TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Tim Burton

Showing posts with label Tim Burton. Show all posts

Monday, September 30, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 22nd to 31st, 2024 - UPDATE #16

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/27 to 8/29/2024 weekend box office is Universal/DreamWorks Animation's "The Wild Robot" with an estimated haul of 35 million dollars.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Season 2 of the Paramount+ series, "Tulsa King," has opened to series record views.

DISNEY - From Deadline: Disney has initiated another round of layoffs... I mean, "cost-saving initiatives" of corporate staffers.

DISNEY - From Deadline: 20th Television has closed a first-look deal with Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance and their Bassett Vance Productions to develop and executive produce comedy, drama, limited series and TV movies for linear networks and streamers, with an emphasis on platforms across Disney Entertainment Television.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 9/20 to 9/22/2024 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Pictures' Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with an estimated take of 26 million dollars.

OSCARS:

From Deadline: The site has a roundup of international films that have been submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to compete in the category, "Best International Feature Film" at the 97th Academy Awards.

From Deadline: Brazil has selected Walter Salles' "I’m Still Here" to represent it in the "Best International Feature Film" at the 97th Academy Awards.

From Deadline: India has selected "Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies)" as its candidate for the "Best International Feature Film" category at the 97th Academy Awards.

NETFLIX/ANIMATION - From Deadline: Netflix is starting again with its animated adaptation of table-top game Magic: The Gathering, after departing with previous creative talent in 2019 and again in 2021. The new showrunner will be Terry Matalas, who was recently named showrunner of Marvel’s a "Vision" series for Disney+.

OBITS:

From ESPN: Congolese-American basketball player and humanitarian, Dikembe Mutombo, has died at the age of 58, Monday, September 30, 2024 after a battle with brain cancer. After a career at Georgetown University, Mutombo was drafted by the Denver Nuggets of the NBA as the fourth pick in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft. He won the "Defensive Player of the Year Award" four times, a record he shares with two other players. He played with Philadelphia 76ers in 2001 when they lost the 2000-01 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. Mutombo was elected in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. After his career ended, Mutombo worked extensively for charitable and humanitarian causes, including starting the "Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, to improve living conditions in his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

From Variety: American actor, songwriter, and country singer, Kris Kristofferson, has died at the age of 88, Saturday, September 28, 2024. Among his songwriting credits are such hits as "Me and Bobby McGee" and originally recorded by Roger Miller (1971) and "Help Me Make it Through the Night," which he originally recorded. He was a member of the American country music supergroup, "The Highwaymen" (1985-95) with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. As an actor, he is best known for "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," "A Star is Born" (1976), "Lone Star" (1996), and the "Blade" film trilogy (1998-2004). Kristofferson was nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and won three. He was also nominated for a "Best Original Score" Oscar for the 1980 film, "Songwriter."

From Deadline: Hollywood reacts to the passing of Kris Kristofferson.

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From Deadline: American actor Drake Hogestyn has died at the age of 70, Saturday, September 28, 2024. He died one day before his 71st birthday (Sept. 29th) of complications from pancreatic cancer. Hogestyn, was best known for playing the role of "John Blake" in the former NBC/ now Peacock soap opera series, "Days of Our Live," from 1986 to 2009 and from 2011 to the present in over four thousand episodes.

From Variety: The English film, television, and theatrical actress, Maggie Smith, has died at the age of 89, Friday, September 27, 2024. Modern audiences know her for the role of "Minerva McGonagall" in the "Harry Potter" film franchise" and for the role of Countess Violent Crawley in the "Downton Abbey" (2010-15) TV series and films. Smith was nominated for six Academy Awards and won twice: "Best Actress" ("The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," 1969) and "Best Supporting Actress" ("California Suite," 1978). She also won four Emmy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and a Tony Award.

From EW: Whoopi Goldberg pays tribute to her friend and "Sister Act" co-star, Maggie Smith, who died Fri., Sept. 27th.

From Deadline: Maggie Smith, a career in photos.

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From Deadline: American film and television actor, John Ashton, has died at the age of 76, Thursday, September 26, 2024, after a battle with cancer. Ashton is best known for the role of Sgt. John Taggart in "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), "Beverly Hills Cop II" (1987), and as "Chief John Taggart" in "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" (2024). He also had memorable roles in "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987) and "Midnight Run" (1988), to name a few. Ashton also appeared in numerous TV series, including "Dallas," "M*A*S*H," and "Starsky & Hutch" to name a few.

Saturday, September 21, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 15th to 21st, 2024 - UPDATE #10

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

NETFLIX - From Deadline: Ryan Murphy's latest Netflix thriller is "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," which focuses on real-life brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, who murdered their parents, Jose and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez in 1989. One person who isn't a fan of the show, Erik Menendez.

MOVIES - From Collider: Mel Gibson will start shooting, "The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection," the sequel to his 2004 box office smash, The Passion of the Christ, in early 2025. He is reportedly currently scouting locations in Europe.

