Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 10th to 16th, 2022 - Update #26

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

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman's production company, Playtone, has signed a multiyear development deal with Apple TV+.  The deal includes a sequel to Tom Hanks' 2020 World War II thriller, "Greyhound."

MOVIES - From NBC:  In the wake of multiple controversies, is the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise still magical, as the third installment, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."

MOVIES - From Variety:  Warner Bros. Discovery is planning an overhaul of DC Entertainment and they want "creative and strategic czar" similar to Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios.

MOVIES - From THR:  In a wide-ranging interview, Mads Mikkelsen, talks about the new "Fantastic Beasts" movie and replacing Johnny Depp and a little about "Indiana Jones 5."

STREAMING - From Variety:  Salma Hayek will replace Thandiwe Newton in HBO Max's "Magic Mike's Last Dance." Newton is reportedly stepping away in order to "deal with family issues."

FROM TheSun:  The UK newspaper "The Sun" is saying that Thandie/Thandiwe Newton is gone from "Magic Mike's Last Dance" because she got in a terrible "row" with producer/star Channing Tatum over the Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars slap.

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CANNES - From Variety:  A completely unexpected David Lynch film will appear at 75th Cannes Film Festival (May 17th to 28th).  David Cronenberg's new film, "Crimes of the Future" will also screen at the festival.

From Deadline:  David Lynch says that he does not have a film for Cannes 2022, although he seems evasive as to whether he is currently working on a film.

DEPP V. HEARD - From LATimes:  The lawsuit explained:  Johnny Depp (58) is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard (35), over a 2018 Washington Post piece she wrote that Depp believes falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser.  Heard is counter-suing Depp accusing his lawyers of defaming her.

From Deadline:  Oscar-nominee Johnny Depp's 50 million dollar defamation law suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, has begun in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia.

From PerezHilton:  Amber Heard lawyer says that Heard's ex, the Oscar-nominated actor, Johnny Depp, held her hostage in Australia for three days. This is one of many claims made in Depp's defamation law suit that has gone from 50 million dollars to 100 million.

From Deadline:  James Franco, "WandaVision" star Paul Bettany, Elon Musk, and representatives of the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, and the LAPD could end up in the court in Johnny Depp's defamation case against his former wife, Amber Heard.

From WeGotThisCovered:  Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard is in its first day and already there are allegations of sexual assualt.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will Ferrell is the latest to join director Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" film for Warner Bros. and Mattel. Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken) are the film's stars.

MOVIES - From THR:  Ayo Edebiri and former Super Bowl champion, Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks), have joined the Orion Pictures high school sex comedy, "Bottoms."

DISNEY+ - From THR:  Walker Scobell will take the role of "Percy Jackson" in the Disney+ series, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 4/8 to 4/10/2022 weekend box office is "Sonic The Hedgehog 2" with an estimated take of 71 million dollars.

From CNN:  "Sonic the Hedgehog 2's" 71-million dollar opening is the largest ever for a video game film adaptation at the North American box office.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  "Fast Saga" star Vin Diesel says that Marvel Cinematic Universe star, Brie Larson, has joined "Fast & Furious 10,"which is due in theaters, May 19, 2023.

MOVIES - From TheGate:  In an interview about the iconic film, "The Godfather," which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, actor Robert Duvall says that he thinks Christian Bale has been cast in Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming film, "Megalopolis."

DWAYNE HASKINS:

From USAToday:  Dwayne Haskins, an NFL quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, died after he was struck by a dump truck on Saturday morning, April 9th.  Haskins was 24 and would have made 25 in early May.

From SteelerWire:  Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool shares an emotional moment over the passing of his teammate, Dwayne Haskins.

From TheWrap:  Former NFL executive Gil Brandt said some really shitty things about Dwayne Haskins after he died. Now, the old bastard is apologizing...

OBITS:

From Variety:  Stand-up comedian, actor, and voice performer, Gilbert Gottfried, has died at the age of 67, Tuesday, April 12, 2022.  Gottfried is best known for his exaggerated loud, screeching, shrill and obnoxious voice.  His best known roles may be that of "Iago" the parrot in Disney's "Aladdin" films and animated television series and of "Degit LeBoid" on the PBS animated series, "Cyberchase."

From NBC:  Comedian Gilbert Gottfried died at the age of 67 of a rare genetic muscle disorder, "type II myotonic dystrophy," that is often overlooked.

