.  Gilroy replaces original showrunner, Stephen Schiff.  The series also added actresses, Genevieve O'Reilly and Denise Gough.

FUTURE - From Variety:  Leslye Headland, the creator of Netflix's "Russian Doll," is developing a "Star Wars" series for Disney+.

THE MANDALORIAN - From Variety:  While the second season of Disney+/Lucasfilm's "The Mandalorian" is not due until Oct. 2nd of this year, the third season is already being written and conceptualized artistically.

ROGUE ONE SPINOFF - From Variety:  Actors Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller join the Disney+ "Rogue One" spinoff.

THE HIGH REPUBLIC - From BleedingCool:  The first inter-company crossover between publishers of "High Republic" fiction will involve two comic book publishers, Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing.  However, the crossover will not be a comic book, but a novel.

THE HIGH REPUBLIC - From StarWars:  StarWars.com reveals the Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters that are presumably the main protagonists in the upcoming multi-platform, "Star Wars: The High Republic."  The first publications are set to arrive in August 2020, with the "Light of the Jedi" novel due August 25, 2020.

OBI-WAN - From Variety:  Joby Harold has been named the new head writer of the planned Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series.

OBITUARY - From YahooEntertainment:  Dialect coach and "Star Wars" actor, Andrew Jack, has died at the age of 76, Tuesday, March 31, 2020.  He died as a result of COVID-19.  Jack played the character Caluan Ematt in "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi," as well as providing the voice for a character in "Solo: A Star Wars Story."  Since the early 1980s, Jack was the dialect coach for over 200 actors, including stars such as Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Hemsworth.  He was the supervising dialect coach on "The Lord of the Rings" and created the "Middle-earth" accents.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From YahooEntertainment:  A look at the concept art for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" reveals Lando's original look for the film and also the "space wolves."

THE MANDALORIAN - From THR:  Actor Michael Beihn, best known for his roles in James Cameron's "The Terminator" (1984) and "Aliens" (1986), has reportedly been cast in Season 2 of "The Mandalorian."

THE MANDALORIAN - From Variety:  Actress Rosario Dawson will portray the "Star Wars" character, Ahsoka Tano," in Season Two of the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."  This will be the first live-action version of the character which appeared in the long-running animated series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

TOYS - From Newsarama:  Long time principal "Star Wars" toy designer, Mark Boudreax, is retiring after 43 years of designing for first, Kenner, and then, Hasbro.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From Deadline:  Disney drops "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" on digital early, Dec. 13th, instead of the planned Dec. 17th digital release date.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From Empire:  Some of the scenes deleted from "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" will appear in Marvel's comic book adaptation of the film.

THE HIGH REPUBLIC - From Newsarama:  Formerly known as "Project Luminous," "Star Wars: The High Republic will bridge multiple publishers and platforms.  "The High Republic" is set 200 years before the events depicted in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." The first publications are set to arrive in August 2020.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - From ScaryMommy:  This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first theatrical release of "The Empire Strikes Back," and Hasbro is celebrating with the upcoming release of a "Retro Collection" of action figures from the move.  According to reports the figures are "highly detailed" and "life-like."

FUTURE - From THR:  Director J.D. Willard ("Sleight") and writer Matt Owens ("Luke Cage") are developing a "Star Wars" project for Lucasfilm.  No other details are known.

From Deadline:  Willard and Owens "Star Wars" project will take place on the Sith planet, "Exegol," which debuted in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics will adapt "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" into a five-issue miniseries, with new material.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From GamesRadar:  The novelization of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" confirms a deleted scene from the film in which Kylo Ren meets "The Oracle."

FRANCHISE - From Variety:  The future of "Star Wars" is television says Disney CEO Bob Iger.

KATHLEEN KENNEDY - From CNN:  Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy, attended the 2020 BAFTA Film Awards ceremony in London on Sun., Feb. 2nd.  There, she received the coveted "BAFTA Fellowship" trophy, their version of a lifetime achievement award.  She also talked about changing the future of "Star Wars."