NETFLIX - From Deadline: Netflix has dropped the first teaser for "Splinter Cell: Deathwatch," an animated series adaptation of "Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell" video game created by Ubisoft.

AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon has ordered a second season of the Nicole Kidman-Jamie Lee Curtis lead drama, Scarpetta, based on Patricia Cornwell's bestselling "Kay Scarpetta" novels.

DISNEY - From Deadline: Emmy-winner Archie Panjabi will join the BBC/Disney+ "Doctor Who" Season 2 as an unnamed villain.

POLITICS - From USAToday: This is the reason Donald Trump is really mad at Grammy-winning mega-star, Taylor Swift. She endorsed the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket for President and Vice-President.

EMMYS - From Variety: At the 2024 / 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, FX's "Shogun" dominates, winning a total of 18 awards, including "Outstanding Drama Series." In the comedy category, FX's "The Bear" dominates with 11 wins, but Emmy for "Outstanding Comedy Series" goes to Max's "Hacks."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 9/13 to 9/15/2024 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Pictures' Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with an estimated take of 51.6 million dollars.

BLM/NFL - From Guardian UK and RSN: NFL player and Miami Dolphins wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, learned he isn’t allowed to do what White People do.

OBITS:

From Deadline: English stage, television, and film actor and voice performer, David Graham, has died at the age of 99, Friday, September 20, 2024. Graham may be best known for performing the "Dalek" voices on the British TV classic, "Doctor Who," from 1963 to 1979. He also performed several voices on Gerry Anderson's "Thunderbirds" (1965-66). Graham is best known as the voice of "Grandpa Pig" for the British preschool animated series, "Peppa Pig."

From THR: American musician and singer, Tito Jackson, has died at that age of 70, Sunday, September 15, 2024. Tito was best known as the brother of Janet Jackson and the late Michael Jackson. Tito was an original member of the pop and R&B musical group, "The Jackson Five" (later known as "The Jacksons"), acting as the group's guitarist and backup singer. Tito recorded at 16 studios albums with the group, and he recorded two solo studio albums. He received three Grammy Awards nominations for his work with The Jackson 5/The Jacksons. Tito's sons, Taj, Taryll, and TJ, formed the R&B group, "3T."

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 8th to 14th, 2024 - 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 THR: This is the story of Scott and Diana Anderson, the couple expelled from the ultra-exclusive and secretive Disneyland club, "Club 66."

STREAMING - From Deadline: New cast members have been announced for Paramount+'s "Jon Benet Ramsey" series, based on the infamous murder case from Christmas 1996 in Boulder, Colorado. The new cast includes Garrett Hedlund and Emily Mitchell..

2024 CREATIVE ARTS EMMYS:

From THR: A list of "Night 2" winners (Sun., Sept. 8th)

From THR: A list of "Night 1" winners (Sat., Sept. 7th)

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL - From THR: At the 2024 Venice Film Festival, Spanish film director, Pedro Almodovar wins the top prize, the "Golden Lion," for his film, "The Room Next Door."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 9/6 to 9/8/2024 weekend box office is Warner Bros.' Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with an estimated take of 110 million dollars.

AMAZON - From Variety: Amazon Studios is developing a spinoff of its popular "Reacher" series. Details are still being kept secret.

TELEVISION - From PBS: Geoff Bennett of PBS interviews Meg James of "The Los Angeles Times" about the Disney/DirectTV carriage dispute.

OBITS:

From Deadline: American actor, film producer, and race car driver, Chad McQueen, has died at the age of 63, Wednesday, September 11, 2024. McQueen was the only son of the iconic late actor, Steve McQueen. He is best known for playing the character, "Dutch," in two of the 1980s "The Karate Kid" movies.

From Deadline: American actor, James Earl Jones, has died at the age of 93, Monday, September 9, 2024. Earl was known for his iconic voice and for his work in theatre. He famously provided the voice of iconic villain, "Darth Vader," in the original "Star Wars" films. He made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" (1964). He would go on to make memorable turns in such films as "Conan the Barbarian" (1982), "Matewan" (1987), "Coming to America" (1988), and "The Lion King" (1994, 2019). One of his most famous film roles was as the reclusive writer, "Terence Mann," in the 1989 film, "Field of Dreams." In 2011, he received an Honorary Academy Award for "Lifetime Achievement." He won two Primetime Emmy Awards from eight nominations. He won a Daytime Emmy Awards and nominated one other time. He won the "Best Actor in a Play" Tony Award twice and was nominated two other times. He also one a "Special Tony Award" for lifetime achievement.

From Deadline: James Earl Jones: a life and career in photos.

From Variety: Denzel Washington pays tribute to James Earl Jones, saying "He is who I wanted to be."

From THR: Kevin Costner pens a tribute to his "Field of Dreams" co-star, the late James Earl Jones who died today, Mon., Sept. 9th.