From Deadline:  Gilbert Gottfried's comedy career - a photo gallery.

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From Deadline:  Veteran television actress, Liz Sheridan, has died at the age of 93, Sunday, April 10, 2022.  Sheridan was best known for her TV work, especially for playing Jerry Seinfeld's mother, "Helen Seinfeld" on the former NBC comedy, "Seinfield."  She was also the nosy neighbor, "Raquel Ochmonek" on the former NBC sitcom, "ALF."

From Deadline:  Actress Kathy Lamkin has died at the age of 74, Monday, April 4, 2022.  She was known for her scene-stealing turns in the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men" and the terrible 2003 remake, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and its sequel/prequel, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning."

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WILL SMITH/CHRIS ROCK/THE SLAP:

From Deadline:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has banned recent Oscar-winner Will Smith from attending its programs and events - virtually or in-person - including the Academy Awards ceremony for a period of 10 years.  This is his punishment for bitch-slapping Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, Sun., March 27th.

From Variety:  Actor Harry Lennix comes off the porch to tell Will Smith that he should ... voluntarily give back his recent "Best Actor" Oscar in order to restore the awards honor ... saying this with a straight face.

From TMZ - Celebrities keep weighing in - Grammy Award-nominated rapper and recording artist, Fat Joe, says that Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy awards "makes minorities look bad."

From Variety:  Netflix has slowed its development of a Will Smith action-thriller, "Fast and Loose," in the wake of the Oscar slap.

From Variety:   Will Smith has announced that he is withdrawing his membership from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

From Variety:  Will Smith walks onstage at the 94th Academy Awards and slaps Chris Rock in the face for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

From Variety:  The Academy has said that Will Smith was asked to leave the 94th Academy Awards ceremony after slapping presenter Chris Rock, but he refused.  The Academy has started disciplinary proceedings against Smith.

From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Will Smith formally apologizes to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him during the 94th Academy Awards show.

From Variety:  Chris Rock says that he is "still kind of processing what happened."

From Variety:   "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe says that he is "dramatically bored" with hearing people's opinion about "THE SLAP."

From Variety:  Will Smith won the "Best Actor" Oscar for portraying the father of tennis stars, Venus and Serena Willaims, Richard Williams, in the biopic, "King Richard."  In regards to Smith slapping Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Academy Awards, Richard says, "We don't condone anyone hitting anyone else."

From Variety:  The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has confirmed that Chris Rock has declined to file a police report regarding Oscar-winner Will Smith slapping him during the 94th Academy Awards.

From THR:  The actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, calls Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock to be "unacceptable."

From People:  Of the Oscar slap, "Aquaman" Jason Momoa says that he is shocked that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock and that "There's a tipping point for everyone."

From Variety:  Celebrities react to the Oscar bitch slap heard around the world.

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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires "12 Mighty Orphans"

Sony Pictures Classics Adopts Ty Roberts’ 12 Mighty Orphans Starring Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, Vinessa Shaw, and Robert Duvall

NEW YORK – Sony Pictures Classics announced that they have acquired worldwide rights in all media to 12 MIGHTY ORPHANS directed by Ty Roberts and starring Luke Wilson, Martin Sheen, Vinessa Shaw, Wayne Knight, Jake Austin Walker, Treat Williams, Ron White, Scott Haze, and Robert Duvall. This marks Sheen and Duvall’s first onscreen reunion since APOCALYPSE NOW. Adapted from Jim Dent’s bestselling book of the same name, the screenplay is written by Roberts, Lane Garrison and Kevin Meyer.

The film is produced by Houston Hill and Roberts of Santa Rita Film Co., along with Michael De Luca and Angelique De Luca of Michael De Luca Productions. Producer Brinton Bryan of Greenbelt Films helped arrange the financing, along with The Forest Road Company who provided additional funding. George M. Young, Jr., J. Todd Harris, Rhett Bennett and Greg McCabe executive produced.

12 MIGHTY ORPHANS tells the true story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who, during the Great Depression, went from playing without shoes—or even a football—to playing for the Texas state championships. The architect of their success was Rusty Russell, a legendary high school coach who shocked his colleagues by giving up his privileged position to teach and coach at the orphanage. Few knew Rusty's secret: that he himself was an orphan. Recognizing that his scrawny players couldn't beat the other teams with brawn, Rusty developed innovative strategies that would come to define modern football. Over the course of their winning season, these ultimate underdogs became an inspiration to their city, state, and entire nation.

