Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 11th, 2017 - Update #51

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COMICS-FILM - From CNET:  Marvel just released a video featurette concerning the first day of filming of "Avengers: Infinity."

From YahooNews:  Video from the set of "Avengers: Infinity War."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Coen Brothers set to remake "Scarface."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Babak Najafi ("London Has Fallen") set to direct Taraji P. Henson in the thriller, "Proud Mary."

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  ABC's Thursday night lineup from Shonda Rhimes, "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," and "How to Get Away with Murder," will return for another season, 2017-18.

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POLITICS - From Esquire - What Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as the Attorney General of the United States now the Confederate States of America means to us.

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TELEVISION - From Esquire:  What does Alec Baldwin get out of playing Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.

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BLM - From Time:  She complied with Immigration and still got deported to Mexico, after being in the U.S. for 21 years since she was 14.

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MOVIES - From FlickeringMyth:  Blair Redford joins Marvel/Fox's "X-Men" TV pilot.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  NBC is in talks to revive "American Idol," which ran on FOX for 15 seasons.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") will direct the reboot of the "Halloween" horror film franchise.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  A photo of an Iron Man action figure may reveal what Iron Man's armor looks like in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Lee Daniels is in talks to direct Oprah Winfrey in a remake of "Terms of Endearment."  God in Heaven, help us.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Two of the writers behind "Scary Movie" and such parody films as "Vampires Suck" and "Epic Movie," will write and direct a "Star Wars" spoof.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jack Nicholson will star in the American remake of "Toni Erdmann," the Oscar-nominated German film.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Billy Dee Williams talks about finally playing Two-Face.

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OBIT - From THR:  The actor Richard Hatch has died at the age of 71, Tuesday, February 7, 2017.  His best known role was as "Captain Apollo" in the original "Battlestar Galactica" (ABC, 1978-79).  He also returned for the 2004-09 reboot of the series.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Hmm... the Oscar nominees luncheon looks different this year compared to last year.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Matthew McConaughey will star in Harmony Korine's "The Beach Bum."

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SPORTS - From BusinessInsider: The New England Patriots won Super Bowl 51.  When the team visits the White House, Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett will not attend.

From YahooSports:  Devin McCourty becomes the second Super Bowl winning New England Patriot (after Martellus Bennett) who will not go to the White House.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  All the big Super Bowl movie trailers broadcast during Super Bowl 51 - according to Yahoo.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  M. Night Shyamalan teases "Split" sequel.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/3 to 2/5/2017 weekend box office winner is "Split" with an estimated take of $14.6 million.  This is the film's third weekend at #1.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Some people think Kristen Stewart killed it hosting "Saturday Night Live" last night (2/4/2017).

From YahooNews:  From a special guest appearance, Melissa McCarthy steals the show last night on "SNL," spoofing President Trump's Press Secretary, Sean Spicer.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Damien Chazelle, director of "La La Land," wins at the Directors Guild Awards.

From LATimes:  Winners make politicized speeches at the 2017 DGA Awards.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  "Zootopia" tops at the animation industry's "Annie Awards."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  John Lithgow has joined the cast of "Pitch Perfect."

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POLITICS - From TIME:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says President Trump's "Muslim ban" like a bad horror movie.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  The director of "The Lego Movie" sequel is Mike Mitchell, who directed DreamWork Animation's hit, "Trolls."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  New Line Cinema is spinning off a horror movie from "The Conjuring 2."  It is "The Nun" and it will be directed by Corin Hardy.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Marvel has found its leads for its TV series, "Runaways," which is set on Hulu.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  Universal and its animation unit, Illumination, books five straight July 4 weekends through 2023 for film debuts, including "Minions 2."

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez join "Love Child" from director Todd Solondz.

CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Patton Oswalt gets in a nasty Twitter exchange with a guy who brings up Oswalt's recently deceased wife.