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 1st to 7th, 2024 - UPDATE #10

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From PBS: Geoff Bennett of PBS interviews Meg James of "The Los Angeles Times" about the Disney/DirectTV carriage dispute.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: Director Tim Burton's new film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, earns 12 million dollars in Thursday preview showing.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Fox is cancelling the "9-1-1," spinoff, "9-1-1, Lone Star," at the end of this, it's fifth season, for which there will be 12 episodes. The original, "9-1-1," moved to ABC and has been renewed for an eighth season.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Peacock has ordered a contemperoary television series adaptation of the 1989 horror-comedy, "The 'Burbs," which starred Tom Hanks and the late Carrie Fisher. Keke Palmer will star and executive produce. Seth MacFarlane ("Family Guy") is also one of the executive producers.

NETFLIX - From Deadline: Glenn Close's portrayal as the character "Alberta" in Lee Daniel's Netflix film, "Deliverance," has people talking.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/30 to 9/1 Labor Day weekend box office (3-day totals) is Disney/Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine with an estimated take of 15.2 million dollars.

MOVIES - From THR: "The Hollywood Reporter" profiles actress Naomi Ackie who is hot right now, including for her turn in Zoe Kravitz's Blink Twice.

NETFLIX - From Variety: Star couple, Daneel and Jensen Ackles are producing a sequel/reboot of the former The WB/The CW series, "One Tree Hill" (2003-12), for Netflix.

THE APPRENTICE:

MOVIES - From Deadline: Kinematics, the film financier backed by disgraced former Washington Redskins owner, Dan Snyder, has exited the Donald Trump biopic, "The Apprentice." James Shani, one of the film's executive producers, has bought Kinematics interest in the film via his Rich Spirit.

MOVIES - From Deadline: The Donald Trump movie, "The Apprentice," is still headed for a Fall release. Starring Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Trump's mentor, the late Roy Cohn, the already controversial film is slated for an October 11th release... maybe.

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL:

From THR: Actor Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult say the both went to a "dark place" for the neo-Nazi crime thriller, "The Order" (based on a true story). The film is due Dec. 2024.

Friday, September 6, 2024

Review: "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE" is Morbidly Wonderful and Wonderfully Morbid

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 of 2024 (No. 1986) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Running time: 104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use.

DIRECTOR: Tim Burton

WRITERS: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar; from a story by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith (based on characters created by Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson)

PRODUCERS: Tim Burton, Dede Gardner, Tommy Harper, Jeremy Kleiner, and Marc Toberoff

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Haris Zambarloukos (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Jay Prychidny

COMPOSER: Danny Elfman

COMEDY/FANTASY/HORROR

Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, Nick Kellington, Santiago Cabrera, Burn Gorman, Sami Slimane, Amy Nuttall, and Danny DeVito

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is that rare sequel that is as weird and as wonderful as its weird and wonderful predecessor

Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara are so good at reprising their original roles that it is hard to believe that it has been 36 years since they first played them

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is director Tim Burton's most crowd-pleasing film since 1999's “Sleepy Hollow”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a 2024 American dark fantasy and comic-horror film from director Tim Burton. It is a direct sequel to Burton's 1988 film, Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice finds three generations gathering after a family tragedy only to discover that the latest generation's actions have lead to a new encounter with the Afterlife and also has drawn the attentions of a certain bio-exorcist.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opens over three decades after the events depicted in Beetlejuice. Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is now a “psychic mediator” who hosts a supernaturally themed talk show, “Ghost House,” produced by her current boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux). Lydia is estranged from her daughter, Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega), who is resentful that Lydia had a falling out with Astrid's father, Richard (Santiago Cabrera), who died during an expedition to the Amazon.

Lydia is stressed of late because she has been seeing visions of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), the “bio-exorcist” from the Afterlife who tried to force her to marry him over thirty years ago. Meanwhile, in the Afterlife, Betelgeuse (pronounced “Beetlejuice”) is having his own relationship problems as he has learned that his former wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul-sucking witch, has been revived and is hunting him in order to avenge the wrong she believes he did to her.

Back in the world of the living, Lydia's stepmother, Delia Deetz (Catherine O'Hara), informs her that her husband, Lydia's father, Charles Deetz, has died. Lydia, Astrid, and Delia return to Winter River (the setting of the original film) for Charles' funeral. The three women suddenly find their worlds turned upside down when the Afterlife intrudes and Betelgeuse plots to turn this series of unfortunate events in his favor.

