Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 13th to 19th, 2022 - Update #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From EmpireOnline:  "Empire" has a world-exclusive image of Harrison Ford from "Indiana Jones 5."

SCANDAL - From NYPost:  Once upon a time comedian Andy Dick was a Hollywood star. Now, he will spend 90 days in jail and register as a sex offender related to a 2018 groping incident.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Bradley Cooper will play the character "Frank Bullitt" in Steve Spielberg's new film based on the classic Steve McQueen character.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The latest attempt to reboot director John Carpenter's classic sci-film, "Escape from New York," will come from 20th Century Studios and will directed by the collective known as "Radio Silence" ("Scream: 2022).

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures has dropped a trailer for its sports dramedy, "80 for Brady," which stars Jane Fonda, Rita Morena, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Tom Brady.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon Studios is developing a coming-of-age ROTC drama from writers Jalysa Conway (9-1-1 Lone Star) and Rebecca Murga (Swagger) — both military veterans — with Spike Lee set to direct and executive produce.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  CNN has announced Nov. 20th as the date for the release of its documentary "Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down."  Giffords is a former Arizona congresswoman who was terribly wounded in a near-fatal shooting in Jan. 2011, an event that ended the career of a rising star.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/10 to 11/13/2022 weekend box office is Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" with an estimated take of 180 million dollars.

From CNBC:  According to data cruncher, EntTelligence, 12.7 million patrons bought tickets to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" for an opening weekend box office gross of 181 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

SCANDAL - From THR:  Alec Baldwin has filed suit in Superior Court in Los Angeles in order to "clear his name" in the shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust."  Basically, he is suing the armorer and the crew for giving him a loaded gun.  A firearm Baldwin was holding fired and killed the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchinson.

OBIT:

From Deadline:  The French-born American actor and Holocaust survivor, Robert Clary, has died at the age of 96, Wednesday, November 16, 2022.  Clary was best known for playing "Corporeal Louis LeBeau" in the former CBS sitcom, "Hogan's Heroes."  Jewish, Clary survived two concentration camps during the Holocaust and was rescued from the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Robin Williams Dead at 63 - Breaking... Update #10

Robin Williams, the stand-up comic, television actor, and acclaimed hit-making big screen actor, has died at the age of 63.  He was found in his home and apparently had been battling depression lately.

Williams was known for his comedic and dramatic turns in film - performing in films as diverse as Walt Disney's Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire to Awakenings and What Dreams My Come.  He received best actor Oscar nominations:  Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and The Fisher King.  He won the best supporting actor Oscar for Good Will Hunting (1997).

Williams was a writer and performer on "The Richard Pryor Show" (1977).  His breakout role was as the alien "Mork" for four seasons on the ABC sitcom, "Mork & Mindy," for which he earned an Emmy nomination.

In addition to his Oscar, Williams won two Emmy Awards and several Golden Globe and Grammy Awards.

Williams is survived by a wife and three children.  Negromancer sends condolences to Mr. Williams' family and friends.  R.I.P. Robin Williams.

LINKS:

From YahooNews:  Matt Damon:  Ben and I owe everything to him (Robin Williams)...

From UPI:  PBS is broadcasting a Robin Williams tribute special.  Williams' "Mork & Mindy" costar, Pam Dawber, will guest star on that special.

From YahooNews:  Actress Mila Kunis shares advice Robin Williams gave her.

From The Washington Post via RSN:  Frenetic, Often Fearless

From YahooMovies:  Other "Genie" voice actor has a tribute to Williams.

From YahooGames:  Nintendo responds to petition to include Robin Williams tribute in Zelda game

From FOXNews:  "Mork and Mindy" star Pam Dawber, other celebs react to the news of Robin Williams' death

From Entertainment Weekly's InsideMovies:  Robin Williams: sober and battling Parkinson's, according to wife

From Today:  Michael J. Fox "stunned" to learn Robin Williams had Parkinson's

From Today:  Robin Williams was struggling with early Parkinson's, wife say.

From Variety:  Police: Robin Williams' Death Due to Hanging

From YahooFinance:  Robin Williams Set Up a 3-Part Trust Fund for His Kids Amid Money Troubles

From YahooSports:  Robin Williams was the first male Denver Broncos cheerleader

From YahooCelebrity:  The Children of Robin Williams Remember Dad

From InContention:  We might have Robin Williams to thank for Jessica Chastain.