“There is a reason underdog stories hold so much weight in the popular imagination, and we know the Mighty Mites’ true story of triumph over adversity—set in a time when much of the country was suffering—will lift the spirits of audiences worldwide. We are very excited to work with Ty on what promises to be an emotional and life-affirming film,” said Sony Pictures Classics.

“It is an honor to be working with Sony Classics to bring this inspirational true story to the big screen,” said Roberts. “The story of Rusty and his underdog Orphans helped pull the country out of the Great Depression, and I know that it will be just as uplifting for audiences today.

The deal was negotiated by CAA Global Finance on behalf Santa Rita Film Co.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS:
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world. Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 39 Academy Awards® (35 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 175 Academy Award® nominations (149 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

ABOUT SANTA RITA FILM CO.:
Santa Rita Film Co., headed up by partners Ty Roberts, Houston Hill and Greg McCabe, is a newly launched Texas production company that focuses on developing character-driven features and series. SRFC is currently raising a development fund; next projects in the pipeline are Robert's adaptation of Joshua Hammer's THE FALCON THIEF, the story of the real life con man who became the world's most successful thief of rare birds, as well as ANGELS IN EAST TEXAS, the inspirational true story of how a student play transformed a Bible Belt community, from director John Krokidas (KILL YOUR DARLINGS).

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit  http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.

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Steve McQueen's "Widows" Begins Principal Photography

Twentieth Century Fox and New Regency Begin Principal Photography on Steve McQueen Thriller Starring Viola Davis

Film Was Written by McQueen and Best Selling Author Gillian Flynn

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--From Academy Award®-winning director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption: “Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. “Widows” also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry. See-Saw Films’ Oscar®-winning team of Iain Canning (“The King’s Speech”) and Emile Sherman (“The King’s Speech”) are set to produce with Bergen Swanson (“Shame”) serving as executive producer.

    “Steve McQueen is a groundbreaking filmmaker and we’re proud to support his vision for this film, and so delighted to be working with him again following our successful partnership on ‘12 Years a Slave.’”

“Emile and I couldn’t be more excited about ‘Widows,’” says producer Iain Canning. “It is a film that continues See-Saw Films’ relationship with Steve McQueen who has brought together a dream cast to tell a compelling story about what lengths people will go to in order to change the circumstances of their lives.” Producer Emile Sherman adds: “New Regency has been such a supportive and committed home for the project and we are excited to be working with Fox on this timely production.”

“Combining visionary directing, writing, an extraordinary cast, and a riveting story that unites thrilling action with nuanced character studies, ‘Widows’ is a project that truly speaks for itself,” said Yariv Milchan, Chairman of New Regency. “Steve McQueen is a groundbreaking filmmaker and we’re proud to support his vision for this film, and so delighted to be working with him again following our successful partnership on ‘12 Years a Slave.’”

“Widows” creative production team includes director of photography Sean Bobbit (“12 Years a Slave”), Academy Award®-winning production designer Adam Stockhausen (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), costume designer Jenny Eagan (“Beasts of No Nation”) and Oscar®-nominated editor Christopher Tellefsen (“Moneyball”).

“Widows” is a See-Saw Films production in association with New Regency presentation of A Steve McQueen Film and will be distributed worldwide by Twentieth Century Fox. The movie will be released on November 16, 2018.


About Twentieth Century Fox Film
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of the studio: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios.

About New Regency:
Founded in 1991 by renowned producer Arnon Milchan, New Regency is actively engaged in entertaining the world. The company has produced some of the most successful and critically-acclaimed films of all time with over 130 films and more than 50 television series in the company’s vast library, including Academy Award®-winner “The Revenant” (2016) and the back-to-back Academy Award®-winning Best Pictures, “12 Years A Slave” (2014) and “Birdman” (2015). New Regency is also dedicated to continuing to foster its unparalleled filmmaker relationships and today boasts partnerships with the most acclaimed and sought-after creative forces in the industry.

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J.K. Simmons Wins "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Robert Duvall in “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke in “Boyhood”
Edward Norton in “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Mark Ruffalo in “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash” WINNER

Review: "Thank You for Smoking" is Too Glib (Happy B'day, Aaron Eckhart)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 229 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Running time:  93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some sexual content
DIRECTOR:  Jason Reitman
WRITERS:  Jason Reitman (based upon the novel by Christopher Buckley)
PRODUCER:  David O. Sacks
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  James Whitaker (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Dana E. Glauberman
COMPOSER:  Rolfe Kent
Golden Globes nominee

COMEDY with elements of drama

Starring:  Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Sam Elliot, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, and Robert Duvall, Kim Dickens, Adam Brody, and Todd Louiso

The subject of this movie review is Thank You for Smoking, a 2005 satirical comedy written for the screen and directed by Jason Reitman.  The film is based on the 1994 novel, Thank You for Smoking, by author Christopher Buckley.  Thank You for Smoking the movie follows the tobacco industry’s chief spokesman as he spins and disseminates information on behalf of cigarettes, while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.

As Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is the main lobbyist and primary spin doctor for Big Tobacco.  Naylor is on a mission to make the country forget the dangers and health risks of smoking cigarettes.  However, his mission gets tougher with health advocates and the opportunistic Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (William H. Macy) determined to put a new poison label (in the form of an image of the skull & bones) on cigarette packs.  Naylor goes on the PR offensive with a strategy to get big Hollywood actors to smoke on screen, as the movie stars of yesteryear did in the Golden Age of Hollywood movies.  Nick enlists, Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe), a Hollywood super-agent, to help him get smoking on screen again.

However, Nicky’s newfound notoriety does not go unnoticed by Big Tobacco’s head honcho, The Captain (Robert Duvall), who gives his blessing to Nick’s Hollywood plan.  Nick’s activities also get the attention of a beautiful, young investigative reporter, Heather Halloway (Katie Holmes), who is willing to use her body to get Nick to tell her his secrets.  Even with a busy schedule, Nick still finds time to hold forth with two comrades – two other lobbyists for industries also facing public backlash: Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) of the alcohol industry and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) of the gun industry.  Together, the three of them are the Merchants of Death or M.O.D. Squad.  Nick’s also a father, and he’s trying to remain a role model to his young, impressionable son, Joey Naylor (Cameron Bright), who thinks his dad is a god, but Nick’s ex-wife, Jill Naylor (Kim Dickens), isn’t sure a tobacco lobbyist is the best dad material.

Jason Reitman, the son of famed comedy director, Ivan Reitman (Animal House, Ghostbusters), has a more cerebral approach to film comedy than his father, and that’s clearly evident in the clever, offhand satire, Thank You for Smoking, which Reitman adapted from the novel by Christopher Buckley.  The film comes across as a savage satire of the tobacco industry, but Reitman directs the film with such elegance that Thank You for Smoking sometimes comes across as glib and soulless.  In his attempt to impale Big Tobacco, and also throw sand in the face of shallow Hollywood, opportunistic big media, and shameless Congress, Reitman’s movie ends up gabby and has no real villains.  This is a satire that comes across as if it’s teasing its targets rather than criticizing them.

While Thank You for Smoking holds up the characters and subject matter for detached scrutiny, the cast isn’t afraid to get down and dirty.  The actors take delight in revealing the characters for all their oily selfishness.  They’re all out for their own interests, and what little guilt they feel merely adds a light pungent flavor to the characters.  The best performance is delivered, of course, by Aaron Eckhart as the film’s protagonist/quasi-villain, Nick Naylor.  A character actor who can play an amazing range of lead characters, Eckhart gives Thank You for Smoking its gift of gab.  Eckhart’s screen chemistry with Cameron Bright, the young actor who plays Nick’s son, Joey, is supernaturally real.  It’s like a real father and son duo.

Eckhart humanizes Naylor, and makes the viewer like him and want to engage him.  Thank You for Smoking is well-written and well-directed (considering the inexperience of the director), and the technical aspects are pretty good.  But it’s Aaron Eckhart who makes Thank You for Smoking something more than just another satirical film essay.  He makes it memorable.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, November 06, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Golden Globes:  2 nominations:  “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Aaron Eckhart)

Updated:  Wednesday, March 12, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Reach for "Jack Reacher"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Jack Reacher (2012)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material
DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie
WRITER: Christopher McQuarrie (based on the novel, One Shot, by Lee Child)
PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Gary Levinsohn, Kevin J. Messick, and Paula Wagner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Caleb Deschanel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Kevin Stitt
COMPOSER: Joe Kraemer

DRAMA/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog, Jai Courtney, Vladimir Sizov, Joseph Sikora, Michael Raymond-James, Alexia Fast, Josh Helman, and Robert Duvall

Jack Reacher is a 2012 drama and thriller film from writer-director Christopher McQuarrie. The film stars Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, a fictional character that originally appears in a series of novels by author Lee Child (the pen name British author Jim Grant). Jack Reacher the movie is based on the ninth Jack Reacher novel, One Shot (2005). The film follows Reacher as he investigates the case of a military sniper charged in a mass shooting.

