Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 23rd to 31st, 2021 - Update #22

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "A Quiet Place Part II" leads the four-day Memorial Day weekend holiday (5/28 to 5/31/2021) box office with an estimated gross of 57 million dollars.

 

From Variety:  The winner of the 5/28 to 5/30/21 weekend box office is "A Quiet Place Part II" with an estimated take of 48 million dollars.  That is also the biggest three-day take of the pandemic era.

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MEMORIAL DAY - From BusinessInsider:   A soldier who photographed World War II in Europe describes 6 of his photos that reveal the "insanity of war."

TV NEWS/OBIT - From Deadline:  The television and film actor, Joe Lara (58), his wife, diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara (66), were two of seven people killed in a plane crash near Nashville on Sat. May 29, 2021.  Joe Lara was best known for his starring role in the syndicated TV series, "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" (1996-97).

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:  Does Universal Pictures really want a "Fast & Furious"/"Jurassic World" spinoff?

MOVIES - From Deadline:   In an interview with the site, Grammy Award-winning electronic music legend, Moby, talks about making a documentary about himself, "Moby Doc."

CHADWICK BOSEMAN - From Variety:  Howard University announced today that the newly re-established college of fine arts, led by Dean Phylicia Rashad, will be named the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts for Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther"), the late actor and distinguished alumnus.

 

From WashPost:   The renaming of Howard University's newly re-established college of arts and sciences unites Howard and Walt Disney Co.’s executive chairman, Bob Iger, who will spearhead fundraising for an endowment named after Chadwick Boseman, as well as help raise money for the construction of a state-of-the-art building on Howard’s campus. The new building will house the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, the school’s TV station, WHUT, and radio station, WHUR 96.3 FM.

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AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon is reportedly buying movie studio, MGM, for 8.45 billion dollars.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   The CW has announced its 2021-22 Fall television schedule.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Universal Pictures will release "The Boss Baby: Family Business," the sequel to DreamWorks Animation's 2017, Oscar-nominated hit, "The Boss Baby," on July 2nd in theaters and streaming on the premium tiers on the "Peacock" streaming service.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Oscar-nominee Timothee Chalamet to play "Willy Wonda" in an origin story film from Warner Bros. and Roald Dahl Story Co.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   CBS has announced its initial 2021-22 television season lineup and it is full of crime shows.

STREAMING - From BloodyDisgusting:   Hulu has reportedly obtained Spyglass Media's remake of the cult horror classic, "Hellraiser" (1987).  HBO Max is also working on a "Hellraiser" TV series with director David Gordon Green of the "Halloween" remake.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:   The winner of the 5/20 to 5/22/2021 weekend box office is "Spiral: From the Book of Saw" with an estimated take of 4.55 million dollars.

 

From Variety:   The "Saw" film franchise is now a billion-dollar franchise.  “Spiral,” the latest entry in the horror series, earned another $4.5 million in North America and $2.67 million overseas this weekend.  That haul pushed the property to $1,000,799,533 globally across nine films.

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MOVIES - From Variety:   To coincide with the release of his new film, "Army of the Dead," writer William Earl of Variety ranks director Zack Snyder ("Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice") ten feature films - 10 through 1.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Sigourney Weaver is to lead a series adaptation of Holly Ringland’s book, "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart," for Amazon.

OBITS:

From Variety:   Noted television actor, Gavin MacLeod, has died at the age of 90, Saturday, May 29, 2021.  MacLeod appeared in the first two seasons of the former ABC sitcom, "McHale's Navy."  He was a series regular on CBS' "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-77), during the entire length of the series.  However, MacLeod was best known as "Captain Merrill Stubing" on ABC's romantic comedy-drama series, "The Love Boat" (1977-86).

From Deadline:  The singer and recording artist, B.J. Thomas, has died at the age of 78, Saturday, May 29, 2021.  His biggest hits were recordings of songs written by others, including "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (1969), and "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (1975).  Thomas' recording of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" appeared in the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) reached #1 on the "Billboard Hot 100" chart.  It also won the "Best Song" Oscar for the songwriters, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  Thomas also won five Grammy Awards for his Christian music recordings.

From DeseretNews:   Former NBA player, Mark Eaton, has died at the age of 64, Friday, May 28, 2021.  Eaton played his entire 11 year career (1982-93) with the Utah Jazz.  At the height of 7 feet 4 inches, Eaton was known as a "gentle giant" and as a gentleman.  However, Eaton was a dominant defender winning "NBA Defensive Player of the Year" in 1985 and 1989, and he was either "NBA All-Defensive First Team" or "Second Team" from 1985 to 1989."  He was a 1989 NBA All-Star.

From Deadline:  Musician and former child star, Kevin Clark, has died at the age of 32, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.  At the age of 13, Clark played the drummer, Freddy "Spazzy" McGee, in the 2003 film, "School of Rock."

From BroadwayWorld:  The actor and singer, Samuel E. Wright, has died at the age of 74, Monday, May 24, 2021.  Wright was best known as the voice of "Sebastian the Crab" in Walt Disney's classic animated feature film, "The Littler Mermaid" (1989).  He provided the lead vocals for the film's signature hit song, "Under the Sea," which one the "Best Song" Oscar.  Wright was also an original cast member of Disney's "The Lion King" Broadway musical, playing "Mufasa."  Wright was also a two-time Tony Award nominee.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 16th to 22nd, 2021 - Update #16

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Recent "Superman" actor, Henry Cavill, is in talks to play the lead in the Lionsgate's reboot of the 1986 film, "Highlander."  Chad Stahelski ("John Wick") is scheduled to direct.

STREAMING - From THR:   Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr. has joined the cast of "Knives Out 2."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Alice Englert ("Ratched") and Nicholas Denton ("Glitch") have been cast as the notorious lovers "Merteuil" and "Valmont" in Starz’s original series, "Dangerous Liaisons," a reimagining of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ classic 18th century novel, from Lionsgate TV, Colin Callender’s Playground Entertainment and Tony Krantz’ Flame Ventures.

COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:   Oscar-nominated actress Salma Hayek has revealed her secret and near-fatal battle with COVID-19.

HEALTH - From YahooWashPost:   Nineteen percent of adults with high blood pressure take drugs that worsen the condition.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Reports indicate that Amazon is in talks to buy movie studio, MGM.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Writer-director Joe Cornish is reuniting with actor John Boyega for a sequel to their cult sci-fi film, "Attack the Block," the film that launched Boyega's career.  Cornish and Boyega are also among the four producers of "Attack the Block 2."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 5/14 to 5/16/2021 weekend box office is "Spiral: From the Bok of Saw" with an estimated take of 8.7 million dollars.

AT&T/DISCOVER - From YahooFinance:  AT&T admits it made a terrible mistake getting into media business with Discovery deal as it spins off WarnerMedia and merges it with Discovery.

From Variety:  WarnerMedia and Discover are officially merged, and Discovery Inc. President and CEO David Zaslav will lead the combined companies.

From Deadline:  AT&T, which owns WarnerMedia, is considering combining its media assets with Discovery.

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BROADCAST TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The site presents a photo gallery of broadcast network TV series that were cancelled during the 2020-21 television season.

From Deadline:  CBS has cancelled its courtroom drama, "All Rise," after two seasons.

CABLE TELEVISION - From Variety:   CNN personality Don Lemon is getting a new show.  "CNN Tonight with Don Lemon" has been replaced with "Don Lemon Tonight."

MOVIES - From YahooTelegraph:  Irish actor Liam Cunningham talks about "Game of Thrones" and wealth and privilege and the working class.

OBITS:

From Deadline:    Comedian, writer, actor, and social critic, Paul Mooney, has died at the age of 79, May 19, 2021.  Mooney may be best known as Richard Pryor's writing partner, writing for and with the legendary Pryor.  Mooney was the head writer on Pryor's groundbreaking show, "The Richard Pryor Show," which ran for four episodes in September and October of 1977.  He co-wrote material for three of Pryor's comedy albums, including "Live on Sunset Strip" (1982).  Mooney is also well-known for his appearances on Comedy Central's late sketch comedy series, "Chappelle's Show."

From Deadline:  Actor, talk show host, comedian, and author, Charles Grodin, has died at the age of 86, Tuesday, May 18, 2021.  Grodin was best known as a supporting actor in many high profile comedies in the 1970s and 1980s, including "Heaven Can Wait" (1978), "Real Life" (1979), and "Seems Like Old Times" (1980).  He co-starred with Robert De Niro in the 1988 action-comedy "Midnight Run."  Grodin made numerous TV appearances, and in 1978, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on "The Paul Simon Special."  Lesser known about Grodin is his work for fair sentencing for non-violent drug offenders.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 8th, 2020 - Update #30

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

REVIEW - From Patreon:  My "Birds of Prey" review.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced.  "The Farewell" was named "Best Feature" of 2019.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Former talk show host, David Letterman, says that Quentin Tarantino once threatened to kill him.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  The recently completed seventh season of "Ray Donovan" is the last for the series.  Showtime has cancelled the crime drama, which stars Liev Schreiber.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  "The Matrix 4" begins filming.  This article has photos from the set, and Keanu's "Neo" seems different from the Neo of the original trilogy.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney has signed a deal with Grammy-winning recording artist, Bruno Mars, in which Mars would produce and star in a music-driven film.

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TRAILER - From Variety:  The first trailer for the upcoming "Saw" reboot film, "Spiral," debuts.  The film, which stars Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, is due May 15, 2020.

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ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Animation commits to its first major producer deal.  The signee is "Family Guy" writer-producer, Wellesley Wild.

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MOVIES - From Newsarama:  Actor Henry Golding has posted a photo from his upcoming film, "Snake Eyes" (G.I. Joe Origins), which is due Oct. 23rd.

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Actress Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210," "Charmed") revealed that she has received a Stage 4 diagnosis after her breast cancer had been in remission.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry has confirmed that he is reviving his former TBS TV series, "House of Payne" (2007-2012) for BET with the original cast.  Perry also has a greenlight from BET for a new series, "Tyler Perry's Assisted Living."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Director Antoine Fuqua and actor Chris Pratt, who worked together on the remake of "The Magnificent Seven," to develop a TV series, "The Terminal List."

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry revealed that 26 million people watched the first weekend of his Netflix film, "A Fall from Grace."  Netflix later confirmed the numbers for the thriller which stars Crystal Fox and Mehcad Brooks.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney's streaming service, Disney+, apparently has 26.5 million subscribers.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney apparently paid $75 million for the global movie rights to the Tony Award-winning musical, "Hamilton."  The film is apparently due Fall 2021.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/31 to 2/2/2020 weekend box office is "Bad Boys for Life" with an estimated take of 17.7 million dollars.  This is the film's third straight weekend atop the box office.

From PasteMagazine:  The box office for the opening weekend of the thriller, "The Rhythm Section," is an estimated 2.8 million dollars.  That is the worst debut ever for a film that opens on 3,000 or more screens.

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TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  The third season of Fox's "The Masked Singer" opens with a shocker.

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SUPER BOWL - From YahooSports:  The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to win Super Bowl LIV.  Patrick Mahomes named the MVP of the game.

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BRITISH ACADEMY - From Deadline:   "1917" won the "Best Film" award at the 2020 BAFTA Film Awards, one of the seven awards it won to lead the night, which included a "Best Director" for Sam Mendes.  Joaquin Phoenix won the "Best Actor" award, one of three awards for "Joker."

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Parasite" and "JoJo Rabbit" lead the 2020 / 72nd Writers Guild Awards.

From Deadline:  "Parasite," "Once Upon a Time... in America," and "Avengers: Endgame" top the  the Art Directors Guild's 2020 / 24th annual ADG Awards.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, is the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP).  He is the second unanimous winner in NFL history, following Tom Brady's unanimous winner in 2010.

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DISNEY - From THR:  100 years ago, the late great Walt Disney got his first animation job.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Spike Lee will direct a film version of Oscar-winner David Byrne's "American Utopia" stage show.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Adam Sandler re-signs with Netflix for four more films.  In the first deal, Sandler starred in five films and in his first stand-up comedy special in 22 years.  He also produced two films for the streamer.

OBITS:

From THR:  An icon of Hollywood's "Golden Age" and giant of American cinema, Kirk Douglas, has died at the age of 103, Wednesday, February 5, 2020.  Douglas appeared in numerous great films:  "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954), "Paths of Glory" (1957), and "Spartacus" (1960), to name a few.  He received best actor Oscar nominations for "Champion" (1949), "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1951), and "Lust for Life" (1956).  Kirk Douglas was the father of Oscar-winning actor, Michael Douglas.

From THR:  The actor Robert Conrad has died at the age of 84, Saturday, February 8, 2020.  Conrad was best known for the numerous television series in which he starred.  His most beloved TV series may be "The Wild Wild West" (CBS, 1965-69), but others may prefer "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (NBC, 1976-78).

From THR:  The actor, Orson Bean, has died at the age of 91, Friday, February 7, 2020.  He made over 200 appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and appeared on many game shows from the 1960s to the 1980s.  He voiced "Bilbo Baggins" in the 1977 animated film version of "The Hobbit."  Many will remember Bean as the story owner, "Loren Bray," on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."

From Variety:  Television writer, director, and producer, Gene Reynolds, has died at the age of 96, Monday, February 3, 2020.  Reynolds co-created the "MASH" TV series (CBS, 1972-73) with Larry Gelbart, and he was one of the creators of the "Lou Grant" TV series (CBS, 1977-82).  He was a six-time Emmy Award winner.

From CNN:  American author and novelist, Mary Higgins Clark, has died at the age of 92, January 31, 2020.  Called the "Queen of Suspense," Clark wrote over 50 books and each was a bestseller.  Her 1977 novel, "A Stranger is Watching," was adapted into a 1982 film.  Her 1980 novel, "The Cradle Will Fall," was the first of many of her novels that were adapted for television.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 12th to 18th, 2019 - Update #17

Support Leroy on Patreon:

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Oscar-nominated actress, Sharon Stone, and Grammy-nominated recording artist, Marilyn Manson, will appear in HBO's "The New Pope," from director Paolo Sorrentino.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  The site is reporting that Robert Pattison ("Twilight" series) will be the new Batman/Bruce Wayne in director Matt Reeves' upcoming film, "The Batman," which is due June 25, 2021.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Chris Rock (yes, that Chris Rock) is joining Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures to reboot the "Saw" film franchise.  The new film is due October 2020.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  James Gunn talks about being fired from "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" and then, being reinstated.

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MOVIES - From Movieweb:  James Wan ("Aquaman") is rebooting the "Mortal Kombat" film franchise (based on the beloved video game).  Wan will produce the film.

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DISNEY/STREAMING - From Variety:  Disney now has full operational control of the streaming service, Hulu, of which it has at least 60% ownership interest.  Comcast/NBCU retains its 33% ownership interest, which Disney can buy at some point in the future.  Comcast is planning to launch a free, ad-supported streaming service next year.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Rami Malek is in talks to join Denzel Washington in the serial killer film, "Little Things" from director John Lee Hancock.

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  The upcoming sixth season (2019-2020) will be the final season for Fox's soap opera-drama, "Empire."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 5/10 to 5/12/2019 weekend box office is "Avengers: Endgame" with an estimated take of 63 million dollars.

From Forbes:  "Pokemon: Detective Pikachu" debuted this weekend and grossed 58 million dollars at the box office, the biggest opening weekend ever for a movie based on a video game.

From Patreon:  My review of "Avengers: Endgame."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Broadcast television networks announce series orders and pick-ups.

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STREAMING - From TheVerge:  CBS All Access to give Jordan Peele's rebooted "The Twilight Zone," which is in full-color the black and white treatment, beginning May 30th.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Russell Crowe to star in road-rage thriller, "Unhinged."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The Emmy-winning actor and comedian, Tim Conway, has died at the age of 85, May 14, 2019.  Conway was best known for his work on the ABC sitcom, "McHale's Navy" (1962-1966), and the long-running CBS variety program, The Carol Burnett Show" (1967-1978).  Conway won six Emmy Awards out of 13 nominations.

From TheWrap:  The actor Isaac Kappy died at the age of 42, Monday, May 13, 2019.  He had a small role in Marvel Studios' "Thor" (2011) and appeared in films such as "Terminator: Salvation" and "Beerfest."

From Deadline:  Iconic American actress and singer, Doris Day, has died at the age of 97, May 13, 2019.  She was known for such films as "Pillow Talk" (1959), which she made with her longtime friend, Rock Hudson; "That Touch of Mink" (1962), co-starring Cary Grant; and "Move Over, Darling" (1963) with James Garner.  She was also known for her TV series, "The Doris Day Show" (1968-1973) and for a string a hit records from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s.

From Variety:  The actress and singer, Peggy Lipton, has died at the age of 72, Saturday, May 11, 2019.  Lipton appeared in the TV series, "The Mod Squad" (1968-1973), as the flower child, Julie Barnes, a role for which she received four Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe.  Lipton also had a main role in the ABC TV series, "Twin Peaks" (1990-91).  Lipton was married to legendary music producer, Quincy Jones, with whom she has two daughters, actress and producer, Rashida Jones, and model and fashion designer, Kidada Jones.

31st Annual Razzie Award Nominations List

The Golden Rasberry Award or "Razzie" is an award given in recognition of the worst in film.  The Razzie has been given out since 1981 and usually corresponds with the Academy Awards by one day.  Like the Academy Awards, the Razzie's focus in on Hollywood films, movies produced by the major and semi-major studios.  The Oscars go to best films from the major players, and the Razzies go to the worst from the big studios.

After much searching, I found the list of this year's nominess at Shockya.

31st Razzie Awards nominations for 2010:

WORST PICTURE:
The Bounty Hunter
The Last Airbender
Sex and the City 2
Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Vampires Suck

WORST DIRECTOR:
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer / Vampires Suck
Michael Patrick King / Sex and The City 2
M. Night Shyamalan / The Last Airbender
David Slade / Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Sylvester Stallone / The Expendables

WORST ACTOR:
Jack Black / Gulliver’s Travels
Gerard Butler /The Bounty Hunter
Ashton Kutcher / Killers and Valentine’s Day
Taylor Lautner / Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Valentine’s Day
Robert Pattinson / Remember Me and Twilight Saga: Eclipse

WORST ACTRESS:
Jennifer Aniston / The Bounty Hunter and The Switch
Mylie Cyrus / The Last Song
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis & Cynthia Nixon / Sex & the City 2
Megan Fox / Jonah Hex
Kristen Stewart / Twilight Saga: Eclipse

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Jessica Alba / The Killer Inside Me, Little Fockers, Machete and Valentine’s Day
Cher / Burlesque
Liza Minnelli / Sex & the City 2
Nicola Peltz / The Last Airbender
Barbra Streisand / Little Fockers

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Billy Ray Cyrus / The Spy Next Door
George Lopez / Marmaduke, The Spy Next Door and Valentine’s Day
Dev Patel / The Last Airbender
Jackson Rathbone / The Last Airbender and Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Rob Schneider / Grown Ups

WORST EYE-GOUGING MIS-USE Of 3-D:
Cats & Dogs 2: Revenge of Kitty Galore
Clash of the Titans
The Last Airbender
Nutcracker 3-D
Saw 3-D (aka Saw VII)

WORST SCREEN COUPLE / WORST SCREEN ENSEMBLE:
Jennifer Aniston & Gerard Butler / The Bounty Hunter
Josh Brolin’s Face and Megan Fox’s Accent / Jonah Hex
The Entire Cast of The Last Airbender
The Entire Cast of Sex & The City 2
The Entire Cast of Twilight Saga: Eclipse

WORST SCREENPLAY:
The Last Airbender, Written by M. Night Shyamalan, based on the TV series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko
Little Fockers, Written by John Hamburg and Larry Stuckey, based on Characters Created by Greg Glenna & Mary Roth Clarke
Sex & the City 2, Written by Michael Patrick King, Based on the TV Series Created by Darren Star
Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, Based on the Novel by Stephenie Meyer
Vampires Suck, Written by Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer

WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL:
Clash Of The Titans
The Last Airbender
Sex & The City 2
Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Vampires Suck

http://www.razzies.com/
 

Review: "Saw IV" Redeems "Saw 3"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 133 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw IV (2007)
Running time: 95 min (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout and for language
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan; from the story by Thomas H. Fenton and Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsey Russell, Lyriq Bent, Athena Karkanis, Justin Louis, Simon Reynolds, Donnie Wahlberg, Angus Macfadyen, Shawnee Smith, and Billy Otis

As Saw IV opens, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith) are dead, and the police discover Detective Kerry’s (Dina Meyer) body. Two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Agent Perez (Athena Karkanis), arrive in this community that Jigsaw has terrorized to assist veteran Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grizzly remains and piecing together the puzzle.

Meanwhile, SWAT Commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent), the last officer untouched by Jigsaw, is abducted and thrust into Jigsaw’s bloody game of bizarre death contraptions. Rigg has only ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and his own obsessions to save his old friend Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg), who is revealed to still be alive, or face the deadly consequences.

Saw IV has a huge twist that is somehow connected to Saw III, and it will only serve to enrich this fantastic horror/crime film series that borders on torture porn. In fact, IV is an upgrade on III. For one, whereas III seemed to be mostly about violence, gore, and sadism, IV is a suspenseful mystery/thriller that keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat in terror and keeps up the urgency to unravel the mystery. Secondly, IV finally offers the origin story of Jigsaw, and it’s a tightly written story within a story that is as poignant and tragic as many film dramas and as shocking as the best horror flicks. Thirdly, the ensemble cast is good, in particularly Lyriq Bent in his performance as the determined Rigg.

Saw IV is just as big as a gross out flick as Saw III, but this time we get an edgy thriller, a riveting mystery, and good filmmaking to go with the gleefully gory stuff.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, October 28, 2007

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Review: "Saw III" Gory and Boring... Which is Actually Kinda Impressive

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 223 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw III (2006)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell; from a story by James Wan and Leigh Whannell
PRODUCERS: Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules, and Mark Burg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong (director of photography)
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR with elements of drama

Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, Dina Meyer, Mpho Koaho, Barry Flatman, Lyriq Bent, and J LaRose

The Jigsaw killer (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice, Amanda (Shawnee Smith), are still subjecting hapless victims to their cruel, sadistic, and intricate games of death. While city detectives frantically hunt for them, they’ve chosen two new pawns, the detached and clinical Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh), and Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), a grieving father obsessed with getting revenge for the death of his young son.

Saw III, of all the Saw films, may delve most deeply into the psychology of both the game masters and their “players.” However, for all its attempts at discovering the reasons and rationales for the characters’ actions, Saw III is listless, although it is as gory and gross as the previous movies. Watching the characters desperately fight to escape the mega sadistic contraptions Jigsaw and Amanda have prepared for them (there’s a twist here) is painful – ready-made to cause viewer squirming and flinching. But the whole gruesome exercise seems as dull and as unappealing as harvesting belly button lint.

Most of Saw II’s crew has returned for Saw III, including director Darren Lynn Bousman and screenwriter Leigh Whannell (who based Saw III’s script on an idea by original Saw director James Wan), but they couldn’t rebuild the fire they started for Saw II. The production values are also of lesser quality. The set looks like a rundown mechanic’s garage, and the cinematography is dull and poorly lit even for a horror flick. The acting amounts to sneers, hard stares, hollering, and over-emoting. Hardcore gore attics (and Saw fanatics) may very well find much in this flick to love, but if it weren’t for the scene with the puréed putrid pigs, Saw III wouldn’t have a single memorable moment.

4 of 10
C

Saturday, October 28, 2006

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Review: "Saw II" is an Excellent Follow-up to Original Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 164 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw II (2005)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language, and drug content
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell and Darren Lynn Bousman
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg, Gregg Hoffman, and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/THRILLER with elements of fantasy

Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Lyriq Bent, Tim Burd, Franky G, Noam Jenkins, Erik Knudsen, Dina Meyer, Beverley Mitchell, Tony Nappo, Glenn Plummer, and Emmanuelle Vaugier

Called to a crime scene, Detective Eric Mason (Donnie Wahlberg) isn’t really interested in the grisly murder before him. The crime scene has all the markings of Jigsaw, the notorious killer (from Saw) who disappeared leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Jigsaw leaves a message taunting Detective Mason, but Mason’s mind is on his troubled, estranged son. Still, the police get a break and discover Jigsaw’s hideout. There, they find Jigsaw, revealed to be John (Tobin Bell), an older, wheelchair-bound man who claims that he’s dying of cancer. And he has one more game to play. Mason and the S.W.A.T. team find a multi-monitor setup playing Jigsaw’s latest game.

Each screen captures a scene from a charnel house. Eight strangers, including Mason’s son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), are trapped in the dilapidated house, forced to play Jigsaw’s twisted game. In various locations in the house, Jigsaw has hidden antidotes to a nerve gas that is steadily pumped into the house from some unknown location. The eight player/captives have less than two hours to solve the riddles and games that test their wits and put their lives in jeopardy. They also have a mysterious connection. Meanwhile, Mason and Amanda (Shawnee Smith), another detective familiar with Jigsaw, try to find the location of the death house.

Saw II is mean, nasty, gory, shocking, and occasionally repulsive, but it’s just about everything a good horror movie should be. Yeah, there are a few slips ups. Putting Jigsaw/John front and center turns the movie into a kind of a police thriller. How a fatally ill man can set up all those contraptions of death (doing it with very little help) stretches the willing suspension of disbelief into the realm of supernatural.

The acting is quiet good; in fact, Donnie Wahlberg could give his brother Mark a run for his money. It’s fun to see the police run around confused and confounded. The eight player-captives are a nice lot of miscreants, and the script characterizes them just right for this concept. We understand just enough about them to understand why they’re in this predicament Jigsaw created specifically for them. Also, this scary movie has some scenes (the well of needles) that’ll make you want to scoot down really deep into your seat, skin crawling and hairs on end. Saw II is all bloody hell and bloody fun. There are head wounds, drug needles, sharp objects, blood splatters, and mortal combat nicely spaced by a twisted script. What more do you want from a scary movie?

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, October 29, 2005

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Review: Original "Saw" was a Nice New Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 105 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saw (2004)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – R for grisly violence and language (originally NC-17)
DIRECTOR: James Wan
WRITERS: Leigh Whannell, from a story by Leigh Whannell and James Wan
PRODUCERS: Mark Burg, Gregg Hoffman, and Oren Koules
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David A. Armstrong
EDITOR: Kevin Greutert

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Monica Potter, Makenzie Vega, Michael Emerson, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell

Would you die to live? Would you kill to live? Those questions are at the center of the horror film, Saw.

Two men, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell), awake in dilapidated bathroom and face those very questions. The serial killer known as the Jigsaw killer abducted them. They’re chained to the wall across the room from each other with only notes and tape recordings leaving them instructions on how to survive. Gordon learns through his clues that he will have to kill Adam if he wants not only to save himself, but also his wife, Alison (Monica Potter), and daughter, Diana (Makenzie Vega), whom the Jigsaw killer has abducted and whom Jigsaw will slay if Gordon doesn’t kill Adam before the deadline. Meanwhile, a policeman, Detective David Tapp (Danny Glover), obsessed with discovering the identity of the Jigsaw killer, is watching Gordon’s home.

Some professional film critics compared the 2004 Halloween horror hit, Saw, to a grisly film version of the popular reality series, “Fear Factor.” The film is on occasion shockingly grisly, but Saw is something rare in American filmmaking – the horror film as a mystery thriller. For all its gore, Saw is mystery that like great whodunits asks many questions around one central question. If the audience is fixated on Lawrence Gordon and Adam’s predicament, it must also contend with who, what, when, why, and how.

Quite a bit of Saw is also told in flashback, and that’s a double-edge sword. The flashbacks and take the edge out of a very edgy movie, but at the same time, these flashbacks answer so many questions while intriguing the audience by raising more. Simply put: the acting, directing, writing, and production (the film was shoot and cut in 18 days) are well done in service of this film. It’s all smartly geared to created a horror movie that engages the mind, sends chills down the spine, makes us turn away, and stunningly reminds us what people will do to survive.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, May 18, 2006

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Saw 3D versus Paranormal Activity 2? - Negromancer News Bits and Bites Extra

Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood writes about what looks like the beginning of a Lionsgate vs. Paramount Pictures war, with the Saw franchise and a Paranormal Activity sequel as the soldiers.