From YahooTV:  Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg give the most eloquent reaction to Robin Williams' death.

From Collider:  R.I.P. Robins Williams, Legendary Comic and Actor at 63

From Deadline:  Singular Talent Robin Williams Commits Suicide at Age 63

From EW InsideMovies:  Robin Williams Dead at 63

From The Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo: Robin Williams Died of Suspected Suicide

From Variety:  Robin Williams Found Dead in Possible Suicide

Robin Williams' Wikipedia page is here.
Robin Williams' IMDb page is here.

Review: "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Entangled in Too Many Angles

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 by Leroy Douresseaux

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi/action and violence
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb
WRITERS: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and James Pinkner; from a story by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, James Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt (based upon the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dan Mindel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Pietro Scalia
COMPOSERS: Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six, Johnny Marr, and Pharrell Williams

SUPERHERO/DRAMA/ACTION/ROMANCE

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Dane DeHaan, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Marton Csokas, Max Charles, B.J. Novak, Kari Coleman, Michael Massee, and Stan Lee with Chris Cooper and Denis Leary

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a 2014 superhero film and drama from director Marc Webb and stars Andrew Garfield in the title role. It is the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, the 2012 film that was a reboot of Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man film franchise, and this movie is also the fifth Spider-Man film in the series.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finds Spider-Man facing a former admirer turned super-villain, while Peter Parker worries that being Spider-Man will endanger his loved ones.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins as Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), are about to graduate from high school.  Peter is also loving his life as the costumed, crime-fighting superhero, Spider-Man.  Peter, however, is currently haunted by the specter of police Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary), Gwen's deceased father.  As Capt. Stacy lay dying (in the previous film), Peter promised him to keep Gwen out of his life because of Spider-Man.  Peter reluctantly tries to break up with Gwen, but the two teenagers deeply love each other.  Peter's attempts simply sow confusion.

Meanwhile, at OsCorp Industries, Peter's former friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns to New York City in time to take over the business of his recently deceased father, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper).  OsCorp's past as a company on the cutting edge of controversial genetic research, however, threatens both Harry and Peter.  Also, a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), appears.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lacks focus, and I think that there are two reasons for that.  First, the screenplay wants to be a story of young romance, but the romance and character drama are overwrought.   Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone give good performances, but Peter and Gwen's relationship is like a car stuck in mud and pointlessly spinning its wheel.  The car isn't going anywhere, and until the end, neither is Peter and Gwen's relationship, and then, that is only for tragic affect.

I think the second reason that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seems muddled is because it is more than just a superhero movie; it is the birth of an expanded universe.  Sony, Columbia Pictures' parent, wants to take some of the characters that belong to Marvel Comics' line of Spider-Man comic books and use them to expand their Spider-Man film franchise into a Spider-Man universe.  They want something like Marvel Studios' “Marvel Cinematic Universe.”  Why have just Spider-Man movies when you can have movies starring Spider-Man adversaries like Venom and the Sinister Six.

Marvel essentially used the 2010 film, Iron Man 2, to expand its universe, and that movie tended to drift and lack focus, but in the end, Iron Man 2 was a good movie.   The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is meant to expand the Spider-Man universe, but in the end, it is not really a good movie.  The character melodrama is at odds with the showy action-fantasy violence that is the Spider-Man vs. Electro subplot.  Electro is probably the worse villain yet in the Spider-Man films.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has an engaging visual style, and it is probably at its best when it depicts Spider-Man swinging over New York City, through its canyons and around its buildings and skyscrapers.  Even the fight scenes, which seem tacked on to the story, look good, when they focus on Spider-Man.  Nothing about Electro looks good.  Hopefully, the third installment of The Amazing Spider-Man can be itself, a stand-alone movie that does not have to carry the hopes of Sony's corporate board and accountants.

4 of 10
C

Monday, September 15, 2014


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

Oscar-Winning "Forest Gump" Celebrates 20th Anniversary in IMAX

FORREST GUMP CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EXCLUSIVE ONE-WEEK IMAX® RELEASE ON SEPT. 5

IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX), Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB), and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment today announced that Robert Zemeckis’ Academy Award® Best Picture-winning Forrest Gump will get an exclusive one-week IMAX® re-release, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the film’s original theatrical release in 1994. The film will be digitally re-mastered for the immersive IMAX® format and released domestically by Paramount Pictures in IMAX® theatres starting September 5.

Forrest Gump, which won six Academy Awards including Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Director, will also receive a special Diamond Luxe Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment September 30. The Diamond Luxe edition features a new sleek and durable collector-style packaging, with a state-of-the-art sophisticated design.

“As a ground-breaking achievement in both cinematography and visual effects for its time, Forrest Gump has become a modern American movie classic,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to once again collaborate with our longtime friends and partners Bob Zemeckis, Tom Hanks and Paramount. This film deserves a platform like The IMAX Experience® to help make its 20th anniversary one to remember.”

“On behalf of the entire Forrest Gump family, it is with great pleasure and pride that we bring Forrest Gump back to the big screen using the latest technology for the ultimate IMAX experience,” said producer Wendy Finerman.

Originally released in theaters by Paramount Pictures, Forrest Gump stars Hanks in the title role, a man who — despite his sub-normal IQ — led an extraordinary life, with a ringside seat to many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. The award-winning film went on to gross more than $675 million at the global box office, of which nearly $330 million came from North America, making it the highest-grossing film of all time when it was released in 1994.

The film also stars Robin Wright, Sally Field and Gary Sinise in his Oscar-nominated role as the cantankerous Lieutenant Dan.

The IMAX release of Forrest Gump will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

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. Home Entertainment Inc.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s home video, digital distribution and interactive entertainment businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com and WBUltra.

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 March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.

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

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Review: "Legally Blonde 2" is Officially Bad

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 116 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sex-related humor
DIRECTOR:  Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
WRITERS:  Kate Kondell; from a story by Eve Ahlert, Dennis Drake, and Kate Kondell (based upon characters created by Amanda Brown)
PRODUCERS:  David Nicksay and Marc Platt
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Elliot Davis (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Peter Teschner
COMPOSER:  Rolfe Kent

COMEDY

Starring:  Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King, Jennifer Coolidge, Bruce McGill, Dana Ivey, Bob Newhart, Luke Wilson, J Barton, and Alanna Ubach

The subject of this movie review is Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, a 2003 comedy starring Reese Witherspoon.  The film is a sequel to the 2001 film, Legally Blonde, which also starred Witherspoon.  In the sequel, Elle Woods heads to Washington D.C. in order to join a congresswoman’s staff and to try and get a bill that bans animal testing passed into law.

If the summer of 2003 tells Hollywood film studios anything it is that sequels don’t always succeed commercially or artistically.  Of course, studio bosses have known that for a while, but to them making sequels seems like a safe bet.  A sequel is a known property with brand awareness, and with the ridiculous cost of making and marketing a movie rising to absurd heights monthly, they go for the safe bet.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde will more than likely make a profit for MGM, even with the kind of tricky accounting the film studios usually invoke to claim that their films are flops so they don’t have to honor profit sharing agreements with actors and producers.  Artistically, it’s not even worth talking about, as an examination of subject matter, theme, and characters is an utter waste of time.

As for it’s entertainment value (you know, the simple judgment of whether you like it), Legally Blonde 2 has none.  I’m quite sure that somewhere there are people who really like this, and I did laugh a sort of painful, dry, desperate-to-find-something-to-justify-the-cost-of-my-ticket laugh a few times.  However, I left the theatre ashamed, praying that no one would ask me what movie I’d just left.  I don’t know what would have been worse, having some nappy-headed homeboy call me a faggot for seeing it or having one of the theatre’s employees laugh at me behind my back because they knew.  Lord, they knew how bad it was.  And they never told me.

There’s a plot, or something like a plot, but right now I only feeling like telling you that this film is just plain awful.  Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) goes to Washington D.C. to work for her friend Rep. Victoria Rudd (Sally Field) so that Elle can fight for a law that outlaws cosmetic companies from testing their products on animals.  Apparently, it’s okay for Reese and her studio compatriots to test poisonous cinema products on us.  Regina King plays the most pathetic traitorous Negro since Billy Dee played Lando in The Empire Strikes Back, but at least she was better than the rest of the supporting cast, whom the film reduced to playing naked paper dolls.  Sally Field, her face shockingly showing such age and wear, looked as if she wanted to cry every time she had to be in front of the camera.  I feel you, sista girl.

1 of 10
D-

Updated:  Saturday, March 22, 2014

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

Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Name "Lincoln" Best of 2012

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association named Steven Spielberg's Lincoln as the "Best Picture of 2012."  At the time of this announcement (mid-December 2012), this was the first critics' group to name Lincoln as the best film of the year.  However, the group chose Kathryn Bigelow as "Best Director" for her work on Zero Dark Thirty.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is also known as the DFW Film Critics Association. The group describes itself as a not-for-profit, unincorporated voluntary organization of print, broadcast and internet film critics based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and greater North Texas who meet its membership criteria. The DFW Film Critics Association currently consists of 29 broadcast, print, and online journalists from throughout North Texas.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 19th Annual Critics’ Poll:

Best Picture
1. "Lincoln"
2. "Argo"
3. "Zero Dark Thirty"
4. "Life of Pi"
5. "Les Misérables"
6. "Moonrise Kingdom"
7. "Silver Linings Playbook"
8. "Skyfall"
9. "The Master"
10. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Director
1. Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
3. Ben Affleck, "Argo"
4. Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
5. Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"

Best Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
2. Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
3. John Hawkes, "The Sessions"
4. Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables"
5. Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Actress
1. Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
3. Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
4. Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
5. Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"

Best Supporting Actor
1. Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
3. Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
4. Alan Arkin, "Argo"
5. Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Best Supporting Actress
1. Sally Field, "Lincoln"
2. Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
3. Amy Adams, "The Master"
4. Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
5. Ann Dowd, "Compliance"

Best Screenplay
1. "Zero Dark Thirty"
2. "Django Unchained"

Best Cinematography
1. "Life of Pi"
2. "Skyfall"

Best Animated Film
1. "ParaNorman"
2. "Frankenweenie"
3. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

Best Foreign Language Film
1. "Amour" (Austria)
2. "A Royal Affair" (Denmark)
3. "The Intouchables" (France)
4. "Holy Motors" (France)
5. "The Kid with a Bike" (Belgium, France, Italy)

Best Documentary
1. "Searching for Sugar Man"
2. "Bully"
3. "How to Survive a Plague"
4. "West of Memphis"
5. "The Invisible War"

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams for The Master

Sally Field for Lincoln

Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables

Helen Hunt for The Sessions

Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook  

African-American Film Critics Honor "Zero Dark Thirty"

The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) chose Zero Dark Thirty as the "Best Picture" of 2012, but honored the director of Argo, Ben Affleck, as "Best Director." The AAFCA is a group of African-American film critics that give various awards for excellence in film at the end of each year. The association was founded in 2003 by Gil L. Robertson IV and Shawn Edwards.

2012 African-American Film Critics Association Awards:

Best Picture: "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director: Ben Affleck, "Argo"

Best Actress: Emayatzy Corinealdi, "Middle of Nowhere"

Best Actor: Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field, "Lincoln"

Best Supporting Actor: Nate Parker, "Arbitrage"

Best Screenplay: Ava DuVernay, "Middle of Nowhere"

Best Foreign Language Film: "The Intouchables" (France)

Best Documentary: (tie) "The House I Live In" and "Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution"

Best Animated Feature: "Rise of the Guardians"

Best Independent Film: "Middle of Nowhere"

Best Breakthrough Performer: Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Music: Kathryn Bostic and Morgan Rhodes, "Middle of Nowhere"

Special Achievement Awards: Cicely Tyson and Billy Dee Williams

Top 10:
1. "Zero Dark Thirty"

2. "Argo"

3. "Lincoln"

4. "Middle of Nowhere"

5. "Life of Pi"

6. "Les Misérables"

7. "Django Unchained"

8. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

9. "Moonrise Kingdom"

10. "Think Like a Man"

Nevada Film Critics Choose "Argo" as 2012's Best Film

The Nevada Film Critics Society (NFCS) is apparently a society of film critics who reside in Nevada and produce film reviews for print, broadcast, radio, and online.

The Nevada Film Critics Society's 2012 Awards for Achievement in Film:

Best Film - Argo

Best Actor - John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Best Actress - TIE - Helen Hunt (The Sessions) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Actor - Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

Best Supporting Actress - Sally Field (Lincoln)

Best Youth Performance - Tom Holland (The Impossible)

Best Director - TIE - Ben Affleck (Argo) and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Ensemble Cast - Lincoln

Best Animated Movie - Frankenweenie

Best Production Design - Les Miserables

Best Cinematography - Life Of Pi

Best Visual Effects - Life Of Pi

http://nevadafilmcriticssociety.org/

Boston Film Critics Name "Zero Dark Thirty" 2012's Best Film

The Boston Society of Film Critics was formed in 1981. The group claims that its mission is to make “Boston's unique critical perspective heard on a national and international level by awarding commendations to the best of the year's films and filmmakers and local film theaters and film societies that offer outstanding film programming.” One of the society’s members, Wesley Morris, won 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

2012 Winners:

Best Picture - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor - Daniel Day Lewis for Lincoln

Best Actress - Emmanuelle Riva for Amour

Best Supporting Actor - Ezra Miller for Perks of Being a Wallflower

Best Supporting Actress - Sally Field for Lincoln

Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Screenplay - Tony Kushner fro Lincoln

Best Cinematography - Mihai Malaimare Jr for The Master

Best Documentary - How to Survive a Plague

Best Foreign-Language Film - Amour

Best Animated Film - Frankenweenie

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) - William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor for Zero Dark Thirty

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) - David France for How to Survive a Plague

Best Ensemble Cast - Seven Psychopaths

Best Use of Music in a Film - Moonrise Kingdom

NY Film Critics Name "Zero Dark Thirty" Best Picture of 2012

If I'm not mistaken, the New York Film Critics Circle did manage to be the first film critics' organization to announce its awards for this year.  They were not last year.

They've named Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow's movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the "Best Picture" of 2012.  Bigelow, who also won the best director Oscar for The Hurt Locker, won the Circle's "Best Director" prize for Zero Dark Thirty.  Steven Spielberg's Lincoln was also a big winner, snagging three prizes, including acting honors for Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field.

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is, according to their website, “an organization of film reviewers from New York-based publications that exists to honor excellence in U.S. and world cinema.” Members are critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, and online general-interest publications (that meet certain qualifications). Every year in December, Circle members meet in New York to vote on awards for the year's films.

Here's the complete list of the 2012 winners:

Best Picture - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Screenplay - Tony Kushner for Lincoln

Best Actress - Rachel Weisz for The Deep Blue Sea

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress - Sally Field for Lincoln

Best Supporting Actor - Matthew McConaughey for 2 films: Bernie, Magic Mike

Best Cinematographer - Greig Fraser for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Animated Film – Frankenweenie

Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) - The Central Park Five

Best Foreign Film – Amour

Best First Film - David France for How to Survive a Plague

Google Play and Steven Spielberg Host "Lincoln" Sept. 13th

You’re Invited to a Google Play Hosted Hangout with Director Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for the World Premiere of the “Lincoln” Trailer on September 13th

First-Time-Ever Event Will Be Broadcast Live in Times Square

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Pictures and Google Play announced today that they will debut the theatrical trailer for “Lincoln” during a Google+ Hangout on Thursday, September 13, 2012, at 4 p.m. PT.

The event will also feature a live conversation with Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who portrays Robert Todd Lincoln in the highly anticipated film slated for release in November.

The “Lincoln” trailer will be the first film trailer to launch during a Google+ Hangout, which allows people to connect face-to-face-to-face via group video chat. In another first, the Hangout will also be broadcast live on the ABC SuperSign in the heart of New York City’s Times Square.

The Hangout is being hosted by Google Play, which boasts the world’s largest collection of ebooks and is home to millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, and a growing selection of magazines. Not to mention over 600,000 apps and games.

Fans interested in participating are asked to upload a short video to their own YouTube channel with the #LincolnHangout tag explaining who they are, why they are interested in “Lincoln” and what they would like to ask Spielberg and Gordon-Levitt about the film.

To learn more about the submission process and about how to tune in to this live Hangout, visit www.lincolnmoviehangout.com.


ABOUT THE MOVIE
Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln” is produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, based in part on the book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The DreamWorks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox film, in association with Participant Media, releases in U.S. theaters exclusive on November 9, 2012, with expansion on November 16, 2012.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is Amazingly Human

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 54 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of action and violence
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb
WRITERS: James Vanderbilt, Steve Kloves, and Alvin Sargent; from a story by James Vanderbilt (based upon the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
PRODUCERS: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matthew Tolmach
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Schwartzman
EDITORS: Alan Edward Bell, Michael McCusker, and Pietro Scalia
COMPOSER: James Horner

SUPERHERO/DRAMA/SCI-FI/ACTION/ROMANCE

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Irrfan Khan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Chris Zylka, Max Charles, C. Thomas Howell, Kari Coleman, Barbara Eve Harris, and Stan Lee

The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2012 superhero film and drama from director Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield in the title role. This new movie is a reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise, but it is also the fourth Spider-Man film in a decade. And The Amazing Spider-Man is the best Spider-Man movie, yet.

Teenager Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) lives with his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and has since his parents, Richard (Campbell Scott) and Mary Parker (Embeth Davidtz) disappeared. Peter is an adolescent loner trying to find his place in life, and he has found a place in high school as the target of jock/bully, Flash Thompson (Chris Zylka). Peter does catch the attention of fellow student, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), a smart and rebellious girl.

Digging through his father’s papers, Peter learns the identity of one of Richard Parker’s old colleagues, fellow scientist Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), who works at OsCorp (apparently a giant biotech firm). It is at OsCorp where Peter is bitten by a strange spider. The bite gives him strange powers and abilities similar to that of a spider, such as the ability to adhere to surfaces and to climb walls. After tragedy strikes, Peter decides to use his powers to fight criminals and help people, so he creates a mask and suit and names himself, “Spider-Man.” New York City does indeed need him, as there is a half-man/half-lizard monster known as “The Lizard” tearing the city apart.

When I heard that Columbia Pictures had hired Marc Webb to direct the Spider-Man movie reboot, I knew that by choosing the director of (500) Days of Summer the studio was going for something different from Sam Raimi’s three Spider-Man films. Webb certainly delivers something shockingly different. The Amazing Spider-Man clearly revisits plotlines from the first film, Spider-Man (2002), but everything about this new movie is from a different perspective.

The Amazing Spider-Man brings Peter Parker’s life into sharper focus. The screenplay, which is credited to James Vanderbilt, Steve Kloves, and Alvin Sargent (although I’m guessing that the majority of what is on screen is the work of Sargent and Kloves), emphasizes a character arc that follows Peter Parker’s journey to find himself. Peter searches for himself by trying to learn about his father. Actually, many of the film’s major characters are either trying to find themselves or find something that is missing in their lives.

All this searching makes The Amazing Spider-Man equally a character drama and a superhero movie – if not more the former than the latter. Make no mistake: there is plenty of superhero fantasy and action in this new movie, but it has such humanity because the story goes after the characters’ souls. The story is always digging at the characters, trying to get inside and discover what makes them tick. What do they want? What are they willing to do to get it? What are they afraid of? Webb gets to the heart of the character drama to the point that character is every bit as engaging, enthralling, and exciting as when Parker puts on the suit and swings over New York City or has a throw-down fight with The Lizard.

There are a number of good performances in The Amazing Spider-Man, but Andrew Garfield stands out, of course. He is magnificent as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Unlike Tobey Maguire’s lovable, sad sack, and put-upon Peter Parker, Garfield’s Parker is a man of masks. He plays the sullen geek while in school, but at home and at work, he has a witty personality. He is also stubborn and strong-willed. Garfield makes it all believable, and he has fashioned his own Peter Parker, independent of Maguire’s Parker, which is also a fine version of Parker/Spider-Man.

As you can tell, the practically life-long Spider-Man fan in me loves The Amazing Spider-Man. Everyone involved took something familiar and created a film that seems like a revelation.

9 of 10
A+

Thursday, July 05, 2012

IMAX 3D Theatres Have "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Columbia Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man(TM) Swings Into IMAX® 3D Theatres On July 3

Climax Features Expanded Aspect Ratio Designed to Maximize the IMAX Canvas

IMAX Exclusive Early Release in Russia

LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Columbia Pictures today announced that the highly anticipated 3D action-adventure, The Amazing Spider-Man, will be released in the immersive IMAX® 3D format in 447 IMAX® theatres worldwide. Domestically, the film will launch in IMAX on Tuesday, July 3 - simultaneous with the film's North American wide release - in 307 theatres. The film began its rollout to a total of 140 IMAX theatres internationally on June 27. Additional playdates will be added as pending bookings are confirmed. To date, the Spider-Man motion pictures have generated more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 were also released in IMAX.

The film will benefit from an IMAX exclusive one week early release in the 20 IMAX theatres currently open in Russia beginning Friday, June 29.

Director Marc Webb and the filmmakers have crafted the climactic finale of The Amazing Spider-Man to feature a larger aspect ratio of 1.9:1 versus the traditional 2.39:1 ratio in order to take full advantage of the IMAX canvas and overall experience. This aspect ratio, which is optimized to take advantage of the IMAX screen, will allow audiences to see more of the image and result in a full panorama of the action - allowing audiences to feel as if they were swinging alongside Spider-Man.

The IMAX release of The Amazing Spider-Man has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of An IMAX 3D Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. The film will also be released in 2D and other 3D formats.

About The Amazing Spider-Man:
One of the world's most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man(TM). Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves from a story by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/

The Amazing Spider-Man has been rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence.

Tommy Lee Jones Among Actors Slated for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln"

Steven Spielberg Adds Key Members to His "Lincoln" Cast

Tommy Lee Jones Among Those Joining DreamWorks Studios Film About Abraham Lincoln

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and Joseph Cross are in negotiations to join the cast of DreamWorks Studios' "Lincoln," it was announced today by DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider. Also in negotiations to join the film are David Costabile, Byron Jennings, Dakin Matthews, Boris McGiver, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong, and David Warshofsky. This group joins the previously announced casting of Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field in the Spielberg directed film about the 16th President of the United States.

Based on the best-selling book, Team of Rivals, by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the screenplay has been written by the Pulitzer Prize winner, Tony Award winner, and Academy Award nominated writer Tony Kushner. It will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg.

The film will focus on the political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of the Civil War.

Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones will play Thaddeus Stevens, a Republican leader and powerful congressman from Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives. Stevens was a staunch supporter of abolishing slavery and was critical to writing the legislation that funded the American Civil War.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, known for his roles in "Inception," "(500) Days of Summer," and next year's "The Dark Knight Rises," will take on the role of Robert Todd Lincoln, eldest son of President Lincoln and the only one to live past his teenage years.

Other announced cast will take on various supporting roles in the film.

Doris Kearns Goodwin won her Pulitzer Prize for “No Ordinary Time,” the story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the home front in World War II. Kushner's prize was for his play “Angels in America,” which later became an Emmy Award-winning television special. He had previously worked with Spielberg on “Munich” for which he was nominated for an Oscar in the Adapted Screenplay category.

Filming is expected to begin in the fall of 2011 in Virginia for release in the fourth quarter of 2012 through Disney’s Touchstone distribution label.


About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Upcoming releases include “Cowboys & Aliens,” “The Help,” “Fright Night,” “Real Steel,” and “War Horse.”

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

Sally Field Cast in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln"

Academy Award Winner Sally Field to Star as Mary Todd Lincoln for DreamWorks Studios

 

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field will star as Mary Todd Lincoln, wife to the 16th President of the United States, in DreamWorks Studios’ “Lincoln” to be directed by Steven Spielberg. The announcement was made today by Spielberg and Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman and CEO of DreamWorks Studios.

Sally Field joins Daniel Day-Lewis, who has been cast to play Abraham Lincoln in the Spielberg film.

"I'm excited to be working with Sally for the first time,” said Steven Spielberg. “I've admired her films and she has always been my first choice to portray all the fragility and complexity that was Mary Todd Lincoln."

“To have the opportunity to work with Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis and to play one of the most complicated and colorful women in American history is simply as good as it gets,” said Sally Field.

Based on the best-selling book, Team of Rivals, by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the screenplay has been written by the Pulitzer Prize winner, Tony Award winner, and Academy Award nominated writer Tony Kushner. It will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg.

It is anticipated that the film will focus on the political collision of Lincoln and the powerful men of his cabinet on the road to abolition and the end of the Civil War.

Sally Field is a two-time Academy Award winner as Best Actress in a Leading Role for her roles in “Places in the Heart” and “”Norma Rae.” Field won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special for her role in “Sybil.” She won her second Emmy for her guest starring role on the long-running drama, “E.R.” Her other film credits include “Steel Magnolias,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “Forrest Gump.” Field currently stars in the ABC series “Brothers & Sisters” for which she won an Emmy in 2007.

Doris Kearns Goodwin won her Pulitzer Prize for No Ordinary Time, the story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the home front in World War II. Kushner's prize was for his play Angels in America, which later became an Emmy Award-winning television special. He had previously worked with Spielberg on Munich for which he was nominated for an Oscar in the Adapted Screenplay category.

Filming is expected to begin in the fall of 2011 for release in the fourth quarter of 2012 through Disney’s Touchstone distribution label.


About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Upcoming releases include “Cowboys & Aliens,” “The Help,” “Fright Night,” “Real Steel,” and “War Horse.”

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.