OBITUARY - From FanthaTracks:  The British "Star Wars" actor, Alan Harris, died at the age of 81, Saturday, January 25, 2020.  He was best known for portraying the bounty hunter, "Bossk," in "The Empire Strikes Back."  Harris also played several bit parts and was also a body double in the original trilogy films.  He wore costumes for tests and also appeared as Terrence Stamp's body double in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace."

UNDERWORLD - From Newsarama:  Making the Internet rounds is what is purported to be test footage from "Star Wars: Underworld," the planned "Star Wars" TV series that George Lucas scrapped.

FUTURE - From Esquire:  Could the "High Republic" and "Project Luminous" be the future of Star Wars?

EPISODE IX - From GamesRadar:  Director Colin Trevorrow, fired from directing "Star Wars 9," confirmed as "real" the recent script leak and concept art for what would have been his Episode 9 film, "Star Wars: Duel of the Fates."

OBI-WAN - From Deadline:  The Disney+/Lucasfilm "Obi-Wan" series has been put on hold.

EPISODE IX - From YahooLifestyle:   More concept art, allegedly from Colin Trevorrow's aborted version of "Star Wars Episode IX," has been leaked.  Trevorrow, who was hot off "Jurassic World," was fired and replaced by J.J. Abrams.

THE CLONE WARS - From GamesRadar:  Season 7 of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" has a release date (Feb. 21st on Disney+) and a new trailer (which can see in the article I've linked to).

JOHN BOYEGA - From YahooNews:  John Boyega, "Finn" in the sequel trilogy (in case you didn't know), bought his parents a house.  They were speechless and there were lots of tears...

FUTURE - From TheWrap:   Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Taika Waititi, is being eyed to develop a "Star Wars" film of some type.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From Variety:  "The Rise of Skywalker" crosses the one billion dollar mark in global box office, $1.001 billion.

EPISODE IX - From YahooEntertainment:  Before J.J. Abrams came back to direct what would become "The Rise of Skywalker," Colin Trevorrow was going to co-write and direct Episode IX.  Now, comes a leak of what is alleged to be Trevorrow and writing partner's Derek Connolly's Episode IX script, "Star Wars: Duel of the Fates."

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From Space:  "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" earned two Oscar nominations as the 2020 / 92nd Academy Awards: "Music (Original Score)" and "Sound Editing and Visual Effects."

THE MANDALORIAN - From TheWrap:  Meet the actor who punched the "Baby Yoda" puppet that cost five million dollars to make.

PRINCESS LEIA - From YahooEntertainment:  Apparently, Billie Lourd played her mother, Carrie Fisher's character, Princess Leia, in "The Rise of Skywalker," for "a few seconds" with the help of VFX magic.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From GamesRader:  Apparenly, classic Star Wars character, Nien Nunb (Return of the Jedi), dies in "The Rise of Skywalker."

COMIC BOOKS - From Newsarama:  The site has a first-issue preview of Marvel Comics' new Darth Vader series, "Star Wars: Darth Vader."  The preview includes seven pages of interior art and also a look at the art for two covers.

THE MANDALORIAN - From CBR:  Director Taika Watiti says that he knows "The Child" a.k.a. "Baby Yoda's" real name, but he is waiting for "The Mandalorian's" creator and executive producer, Jon Favreau to reveal it.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From IGN:   "The Rise of Skywalker" apparently has deleted scenes that explain how Palpatine is still alive.

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From BleedingCool:  Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner (1984-2005) took to Twitter to criticize "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and actress Daisy Ridley's performance in it.

THE MANDALORIAN - From MovieWeb:  Actress Gina Garano says that she fainted twice while filming the "Baby Yoda choke scene" during a recent episode of Disney+/Lucasfilm's "The Mandalorian."

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - From VanityFair:   Director J.J. Abrams explained how he convinced Harrison Ford to come back and play "Han Solo" one more time in "The Rise of Skywalker."


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STAR WARS Movie Reviews:

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

From Negromancer:   "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"

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

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

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

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