Because of the decades long wait for this sequel, I wondered about the quality of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. After seeing it, I am pleased and happy to say that I enjoyed it as much as I have any film I've seen this year (2024). I saw Beetlejuice Beetlejuice during a Thursday night preview showing, and there were several children present. The children were restless and acted up a bit, especially early on. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is not a children's film, or it is, at least, not as child-friendly as the first film. Beetlejuice had a darkly humorous and macabre sensibility that was similar to the work of the late Charles Addams (1912-1988), the cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine who was best known for his recurring characters that became known as “The Addams Family.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a darker film with a morbid rather than a macabre sensibility. The specter of death – especially sudden, violent, accidental death – hangs over this film. Yet it all seems like ghoulish fun and games, thanks in part to director Tim Burton's creative cohorts. The costume design, production design, film editing, cinematography, lighting, visual effects (practical and CGI), and musical score (by frequent Burton collaborator, Danny Elfman), recall the creative and intense inventiveness of the original film They make Beetlejuice Beetlejuice more grand theater than “Grand Guignol.” Still, I don't think elementary school age children, in general, will really enjoy this new film.

I'd call Beetlejuice Beetlejuice perfect except I do take exception with the film's writing. Although the overall plot is very interesting, the screenplay has some extraneous threads and inessential characters. I won't mention them just in case they end up being spoilers.

I will say that Tim Burton is fortunate to have the trio of Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara carrying the load for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. When I first saw Beetlejuice, I didn’t care for Michael Keaton’s performance as Betelgeuse. I thought his manic energy seemed forced and phony and that the late Robin Williams, who was really coming into his own as a movie star at the time, would have been a better choice. Sixteen years later (2004), I watched Beetlejuice again, and that time I thought Keaton was perfect. Go figure! How wrong I was. With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Keaton proves that no one can be the “ghostest with the mostest” like him.

As Lydia Deetz, Winona Ryder truly evolves the character in interesting and genuinely human ways. Ryder could easily pull off a third film if one were to be made in the next decade (hopefully earlier). Given chance, Catherine O'Hara always proves that she is a giant among comedic actors, and does so again. What she offered in the original film, she offers in comedic droves here.

I had a thoroughly great time at the movies last night, and even the restless kids could not ruin the very funny “Soul Train” references. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is that rare sequel that matches the original film in many ways and surpasses it in others. As a movie fan, I feel blessed to have it.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, September 6, 2024

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Saturday, August 31, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 25th to 31st, 2024 - UPDATE #12

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES/BOOKS - From TheNewYorker and RSN: "Remembering a Childhood in the South Bronx" by Al Pacino, an excerpt from his memoir, "Sonny Boy."

MOVIES - From Deadline: The next "Jurassic World" film has a title and some first-look photos. "Jurassic World: Rebirth" is due July 2, 2025.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: "John Wick" franchise director, Chad Stahelski, is developing author Jonathan Maberry's "Joe Ledger" novel series for television.

VENCIE FILM FESTIVAL - From Deadline: In Venice to receive the Venice Film Festival's "Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award," Sigourney Weaver talks about her work in the "Alien" and "Avatar" franchises. She looks back at her career and talks about upcoming films.

From Deadline: At the Venice Film Festival 2024, director Tim Burton talks about his new film, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," which makes its premiere.

From Deadline: The critics are talking about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice after its Venice Film Festival premiere.

NETFLIX - From Variety: What's coming to Netflix in September 2024? How about "Uglies," which is based on Scott Westerfeld's dystopian novel series, on Sept. 13th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Actress Erika Alexander, who starred as "Maxine Shaw" in in the former Fox sitcom, "Living Single," is partnering with "WeScreenplay" to bolster opportunities for underrepresented voices and marginalized people. Alexander and her production partner, Ben Arnon, are working with "WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Labs" to offer a series of workshops, mentorship programs, and writing labs designed to empower writers from diverse backgrounds.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/23 to 8/25/2024 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine" with an estimated take of 18.3 million dollars.

From Deadline: "Inside Out 2" becomes the first animated film to cross the one-billion dollar mark in overseas box office. It is currently at 1.003 billion dollars.

From Deadline: The 15th anniversary release of the 2009 animated film, Coraline, is among the top performers at the indie box office.

TELEVISION - From THR: Angela Bassett speaks on why she initially declined the offer to narrate National Geographic's Emmy-nominated documentary miniseries, "Queens." The series examines animal matriarchies from Costa Rica to the Congo.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Chick-Fil-A is developing its on streaming service. It will apparently focus on "family-friendly" unscripted series.

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 1st to 6th, 2024 - UPDATE #12

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: The winner of the July 4th box office is "Despicable Me 4" with an estimated take of 20.4 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From EW: Famous actor Kevin Bacon disguised himself as a regular person for a day and discovered that, compared to fame, it sucks.

MOVIES - From THR: "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" director Matt Molloy said he kept turning down offers from super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer until he said yes to the new "Beverly Hills Cop" film.

FILM FESTIVALS - From Deadline: Director Tim Burton's new film, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," will open the 81st Venice Film Festival on Aug. 28th. The film is the sequel to his 1988 Oscar-winning hit, "Beetlejuice."

MOVIES - From WorldofReel: Sony teases that more information will come about Quentin Tarantino's 10th and alleged final film. Earlier this year, it was announced that Tarantino had scrapped his plans to make a movie called "The Movie Critic."