Jack Reacher opens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where an unknown man readies a sniper rifle and shoots five people dead. Former U.S. Army sniper James Barr (Joseph Sikora) is arrested for the crime. Investigating Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo) and District Attorney Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins) pressure Barr during interrogation to accept a plea deal that would spare him the death penalty. Barr, however, will only say, “Get Jack Reacher.”

Not long afterwards, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a former U.S. Army Military Police Corps officer (a “military cop”), arrives in Pittsburgh, but Rodin and Emerson will not let him see the evidence against Barr. Reacher meets with Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), Barr’s attorney and the District Attorney’s daughter. Reacher reluctantly agrees to help Helen, and soon finds himself drawn into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with unknown forces that do not want the case against Barr investigated.

Jack Reacher is a suspense thriller. Because Reacher is always on the move and because the surprises and twists and turns come so fast and furious, the film is as much an action movie as it is anything else. Jack Reacher’s action movie credibility may be in doubt because the film isn’t jittery and loud like so many action movies. The explosions and gunfire are held to a minimum, so when they do happen, it means more to the narrative. Jack Reacher just makes the most out of its theatrics.

Everyone is a supporting actor and character to Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher, but some make the most of their time. Standouts include David Oyelowo as the dour and menacing Detective Emerson, Jai Courtney as the vicious killer named Charlie, and the always-welcomed Robert Duvall. As the retired Marine and gun range owner, Martin Cash, Duvall brings some much-needed levity and humor to the film. Cash throws Reacher off his game a bit, which makes Reacher vulnerable and more interesting as a character in the movie’s final half-hour or so. That makes it seem as if Reacher really could be killed, in turn, heightening the sense danger.

Jack Reacher is a perfect role for Tom Cruise. Cruise’s obvious aloofness and brusque charm, as well as that innate cold-bloodedness (which he tries to hide), are a near-perfect fit for Jack Reacher. Cruise as Reacher is just fun to watch, and I found that not knowing what crazy, unexpected thing he was going to do or say made Cruise/Reacher fascinating, even enthralling.

I’m surprised that this movie was not a bigger hit than it was. Outside of the Mission: Impossible films, this is one of the better Tom Cruise movies. Jack Reacher shows why Cruise is a true movie star and a rather good actor to boot.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Review: "Open Range" a Welcomed Western (Happy B'day, Robert Duvall)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 139 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Open Range (2003)
Running time: 139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence
DIRECTOR: Kevin Costner
WRITER: Craig Storper (based upon the novel, The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine)
PRODUCERS: Kevin Costner, Jake Eberts, and David Valdes
CINEMATOGRAPHER: James Muro (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Michael J. Duthie and Miklos Wright
COMPOSER: Michael Kamen

WESTERN

Starring: Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Michael Jeter, Diego Luna, James Russo, Abraham Benrubi, Dean McDermott, and Kim Coates

Much has been made of Kevin Costner’s ode to classic Western movies, the surprise hit Open Range, but I think this film is very good on its own, even if I ignore the respect it pays to older Westerns (so much so that it shows its influences). Open Range is Costner’s third credited effort as a film director (he finished Waterworld although Kevin Reynolds received director’s credit), and it shows that Costner shines when he’s making Westerns.

In the film, Costner is Charlie Waite, the protégé of Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), a grizzled free graze cattleman. Unlike ranchers, freegrazers herded their cattle across the unowned land of the West. This was fine prior to the War Between the States, but after the conflict, big ranchers began to buy up all that open range, and they considered any land near that property to also be their territory. Consequently, the resented freegrazers’ cattle roaming across the west, so conflict ensued. When Spearman, Waite, and their men tend their herd on a patch of unspoiled terrain near the makeshift town of Harmonville, they encounter the wrath of vicious Irish brute named Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon). Baxter, a heartless rancher, owns the local sheriff (James Russo) and lords his power over the scared town folks. Baxter and his goons beat up one of Spearman’s men (Abraham Benrubi), and when Spearman and Waite fight back, the violence escalates from there.

