Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 1st to 10th, 2021 - Update #18

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SPORTS - From CNN:   Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, becoming the first African American contestant to win in 93 editions of the competition.  Zaila is also a basketball prodigy who owns some Guinness world records.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson will star in director Matthew Vaughn's spy film, "Argylle."

TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:   Veteran television music composer, Jonathan Wolff, talks about composing the music for the iconic late NBC TV series, "Seinfeld," and about the soundtrack album of music from the series.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/2 to 7/4/21 weekend box office is "F9" with an estimated take of 24 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   HBO Max's "Pretty Little Liars" reboot has its first two cast members, Chandler Kinney and Maia Reficco.  The original series ran from 2010 to 2017 on ABC Family/Freeform.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   "Lovecraft Country," one of HBO's most celebrated and inventive recent TV series will not return for a second season.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The second "Downton Abbey" film to open in theaters in March 18, 2022, moved from its planned December 22, 2021 opening date.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Superstar television showrunner, Noah Hawley, talks about his FX series based on the "Alien" film series.  Hawley says that it is not about signature "Alien" character, Ellen Ripley, and that it will start shooting next spring.

ACADEMY AWARDS - From Deadline:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization which hands out the Oscars, have invited 395 new members.

ANIMATION/LGBTQ - From Insider:   Animation's queer women, trans, and nonbinary creatives are pushing gender boundaries in kid's cartoons their counterparts couldn't — or wouldn't dare

BILL COSBY - From Deadline:   Television icon Bill Cosby has been released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction, finding fault with the way prosecutors pursued a case against him after earlier declining to file charges.

From Deadline:  Hollywood reacts to Bill Cosby being released from prison.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor John Lithgow is joining Michael C. Hall in Showtime's revival of its hit drama, "Dexter."  Lithgow's character in the original run was bumped off...

OBITS:

From THR:   The actor, William Smith, has died at the age of 88, Monday, July 5, 2021.  Smith was a legendary Hollywood tough guy and action star.  He was a lead character in NBC's short-lived Western TV series, "Laredo" (1965-67), and he was a main cast member on the final season of CBS cop drama, "Hawaii Five-O" (1979-80).  Other memorable roles includes playing Conan's father in "Conan the Barbarian" (1982), playing Clint Eastwood's nemesis in "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), and the 1976 ABC miniseries, "Rich Man, Poor Man."

From Variety:   Actor and filmmaker, Robert Downey, Sr., had died at the age of 85, Wednesday, July 7, 2021.  Downey, Sr. is best known for the writing and directing the 1969 underground film, "Putney Swope."  He is also known as the father of Oscar-nominated actor, Robert Downey, Jr.

From Essence:  The actress Suzzanne Douglas, has died at the age of 64, Tuesday, July 6, 2021.  She was best known for the role of "Jerri Peterson" on The WB sitcom, "The Parent 'Hood."  She won acclaim for her supporting role in the 1989 dance-drama film, "Tap."  She also appeared in a number of acclaimed African-American films of the 1990s, including "The Inkwell" (1994), "Jason's Lyric" (1994), and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1998).  She most recently appeared in Ava DuVerany's Netflix miniseries, "When They See Us."

From Deadline:   Beloved director and producer of films and television, Richard Donner, has died at the age of 91, Monday, July 5, 2021.  Donner's long career included directing "The Omen" (1976), "Superman: The Movie" (1978), "The Goonies" (1985), and "Lethal Weapon" (1987), and its three sequels, to name a few.  Donner also started work on what would be "Superman II" (1980) before he was replaced on the film.  His version of the film would eventually arrive in 2006.  Before he directed films, Donner directed episodes of such television series as "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Wagon Train," "The Rifleman," "The Twilight Zone," "Perry Mason," and "Gilligan's Island," to name a few.  Donner's widow is film producer, Lauren Shuler Donner.

From APNews:  Latvian professional ice hockey player, Matiss Kivlenieks, has died at the age of 24, Sunday, July 4, 2021.  Matiss apparently died of chest trauma from "an errant fireworks mortar blast."  Matiss was currently the goalie for the "Columbia Blue Jackets" of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Superman Pulls Up His Classic Red Trunks in "Action Comics #1000"

The Red Trunks Return in Action Comics #1000

Landmark 1,000th Issue Features Jim Lee Cover Revealing New Costume

Brian Michael Bendis Debuts First Story for DC

DC Veteran Writer Marv Wolfman to Script Story Based On Unpublished Art by Golden and Silver Age Icon Curt Swan

All-Star Lineup of Contributors Includes Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi, Pat Gleason, Dan Jurgens, Brad Meltzer, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Tom King, Scott Snyder and More

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DC is going all-out to celebrate the one-thousandth issue of ACTION COMICS—the longest continually published comic book of its kind in history, the series that introduced Superman to the world and the title that launched the superhero genre. The Jim Lee-drawn cover features a new costume that integrates a variety of classic and new elements, including the Man of Steel’s trademark red trunks.

“ACTION COMICS #1000 represents a watershed moment in the history of not just comic books, but entertainment, literature and pop culture,” said Jim Lee. “There’s no better way to celebrate Superman’s enduring popularity than to give him a look that combines some new accents with the most iconic feature of his classic design.”

Available at comics retailers and digitally on April 18, 2018, ACTION COMICS #1000 features the DC debut of acclaimed writer Brian Michael Bendis in a 10-page Superman story featuring art by DC publisher and celebrated artist Jim Lee. This milestone issue will also include two 15-page stories from two of DC’s current and most popular talent teams: SUPERMAN writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Pat Gleason, as well as ACTION COMICS writer and artist Dan Jurgens.

“The one-thousandth issue of ACTION COMICS is an incredible milestone in pop culture and a testament to the vision of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster,” said DC publisher Dan DiDio. “Without this book, along with Siegel and Shuster’s fertile imaginations and boundless creativity, the superhero’s place in literature may have been wildly different, if not altogether nonexistent.”

This must-have collector’s item comic book will also feature previously unpublished art from Curt Swan, whose dynamic, iconic style many consider the definitive look for the Man of Steel throughout comics’ Golden and Silver Ages. Acclaimed DC writer Marv Wolfman will script a story based on this never-before-seen content. In addition, the comic will include a collection of memorable bonus stories from some of the most celebrated names in comics and entertainment.

Contributors to this once-in-a-lifetime issue include legendary Superman movie director Richard Donner and New York Times best-selling writer Geoff Johns, with art by Olivier Coipel. Other contributing creative teams will include Paul Dini with José Luis García-López; Tom King with Clay Mann and Jordie Bellaire; Brad Meltzer with John Cassaday and Laura Martin; Louise Simonson with Jerry Ordway; Scott Snyder with Tim Sale and more to be announced.

This celebratory comic book is just the beginning; this milestone will be recognized across the DC superhero line for the month of April with a series of Superman-themed variant covers and even more to come. Check out the website at www.dccomics.com or the DC YouTube channel for the latest news regarding Krypton’s last son and his elevation to pop culture icon.


About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to the iconic brands DC (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, the Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is one of the largest English-language publishers of comics in the world.

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Bruce Willis and Mos Def a Good Pairing in "16 Blocks"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 140 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

16 Blocks (2006)
Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, intense sequences of action, and some strong language
DIRECTOR:  Richard Donner
WRITER:  Richard Wenk
PRODUCERS:  Randall Emmett, Avi Lerner, Arnold Rifkin, John Thompson, Jim Van Wyck, and Bruce Willis
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Glen MacPherson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Steve Mirkovich
COMPOSER:  Klaus Badelt

CRIME/DRAMA/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse, Jenna Stern, Casey Sander, Cylk Cozart, David Zayas, Robert Racki, and Brenda Pressley

The subject of this movie review is 16 Blocks, a 2006 crime thriller from director Richard Donner.  The film stars Bruce Willis and Mos Def in the story of an aging cop escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse, while unknown forces try to stop them from making it to the courthouse.

Aging and alcoholic New York City detective, Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis), finds himself stuck with the task of escorting loquacious prosecution witness, Eddie Bunker (Mos Def), from police custody to a nearby courthouse.  However, the 16 block trek becomes perilous when a gang of corrupt cops, led by Mosley’s former partner, Frank Nugent (David Morse), attempt to kill the talkative Bunker.  With less than two hours to get Bunker before a jury, Mosley takes on the power of the police force in a small war that might find Mosley and Bunker dead before they get to their destination.

Director Richard Donner has had one of the longest and most versatile careers as a Hollywood filmmaker.  Working in television and film as both a producer and director, he helmed episodes of such TV series as “The Twilight Zone,” “Gilligan’s Island,” and “The Wild Wild West.”  He’s directed such films as The Omen (1976), Superman (1978), all four movies in the Lethal Weapon franchise, and the recent underrated sci-fi flick, Timeline.  Because of this I shouldn’t be surprised that his recent corrupt cop crime drama, 16 Blocks, is so good, but I am.  This film reveals what a fine director can do – take all the elements that go into making a movie and shape them into a quality flick without one element dominating the others.  A great director doesn’t even need all the ingredients to be the best available to turn them into a good movie.

16 Blocks isn’t Bruce Willis’ best performance, but he creates an off-beat cop that’s hard to read and that makes Jack Mosley intriguing.  The viewer might not necessarily know where the guy is coming from or where he’s going, but we know that he fits the part in the film.  Mosley is doing a job he doesn’t want to do, and that’s a perfect setup for a film in which the lead undergoes the heroic change.  Willis gives a lot of the performance in his demeanor and how he carries himself.  He doesn’t need to say a lot or make speeches, but a great physical actor, he can reveal the character in body language as much as he can with dialogue or facial expressions.

Mos Def continues to prove himself an actor, breaking away from the rapper/actor label.  In fact, he’s way better as an actor than he is as a rapper (and with his inimitable style, he is good at that).  With a robust whine in his voice, Mos creates an Eddie Bunker who gives 16 Blocks a distinctive New York flavor.  David Morse is also robustly menacing as the vile and bullying corrupt detective, Frank Nugent, another particular New York touch.

While getting solid performances from his leads and supporting players, Donner brings it all together in a taught thriller that truly brings one to the edge of his seat.  It’s not that the concept behind 16 Blocks in new.  It’s that everyone involved was determined to make a gritty urban drama with the explosiveness of an action thriller, and that determination shows in a high-quality end product.  16 Blocks is a heart stopper and a thrill ride.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Updated, Friday, July 19, 2013

Review: Christopher Reeve Still Shines in "Superman II"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Superman II (1980)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Richard Lester
WRITERS: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman; from a story by Mario Puzo (based upon the characters and situations created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)
PRODUCER: Pierre Spengler
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Geoffrey Unsworth and Bob Paynter
EDITOR: John Victor-Smith
COMPOSER: Ken Thorne

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA with elements of comedy and sci-fi

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Terrence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Leueen Willoughby, Clifton James, E.G. Marshall, Marc McClure, and Susannah York

The subject of this movie review is Superman II, a 1980 superhero drama and action film from director Richard Lester. This movie is based on the DC Comics character, Superman, created by comic book writer Jerry Siegel and comic book artist Joe Shuster. Superman II is also a direct sequel to the 1978 film, Superman: The Movie.

There was some controversy surrounding Superman II upon its release. It was originally being film simultaneously with Superman: The Movie by director Richard Donner. Donner ended up being fired by the Alexander and Ilya Salkind, who controlled the Superman film franchise at the time. Some of the film Donner shot for Superman II was apparently re-shot and some of it reused. Donner’s replacement, Richard Lester, is credited as the director of Superman II. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz is credited as a “creative consultant” for his contributions to the screenplay for Superman II.

Putting that aside, is Superman II a good movie? When I first saw Superman II, I considered it to be a better movie than Superman: The Movie. I no longer think so, but more on that later.

Superman II opens by going back in time to Superman’s birth planet, Krypton, prior to its destruction. There, the criminals: General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his followers, Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran), are sentenced by Jor-El (Superman’s Kryptonian father) to banishment into the Phantom Zone for insurrection and other crimes. After traveling through the galaxy for many years, the Phantom Zone, represented as a spinning, picture frame-like segment of space, is shattered near Earth by the detonation of a hydrogen bomb.

Meanwhile, Daily Planet reporters, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve), who is Superman, leave Metropolis for an undercover story. In Niagara Falls, Lois and Clark pretend to be a married couple, which brings them closer, physically and emotionally, than they usually are. Suddenly, Lois thinks she knows Superman’s secret identity. That leads Clark to make a monumental decision just when Earth most needs Superman.

I once told a friend that I preferred Superman II over Superman: The Movie and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn over Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He responded that people liked the sequels because they were “kick-ass.” That is true, to an extent, but Star Trek II is better than the first Trek film.

At the time I first saw it, I did like the fight scenes in Superman II, but there were many other elements that caught my attention. When I saw Superman II in a theatre, there was a woman a few rows in front of me who yelled, “Superman had sex,” when the film cutaway to a scene with Lois and Clark in bed, apparently post-coitus. I think what I liked about Superman II was that it confronted me with things I thought of has wrong in relation to Superman, especially Superman having sex with Lois, which also intrigued me. However, as a film critic said at the time of the film’s initial release, Superman and Lois should not have actual physical sex, because their version of sex was Superman carrying Lois in his arms as they fly over Metropolis.

Beside the sex, I found General Zod and company to be good villains, and, in a sense, they were the beginning of a series of things that endangered all that was great and good about Superman for me. They attacked the civilians that Superman protected, were disrespectful of the President of the United States of America, and they invaded Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. All these conflicts, dilemmas, and obstacles made for an exciting movie.

Years later, I find Superman II’s occasional campy moments and scenes a bit annoying, although its mostly those featuring Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). There is quite a bit to like about this movie, but the main reason to like this is the late Christopher Reeve. Here, he is eternally youthful. As Clark Kent, he is humble and even sly. As Superman, Reeve is both a champion and a man for seasons.

Now, I think Superman: The Movie is the better film and a blueprint for what a superhero movie can be. Still, Superman II is memorable.

6 of 10
B

Thursday, June 06, 2013

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Review: "Superman: The Movie" and Christopher Reeve Are Still Great

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 148 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Superman: The Movie (1978)
Running time: 143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Richard Donner
WRITERS: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton; from a story by Mario Puzo (based upon the characters and situations created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)
PRODUCER: Pierre Spengler
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Geoffrey Unsworth
EDITORS: Stuart Baird and Michael Ellis
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award winner

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA with elements of comedy and sci-fi

Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Valerie Perrine, Jeff East, Marc McClure, and Susannah York

The subject of this movie review is Superman: The Movie, a 1978 superhero drama and action film from director Richard Donner. This movie is based on the DC Comics character, Superman, created by comic book writer Jerry Siegel and comic book artist Joe Shuster. Superman: The Movie is a very good film, but more important is this film’s influence on the superhero movies that followed it. Superman: The Movie took its subject matter seriously and played it straight, rather than campy, proving that superhero movies could be more than silly comedies looking for cheap laughs.

Superman: The Movie is the first of four films starring the late actor, Christopher Reeve, in the role of Superman and also his civilian identity, Clark Kent. Although he does not receive a screenwriting credit, Tom Mankiewicz wrote Superman: The Movie’s final draft script. The father-son team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind produced this movie along with Pierre Spengler. The movie depicts Superman’s origin, from his birth on a distant planet to his youth in a rural small town, Smallville. The movie also begins to chronicle his adult life as a big city newspaper reporter and as Superman.

Mild-mannered Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) works as a reporter at The Daily Planet, one of the major newspapers in the city of Metropolis (a stand-in for New York City). He has a crush on fellow ace reporter, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), but Lois has a crush on the flying, impossibly strong hero, Superman (Christopher Reeve). Superman, however, is the alter ego of Clark Kent, and Kent also has many other secrets. He’s from another world, the planet Krypton, and before Krypton exploded, his father, Jor-El (Marlon Brando) sent baby Clark, whose birth name is Kal-El, in a starship on a three-year journey to Earth. Shortly after the star ship carrying Kal-El crashes in a Kansas field, a middle-aged couple, Martha and Jonathan Kent (Phyllis Thaxter and Glenn Ford), takes Kal-El as their own and names him Clark Kent.

Not long after Superman reveals himself to the world, he runs up against the nefarious genius, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), who has launched a plan to destroy much of western California in a real estate scheme that will make him perhaps the richest man on earth, although it will kill millions of people. Superman has met his match. Not only must he save millions of lives, but he must also save his friends Lois and cub reporter, Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure), and even Superman might not have enough time to do that.

Nearly 30 years after its first release, many critics and fans still consider director Richard Donner’s (The Omen) Oscar-nominated film, Superman: The Movie, to be the definitive big screen version of DC Comics’ venerable superhero. Christopher Reeve, a then unknown when cast to play Clark Kent/Superman, also remains for many the definitive screen Superman, be it TV or film (I personally prefer George Reeves of the 1950’s “Superman” TV series).

This version of Superman is an example of producer spending a large sums of money on a film and actually getting superior results. A talented director and crew of good writers took a cast that included a few great actors and movie stars, quality character actors, and some up and coming new talent and told an epic story that fills the viewer with the same kind of wonder of which the film itself is made. Everything works: Marlon Brando is a solemn, otherworldly, mystic-like figure that presides over the first half of the film like a grand marshal in an ambitious parade.

Gene Hackman is a smooth, scene-stealing, genius wise guy as Lex Luthor (and though I’m a big fan of Hackman, I’ve always had slight misgivings about Hackman as Luthor). Other cast members also resonate: Jackie Cooper is pitch-perfect tart as Planet boss, Perry White; Margot Kidder as Lois Lane is both tomboyish and girlish with a touch of feminism; and Marc McClure is spot-on as a Jimmy. Simply put, Reeve seems to embody both Clark and Superman. It’s as if he stepped out of a classic Superman comic book, and that’s enough to make it all work.

Superman’s technical aspects were also high quality. The visual effects are actually still good; they stand up to much of the high-priced, over-the-top computer effects done today. Using a harness and cranes to lift Christopher Reeve and give him the illusion of flying was and still is great stuff. As the film’s tagline says, “You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly.”

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1979 Academy Awards, USA: 1 win: “Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects” (Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys N. Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings, and Zoran Perisic); 3 nominations: “Best Film Editing” (Stuart Baird), “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams), and “Best Sound” (Gordon K. McCallum, Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier, and Roy Charman)

1979 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles” (Christopher Reeve); 4 nominations: “Best Cinematography” (Geoffrey Unsworth), “Best Production Design/Art Direction” (John Barry), “Best Sound” (Chris Greenham, Gordon K. McCallum, Peter Pennell, Mike Hopkins, Pat Foster, Stan Fiferman, John Foster, Roy Charman, Norman Bolland, Brian Marshall, Charles Schmitz, Richard Raguse, and Chris Large), and “Best Supporting Actor” (Gene Hackman)

1979 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams)

Friday, July 14, 2006

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