NETFLIX - From THR: Netflix has won the rights to "RIP," a thriller from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's production company. Directed by Joe Carnahan, the film also stars Damon and Affleck.

JAMES BOND - From WorldofReel: Edward Berger ("All Quiet on the Western Front") is the latest name to pop up as a potential director to helm the next James Bond film franchise reboot.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Universal moves tentpole musical, "Wicked" to November 22nd where it will open against Paramount Pictures' "Gladiator II."

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out 2" has crossed the 1 billion dollar mark (1.014 billion dollars) at the global box office, which is the fastest ever for an animated film.

MOVIES - From Deadline: We are approaching the 50th anniversary of the legendary blockbuster film, Jaws (1975). There are two documentaries about the film, dueling for attention, "Jaws: Making a Splash in Hollywood" and "Jaws @ 50."

OBITS:

From Deadline: American film producer, Jon Landau, has died at the age of 63, Friday, July 5, 2024. Landau was best known for his association with writer-director James Cameron and was the COO of Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. Landau shared the "Best Picture" Oscar win with Cameron for the 1997 film, "Titanic." He also received "Best Picture" Oscar nominations for "Avatar" (2009) and "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022).

From Deadline: American screenwriter and director, Robert Towne, has died at the age of 89, Monday, July 1, 2024. He was best known for his work on the 1975 film, Chinatown," for which he was the "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar. He was also nominated for Academy Awards for his work on "The Last Detail" (1974), "Shampoo" (1976), and "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan" (1984). He wrote and directed four films, including "Personal Best" (1982) and "Tequila Sunrise" (1988).

From Deadline: American film editor, producer, and director, Bud S. Smith, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, June 23, 2024. He edited or co-edited such films as "The Karate Kid" (1984), "To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), "Darkman" (1990), and "The Replacements" (2000). He shared two Oscar nominations for his editing work on "The Exorcist" (1973) and "Flashdance" (1983).

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 17th to 23rd, 2024 - UPDATE #15

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

NEWS - From CNN: ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack at a popular concert hall complex, "Crocus City Hall," near Moscow on Friday, March 22nd, after assailants stormed the venue with guns and incendiary devices. The death toll has risen to 115 people, with at least 145 injured.

MEDIA - From Variety: What happens to Paramount Global if it is sold? What happens if it is sold in pieces?

MOVIES - From THR: Recent Oscar winner, Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("The Holdovers"), is in talks to to join a musical in development at Universal from director Michel Gondry and producer Pharrell Williams that has Kelvin Harrison Jr. attached to star. The untitled coming-of-age project is said to be inspired by Williams’ formative years growing up in Virginia Beach in the 1970s.

EMMYS - From Variety: The site offers some early prediction for the 2024 / 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, which is currently scheduled for September 15, 2024. The nominations will be announced July 17, 2024.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel: Earlier this year, director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) put up for a bid a film project starring his frequent collaborator, Michael B. Jordan (Creed). Rumors suggest the film will focus on a battle between vampires and the Ku Klux Klan of the 1960s. The film is due in theaters March 7, 2025 from Warner Bros.

DISNEY/TRAILER - From THR: Director Fede Alvarez says that both Ridley Scott (director of "Alien") and James Cameron (director of Aliens) have seen his upcoming franchise film, "Alien: Romulus." There is a teaser trailer for the film, which is due in theaters August 16th.

MOVIES - From EW: "Entertainment Weekly" has a first look at Michael Keaton and other cast members of the Beetlejuice sequel, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." The article also has some quotes from director Tim Burton.

DISNEY - From Variety: "Star Wars" mastermind, George Lucas, Disney’s largest individual shareholder, has come out with a statement supporting Disney’s board and CEO Bob Iger, urging Disney investors to reject bids by two activist investor groups to take seats on the media company’s board.

MOVIES - From FandomWire: Rumors say that actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the chance to be the next "James Bond." Taylor-Johnson says "I find it charming and wonderful that people see me in that role.

MUSIC - From RollingStone: The venerable magazine reports on "Suno," the AI music generator, a so-called ChatGPT for music. There is also an example of what Suno can do, an unsettling Delta blues song.

MOVIES - From THR: Director Rian Johnson (Knives Out) and his production company, T-Shirt, with partner, Ram Bergman, has signed a two-film deal with Warner Bros.

ANIMATION - From Deadline: Emmy winners, Bill Hader and Quinta Brunson, will lead Warner Bros. Animation's "The Cat in the Hat," which is due in theaters March 26, 2026.

DISNEY - From Deadline: Disney's recent animated film, "Wish," will debut on Disney+ April 3rd.

CANNES - From Deadline: The site looks at the English-language films seeking to make a splash at the 2024 / 77th Cannes Film Festival.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 3/15 to 3/17/2024 weekend box office is Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 4" with an estimated take of 30 million dollars.