Costner patterns Open Range on a number of sources, both old and new. In spirit, the film’s tone resembles Clint Eastwood’s epic film Unforgiven, and the immediacy of the violence in Open Range is similar to the portrayal of violence in Tombstone. Other than that, the film is pretty much its own thing. It lacks the snap and crack of older westerns, but Costner does fool the audience. The film’s laconic pace and somber mood in the beginning belies the coming storm of righteous violence coming in the end. The funny thing is that you can really identify with both Boss Spearman and Charlie Waite’s fierce sense of independence, and you can easily digest their need to bring hell down on those who go out of their way to deny Spearman and Waite their rights to a livelihood. Both characters strike me as men with a low tolerance threshold; they won’t warn you off too many times about screwing with them before they bring the pain.

Open Range is a gorgeous film with beautiful vistas of the wide, open spaces – an untamed country of beautiful green prairies and hills and of a lovely but dangerous sky. Even the filthy little town has a pretty quality to it despite all the dirty earth tones that define it.

This film is also one of those times that Kevin Costner’s monotone delivery of his dialogue works; usually that’s just a sign of poor acting. His Waite is quite man hiding a dark past; he’s slow to anger, and even when he explodes, he really doesn’t come apart at the seams so much as he remains a steady assault of death dealing. What more does one need to say about the consummate talent of the brilliant character actor that is Robert Duvall? He’s always a pleasure to watch and with his talent, he finds a way to make it seem as if he and Costner are old partners, both in the film and in reality. There is so much good chemistry between the two one might think this is just the latest in many film projects together. Many of the other parts are a bit hokey, character types familiar to almost every old horse opera, but the actors redeem them with the quiet and serious intensity of actors who treat every role as if it’s a career defining moment. Even Annette Bening gives her role as the saintly spinster Sue Barlow some zing as she makes goo goo eyes at Costner’s Waite.

I loved this film, and I heartily recommend it to people who love westerns, especially the old-fashioned kind in which bad guys (with their figurative black hats force) loose-spirited men to do something they’d rather not – pick up a gun and take a human life to save their own. I can see this as a stable on such cable channels as Turner Classic Movies or American Movie Classics, and Open Range has Saturday matinee written all over it. At times it is too dry and slow, but the grit and determination of the characters and the filmmakers will hold your attention. Beside, it’s also one of the few recent movies where all the male actors act like real grown men and not overgrown teenage boys.

7 of 10
B+

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Annette Bening, Robert Duvall to Be Honored at Hollywood Film Festival

Press release:

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE ANNETTE BENING AND OSCAR WINNER ROBERT DUVALL TO BE HONORED AT THE HOLLYWOOD AWARDS GALA

HOLLYWOOD, CA, September 29, 2010 -- The 14th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards, presented by Starz, are pleased to announce that Academy Award-nominated actress Annette Bening will be honored with the "Hollywood Actress Award" and Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall will receive the "Hollywood Actor Award" at the festival's Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony.

"It is a privilege to honor and to celebrate Annette Bening's and Robert Duvall's extraordinary talent as well as remarkable work and to recognize their outstanding acting achievements," said Carlos de Abreu, Founder of the Hollywood Awards Gala.

The gala ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 25, 2010.


ABOUT ANNETTE BENING
Annette Bening has received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in "Being Julia," "American Beauty, " and "The Grifters." She can be seen recently in Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are All Right," which also stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and Mia Wasikowska, and Rodrigo Garcia's "Mother and Child."

Bening's other film credits include: Rodrigo Garcia's "Mother and Child"; Diane English's "The Women"; Ryan Murphy's "Running with Scissors"; Kevin Costner's "Open Range"; Mike Nichols' "What Planet Are You From?"; Sam Mendes' "American Beauty"; Edward Zwick's "The Siege"; Warren Beatty's "Bulworth"; Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!"; Rob Reiner's "The American President"; Richard Loncraine's "Richard III"; Glenn Gordon Caron's "Love Affair"; Neil Jordan's "In Dreams" Barry Levinson's "Bugsy"; Mike Nichols' "Regarding Henry"; Irwin Winkler's "Guilty," "Postcards from the Edge"; Milos Forman's "Valmont"; and Howard Deutch's "The Great Outdoors."