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POLITICS - From YahooCelebrity:  Matthew McConaughey says that it is time to embrace President Trump.  Hell, no!

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice: Bilge Ebiri lists the 10 best films of Sundance 2017.

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CULTURE - From TheIntercept:   The FBI has quietly been investigating white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement.

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COMICS-FILM - From ScreenRant:  Kevin Smith does not want to director "The Batman" movie that Ben Affleck recently declined to direct.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps are added to the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Reuters orders reporters to cover the President Trump administration as if it were an authoritarian regime.

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MOVIES - From YahooFinance:  Apparently, Johnny Depp has almost ruined himself financially with an unsustainable lifestyle.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Denis Villeneuve has apparently been confirmed as the director of the latest screen adaptation of Frank Hebert's legendary novel, "Dune."  Villeneuve is hot off his Oscar-nominated film, "Arrival" and his upcoming "Blade Runner" sequel.

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MUSIC - From YahooStyle:  Beyonce announces that she is pregnant with twins.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Colin Farrell in talks to join Denzel Washington in the thriller, "Inner City," from director Dan Gilroy ("Nightcrawler")

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TELEVISION - From IndieWire:  Two hot new shows, "American Gods" and "Dear White People," headed to SXSW 2017.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  Here is the Super Bowl commercial for Netflix's "Stranger Things 2" (Season 2).

From YouTube:  Here is an extended version of the "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2" Super Bowl commercial.

From YouTube:  Here is the 30-second commercial for "Logan" that appeared during Super Bowl 51.

From YouTube:  Here is the Super Bowl commercial for "Ghost in the Shell." It is 30 seconds long.

From YouTube:  Here is the "Transformers: The Last Knight" 30-secon "spot" to be shown during the Super Bowl.

2017 SAG Award Winners Announced; "Hidden Figues" Wins "Best Ensemble"

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is an American labor union that represents film and television performers worldwide.  Most people probably know SAG for the various actors’ strikes or for the Screen Actors Guild Award, which SAG uses to honor outstanding performances by its members.  The first SAG Awards ceremony was held in February 1995 (for films released in 1994).

Nominations for the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.  Winners were announced during the Sunday, January 29, 2017 awards ceremony that was simultaneously telecast on TBS and TNT.

The “Ensemble” categories are SAG's equivalent of a “Best Picture” or “Best Television Series” award.

2017 / 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Troy Maxson – “FENCES” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
EMMA STONE / Mia – “LA LA LAND” (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
MAHERSHALA ALI / Juan – “MOONLIGHT” (A24)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
VIOLA DAVIS / Rose Maxson – “FENCES” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
HIDDEN FIGURES (20th Century Fox)
MAHERSHALA ALI / Col. Jim Johnson
KEVIN COSTNER / Al Harrison
KIRSTEN DUNST / Vivian Mitchell
TARAJI P. HENSON / Katherine G. Johnson
ALDIS HODGE / Levi Jackson
JANELLE MONÁE / Mary Jackson
JIM PARSONS / Paul Stafford
GLEN POWELL / John Glenn
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Dorothy Vaughan

TELEVISION PROGRAMS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
BRYAN CRANSTON / President Lyndon B. Johnson – “ALL THE WAY” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
SARAH PAULSON / Marcia Clark – “THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY” (FX Networks)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
JOHN LITHGOW / Winston Churchill – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
CLAIRE FOY / Queen Elizabeth II – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank Gallagher – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
STRANGER THINGS (Netflix)
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN / Eleven
CARA BUONO / Karen Wheeler
JOE CHREST / Ted Wheeler
NATALIA DYER / Nancy Wheeler
DAVID HARBOUR / Jim Hopper
CHARLIE HEATON / Jonathan Byers
JOE KEERY / Steve Harrington
GATEN MATARAZZO / Dustin Henderson
CALEB McLAUGHLIN / Lucas Sinclair
MATTHEW MODINE / Dr. Martin Brenner
ROB MORGAN / Officer Powell
JOHN PAUL REYNOLDS / Officer Callahan
WINONA RYDER / Joyce Byers
NOAH SCHNAPP / Will Byers
MARK STEGER / The Monster
FINN WOLFHARD / Mike Wheeler