NAACP/BLM - From Deadline: The 2024 / 55th Annual NAACP Image Awards came to a close. Grammy-winning recording artist, Usher, won the "Entertainer of the Year." "The Color Purple" continued with wins in the category of "Outstanding Motion Picture," "Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture" (Fantasia Barrino), "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" (Coleman Domingo), "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" (Taraji P. Henson). The film also won in five other categories.

ANIMATION - From CartoonBrew: According to reports, DreamWorks Animation is going to let go of hundreds of its staffers, and some departments will be cut by half or more. DreamWorks Animation COO Randy Lake won't say people are being "laid off," but this "downsizing" will occur because many staffers will not have their contracts renewed.

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AWARDS:

From THR: Key award season dates leading up to the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards, which are Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

From Variety: The winners at the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards were announced. "Oppenheimer" took the lead with seven wins, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Robert Downey, Jr.).

From Variety: The nominations for the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards have been announced. "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11. The winners will be announced Sun., March 10th, 2024.

From Variety: The Producers Guild of America has announced the winners for the 2024 / 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards. "Oppenheimer" has won the top prize, the "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures."

From Deadline: The winners at the 2024 / 77th BAFTA Film Awards have been announced. "Oppenheimer" wins seven awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From THR: The Directors Guild of America has announced the winners at the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards. Christopher Nolan won the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," for his work on his blockbuster film, "Oppenheimer."

From Deadline: The winners at the 2024 / 51st Annie Awards have been announced. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" won six, including "Best Feature." Its predecessor, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" also won six categories, including "Best Feature."

From AwardsWatch: The NAACP has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 55th NAACP Image Awards. By visiting www.naacpimageawards.net, the public can vote to determine the winners of the 55th NAACP Image Awards’ in select categories. Voting closes February 24th at 9:00 p.m. NAACP will also recognize winners in non–televised Image Awards categories March 11–14th, which will stream via naacpimageawards.net. The winners will be revealed during the two–hour LIVE TV special, airing Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET/ PT on BET and CBS.

From THR: The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the winners at the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards. "Poor Things," "Oppenheimer," and "Saltburn" win top prizes.

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 Writers Guild Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced on April 14th, more than a month after the Oscars.

From Variety: The nominations for the 2024 / 77th EE BAFTA Film Awards have been announced. "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11 nominations. The winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From Variety: The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 35th annual Producers Guild Awards. For the first time in the history of the awards, two international films, "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest," have made been nominated in the PGA's top category, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures." The winners will be announced Feb. 25th.

From Variety: The nominees for the 2024 / 51st Annie Awards have been announced. Netflix's "Nimona" leads the features categories with nine nominations. The winners will be announced Sat., Feb. 17th.

From Deadline: The Screen Actors Guild nominations for the 2024 / 30th annual SAG Awards have announced. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" leads the film side of things with four nominations apiece. The winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 24th.

From AwardsWatch: The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association has announced the 6th Annual LEJA Awards. "Past Lives" won "Best Picture." Actor Coleman Domingo won "Best Actor" for his role in "Rustin" and "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in "The Color Purple."

From AwardsWatch: The Vancouver Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards. "Anatomy of a Fall" won "Best Picture."

From Variety: The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards. In the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," the nominees are Greta Gerwig for "Barbie," Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” and Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers.” The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch: The London Critics Circle announced the winners of its 44th annual film awards. "The Zone of Interest" won three awards, including "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch: The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) has won the 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy tied with Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers").

From Variety: The American Cinema Editors has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 74th Annual ACE Eddie Awards. The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch: The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) has named its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch: The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Poor Things" won three awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch: The Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Studio Film." Celine Song's "Past Lives" won three, including "Best Independent Film."

From Variety: The Motion Picture Sound Editors has revealed the nominations for the 71st annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards in categories spanning feature film, television, animation, computer entertainment and student productions. The winners will be announced March 3rd.

From AwardsWatch: The Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" won four awards, including "Best Picture."

From Variety: The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 22nd Annual VES Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced Feb. 21st.

From AwardsWatch: The North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch: The Music City Film Critics Association has announces it MCFCA 2023 Film Awards. Oppenheimer won seven awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch: The Portland Critics Association (PCA) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Deadline: The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced the 15th annual African-Ameri an Film Critics Awards. "American Fiction" was voted the #1 film and won four awards, including "Best Comedy." Ava DuVernay's "Origin" was voted the #2 film and won three awards, including "Best Drama."

From Deadline: The winners of the 2024 / 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch: The Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Barbie" wins four awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch: The Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch: The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) revealed the nominees for the "2024 / 38th Annual ASC Awards" with categories in feature film, documentary, television and music video categories. The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch: The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch: The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) announced the winners in 21 categories for the 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards. Director Celine Song’s "Past Lives" was named the "Best Picture of 2023."

From AwardsWatch: The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) has announced the nominations for the 60th CAS Awards. The winners will be announced March 2nd.

From AwardsWatch: The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the nominations for the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards. The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch: The Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) has announced it 2024 ASTRA Film Awards. "Barbie" won eight awards, including "Best Picture.

From AwardsWatch: The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture."

From NSFC: The National Society of Film Critics announce its 58th annual NSFC Awards. "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture of 2023."

From Deadline: The 2024 / 81st Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held Sun. night, Jan. 7th, 2024. "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Motion Picture-Drama," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), "Best Actor-Drama" (Cillian Murphy), and "Best Supporting Actor-Motion Pictures" (Robert Downey, Jr.). "Poor Things" won "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline: NIGHT 2 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sun., Jan. 7th, 2024. (Former) President Barack Obama and Keke Palmer were among the winners.

From Deadline: NIGHT 1 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sat., Jan. 6th, 2024. HBO's "The Last of Us" lead the night with 8 wins, including wins in both "Guest Actor in a Drama Series" categories: Nick Offerman (Guest Actor) and Storm Reid (Guest Actress).

From AwardsWatch: The 5th annual DiscussingFilm Critics Awards were announced. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch: The Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" won three awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Celine Song).

From AwardsWatch: The Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won seven honors, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch: The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch: The Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Killers of the Flower Moon" won six awards including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese).

From AwardsWatch: The Costume Designers Guild (Local 892) announced the official nominees list for the 26th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards). The annual CDGA ceremony will take place Wed., Feb. 21st, 2024.

From Variety: The British Academy has unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 24 categories for the 2024 / 77th BAFTA Film Awards. These results are known as "the longlists." "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon," and "Oppenheimer" all appeared on the longlist of 15 categories. The nominations will be announced Jan. 18th, and the winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From AwardsWatch: The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Killers of the Flower Moon" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch: The Critics Association of Central Florida (CACF) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won 10 awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch: U.K. Film Critics Association (UKFCA) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Variety: The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) has announced nominations for the 11th MUAHS Guild Awards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 led with five mentions in the film categories and ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led with four in the television categories. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 18, 2024.

From AwardsWatch: The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch: Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards. Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch: The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards. "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch: The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards. Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture." It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch: The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch: The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch: The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch: The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards. "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch: The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards. "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch: The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards. "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch: The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards. "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture." Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch: The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards. "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture." "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch: The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards. "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch: The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced. "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won. "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch: The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced. "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations. The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch: The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch: The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023. Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch: The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch: The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced. "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From THR: The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced. The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch: The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters. The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR: The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced. "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch: The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced. "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch: The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch: "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association). The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline: At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety: The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023." Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety: The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th. Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 2

Anatomy of a Fall: 2

Barbie: 2

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 2

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 24

Past Lives: 9

Poor Things: 4

The Zone of Interest: 3

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Saturday, February 10, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Feb. 1st to 10th, 2024 - Update #28

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR: Christian Bale will play Frankenstein in a film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The Warner Bros. film is set in the 1930s and finds the monster traveling to the 1930s Chicago where a doctor will create a companion for him. Filming begins in the next few weeks.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Emmy Award-winner Jon Cryer shoots down the possibility of a reboot of his former CBS sitcom, "Two and a Half Men."

ANIMATION - From TheWrap: It seems that Warner Bros. Discovery's plan all along was to kill the live-action/animation hybrid Looney Tunes film, "Coyote vs. Acme."

OSCARS - From THR: The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that it will soon begin annually presenting an Oscar recognizing "achievement in casting." The award, which will first be presented in 2026, will be the first new Oscar introduced since the organization began presenting "best animated feature" in 2002, after announcing its creation in 2001.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Warner Bros. has won the deal for the untitled project from writer-producer-director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan that is based on an original script by Coogler. Coogler and Jordan first made their mark as a team on Fruitvale Station (2013) and later worked together on Creed (2015) and Black Panther (2018).

DISNEY - From Deadline: Taylor Swift's hit concert film, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" will begin streaming on Disney+ March 15th and will feature five new songs.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Director David Leitch is in early talks to direct the next "Jurassic World" film, which is set to debut in theaters July2, 2025. Leitch is best known for such films as "John Wick" and "Bullet Train."

AMAZON - From Deadline: America Ferrera will make her directorial debut with "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter," which is based on Erika Sanchez's novel. The film was previously set up at Netflix, but is not at Amazon MGM Studios' Orion Pictures.

GRAMMYS - From Variety: The winners at the 2024 / 66th Annual Grammy Awards were announced. The top prize, "Album of the Year," went to "Midnights" by Taylor Swift.

From Deadline: With his daughter, Blue Ivy, at his side, Jay-Z called out the Grammys over Beyonce's lack of an "Album of the Year" award, all while accepting the "Dr. Dre Global Impact Award."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 2/2 to 2/4/2024 weekend box office in Universal Pictures' "Argylle" with an estimated take of 18 million dollars.

BUSINESS - From Afrotech: Actress and writer-producer, Issa Rae, says that she has secured money from investors to open a studio that will create opportunities for creators.

MOVIES - From Collider: Actress Nico Parker will play "Astrid" in the live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation's Oscar-nominated hit, How to Train Your Dragon. However, she believes the film will be its "own film, and its own interpretation."

ANIMATION/TRAILER - From SlashFilm: There is a trailer for "Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin." It debuts on Apple TV+ on Feb. 16th.

MOVIES - From Variety: Jim Carrey will reprise his role as "Dr. Robotnik" in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." He played the role in "Sonic the Hedgehog" (2020) and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (2022).

TELEVISION - From Variety: Actor Sam Waterson is leaving NBC's long-running legal drama, "Law & Order" after 400+ episodes as Assistant D.A. and later District Attorney "Jack McCoy." Waterson's last episode will air Thurs., Feb. 22nd. He joined the series in 1994. Actor Tony Goldwyn will replace him.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Actor and filmmaker, Donnie Yen, will star in "Kung Fu," an adaptation of the former ABC martial arts/Western drama television series, "Kung Fu" (1972-75). David Leitch is set to direct.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Brad Pitt is reunited with Quentin Tarantino for his final film, "The Film Critic," which is due in 2025. Pitt has starred in Inglourious Basterds (2009) and won an Oscar for his performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

MUSIC/SPORTS - From NewYorkTimes: Fox News demands that Grammy Award-winning superstar, Taylor Swift, stay out of politics as they fear that she will endorse President Joe Biden... again.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Tim Burton is set to direct a re-imagining of the 1958 Warner Bros.'s film, "The Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman," with Gillian Flynn ("Gone Girl") writing the script.

ANIMATION/STREAMING - From ScreenRant: Peacock has announced a direct sequel to the DreamWorks Animation's 2010 film, Megamind. Peacock released a trailer for "Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate," which will begin streaming on Peacock March 1st. Debuting the same day on Peacock is an eight-episode animated series, "Megamind Rules!"

MOVIES - From AwardsWatch: Sony Pictures Classics announced that it has acquired all rights in North America, the Middle East, India, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand to Pedro Almodóvar’s upcoming first English-language feature film, The Room Next Door. Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, and John Turturro and produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo, the film will begin shooting March (2024) in New York and Madrid.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Apple TV+'s "Ted Lasso" was the most watched streaming original series in 2023, according to Nielsen. However, the most streamed title of the year was USA'S former legal drama, "Suits" (2011-19) with 57.7 billion viewing minutes.

OBITS:

From Variety: Country singer-songwriter and recording artist and actor, Toby Keith, has died at the age of 62, Monday, February 5, 2024. Keith recorded 19 studio albums, many reaching No. 1 on both the "Billboard 200" album chart and Billboard's "Top Country Album" chart. Keith had 20 No. 1 sings on Billboard's "Hot Country Songs" chart, including the most played country song of the 1990s, "Should've Been a Cowboy." Keith was also a seven-time Grammy Award nominee. Keith starred in two films, "Broken Bridges" (2006) and "Beer for My Horses" (2008), which he wrote.

From Variety: Film and television actor and TV director, Carl Weathers, has died at the age of 76, Thursday, February 1, 2024. Weathers is best known for the character, "Apollo Creed," which he first played in the Oscar-winning "Best Picture," "Rocky" (1976), and in "Rocky II" (1979), "Rocky III" (1982), and "Rocky IV" (1985). Other best known appearances include Predator (1987), "Action Jackson" (1988), and "Happy Gilmore" (1996). Weathers directed episodes of several TV series, including CBS' "FBI," NBC's "Chicago Med" and "Law & Order." Weathers directed two episodes of the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian." Weathers also appeared in 9 episodes of "The Mandalorian" over its three seasons as "Greef Karga," which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" in 2021. Weathers also played professional football for the NFL's Oakland Raiders and CFL's BC Lions.

From Deadline: Carl Weathers, his career in photos, from "Rocky" to "Predator" and "The Mandalorian."

From LATimes: "Everyone loved him," Sylvester Stallone, Adam Sandler, and other co-star speak on the late actor and director, Carl Weathers.

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From Deadline: Film and television actor, William O'Connell, has died at the age of 94, Monday, January 15, 2024. O'Connell played the memorable "Star Trek" villain, "Thelev the Andorian," in the second season episode, "Journey to Babel" (Nov. 17th, 1967). He appeared in several films with Clint Eastwood, including "High Plains Drifter" (1972) and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976). O'Connell was a Korean War veteran who received the "Bronze Star," among other decorations.

AWARDS:

From THR: Key award season dates leading up to the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards, which are Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch: The London Critics Circle announced the winners of its 44th annual film awards. "The Zone of Interest" won three awards, including "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer).