Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 7th, 2021 - Update #24

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

COMICS TO FILM - From Negromancer:   Here is my review of "The Suicide Squad."

TELEVISION - From YahooAP:   CNN has fired three employees for going to work although they had not received a COVID-19 vaccination.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   Actress Colbie Smolders, who has made numerous appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will play real-life political commentator, Ann Coulter, in FX's "Impeachment: American Crime Story."  She replaces actress Betty Gilpin, who had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts.  "Impeachment" focuses on the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky.

ANIMATION - SouthPark:   MTV Entertainment Studios inks new and expansive deal with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone through 2027. South Park TV series extending to season 30 for Comedy Central linear. 14 South Park original made-for-streaming movies exclusively for Paramount+ starting with two films in 2021

SCANDAL - From YahooWashPost:   In Hawaii, a case of mistaken identity so crazy that you have to read it yourself.  The victim spent over two years in jail and also in a mental institution.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Taylor Sheridan has created a prequel to his hit TV series, "Yellowstone."  Entitled "1883," the series will star Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple's "Apple Original Films" is closing in on a big deal to obtain worldwide rights to director Matthew Vaughn's star-studded next film, "Argylle."

MUSIC/SCANDAL - From TheDailyBeast:  This month, specifically Aug. 25th, is the 20th anniversary of the plane crash in the Bahamas that killed singer and actress Aaliyah D. Haughton, simply known as "Aaliyah."  This article talks about a new book, "Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah," that makes the claim that the singer was drugged by one of her entourage and carried onto the plane before it crashed.

From Complex:   There have been hints that Aaliyah's music will be available on all streaming platforms this month (Aug. 2021).  In response, her family issues a statement about unauthorized projects.

COVID - From Stat:  For many people, the belated realization that COVID-19 will be "a long war" sparks anger and denial.

CELEBRITY/COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Jennifer Aniston says that she has had to cut ties with "a few people" over COVID-19 vaccinations.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Actor Brendan Fraser, best known for Universal's wonderful "The Mummy" franchise, has landed two huge acting gigs.  He has joined Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated "Killers of the Flower Moon" and also Max Barbakow's comedy, "Brothers."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nicholas Hoult will star in Universal Pictures' "Renfield," which focuses on Count Dracula's henchman.

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Meet "DirecTV Stream," the new entity born as a result of AT&T spinning off DirecTV.

CELEBRITY - From CNN:   Emmy winning television personality and comedian, Kathy Griffin, has announced that she has lung cancer and will have surgery.

STREAMING - From Variety:   Amazon has released an image from and a release date (Sept. 2, 2022) for its series, "The Lord of the Rings."

BUSINESS - From WSJ:  Reese Witherspoon’s media business, Hello Sunshine, is selling itself to a firm backed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group Inc., reportedly for 900 million dollars.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/30 to 8/1/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Jungle Cruise" with an estimated take of 34.2 million dollars.

From Deadline:   New Line Cinema's "The Conjuring" franchise, which is currently comprised of seven movies, has crossed the two-million dollar mark in worldwide box office.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Alex Kurtzman, the architect behind CBS Studios' "Star Trek" universe, has signed an overall mega-deal with CBS Studios.  The deal is reportedly worth 150 million dollars, which would put Kurtzman among the top writer-producers in TV.

MUSIC/POLITICS/BLM - From YahooRollingStone:   Willie Nelson returned to the stage Saturday (July 31st) to take part in the Poor People’s Campaign march for voting rights outside the Texas Capitol in Austin.

MOVIES - From TimesUK:   From "The Sunday Times" comes this article:  "Is Matt Damon the Last of Hollywood's Leading Men."  The actor says, “Movies as we know them aren’t going to be a thing in our kids’ lives.” “And that makes me sad.”

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Veteran movie car coordinator Dennis McCarthy breaks down the back stories behind two of the biggest vehicular stars of "F9" as Yahoo Entertainment presents exclusive 3D augmented-reality renderings of the film’s "Dodge Charger Wide Body" and "Dodge Charger Hellcat" — two of the nine Chargers McCarthy and his 12-person team built for the film — which you can virtually place in your family room.

BLACK FILM - From TheGuardian:   Melvin Van Peebles and Perry Henzell made seminal 70s films – now their kids have recovered their fathers’ would-be classics.

OBITS:

From Deadline:   Songwriter and musician, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, has died at the age of 70, Saturday, August 7, 2021.  Thomas an alto saxophone player was one of the founding members of the American R&B, soul, funk, disco, jazz, and pop band, "Kool and the Gang," and he had been with the band since its inception in 1964 until his death.

From YahooSports:  Former Major League Baseball pitcher, J.R. Richard, has died at the age of 71, Wednesday, August 4, 2021.  A Houston Astros legend, Richard was one of the most feared pitchers of the 1970s.  Richard had a stroke in July 1980 that effectively ended his career.

"A Star is Born" Returns to Theaters with New Footage

“A Star is Born” Invites Moviegoers to a Special Encore Engagement of the Film, Featuring Never-Before-Seen Moments

The award-winning movie, with almost 12 minutes of additional footage, including extended musical performances, will be released on 1150+ screens in North America for one week beginning Friday, March 1, 2019

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This Friday, March 1, 2019, for one week only, Warner Bros. Pictures will release an “Encore” version of Bradley Cooper’s global hit “A Star Is Born” in theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada. This special edition of the film contains extended performances of such songs as opener “Black Eyes”; “Alibi”; and Lady Gaga’s Ally in her impromptu a cappella performance of “Shallow,” which received the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 91st Annual Academy Awards, following Cooper and Gaga’s moving performance during the ceremony. Moviegoers will also be treated to never-before-seen footage of Ally singing to Jack “Is That Alright?” in the wedding sequence; Jack in his studio singing “Too Far Gone”; Jack and Ally writing a new song together, entitled “Clover”; and much more, totaling nearly 12 additional minutes.


About “A Star Is Born”
In “A Star Is Born,” Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fuse their considerable talents to depict the raw and passionate tale of Jack and Ally, two artistic souls coming together, on stage and in life. Theirs is a complex journey through the beauty and the heartbreak of a relationship struggling to survive.

In this new take on the iconic love story, seven-time Oscar nominee Cooper (“A Star Is Born,” “American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) made his directorial debut. He stars alongside multiple award-winning music superstar Gaga, who took home the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Shallow,” and who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Cooper portrays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally. She has given up on her dream to become a successful singer, until she meets Jack, who immediately sees her natural talent.

The film also stars Andrew Dice Clay (“Blue Jasmine”), with Dave Chappelle (“Chi-Raq”) and Sam Elliott in his Oscar-nominated performance for Best Supporting Actor.

In addition to playing Ally, Gaga—who also previously earned an Oscar nod for the song “Til It Happens to You” from the film “The Hunting Ground”—performs original songs in the film with Cooper, which they wrote with a handful of artists, including Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, and newly minted Oscar winners Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando (Best Original Song, “Shallow”). The music is original and all vocals for the movie were recorded live during filming.

“A Star Is Born” was produced by Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Lynette Howell Taylor. Ravi Mehta, Basil Iwanyk, Niija Kuykendall, Sue Kroll, Michael Rapino and Heather Parry served as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Oscar winner Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”) and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters.

Cooper’s behind-the-scenes team included Oscar-nominated director of photography Matthew Libatique (“Black Swan”), production designer Karen Murphy (“The Light Between Oceans”), three-time Oscar-nominated editor Jay Cassidy (“American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Into the Wild”), and costume designer Erin Benach (“Loving”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in association with Live Nation Productions, in association with Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, a Jon Peters/Bill Gerber/Joint Effort Production, “A Star Is Born.” The film is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is rated R for language throughout, some sexuality/nudity and substance abuse.

www.astarisbornmovie.com

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 20th to 26th, 2019 - Update #26

Support Leroy on Patreon:

DISNEY - From SideshowToys:  10 Disney movies for 2019, including "Captain Marvel," "Dumbo," and "Avengers: Endgame."

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  The cause of death of comedian, Kevin Barnett, who died Tuesday, Jan. 22nd, 2019 in Mexico, is "Non Traumatic Hemorrhage, caused by pancreatitis."  The stand-up comedian was the co-creator of FOX Network's sitcom, "Rel."

From YahooEntertainment:  The cause of the death of Kim Porter, the actress and model who had three kids with Sean "Diddy" Combs, is "lobar pneumonia."  Porter died Nov. 15th, 2018, and she was 47 years old at the time.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix and Constantin Film are developing a "Resident Evil" TV series.  That series will apparently expand the "existing mythology ."

From Deadline:  Netflix has obtained Ron Howard's film, "Hillbilly Elegy" (based on J.D. Vance's bestselling book).

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MOVIE - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has scheduled Christopher Nolan's next film for releases July 17, 2020.  The subject matter of the unnamed film is not known.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Actor Matt Smith of "Doctor Who" has reportedly joined Sony's "Morbius" film, starring Jared Leto.  Morbius is a vampire and a Spider-Man villian.

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MOVIES-SCANDAL - From Newsarama:  Despite new sexual abuse of underage boys allegations levied against him, Bryan Singer is still scheduled to direct Millennium Film's "Red Sonja" film.

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Nicolas Cage will star in an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's story, "Color Out of Space."

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  In expose by "The Atlantic" magazines, director Bryan Singer ("Bohemian Rhapsody," "X-Men") is hit with more sexual abuse allegations involving underage boys.

From Deadline:  Director Bryan singer responds to "The Atlantic," calling it a "homophic smear piece..."

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COMICS-STREAMING - From Deadline:  Sandra Bullock is part of the team developing Mark Millar and Greg Capullo's comic book, "Reborn," for Netflix.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actor Michael Gandolfini will play a young Tony Soprano in David Chase's in "The Many Saints of Newark," a prequel to Chase's "The Sopranos" TV series.  Michael's late father, James Gandolfini, played Tony Soprano in "The Sopranos."

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OSCARS - From Deadline:  The 2019 / 91st Academy Award nominations have been announced.  "Roma" and "The Favourite" lead with 10 nominations each.  "Black Panther" received 7 nominations, including a "best picture" nod.

From TheNewYorker:  "The Dismaying 2019 Oscar Nominations—and Who Should Have Made the List" by Richard Brody

From BleedingCool:  Concerning his first Oscar nomination (in the "best supporting actor" category) after 50 years of acting, Sam Elliot ("A Star is Born") says, "It's about fucking time!"

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/18 - 1/20/2019 weekend box office is "Glass" with an estimated take of $40.58 million.

From Variety:  "Glass" leads the international box office with an estimated take of $48.5 million.

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POLITICS - From Deadline:  U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (Democrat-California) announces that she is running for President of the United States.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:   Edgar Wright says that a first draft of a screenplay for "Baby Driver 6" exists.

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COMICS-FILM - From CNBC:   Superhero movies are in for a major shakeup in 2019

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  "The X-Files'" Gillian Anderson is joining Netflix's "The Crown" in the role of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

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OSCARS - From GoldDerby:  Paul Sheehan offers his Oscar predictions ahead of the nominations announcement Tuesday morning, Jan 22nd.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Green Book" tops the 2019 Producers Guild Awards, winning the Producers Guild version of a "best picture" prize.

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OSCARS - From Deadline:  "BlackKklansman" producer Jason Blue says that it is "Spike Lee's time" if Oscar voters do the right thing.

OBIT:

From THR:  Veteran film and television director, James Frawley, has died at the age of 82, Tuesday, January 22, 2019.  Over his five-decade career, Frawley directed episodes of "Perry Mason," "The Outer Limits," and "Gunsmoke," and he directed "The Muppet Movie" (1979).  Frawley is probably best known for being a key figure in the development of "The Monkees" TV series.  Frawley also directed 28 of the series' 58 episodes.

From TheWrap:  The comedy writer and stand-up comedian, Kevin Barnett, has died at the age of 32, Tuesday, January 22, 2019.  Barnett co-created the Fox sitcom, "Rel."

From Variety:  Film producer Andrew Vajna has died at the age of 74, Sunday, January 20, 2019.  In 1976, he co-founded Carolco with Mario Kassar.  Vajna produced such films as "Nixon" and "Evita," but he was known for the numerous film on which he was an executive producer.  Among the best known are the first three "Rambo" films (including 1982's "First Blood"); "Angel Heart," "Total Recall," "Tombstone," and "Judge Dredd," to name a few.

Filming Starts on Latest Version of "A Star is Born"

Shooting Starts on “A Star is Born,” Starring Bradley Cooper and Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga)

Film Marks Cooper’s Directorial Debut

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filming begins today on Warner Bros. Pictures’ reimagining of the musical “A Star is Born,” starring Bradley Cooper and introducing Stefani Germanotta, known across the globe as Oscar-nominated music superstar Lady Gaga, in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) is helming the film, marking his directorial debut.

Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Germanotta). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory.

In addition to playing Ally, Germanotta, who earned her Oscar nod for the song “Til It Happens to You” from “The Hunting Ground,” has composed and will perform original songs in the film. The main cast also includes Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott.

“A Star is Born” is being produced by Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Lynette Howell Taylor; with Basil Iwanyk and Ravi Mehta serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Will Fetters & Bradley Cooper and Eric Roth, based on a story by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson.

Collaborating with Cooper behind the scenes are Oscar-nominated director of photography Matty Libatique (“Black Swan”), production designer Karen Murphy, three-time Oscar-nominated editor Jay Cassidy (“American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Into the Wild”), and costume designer Erin Benach.

“A Star is Born” is being filmed entirely in Southern California.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents A Jon Peters Production, A Bill Gerber Production, A Joint Effort Production, “A Star is Born.” Slated for release on September 28, 2018, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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Review: "Barnyard" Surprises (Happy B'day, Kevin James)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 199 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Barnyard (2006)
Running time:  84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild peril and rude humor
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Steve Oedekerk
PRODUCERS:  Pam Marsden, Steve Oedekerk, and Paul Marshal
EDITORS:  Billy Weber and Paul Calder
COMPOSER:  John Debney

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  (voices) Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliot, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes, Andie MacDowell, David Koechner, Jeff Garcia, Cam Clarke, Rob Paulsen, Tino Insana, Laraine Newman, John DiMaggio, and Fred Tatasciore

The subject of this movie review is Barnyard, a 2006 computer-animated comedy and family film from writer-director Steve Oedekerk and Paramount Pictures.  The film is also known as Barnyard: The Original Party Animals, and yielded a spin-off animated television series, Back to the Barnyard, in 2007.  Barnyard, which features a group of anthropomorphic animals, focuses on a carefree cow that resists the call that he be the animal in charge of a barnyard.

In a barnyard of walking and talking animals, Otis the Cow (Kevin James) is the party animal.  Otis and his friends: Pip (Jeff Garcia) the mouse, Freddy (Cam Clarke) the ferret, Peck (Rob Paulsen) the rooster, and Pig (Tino Insana) the pig are world-class pranksters out for a laugh.  Otis’ father, Ben (Sam Elliot), however, wants his son to be like him – the cow who makes sure the barnyard runs on all cylinders and the cow who protects the barnyard’s denizens from their common enemy, a pack of coyotes led by the malevolent and conniving Dag (David Koechner).

Otis, who is in a state of perpetual arrested development, is not interested, but when Ben is no longer able to lead and protect, the responsibility falls on Otis.  It’s not an easy fit, and he struggles with the tension between a sense of duty and an urge to run away.  There is, however, a pretty girl cow, Daisy (Courtney Cox) and the crafty Miles the Mule (Danny Glover) who just may give Otis the impetus to take the mantle of leadership.  He’ll need the encouragement because Dag is plotting to make a major attack on the barnyard.

With its August 4 release date, Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies’ computer animated feature, Barnyard: The Original Party Animals was the eighth computer animated feature film to debut in U.S. theatres.  Barnyard is a story about taking responsibility and honoring obligations – a staple of computer animated family fare, but other than that, Barnyard looks different from the rest of its cartoon brethren.

As far as plot and character, Barnyard is mediocre and mildly entertaining.  The animation, however, is quite good.  The characters have a rubbery texture, so they look more like cartoon characters than computer rendered characters.  The story’s setting and environments personify 3-D animation.  Watching this film, it becomes evident that it is indeed taking place in a world of space and depth rather than in the traditional “flat” world of hand drawn animation.  It’s not that any of this looks real; it just doesn’t look flat, so the action looks like actual action.  When characters move, it looks like the figures are really moving.

Barnyard is a pretty and colorful animated feature, which makes up for the average narrative and voice acting.  Only Sam Elliot as Ben, Danny Glover as Miles, and Wanda Sykes as Bessie the Cow give voice performances that come across with any richness.  This is a typical children’s animated feature, filled as it is with funny animal supporting characters that spout line after line of silliness.  Barnyard’s simple story and childish and raucous humor explains why it has long legs at the box office.  It’s actually a family movie that the family can enjoy together.  Barnyard: The Original Party Animals is unashamedly for children.  Still, there are enough risqué gags, bathroom humor, and innuendo to keep teenagers interested and adults chuckling.

5 of 10
B-

Monday, September 18, 2006

Updated:  Saturday, April 26, 2014

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

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: The First" Hulk" Movie: I Like it More Now Than When I Wrote This Review

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 94 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hulk (2003)
Running time: 138 minutes (2 hours, 18 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some disturbing images and brief partial nudity
DIRECTOR: Ang Lee
WRITERS: John Turman, Michael France, and James Schamus, from a story by James Schamus (based upon the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Larry J. Franco, Gale Anne Hurd, and James Schamus
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Frederick Elmes
EDITOR: Tim Squyres
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, Paul Kersey, Daniel Dae Kim, Lou Ferrigno, and Stan Lee

The subject of this movie review is The Hulk, a 2003 superhero science fiction and action movie from director, Ang Lee. The film stars the Hulk, a Marvel comics superhero character created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962). The film explores the origins of the Hulk.

So is The Hulk a good movie, you might ask? And my answer is simply “no.” The film doesn’t even cut it as a second-rate summer thriller. This is not a joy ride. It’s a ponderous, lumbering…well, lumbering hulk of a picture, full of sound and fury signifying nothing – nothing on the screen and nothing left in the space in your wallet where that money was you spent to see this junk. There are a few good moments, emphasis on “few.”

The story goes thusly. Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) and his on-again/off-again girlfriend/scientist Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) are scientists working on a method of using nano-technology to cure injuries. Banner and Ross use gamma radiation to activate their so-called nanomeds once they’re inside the injured test subject, but one day Bruce is accidentally exposed to the gamma rays. To make things worse, Bruce is the byproduct of his father David’s (Nick Nolte’s) bizarre experiments when he was a child.

Combine the radiation with whatever weird crap Bruce’s father put in him and whenever Bruce gets mad (you won’t like him when he’s mad), he becomes the behemoth force of nature, The Hulk, a big green brute with a muscular body cut along lines any bodybuilder would kill for eight days a week. Of course, there’s the obligatory greedy scientist, Talbot (Josh Lucas), who wants to study the Hulk DNA for possible military applications. Talbot is also Bruce’s rival for some of Betty’s booty. And one more thing, Betty’s father General Ross (Sam Elliot) has to hunt the Hulk – keep it in the family.

Director Ang Lee and his cinematographer Frederick Elmes from Lee’s great film, The Ice Storm, turn the film’s photography into a series of kinetic moving pictures. They happily cut and divide the screen into multiple pictures and frames that mimic the panel grid of a comic book; sometimes the movie looks like a photo album or a photo collage. At best this is purely superficial, adding nothing to the story.

The most ironic thing about The Hulk is the tagline, “You wouldn’t like me when I angry.” It’s quite the opposite. The only time we really like the Banner character is when he is the Hulk. That’s the only time this morose, sullen, humorless picture has any life. Lee literally buries his film in the rubble of boring psychological struggles amongst the characters, in particular between the Banners. I was literally climbing the walls of the theatre. No one gives a damn about Banner’s evil daddy! Show us the Hulk. Lee races through scenes of The Hulk madly and wildly destroying his environment almost as if he were embarrassed to be making a monster movie. It’s as if actually showing a rampaging CGI Hulk is an unpleasant thing Lee had to do to appease his studio; then, it’s back to the real people and their mental and emotional baggage.

Dammit, we came to get down on some mindless fun. Who’s gonna like this? The kids? Hell, no. Even adults are going to be bored. If we wanted this much therapeutic confession and angst, we’d rent a Woody Allen movie. The Hulk comic book concept was a metaphor about the inherent and potential dangers of the atom bomb, not about bad daddies and emotionally distant sons. It’s like going to see an Austin Powers' film and discovering that Freud’s really the star this time.

I’ve seen three of Ang Lee’s films (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and they were brilliant. This effort is beneath him. I can’t believe that the director who had so much fun with Crouching Tiger couldn’t have fun with The Hulk. Even the effects are only okay, but in an age when the SFX is supposed to “blow you away,” the Hulk effects just blow. The most interesting and exciting scene isn’t until the end of the film, and the final battle is so beyond being ridiculous that I’m not articulate enough to tell you just how lame it is. I can understand Lee’s desire to do a big budget, Hollywood, effects extravaganza, but that doesn’t mean he should let the film do him.

4 of 10
C

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Review: "The Big Lebowski" is Surreal, Screwy, Unforgettable

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 130 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Big Lebowski (1998)
Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence
DIRECTOR: Joel Coen
WRITERS: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
PRODUCER: Ethan Coen
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roger Deakins
EDITORS: Tricia Cooke and Roderick Jaynes (Joel and Ethan Coen)
COMPOSER: Carter Burwell

COMEDY/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, Flea, John Turturro, Peter Stormare, Torsten Voges, David Thewlis, Marshall Manesh, Jon Polito, Ben Gazzara, Leon Russom, Ajgie Kirkland, Aimee Mann, and Sam Elliot

For their seventh film together, the Coen Brothers (co-writer/producer Ethan and co-writer/director Joel) tackle the screwball comedy in The Big Lebowski. Coming off their Oscar win for writing the brilliant Fargo, it was a daring project that could have turned off the audiences that were coming as a result of seeing Fargo. I don’t think the Coen’s gave a damn. They have a vision of how to tell a story using film as their medium, and they build a movie around their vision.

In the film, Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), known by everyone as The Dude (in fact, that is the name he prefers), receives a visit from a few thugs looking for money owed to their boss by the missus, Bunny (Tara Reid). Truth is they have the wrong Lebowski; there is another Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a millionaire, and Bunny is his trophy wife. One of the intruders takes a whiz on The Dude’s rug, so naturally The Dude seeks recompense from Bunny’s hubby, the other Lebowski. This case of mistaken identity ensnares to The Dude in a web of abduction and competing interests with The Dude and his temperamental homeboy, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), right in the middle.

The Coen’s are without a doubt two of the premiere creators of surreal films. They embrace classic Hollywood style with a post modern skewed view. The Big Lebowski is part Woody Allen and part David Lynch in the brothers’ approach to character and story. The abduction of Bunny uncoils into a delightful mixture of wacky comedy and film noir whodunit. As in all their films, there is always a sense of dread, however small, and as usual Joel can weave a thriller out of the most benign and ordinary events. It’s as if what seems really obvious and ordinary is also the unknown, and the unknown is so far “out there” and potentially dangerous.

Perhaps the thing that really makes a Coen film is the cast. Without good character actors, the brothers couldn’t sell us their strange brews. Amidst a stellar cast of players, Jeff Bridges and John Goodman, especially Bridges, carry this film. They have great chemistry together, and Bridges, one of the finest actors of the last two decades can carry two films at once on the broad back of his immense talent. This movie is almost totally from his point of view, and we have to buy into his character. If we don’t believe that he is who he says he is and that he believes what he believes, The Big Lebowski would be just a failed mainstream pic playing at being indie cool. The Big Lebowski is bravura work from two great American filmmakers, and they once again show their savvy by picking just the right guy to make this movie really soar.

8 of 10
A

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2001 Oscar Nominee "The Contender" Contends Until the End

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Contender (2000)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexual content and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Rod Lurie
PRODUCERS: Willi Baer, Marc Frydman, James Spies, and Douglas Urbanski
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Denis Maloney
EDITOR: Michael Jablow
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring: Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliot, William L. Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, Robin Thomas, Kathryn Morris, and Mariel Hemingway

After the Vice President of the United States dies, President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) selects Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen, Pleasantville), a Democrat who switched parties, as his nominee to replace the deceased VP. During the confirmation hearings before Congress, a combative rival, Rep. Sheldon “Shelly” Runyon (Gary Oldman) begins leaking lurid stories about Sen. Hanson’s wild past as a sexually promiscuous college student.

Runyon prefers a popular governor, Jack Hathaway (William L. Peterson, TV’s “C. S. I.: Crime Scene Investigation”), as the new VP instead of Sen. Hanson. With an eager young congressman, Rep. Reginald Webster (Christian Slater), at his beck and call, Runyon turns the hearings into his bully pulpit. As Sen. Hanson struggles with the decision to defend herself and answer the horrid charges, investigations into her past by rival interests unearth a mound of increasingly sensational stories.

The Contender could have been a boring Capitol Hill whodunit, but it saves the boring for the end. For most of its length, the film is actually a bracing thriller that gives a fly on the wall view of how nasty and petty our nation’s leaders can be. Writer/director Rod Lurie creates a fascinating, edge of your seat thriller that burns slowly and then explodes with each new shocking revelation. You can hardly take your eyes from the screen, but the film loses its bite, as it gets closer to the end.

It is as if all the air just blows out of the film. Luckily, the cast is game, and they save the film’s ending. When The Contender gets too preachy, it’s blessed to have good actors who can make even talking heads interesting. Joan Allen is what she always is – good. Her strange, subtle beauty gives her a look that makes you sympathetic to her; of course, she has much experience playing the put upon woman in such films as Nixon and The Crucible. Bridges is well liked and respected amongst his peers because he’s a craftsman and an artist. He pulls a trick on the viewer. For most of this film, you can think of President Jackson as a phony, but he sneaks in a broader view of the character that can have you shaking your head. Clearly, President Jackson is not what he seems to be and more than what he seems to be. Gary Oldman is good, even in this unsexy role for an actor who transformed many of the characters he played into sexy, charming rogues. He’s nothing but convincing as the low rent, thuggish nerd, Rep. Runyon.

If for nothing else, a political thriller with a cast of very good actors is worth watching, and The Contender is occasionally quite exciting, even if it limps to the ending.

5 of 10
B-

NOTES:
2001 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Jeff Bridges) and “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Joan Allen)

2001 Golden Globes: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Jeff Bridges) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Joan Allen)

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: "Ghost Rider" in the Mediocre Sky

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ghost Rider (2007)
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for horror violence and disturbing images
DIRECTOR: Mark Steven Johnson
WRITER: Mark Steven Johnson; based upon his screen story (based on the Marvel Comic)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Steven Paul, Michael De Luca, and Gary Foster
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russell Boyd, ACS
EDITOR: Richard Francis-Bruce, A.C.E.

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/HORROR/ACTION

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliot, Donal Logue, Peter Fonda, Matt Long, Raquel Alessi, and Brett Cullen

With his new movie, Ghost Rider, Mark Steven Johnson has written and directed his second mediocre film based upon a comic book (2003’s Daredevil being the other). In spite of both Johnson and a comically amateurish performance by Nicolas Cage as the hero, Ghost Rider survives on visual effects that create some scary monsters and cool, disturbing images.

When he was a young man, carnival stunt motorcyclist, Johnny Blaze (Matt Long) sold his soul to the devil, Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda), in order to save his father, Barton Blaze’s (Brett Cullen) life, and that deal also cost Johnny his girlfriend, Roxanne Simpson (Raquel Alessi). Years later, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) is the world’s most famous motorcycle daredevil, but that other devil has come for his due. Mephistopheles is at war with his son, Blackheart (Wes Bentley), and he wants Blaze to stop Blackheart from finding something that both hellish father and son want – a lost contract of damned souls belonging to Mephistopheles.

To that end, Blaze discovers the gift/curse of power that Mephistopheles had given him for the price of his soul. At night, in the presence of evil, Johnny becomes the fiery, motorcycle-riding demon with a flaming skull, Ghost Rider. Although obligated to serve his dark master, Johnny is also struggling to rekindle his romance with Roxanne (Eva Mendes), now a TV news reporter, and she’s isn’t buying Johnny’s story that he is the mysterious Ghost Rider. Perhaps, the only one who truly believes Johnny and knows what he’s going through as Ghost Rider is the mysterious grave keeper, Caretaker (Sam Elliot), and Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider will need Caretaker’s help as he takes on Blackheart and his demonic minions.

Mark Steven Johnson based his screen story and screenplay for Ghost Rider upon the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Created by writers Roy Thomas and Mark Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, Ghost Rider first appeared in the comic magazine, Marvel Spotlight #5 (1972), and would later be updated for the 1990’s by writer Howard Mackie and artist Javier Saltares. For this new Ghost Rider movie, Johnson has borrowed elements from throughout the character’s publishing history.

Despite four decades of source material from which to cherry pick, Johnson still delivers a cheesy, superhero horror flick. Ghost Rider is of the same quality as one of those low-end Sci-Fi Channel original movies, except GR has the production and promotional budget of a Hollywood blockbuster and a big movie star as the film lead.

There’s nothing much to be said of Nicolas Cage’s performance in this film. He’s an admitted, serious comic book fan. Still, his sincerity and love of the material doesn’t wring from him, for Ghost Rider, the kind of great performances that won him an Oscar (Leaving Las Vegas) and earned him another nomination (Adaptation). Here, Cage does a kind of hammy riff on Elvis Presley, which, speaking as a fan of Cage’s work, is embarrassing.

However, when Ghost Rider (which is certainly a computer generated character) is onscreen, especially when he’s facing off against Blackheart (well played by Wes Bentley), the film is actually fun, though still cheesy. The fiery motorcycle stunts, the wicked villains, and the frightening (and occasionally) disturbing images – mostly generated by computer – are fun. Beyond fans of comic books and comic book-based movies, Ghost Rider may attract the attentions of action movie junkies and some fans of Cage. This is simply a mediocre movie, although Eva Mendes looks white hot in a form-fitting white dress, and that’s worth seeing.

4 of 10
C

Saturday, February 17, 2007