ABOUT ROBERT DUVALL
Robert Duvall can be seen recently in Aaron Schneider's "Get Low" starring Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray, and Lucas Black. A leading man since the 1960s, Robert Duvall has specialized in taciturn cowboys, fierce leaders and driven characters of all types.He is respected by his peers and adored by audiences worldwide, he has earned numerous Oscar® nominations for his performances in "The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," "The Great Santini," "The Apostle" and "A Civil Action." Duvall won the Academy Award® as Best Actor for his role in "Tender Mercies," and later earned the Golden Globe for his performance in the title role of HBO's "Stalin." More recently, Duvall was honored with the Golden Globe and Emmy Award for his iconic portrayal of "Prentice Ritter" in AMC's "Broken Trail." Duvall made his big screen debut in 1962, as the creepy "Boo Radley" in "To Kill a Mockingbird." He has gone on to star in such classics as "Bullitt," "True Grit," "M*A*S*H," "The Conversation," "Network," "The Natural," "Colors," "Days of Thunder," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Rambling Rose," "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway," "Phenomenon," "A Civil Action," "Open Range," and "Thank You For Smoking," among many others.

As a director and producer, Duvall got behind the camera for his labor of love project "The Apostle" in which he also starred. The film went on to earn many accolades, including being named on over seventy-five film critics? Top 10 Films for 1997 lists, including the "New York Times" and "Los Angeles Times." He also wrote, produced and starred in "Assassination Tango." Duvall was most recently see as the Old Man in "The Road," which stars Viggo Mortensen and is based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.

Previously announced honorees for this year's Hollywood Awards Gala include: Sean Penn for the "Humanitarian Award"; Helena Bonham Carter for the "Supporting Actress Award"; Sam Rockwell for the "Supporting Actor Award"; Andrew Garfield for the "Breakthrough Actor Award"; Mia Wasikowska for the "Breakthrough Actress Award"; Danny Boyle and Chris Colson for the "Producer Award"; Aaron Sorkin for the "Screenwriter Award"; Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3" and director Lee Unkrich for the "Animation Award"; Hans Zimmer for "Film Composer Award"; Wally Pfister for "Cinematographer Award"; Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall for the "Hollywood Editor Award"; Paramount Pictures' "Iron Man 2" and visual effects supervisors Ben Snow and Janek Sirrs for the "Visual Effects Award"; and Robert Stromberg for "Production Designer Award."

The festival and awards will mark their return on October 20 for a weeklong series of screenings, competitions and awards. The Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 25, 2010.

The festival and awards presenter is Starz Entertainment, LLC, a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 16 premium channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.3 million and 31.9 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its Starz, Encore and

MoviePlex brands. Starz Entertainment (http://www.starz.com/) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation and is attributed to the Liberty Starz tracking stock group.

For more information:
Festival Contact: 1.310.288.1882
Hollywood Film Festival®
433 N. Camden Drive, Suite 600
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Review: Aaron Eckhart Lights it Up in "Thank You for Smoking"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 229 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman
WRITER: Jason Reitman (based upon the novel by Christopher Buckley)
PRODUCER: David O. Sacks
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jason Whitaker (director of photography)
EDITOR: Dana E. Glauberman
Golden Globes nominee

COMEDY with elements of drama

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Sam Elliot, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, and Robert Duvall, Kim Dickens, Adam Brody, and Todd Louiso

As Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is the main lobbyist and primary spin doctor for Big Tobacco. Naylor is on a mission to make the country forget the dangers and health risks of smoking cigarettes. However, his mission gets tougher with health advocates and the opportunistic Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (William H. Macy) determined to put a new poison label (in the form of an image of the skull & bones) on cigarette packs. Naylor goes on the PR offensive with a strategy to get big Hollywood actors to smoke on screen, as the movie stars of yesteryear did in the Golden Age of Hollywood movies. Nick enlists, Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe), a Hollywood super-agent, to help him get smoking on screen again.

However, Nicky’s newfound notoriety does not go unnoticed by Big Tobacco’s head honcho, The Captain (Robert Duvall), who gives his blessing to Nick’s Hollywood plan. Nick’s activities also get the attention of a beautiful, young investigative reporter, Heather Halloway (Katie Holmes), who is willing to use her body to get Nick to tell her his secrets. Even with a busy schedule, Nick still finds time to hold forth with two comrades – two other lobbyists for industries also facing public backlash: Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) of the alcohol industry and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) of the gun industry. Together, the three of them are the Merchants of Death or M.O.D. Squad. Nick’s also a father, and he’s trying to remain a role model to his young, impressionable son, Joey Naylor (Cameron Bright), who thinks his dad is a god, but Nick’s ex-wife, Jill Naylor (Kim Dickens), isn’t sure a tobacco lobbyist is the best dad material.

Jason Reitman, the son of famed comedy director, Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), has a more cerebral approach to film comedy than his father, and that’s clearly evident in the clever, offhand satire, Thank You for Smoking, which Reitman adapted from the novel by Christopher Buckley. The film comes across as a savage satire of the tobacco industry, but Reitman directs the film with such elegance that Thank You for Smoking sometimes comes across as glib and soulless. In his attempt to impale Big Tobacco, and also throw sand in the face of shallow Hollywood, opportunistic big media, and shameless Congress, Reitman’s movie ends up gabby and has no real villains. This is a satire that comes across as if it’s teasing its targets rather than criticizing them.

While Thank You for Smoking holds up the characters and subject matter for detached scrutiny, the cast isn’t afraid to get down and dirty. The actors take delight in revealing the characters for all their oily selfishness. They’re all out for their own interests, and what little guilt they feel merely adds a light pungent flavor to the characters. The best performance is delivered, of course, by Aaron Eckhart as the film’s protagonist/quasi-villain, Nick Naylor. A character actor who can play an amazing range of lead characters, Eckhart gives Thank You for Smoking its gift of gab. Eckhart’s screen chemistry with Cameron Bright, the young actor who plays Nick’s son, Joey, is supernaturally real. It’s like a real father and son duo.

Eckhart humanizes Naylor, and makes the viewer like him and want to engage him. Thank You for Smoking is well-written and well-directed (considering the inexperience of the director), and the technical aspects are pretty good. But it’s Aaron Eckhart who makes Thank You for Smoking something more than just another satirical film essay. He makes it memorable.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, November 06, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Aaron Eckhart)

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Review: "THX 1138 Director's Cut" is a New Look at Early George Lucas

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 188 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

THX 1138 – The George Lucas Director’s Cut (2004)
Originally released as THX 1138 (1971)
Running time: 88 minutes
MPAA – R for some sexuality/nudity (Director’s Cut)
EDITOR/DIRECTOR: George Lucas
WRITERS: Walter Murch and George Lucas; from a story by George Lucas (based upon his screenplay for the short film)
PRODUCERS: Lawrence Sturhahn
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Albert Kihn and David Meyers

SCI-FI

Starring: Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley, and Maggie McOmie

THX 1138 was filmmaker George Lucas’s first feature length film, and he based it upon a short film he made while in film school, THX 1138:4EB. The film is set in a 25th-century totalitarian state that has stripped mankind of any individuality. People are numbered drones who are encouraged to work hard, be safe, watch out for their fellow workers, and consume. The state religion is a kind of therapy in which pre-recorded voices push mantras about “the masses.” There is a government-enforced program that uses sedating drugs to control the populace. The state is always watching people through cameras and monitors, and when a citizen opens his medicine cabinet, a voice suggests which drugs he should take. To not take drugs earns a citizen immediate notice and is a serious crime.

When the title character, THX 1138 (Robert Duvall), stops taking the mind-numbing drugs, he irrevocably changes his life. He has sex with his mate (who is more like a platonic roommate), LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie), and sexual intercourse is a felony. After LUH 3417 is impregnated by their intercourse, the couple is throne in prison, and THX, his mind clear now that he is drug free, looks to escape the system.

THX 1138 was originally released in 1971, but in September of 2004, THX 1138 – The George Lucas Director’s Cut was re-released theatrically in a small number of cities (reportedly 20), and that re-release is the subject of this review. While some may consider the film’s look and the way it delivers it themes to be dated, the film is actually timeless. Political states ostensibly exist to protect the populace, but they do so mostly by controlling some or all aspects of citizens’ lives. An ideal situation is that the state interferes as little as possible, if at all, but the truth of that matter is that many states grow more controlling as they grow older, or if some disaster, man made or natural, causes so much havoc and destruction, that the state has to take total control to bring things back to some state of normalcy.

Lucas makes all of this feel real; the drama is palatable, and the fear of retribution from the state is a threat even the audience can feel. The threat of punishment from authority and the portrayal of an omnipresent society in which privacy is almost nonexistence is chilling. The film’s lone flaw, a serious one, is that it seems alternately too dry and too cold. The ideas behind the story, the production values, and the atmosphere are dead on, but the execution is often flat. The almost symbolic ending precariously straddles the fence of being appropriate or clumsy. Still, for lovers of that sci-fi sub-genre, dystopian futures, this is a good bet.

6 of 10
B

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