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
ALAN AISENBERG / Baxter “Gerber” Bayley
DANIELLE BROOKS / Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
BLAIR BROWN / Judy King
JACKIE CRUZ / Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales
LEA DeLARIA / Big Boo
BETH DOVER / Linda Ferguson
KIMIKO GLENN / Brook Soso
ANNIE GOLDEN / Norma Romano
LAURA GOMEZ / Blanca Flores
DIANE GUERRERO / Maritza Ramos
MICHAEL J. HARNEY / Sam Healy
BRAD WILLIAM HENKE / Desi Piscatella
VICKY JEUDY / Janae Watson
JULIE LAKE / Angie Rice
SELENIS LEYVA / Gloria Mendoza
NATASHA LYONNE / Nicky Nichols
TARYN MANNING / Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett
JAMES McMENAMIN / Charlie “Donuts” Coates
ADRIENNE C. MOORE / Cindy “Black Cindy” Hayes
KATE MULGREW / Galina “Red” Reznikov
EMMA MYLES / Leanne Taylor
MATT PETERS / Joel Luschek
LORI PETTY / Lolly Whitehill
JESSICA PIMENTEL / Maria Ruiz
DASCHA POLANCO / Dayanara “Daya” Diaz
LAURA PREPON / Alex Vause
JOLENE PURDY / Stephanie Hapakuka
ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ / Aleida Diaz
NICK SANDOW / Joe Caputo
ABIGAIL SAVAGE / Gina Murphy
TAYLOR SCHILLING / Piper Chapman
CONSTANCE SHULMAN / Erica “Yoga” Jones
DALE SOULES / Frieda Berlin
YAEL STONE / Lorna Morello
LIN TUCCI / Anita DeMarco
SAMIRA WILEY / Poussey Washington

STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“HACKSAW RIDGE” (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

53rd Annual SAG Life Achievement Award
LILY TOMLIN

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Saturday, Feb. 21st, 2015 is One More Chance to See "Interstellar" in IMAX

LAST CHANCE BEFORE THE OSCARS TO SEE “INTERSTELLAR” IN IMAX®

THE ONE-DAY-ONLY “AN ENCORE OF INTERSTELLAR: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE®” WILL PLAY IN AMC THEATRES® ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21st, 2015

Paramount Pictures, IMAX® Corporation and AMC Theatres are giving fans one last opportunity to see Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award®-nominated film “INTERSTELLAR.” The critically acclaimed film will play in the IMAX® format in select AMC Theatres in the U.S. on Saturday, February 21st, 2015.

The one-day-only “An Encore of Interstellar: The IMAX Experience®” showings will take place at 3:00 p.m. local times at participating AMC Theatres and will feature more than 12 minutes of never-before-seen exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Moviegoers who purchase a ticket at a participating AMC Theatres box office to see “An Encore of Interstellar: The IMAX Experience®” can receive an additional ticket free. This special offer is only available at participating AMC Theatres box offices; online purchases are not eligible.

Tickets are on sale now. For a list of participating theaters, please visit AMC Theaters here.

“INTERSTELLAR” is nominated for five Academy Awards®: Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.

The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars.

“INTERSTELLAR” is directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of September 30, 2014, there were 880 IMAX theatres (751 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 110 institutions) in 60 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation.  More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com.  You may also connect IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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"Interstellar" Gets an Early IMAX Release - Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” on Film November 5th, Two Days Before Its Wide Release

Tickets Are Now on Sale

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the highly anticipated “INTERSTELLAR” from Christopher Nolan will be released in 70mm IMAX® film, 70mm film and 35mm film formats on Wednesday, November 5th, two days ahead of its nationwide release. The advance showings will play in select theaters in more than 225 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

    “From IMAX to traditional film and digital projection, we are pleased that audiences will have the opportunity to see this awe-inspiring film in a wide variety of formats and we are very excited to be making the film available 2-days early for moviegoers.”

“To see Christopher Nolan’s ‘INTERSTELLAR’ on the big screen is an unforgettable movie going experience,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “From IMAX to traditional film and digital projection, we are pleased that audiences will have the opportunity to see this awe-inspiring film in a wide variety of formats and we are very excited to be making the film available 2-days early for moviegoers."

“INTERSTELLAR” was shot using a combination of 35mm anamorphic film and 65mm IMAX film to maximize the crispness and clarity of the image and give the audience a truly cinematic and immersive experience. These advance engagements highlight those theaters presenting “INTERSTELLAR” in its native formats.

On Wednesday, November 5th, 2014, “INTERSTELLAR” opens in the following film formats:

- Select IMAX theaters will be offering The IMAX Experience® featuring 15 perf/70mm film projection which combines the brightest, clearest images at almost 10 times the resolution of standard projection formats, with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theatre geometry to create the world's most immersive movie experience. Select sequences will expand to fill the entire screen and will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity.

- INTERSTELLAR in the 70mm film format offers brighter, clearer image, with three times the resolution of standard projection formats, using the process of projecting light through celluloid to deliver clear images in rich analog color with state-of-the-art digital sound.

- The 35mm film presentations project light through the 35mm frame to deliver clear, high resolution images with rich analog color combined with state-of-the-art digital sound in most locations.

Tickets for these advance showings on November 5th are available today at https://interstellar.withgoogle.com and at participating theater box offices. Tickets are also available for the nationwide release on Friday, November 7th, 2014, when “INTERSTELLAR” opens in theaters everywhere including its digital engagements:

- IMAX digital projection uses dual projectors with sub-pixel alignment to produce clear, high contrast images with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theatre geometry, creating the world's most immersive digital movie experience. Select sequences will expand to fill the entire screen.

- The film in 4K digital projection produces a clear, bright, high resolution image with absolute stability and cleanliness, combined with uncompressed digital sound for a powerful movie-going experience.

- Digital projection presents a clear, bright, stable image that never degrades in terms of cleanliness or fidelity and uses uncompressed digital sound for a powerful movie-going experience.

“INTERSTELLAR” stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars. Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA) (NASDAQ: VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures meets worldwide tastes and demands with a diverse mix of filmed entertainment and is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films. The International Division operates offices in 24 countries and releases films in over 125 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures. Internationally, the Studio has been the market leader in six of the last 13 years, having surpassed $1 billion in grosses a total of 15 years, 12 of which were consecutive years, and crossed $2 billion five times, including 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Christopher Nolan Begins Shooting "Interstellar"

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND WARNER BROS. PICTURES ANNOUNCE THE START OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S “INTERSTELLAR”

HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 13, 2013) – Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., and Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that principal photography on “INTERSTELLAR” is officially underway in Alberta, Canada. The film will be released in IMAX® and 35mm theaters on November 7, 2014.  Paramount Pictures will distribute domestically, Warner Bros. Pictures internationally.

Directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy), the production will travel the globe and utilize a mixture of 35mm anamorphic and IMAX film photography to bring to the screen a script based on the combination of an original idea by Nolan and an existing script by Jonathan Nolan, originally developed for Paramount Pictures and producer Lynda Obst.  The new script chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

“Interstellar” features a prestigious cast that includes Matthew McConaughey (“Magic Mike,” “Mud”), Academy Award® winner Anne Hathaway (“Les Miserables,” “The Dark Knight Rises”), Academy Award® nominee Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Tree of Life”), Bill Irwin (“Rachel Getting Married,” TV’s “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”) Academy Award® nominee John Lithgow (“Terms of Endearment,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) Academy Award® nominee Casey Affleck (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” Gone Baby Gone”), David Gyasi (“Cloud Atlas”), Wes Bentley (“The Hunger Games”), Mackenzie Foy (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 and 2”) Timothée Chalamet (TV’s “Homeland”), Topher Grace (“Spider-Man 3”), David Oyelowo (“Jack Reacher,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), Academy Award® winner Ellen Burstyn (“The Last Picture Show,” “The Exorcist”), and Academy Award® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy).

The film is being produced by Academy Award® nominee Emma Thomas (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy) and Lynda Obst (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “The Siege”).  Renowned theoretical physicist Kip Thorne is consulting on the film as well as serving as executive producer, along with Jake Myers (“Jack Reacher,” “RED,” “RED 2”) and Jordan Goldberg (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy).

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “The Fighter”), Academy Award®-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (“The Dark Knight” Trilogy), Academy Award®-nominated costume designer Mary Zophres (“Gangster Squad,” “True Grit”) Academy Award®-nominated editor Lee Smith “The Dark Knight” Trilogy,” “Elysium,”, Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy), and Academy Award®-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight” Trilogy).
 
Official Site: www.InterstellarMovie.com

About Paramount Pictures Corporation 
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures meets worldwide tastes and demands with a diverse mix of filmed entertainment and is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films.  The International Division operates offices in 24 countries and releases films in over 125 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures.  Internationally, the Studio has been the market leader in six of the last 13 years, having surpassed $1 billion in grosses a total of 15 years, 12 of which were consecutive years, and crossed $2 billion five times, including 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Review: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Shockingly Good

Oh

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence
DIRECTOR: Rupert Wyatt
WRITERS: Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (based upon the novel, La planète des singes, by Pierre Boulle)
PRODUCER: Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Conrad Buff and Mark Goldblatt
COMPOSER: Patrick Doyle

SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Tyler Labine, Jamie Harris, and David Hewlett

Apparently, 20th Century Fox is going to produce a new Planet of the Apes film series. The first film, Planet of the Apes, appeared in 1968 and was based upon the 1963 French science fiction novel, La planète des singes, by Pierre Boulle. The 1968 film spawned four sequels, beginning with Beneath the Planet of the Apes in 1970 and ending with Battle for the Planet of the Apes in 1973. Tim Burton directed a remake of the original film that was released in 2001, and although that film was successful, no sequels were made from it.

Instead, 20th Century Fox decided to reboot the franchise. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a 2011 science fiction drama film, is reportedly intended to act as the origin story for a new series. Rise of the Planet of the Apes focuses on a hyper-intelligent chimpanzee who leads his fellow apes on a revolutionary path that introduces them to freedom and to intelligence that they have never known.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set in modern-day San Francisco, which is also the location of biotechnology company, Gen-Sys. There, Dr. William “Will” Rodman (James Franco) is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which is personal to him because his father, Charles Rodman (John Lithgow), has the disease. Will is testing his new gene therapy, ALZ-112, on chimpanzees, which seems to make them smarter.

One of them, a female, gives birth to a male chimp; to keep the baby from being destroyed, Will takes him home, where his father, who lives with him, names the baby, Caesar. Caesar’s intelligence grows by leaps and bounds, which eventually gets him into trouble. As Caesar (Andy Serkis) watches how the world treats him and his fellow apes, he plots a revolution that threatens the status quo.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a monkey movie! Seriously, this film is about the apes. The human characters sometimes come across as place holders for the apes, while the story takes a brief detour in human territory before going back to the characters it really loves – the apes. That is not to say that the human characters are not interesting, or that the actors do not give good performances. As usual, James Franco seems effortlessly good, and Freida Pinto is excellent as Will girlfriend and the film’s moral center and voice of warning, Caroline Aranha. David Oyelowo surprisingly steals scenes as Will’s greedy boss, Steven Jacobs. Also, I was surprised with how powerful John Lithgow is in the small role of Will’s father, Charles. You can’t help but feel sorry for Charles because Lithgow’s depiction of him suffering the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease has an uncanny ring of authenticity.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the great slave rebellion movies, and that is because of the film’s visual effects, which creates credible oppressed characters. CGI characters: characters created, rendered, and animated using computer software, often don’t hold up to intense scrutiny. The longer you look at them, the less they seem authentic and the more phony they look. The CGI apes here don’t have that problem because there aren’t a lot of times in this movie when I thought that the apes looked counterfeit or just plain fake (although there are a few).

Here, the apes are created using performance capture, which involves filming actors in special suits and then, taking that performance and building the CGI character on or over the performance. The technology of performance capture has evolved to the point that in Rise of the Planet of the Apes the apes show a wide range of emotions. The depth of character has delicacy rather than the gaudiness seemingly inherent in CGI characters in many live-action movies.

To that end, Andy Serkis, who provides the performance capture performance for Caesar, is overdue for some kind of special Oscar trophy. Caesar carries the movie as if he were a flesh and blood, acclaimed, veteran actor. He has that “It,” the x-factor that stars have. I happily followed Caesar through trials and tribulations and fought with him in the epic battle that girds the last act. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a fantastic film because its star is an ape with star appeal. You’ll laugh and cry with Caesar; you’ll cheer him on.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2012 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, and Daniel Barrett)

2012 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Special Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, and R. Christopher White)

Monday, May 14, 2012

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"The Campaign" with Will Ferrell Ready for August 2012 Release

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis Wrap Production on Jay Roach Comedy “The Campaign”

Film Opens Nationwide this Summer

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filming has concluded on “The Campaign,” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as competing candidates in a no-holds-barred race for Congress. The new comedy from “Meet the Parents” director Jay Roach is scheduled to open in theaters on August 10, 2012.

The film also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott and Katherine LaNasa, with John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Brian Cox.

In “The Campaign,” when long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about. As election day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking battle that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level. Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom, there’s room to dig a whole lot deeper.

Directed by Jay Roach and written by Chris Henchy & Shawn Harwell, the film is produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jay Roach and Zach Galifianakis. Amy Sayres, Jon Poll and Chris Henchy serve as executive producers.

The creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Jim Denault (Emmy nominee for HBO’s “Carnivàle”); production designer Michael Corenblith (Oscar® nominee for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Apollo 13”); editors Craig Alpert (“Knocked Up,” “Borat”) and Jon Poll (“Meet the Fockers”); and costume designer Daniel Orlandi (“The Blind Side”).

“The Campaign” was filmed in and around New Orleans, beginning in October of 2011. Set for an August 10, 2012 release, it will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Arrives on DVD in December

Bring Caesar Home on Blu-Ray - RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Evolution Becomes Revolution in the Critically-Acclaimed Over $432 Million Worldwide Box Office Smash Arriving Globally on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download in December

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a battle unlike any other when RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on December 13th in North America and starting December 7th Internationally. From the Oscar-winning® visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings comes revolutionary new ground - a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate.

James Franco (127 Hours) stars as Will Rodman, a neuroscientist living in San Francisco trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by testing on chimpanzees, giving them a human level of intelligence. After a test subject’s baby, Caesar, is orphaned, Will decides to raise him at home on his own with his Alzheimer-stricken father (John Lithgow; “Dexter”). What begins simply as a continuation of his experiment quickly turns into a problem for Will, as Caesar is taken away from him and forced to live in a primate facility. As Caesar’s intelligence continues to grow, he begins to stake his claim as the leader of his new primate counterparts, which will ultimately lead to the RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist), this special effects blockbuster features fantastic supporting performances from Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Brian Cox (Red), Tom Felton (Harry Potter films) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) in a ground-breaking performance. The RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Blu-ray is loaded with bonus material including deleted scenes, making-of featurettes commentaries and more.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Blu-ray + Digital Copy (North America)
Feature Film
Deleted Scenes
Alpha Gets Shot
Will’s Meeting with Lab Assistants
Will Discovers Caesar Has Solved Puzzles
Caesar Plays with Bicycle
Caesar Questions His Identity
Caesar Bites Off Neighbor’s Finger
Will Ignores the Risks of an Airborne Mutated Virus
Rodney Gives Caesar a Cookie
Rocket Gets Hosed by Dodge
Caesar Destroys the Lab and Koba’s Attempted Revenge on Jacobs
Caesar Pushes Helicopter
Koba with Shotgun
Pre-vis for The Future
Capturing Caesar – Script to Screen
Studying the Genius of Andy Serkis
Multi-Angle: Rocket Cookie Scene
A New Generation of Apes
Breaking Motion Capture Boundaries
Breaking New Sound Barriers: The Music and Sound Design of Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Ape Facts
Chimpanzee
Gorilla
Orangutan
Audio Commentary by Director Rupert Wyatt
Audio Commentary by Writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Character Concept Art Gallery
Three Theatrical Trailers

Exact product configurations will vary by individual territories


Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

Original "Footloose" Still Cuts Loose

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 81 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux


Footloose (1984)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Herbert Ross
WRITER: Dean Pitchford
PRODUCERS: Lewis J. Rachmil and Craig Zadan
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ric Waite (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Paul Hirsch
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/MUSIC with elements of romance

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Christopher Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Laughlin, Elizabeth Gorcey, Frances Lee McCain, Jim Youngs, Lynne Marta, Arthur Rosenberg, and Timothy Scott

Footloose is a 1984 teen drama in which the story is driven, in part, by its pop music soundtrack. The film was a hit upon its initial release, and the soundtrack sold over nine millions copies, with two songs from the film earning Oscar nominations. Footloose spawned a 1998 Broadway musical and is the subject of a 2011 remake.

Footloose focuses on Ren MacCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager raised in Chicago. As the movie begins, Ren and his mother, Ethel (Frances Lee McCain), have just moved to the small Midwestern town of Bomont to live with Ethel’s sister, Lulu (Lynne Marta) and her husband, Wes Warnicker (Arthur Rosenberg). Ren soon makes a friend of a local kid, Willard Hewitt (Chris Penn), and eventually attracts the attention of a wild, but pretty teen girl, Ariel Moore (Lori Singer).

Ren, who likes to dance and play loud music, soon learns that dancing and loud music are not allowed in Bomont, mainly because of Ariel’s stern father, Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow). Ren decides that his senior class should have a prom, but he and his small circle of friends may have to take on the entire town, especially the town council, if they want to hold a dance in public.

There is a lot of cheesy synthesizer-driven music on the soundtrack and plenty of weird dance moves are on display. Still, Footloose is actually a good little teen drama. It’s like an ABC After School Special with a soundtrack, and if Dean Pitchford’s script is anything, it is sincere.

The story is rarely overwrought, and Pitchford created familiar characters without making them stereotypes. I’ve seen John Lithgow’s character, Rev. Moore, described as a “bible thumper,” and Moore is not. Even if the character were, Lithgow, an accomplished actor, would never play Shaw Moore as such. He is a complex man who means well and sincerely cares about the people of Bomont. The arc of his character is a journey to make sure that his good intentions don’t pave a road to Hell.

Kevin Bacon made a star turn as Ren in Footloose, and while the character can be a bit overexcited, Bacon makes Ren likeable and genuine. Of course, Sarah Jessica Parker sparkles, showing a hint of what her fans love about her today, and it’s good to see Chris Penn young, in shape, and nice looking – the Chris Penn before the weight, the drugs, and the tragic ending.

Footloose stands the test of time. I think it is as good today as it was 27-and-a-half years ago. I will give it the same grade I gave it back then, and I’d even watch it again. Its story of friendship and small town melodrama are more engaging than quaint.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
1985 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Music, Original Song” (Kenny Loggins-music and Dean Pitchford-lyric for the song "Footloose") and “Best Music, Original Song” (Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford for the song "Let's Hear It for the Boy")

1985 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Kenny Loggins and Dean Pitchford for the song "Footloose")

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Review: Eddie Murphy Made the Excellent "Shrek" Even Better

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux


Shrek (2001) – computer animated
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild language and some crude humor
DIRECTOR: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
WRITERS: Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman with additional dialogue by Cody Cameron, Chris Miller, and Conrad Vernon (based upon the book by Shrek! William Steig)
PRODUCERS: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Aron Warner, and John H. Williams
EDITOR: Sim Evan-Jones
Academy Award winner
ANIMATION/COMEDY/FANTASY and ADVENTURE/ROMANCE/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Michael Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, and Jim Cummings

Shrek (Michael Myers), a reclusive ogre, suddenly finds his home in the swamp beset by the denizens of hundreds of fairy tales. They are refugees of a hate campaign by a little despot named Lord Farquaad of Duloc (John Lithgow). Farquaad promises to remove the fairy tale beings from his home if Shrek rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a fearful fire-breathing dragon. By marrying a princess, Farquaad would become a king. The talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy) joins Shrek as his faithful steed on the quest to rescue the princess for Farquaad, but love has other plans.

From Pacific Data Images (PDI) and DreamWorks, respectively the computer animation studio and movie studio behind Antz, Shrek is a lively and funny cartoon that kids can watch but that is really aimed at adult viewers. With the requisite toys and novelties, the film is sure to attract children, and the film contains enough gross and childish humor to keep their attentions. Shrek’s success, however, is in its ability to tap into grown-up sensibilities. Literally having a pack of writers working on the script gives Shrek’s story multiple layers. The movie is filled with pop culture references, film references, bawdy humor, sight gags, and sly asides, and the romantic and sentimental aspects of the film are quite convincing.

The voice actors really carry the movie. Myers is, as always, able to create several character voices, and he creates two others in this film besides Shrek: the Narrator and one of the Three Blind Mice. Ms. Diaz has a nice performance as the princess, but she saves her best work for the film’s last quarter. John Lithgow, an accomplished actor who has played a few wacky villains in the last decade, revealed his comic chops in the television series “Third Rock from the Sun.” He doesn’t fail to please here; his Farquaad is nasty, petty, deceitful, and quite vindictive – a potent little menace who really deserves his comeuppance.

The star of the show, however, is Eddie Murphy as Donkey. We’ve come to take Murphy for granted. He hasn’t taken on oh-so-serious roles like other comedians, so many critics and moviegoers don’t think of him as a good actor. His Donkey is a jiving talking huckster, at one moment cowardly, brash the next, and a mentor when he has to be. The role fits Murphy like an old glove, but he makes Donkey so vital, so fresh, so funny. Like one of Robin Williams’s caricatures, Murphy is a chatterbox, but he doesn’t wear thin; even his mumblings are funny. His verbosity never annoys, and Donkey is the axis upon which this story turns. Lose him and you have a passable, middling movie.

Shrek is a surprise, and it went on to win the first Oscar® for Best Animated Feature. It is truly for all ages. Funny and touching, it is Hollywood product that is near perfect entertainment – well put together by its cast and creators.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2002 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Animated Feature” (Aron Warner); 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S.H. Schulman)

2002 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S.H. Schulman); 5 nominations: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell). “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Ken Bielenberg), “Best Film” (Aron Warner, John H. Williams, and Jeffrey Katzenberg), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Eddie Murphy), and “Best Sound” (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Wylie Stateman, and Lon Bender

2001 Won BAFTA Children's Award Best Feature Film (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, Aron Warner, and Jeffrey Katzenberg)

2002 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy”