Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Oct 6th to 12th, 2024 - UPDATE #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Writer-director Chris Sanders confirms that DreamWorks Animation is developing a sequel to his current hit animated feature, "The Wild Robot."

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix will not give a third season to "Unstable," the comedy series starring and co-created by Rob Lowe and his son, John Owen Lowe.

From Deadline:  Netflix is developing a TV series based on Jane Austen's beloved 1813 novel, "Pride and Prejudice," which has been previously adapted for film and television many, many, many times.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Three characters from "The Big Bang Theory" may lead a spinoff series for Max.  The series, which is still in early development, would feature comic book store owner, Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman), geologist Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn), and Stuart's girlfriend, Denise (Lauren Lapkus).

MOVIES - From THR:  Christopher Nolan's next project after his Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer" will also find its home at Universal Pictures.  Matt Damon is in talks to star in the film.  The title and subject matter of the 2026 film remain unannounced.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Although its third season does not arrive until 2025, Amazaon's "Jack Reacher" has been approved for a Season Four.

From Variety:  "Jack Reacher" star, Alan Ritchson, to star in the film adaptation of "Counting Miracles," from bestselling author, Nicholas Sparks.

SCANDAL - From RNS:  The preeminent sex pests of the late Rev. Jerry Faldwell's empire, his son, Jerry, Jr., and Junior's wife, Beckie, are back in the good graces of the empire.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  In November (2024), Poland’s "Camerimage Film Festival" will host what it has described as a tribute debut screening of the Alex Baldwin Western film, "Rust," to honor the late Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.  Hutchins was killed in an accidental shooting on the set of "Rust," where she was the cinematographer. Some in the Director of Photography / cinematography community find the idea of screening the film in Hutchins' honor distasteful.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 10/4 to 10/6/24 weekend box office is Warner's Bros. Pictures' "Joker: Folie a Deux" with an estimated take of 40 million dollars.

MOVIES - From JoBlo:  Katy O'Brian ("Love Lies Bleeding," "Twisters") is supposedly joining Glen Powell in the remake of the 1987's "The Running Man," which will be co-written and directed by Edgar Wright.

POLITICS - From RollingStone:  Grammy-winning recording artist, Bruce Springsteen, endorses the VP Kamala Harris-Gov Tim Walz ticket for President of the United States.

Oscar-nominated "Joker" Has Returned to Movie Theaters

Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” the Most Oscar-Nominated Film of the Year, to Be Re-Released in Theaters Nationwide Beginning January 17, Offering Audiences Another Opportunity to Experience the Bold, Acclaimed Film on the Big Screen

“Joker” leads all films with 11 Academy Award nominations and 11 BAFTA nods, and recently won two Golden Globes, including Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix’s mesmerizing performance

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and BRON Creative’s “Joker” returned to more than 750 cinemas across North America Friday, January 17, 2020. The film has garnered numerous awards and award nominations across all categories, among them: 11 Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations—including Best Picture—more than any other film; two Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards wins, for star Joaquin Phoenix’s remarkable performance and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s haunting score; and the Golden Lion, the top honor at the Venice Film Festival.

    “With the continued interest in ‘Joker’ as a result of its recognition during this exciting awards season, we wanted to give audiences the chance to see the film on the big screen, whether for the first time or again.”

Lauded by critics as a film that will stand the test of time, “Joker” sits on many coveted Top 10 lists, including AFI. The film’s other accolades to date include Variety’s Creative Impact in Directing Award for Phillips; the Palm Springs International Film Festival Chairman’s Award for Phoenix; the Camerimage Audience Award and its Golden Frog for cinematographer Lawrence Sher; two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations; a Producers Guild Award nod; and multiple guild nominations.

Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, stated, “With the continued interest in ‘Joker’ as a result of its recognition during this exciting awards season, we wanted to give audiences the chance to see the film on the big screen, whether for the first time or again.”

“Joker” took in over $1 billion worldwide in its initial run to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.


About “Joker”
Forever alone in a crowd, Arthur Fleck seeks connection. Yet, as he trods the sooted Gotham City streets and rides the graffitied mass transit rails of a hostile town teeming with division and dissatisfaction, Arthur wears two masks. One, he paints on for his day job as a clown. The other he can never remove; it’s the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel he’s a part of the world around him, and not the misunderstood man whom life is repeatedly beating down. Fatherless, Arthur has a fragile mother, arguably his best friend, who nicknamed him Happy, a moniker that’s fostered in Arthur a smile that hides the heartache beneath. But, when bullied by teens on the streets, taunted by suits on the subway, or simply teased by his fellow clowns at work, this social outlier only becomes even more out of sync with everyone around him.

Directed, co-written and produced by Todd Phillips, “Joker” is the filmmaker’s original vision of the infamous DC villain, an origin story infused with, but distinctly outside, the character’s more traditional mythologies. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. Longing for any light to shine on him, he tries his hand as a stand-up comic, but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty and, ultimately, betrayal, Arthur makes one bad decision after another that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty, allegorical character study.

Four-time Oscar nominee Phoenix (“Joker,” “The Master,” “Walk the Line,” “Gladiator”) stars in the titular role alongside Oscar winner Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull,” “The Godfather: Part II”). The film also stars Zazie Beetz (TV’s “Atlanta,” “Deadpool 2”), Frances Conroy (TV’s “American Horror Story,” Hulu’s “Castle Rock”), Brett Cullen (“42,” Netflix’s “Narcos”), Glenn Fleshler (TV’s “Billions,” “Barry”), Bill Camp (“Red Sparrow,” “Molly’s Game”), Shea Whigham (“First Man,” “Kong: Skull Island”), Marc Maron (TV’s “Maron,” “GLOW”), Douglas Hodge (“Red Sparrow,” TV’s “Penny Dreadful”), Josh Pais (“Motherless Brooklyn,” “Going in Style”) and Leigh Gill (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”).

Oscar nominee Phillips (“Joker,” “Borat,” “The Hangover” trilogy) directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Oscar-nominated writer Scott Silver (“Joker,” “The Fighter”), based on characters from DC. The film was produced by Phillips and Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“Joker,” “A Star Is Born,” “American Sniper”) under their Joint Effort banner, and Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff (“Joker,” “The Irishman,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”). It was executive produced by Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada, Aaron L. Gilbert, Joseph Garner, Richard Baratta, and Bruce Berman.

Behind the scenes, Phillips was joined by Oscar-nominated director of photography Lawrence Sher (“Joker,” “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “The Hangover” trilogy), production designer Mark Friedberg (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Selma”), Oscar-nominated editor Jeff Groth (“Joker,” “War Dogs,” “The Hangover Part III”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Mark Bridges (“Joker,” “Phantom Thread,” “The Artist”). The music is by Oscar-nominated composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker,” HBO’s “Chernobyl”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in Association with BRON Creative, a Joint Effort Production, a Film by Todd Phillips, “Joker.” It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. This film has been rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images.

www.joker.movie

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Review: "Joker" Ain't No Joke

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Joker (2019)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
Rating: MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images
DIRECTOR:  Todd Phillips
WRITERS:  Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
PRODUCERS:  Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Lawrence Sher
EDITOR:  Jeff Groth
COMPOSER:  Hildur Guðnadóttir

CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler, Leigh Gill, Douglas Hodge, Carrie Louise Putrello, Sharon Washington, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dante Pereira-Olson

Joker is a 2019 crime drama from director Todd Phillips.  The movie offers a gritty character study and new origin story of The Joker, the classic Batman villain who first appeared in Batman #1 (cover dated: Spring 1940).

The film opens sometime in the early 1980s.  Gotham City is in a state of chaos because of political and social turmoil and also because of class conflict between the extremely wealthy and powerful and the ordinary citizens.  Gotham is also in the middle of a mayoral election and a strike by the sanitation workers, which means that no one is picking up the garbage.  Trash bags and refuse line the streets, and this has created a rodent problem so bad that people are talking about “super rats.”

One of Gotham's beleaguered citizens is Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man with a history of mental illness, including a stint in a mental institution.  Fleck works as a “party clown,” but he aspires to be a stand-up comedian.  He lives with his ailing, aging mother, Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy), who also has a history of mental illness.

Living in poverty and being mostly a loner, Arthur Fleck feels he has been disregarded by society.  All his life, it seemed to him that no one even noticed that he existed, so he always wondered if he really existed.  Now, two unexpected incidents in a single day will change his life.  One is an accident and mistake that costs Arthur his job.  The other is a violent act of self-defense that will leave an already shocked city aghast.  But not everyone is appalled by the man who will become “Joker.”

After all the controversy and worry that it would inspire lonely, young men (particularly “incels,” the “involuntarily celibate”) to violence, Todd Phillips' Joker, the comic book movie that is not a comic book movie, turns out to be a somewhat more personal film and, on the part of Joaquin Phoenix, a more intimate performance than one would expect from all the hullabaloo.  Joker portrays the descent (or ascent?) of a man from mentally-ill invisible man to psychopathic murder and celebrated figure.

I don't know if Joker is Phoenix's best performance, because as good as the Oscar-nominated actor is here, this millennium has seen him deliver tour-de-force performances in varied roles across a variety of films.  If he deserves to be nominated for an Oscar or even win one for his performance in Joker, this performance is just the latest example of actor-as-artist who has been in full bloom for quite awhile.  Phoenix's performance as Arthur fleck is both gut-wrenching and utterly entertaining.  He manages to be both dark and light, pitiful and deadly in a role and performance that is too complex to describe in a paragraph or two.  I can say that in the annals of films based on comic books, Phoenix as Arthur Fleck is an immortal work of art.

Director Todd Phillips and his co-screenwriter, Scott Silver, have created a movie that is an evolution in the comic book film genre.  However, most comic book movies are meant to be popcorn entertainment, even when they are deeply thoughtful, poignant, and/or dramatic.  I believe that Joker is not meant to change the direction of such films coming from Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU) or from Warner Bros. line of DC Comics-inspired films.  Like Christopher Nolan did with his film, The Dark Knight (2008), Phillips points towards a different direction for comic book films with Joker.  I think that The Dark Knight partly inspired Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), so, in the next five years, I expect to see at least one great comic book movie following in the inspired dance steps of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.

The film has good supporting performances; for me, Robert De Niro as television talk show host, Murray Franklin, and Zazie Beetz as “love interest,” Sophie Dumond, who makes the most of her relatively small role, are standouts.  The crazy, ominous, gorgeous film score by Hildur Guðnadóttir is also one of the film's most special elements.

In Joker, Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips have created something scary, beautiful, fantastic, exhilarating, funny, and dazzling.  I will admit that sometimes it scared me and made me uncomfortable, but I love it all the more because of that.  Joker is a bravura act of cinema.

9 of 10
A+

Saturday, October 5, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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"Joker" Becomes the Global Box Office's Most Successful R-Rated Film

“Joker” Takes in More Than $800 Million at the Global Box Office, Becoming the Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film of All Time

The character’s first-ever standalone film is a stand-out around the world

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Since its opening in early October 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and BRON Creative’s “Joker” has been a powerhouse across the globe, passing the milestone $800 million mark, making it the highest grossing R-rated film of all time worldwide at $804.4 million and counting. The announcement was made by Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

The film’s impressive opening weekend totals made “Joker” the biggest October opener of all time domestically, internationally and worldwide. Since then, domestically the film has grossed $264.1 million in just three weeks and can boast numerous October records, including largest pre-show, and largest Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It also earned the largest all-time opening for a drama, an R-rated DC film, a Todd Phillips film, a Joaquin Phoenix film, a Robert De Niro film, and a Village Roadshow film.

Internationally, “Joker” has garnered a total of $540.3 million and holds records for the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, the highest-grossing Warner Bros. film of all time in 14 markets, including Argentina and Mexico, and the highest-grossing DC film in 30 markets, including Italy, Spain, Russia, Argentina and Mexico.

In making the announcement, Emmerich stated, “Todd Phillips’s bold, creative vision is evident in every frame of ‘Joker,’ matched only by Joaquin Phoenix’s incomparable interpretation of this iconic character. What they and everyone who worked on this film created has clearly resonated with audiences worldwide. We congratulate them and our colleagues at DC on reaching this extraordinary benchmark, and I personally want to congratulate the entire Warner Bros. team on the roll-out of this film.”


About “Joker”
Forever alone in a crowd, Arthur Fleck seeks connection. Yet, as he trods the sooted Gotham City streets and rides the graffitied mass transit rails of a hostile town teeming with division and dissatisfaction, Arthur wears two masks. One, he paints on for his day job as a clown. The other he can never remove; it’s the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel he’s a part of the world around him, and not the misunderstood man whom life is repeatedly beating down. Fatherless, Arthur has a fragile mother, arguably his best friend, who nicknamed him Happy, a moniker that’s fostered in Arthur a smile that hides the heartache beneath. But, when bullied by teens on the streets, taunted by suits on the subway, or simply teased by his fellow clowns at work, this social outlier only becomes even more out of sync with everyone around him.

Directed, co-written and produced by Todd Phillips, “Joker” is the filmmaker’s original vision of the infamous DC villain, an origin story infused with, but distinctly outside, the character’s more traditional mythologies. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. Longing for any light to shine on him, he tries his hand as a stand-up comic, but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty and, ultimately, betrayal, Arthur makes one bad decision after another that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty, allegorical character study.

Three-time Oscar nominee Phoenix (“The Master,” “Walk the Line,” “Gladiator”) stars in the titular role alongside Oscar winner Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull,” “The Godfather: Part II”). The film also stars Zazie Beetz (TV’s “Atlanta,” “Deadpool 2”), Frances Conroy (TV’s “American Horror Story,” Hulu’s “Castle Rock”), Brett Cullen (“42,” Netflix’s “Narcos”), Glenn Fleshler (TV’s “Billions,” “Barry”), Bill Camp (“Red Sparrow,” “Molly’s Game”), Shea Whigham (“First Man,” “Kong: Skull Island”), Marc Maron (TV’s “Maron,” “GLOW”), Douglas Hodge (“Red Sparrow,” TV’s “Penny Dreadful”), Josh Pais (upcoming “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Going in Style”) and Leigh Gill (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”).

Oscar nominee Phillips (“Borat,” “The Hangover” trilogy) directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Oscar-nominated writer Scott Silver (“The Fighter”), based on characters from DC. The film was produced by Phillips and Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born,” “American Sniper”) under their Joint Effort banner, and Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff (“The Wolf of Wall Street”). It was executive produced by Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada, Aaron L. Gilbert, Joseph Garner, Richard Baratta, and Bruce Berman.

Behind the scenes, Phillips was joined by director of photography Lawrence Sher (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “The Hangover” trilogy), production designer Mark Friedberg (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Selma”), editor Jeff Groth (“War Dogs,” “The Hangover Part III”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Mark Bridges (“Phantom Thread,” “The Artist”). The music is by Hildur Guðnadóttir (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in Association with BRON Creative, a Joint Effort Production, a Film by Todd Phillips, “Joker.” It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. This film has been rated R by the MPAA for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images.

www.joker.movie

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 1st to 7th, 2019 - Update #27

Support Leroy on Patreon:

STREAMING - From THR:  Patty Jenkins signs a TV deal with Netflix.

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MOVIES - From BlackFilm:  Michael Ealy talks executive producing and starring in the soon to be released remake of the 1990 film, "Jacob's Ladder."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Here is a list of Fall 2019 horror films.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Gabrielle Union will produce a drama-comedy for cable giant, Spectrum.  Union is already starring in the "Spectrum Originals" series, "L.A. Finest."

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AWARDS - From THR:  The 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival has come to a close.  The "Golden Lion" went to director Todd Phillps and his film, "Joker."  The "Silver Lion" went to director Roman Polanski and his film, "An Officer and a Spy."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Haley Atwell is joining the next "Mission: Impossible" film.  Atwell is best known for her appearances in "Captain America: The First Avenger" and its ABC TV spinoff, "Agent Carter."

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STREAMING - From Deadline:   Darren Criss will star in and executive produce Ryan Murphy's Netflix drama series, "Hollywood."  Criss won an Emmy and several other awards for playing spree killer Andrew Cunanan in Murphy's "The Assassination Gianni Versace."

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CULTURE - From YahooHuffPost:  "Barbie Death Camp," the Burning Man festival - go, read.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Actor Sean Connery reports that he and his wife rode out Hurricane Dorian from his mansion in the Bahamas.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Isaiah Mustafa talks about the transition from professional football to acting, including a role in "It: Chapter Two."

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TELEVISION - From THR: Milo Ventimiglia ("This is Us") will portray motorcycle daredevil, the late Evel Knievel for a USA Network miniseries.

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STREAMING - From THR:  Hulu and MGM have the screen rights to the "The Testaments," the upcoming book sequel to Margaret Atwood's novel, "The Handmaid's Tale" (1985).  Hulu is currently streaming an Emmy-winning TV adaptation of "The Handmaid's Tale."

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STREAMING - From TVGuide:  Netflix is ending its comedy series, "Grace and Frankie" (starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda), after its upcoming seventh season.  By reaching a seventh season, "Grace and Frankie" will become Netflix's longest-running series to date.

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy is reportedly planning to return to stand-up comedy in 2020, via a tour.

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STREAMING - From THR:  Will Poulter ("We're the Millers") has been named one of the leads in Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" series.

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AWARDS - From THR:  The nominations for the 2019 E! People's Choice Awards have been announced.

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CELEBRITY - From THR:  In a wide-ranging interview with "The Hollywood Reporter," Scarlett Johansson talks about a lot of things.  But this interview may be remembered for her support of #MeToo casualty, director Woody Allen.

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OBAMA - From THR:  President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are having trademark issues of their company's name, "Higher Ground Productions."

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Television series mastermind, Ryan Murphy, is planning an impressive slate of programs as part of his Netflix deal.  That includes a TV adaptation of the Broadway musical, "A Chorus Line" and a biography of iconic designer, Halston, with Ewan McGregor in the lead role.

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STREAMING - From TheWrap:  AppleTV has scrapped plans to produce the Richard Gere drama, "Bastards."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/3 to 9/1/2019 weekend box office (the Labor Day weekend and the final weekend of Summer 2019) is "Angel Has Fallen" with an estimated take of 11.57 million dollars.

From Deadline:  After Disney slaughtered its rivals at the summer box office, they ask, "what is theatrical."

From Variety:  Even with big hits like "The Lion King" and "Avengers: Endgame," the North American box office experienced a two percent decline in Summer 2019 (4.32 billion dollars) from Summer 2018 (4.41 billion dollars).

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Actor-comedian Kevin Hart reportedly suffers "major back injuries" in a car accident in Calabasas, CA early Sunday morning, Sept. 1st.

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MOVIES - From TheDailyBeast:  At the Venice Film Festival, Spike Lee defends Nate Parker, who is at the festival screening his latest, "American Skin."

From Variety:  Director Nate Parker apologizes for being tone-deaf about the resurfacing of rape allegations against him in 2016 during the promotion of his film, "The Birth of a Nation."

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FILM FESTIVAL - From YahooNews:  At the Venice Festival, controversy swirls around the film, "An Officer and a Spy," and its director Oscar-winner Roman Polanski.  Polanski was convicted for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1978, and he has been a fugitive from the U.S. since then.  Some believe his inclusion is out of touch in the #MeToo era.

OBITS:

From Variety:   The actress Carol Lynley has died at the age of 77, Tuesday, September 3, 2019.  She is best known for her appearances in "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) and Blue Denim, both the original play in 1958 and its 1959 film adaptation.  She also appeared in the 1972 TV movie, "The Night Stalker," which led to the short-lived ABC series, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (1974-75).

From YahooMusic:  The Grammy-winning songwriter, LaShawn Daniels, has died at the age of 41, Tuesday, September 3, 2019.  Daniels was a frequent collaborator of Grammy-winner, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and wrote or co-wrote songs for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga.  Daniels won the "Grammy Award for Best R&B Song" for Destiny Child's "Say My Name" in 2001.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The first trailer for "Bad Boys for Life" the third film in the "Bad Boys" film franchise.  The film is due January 17, 2020.

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.astarisbornmovie.com

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 23rd to 30th, 2018 - Update #20

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/28 to 9/30/2018 weekend box office is "Night School," with an estimated take of $28 million.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Gal Gadot joins Fox's remake of "Death on the Nile," based on Agatha Christie's novel.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Apparently, there will be a second "Deadpool" movie this year.  "Deadpool 2" was released this past May.  The new film will open December 21st according to a still developing story.

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CELEBRITY - From TheWrap:  Comedian Wanda Sykes was booed during a stand-up comedy show for making anti-President Trump jokes.

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SPORTS-CRIME - From ESPN:  Louisiana State University (LSU) college basketball player, Wayde Sims, was killed in a shooting outside a restaurant near Southern University of Baton Rouge.  A junior from Baton Rouge, Sims was shot about 12:25 a.m. CST and died at a local hospital.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  MTV announced that rapper Li'l Yachty will star in "How High 2," a TV sequel to the 2001 theatrical feature, "How High," which stars Method Man and Redman. [I am a fan of the original. - Editor]

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Bill Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in state prison for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand.  Judge Steven T. O'Neill also ruled Cosby a "sexually violent predator" and fined him $25,000.

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MOVIES - From Variety: Mel Gibson will co-write and direct a remake of Sam Peckinpah's classic 1969 Western, "The Wild Bunch."

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooPeople:  See Joaquin Phoenix in action as "The Joker," in a new set photo.

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STREAMING - From Newsarama:  Here is the first photo of the "Star Trek" slash Captain Picard revival.

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STREAMING - From Variety:  Zoe Kravitz will star in a TV series, "High Fidelity," which will be inspired by Nick Hornby's 1995 novel, "High Fidelity" and the 2000 Touchstone film adapted from the novel (and starring John Cusack).

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TELEVISION - From Collider:  The great Robert Englund will play "Freddy Krueger" ("A Nightmare on Elm Street"), the character for which he is most (in)famous, for an episode of the ABC sitcom, "The Goldbergs."  Englund will reprise Krueger for the series' Halloween episode.

----------
TELEVSION - From TVLine:  Halle Berry and Lena Waithe has executive producers of BET's adaptation of Eddie Murphy's 1992 film, "Boomerang."  The TV series will be a continuation rather than a reboot.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/21 to 9/23/2018 weekend box office is "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" with an estimated haul of $26.85 million.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Todd Phillips reveals a photo image of Zazie Beetz's from his film, "Joker," starring Joaquin Phoenix.

----------
MEDICINE-BLM - From MotherJones:  Black Patients Miss Out On Promising Cancer Drugs. Black people and Native Americans are underrepresented in clinical trials of new drugs, even when the treatment targets a type of cancer that disproportionately affects them.

----------
HISTORY - From YahooFinance:  100 years ago the United States fought its deadliest battle ever, "the Meuse-Argonne offensive of 1918."  The U.S. victory there helped bring an end to World War I, but the cost was 26,000 Americans killed and tens of thousands wounded.

----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Jordan Peele ("Get Out") will host and narrate the CBS' revival of "The Twilight Zone" for its streaming service CBS All Access.

----------
CULTURE-BLM - From Vox:  Living while black; campaigning while Black.

TRAILER:

From CNET:  First trailer for "X-Men: Dark Phoenix," which is due February 14, 2018.

OBITS:

From RollingStone:  Vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Marty Balin, has died at the age of 73, Thursday, September 27, 2018.  In 1965, Balin founded the psychedelic rock band, Jefferson Airplane, with guitarist, the late Paul Kantner (2016), in San Francisco.

From StarWars:  The film producer, Gary Kurtz, has died at the age of 78, September 23, 2018.  Kurtz is best known for his association with George Lucas, producing Lucas' directorial efforts, "American Graffiti" (1973) and "Star Wars" (1977).  Kurtz produced "The Empire Strikes Back," but parted ways with Lucas.  Kurtz earned "Best Picture" Oscar nominations for producing "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 16th to 22nd, 2018 - Update #24

Support Leroy on Patreon:

POLITICS - From Politico:  The cautionary political tale of Kent Sorenson, once a rising Tea Party star.

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  There is test footage from Todd Phillips' "Joker" film starring Joaquin Phoenix.  It reveals some simple, but scary clown makeup.

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COMICS-FILM - From FirstPost:  "Blade" turns 20, and it is time to remember how important the Wesley Snipes-led film was to the development of superhero films over these past 20 years.

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COMICS-STREAMING - From Deadline:  Brec Bassinger will play the title character in the series, "Stargirl," for the streaming service, "DC Universe."

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MUSIC - From Deadline:  Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight pleads no contest to running over a man in a restaurant parking lot and killing him, one count of voluntary manslaughter.  He expected to be sentenced to 28 years in state prison.

---------
JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  Cary Joji Fukunaga will be the first American director to helm a James Bond as he has been announced as the director of the 25th James Bond film which is now due for February 2020.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Michael B. Jordan will star as Tom Clancy's character, "John Clark," in two films based on Tom Clancy's novels, "Rainbow Six" and "Without Remorse."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Bruce Greenwood joins "Doctor Sleep," Warner Bros' sequel to "The Shining."  Both films are based on Stephen King novels.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Ryan Coogler is a producer on "Space Jam 2," which will star LeBron James and Bugs Bunny.  The original "Space Jam" (1996) starred Michael Jordan and Bugs.

----------
SPORTS - From Variety:  Grammy-winning pop group, "Maroon 5," will perform the halftime show at Super Bowl LIII (53 - February 3rd, 2019).

----------
EMMYS - From THR:  A complete list of winners at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards.

From TheVox:  The 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards are tonight; the link to the left is a list of of nominees.

----------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Patrick Stewart ("Star Trek: The Next Generation") will play "a 'Bosley'" character in the latest "Charlie's Angels" reboot.

----------
POLITICS - From THR:  Michael Moore Plays His Trump Card: A New Movie, Modern Fascism and a 2020 Prediction

----------
CULTURE - From THR:  Sean Penn says #MeToo movements divides men and women. "Its too black and white.

From TheDailyBeast:  Sean Penn's history of allegedly abusing women recounted in this article.

From THR:  If Sean Penn's craziness wasn't enough, Woody Allen's stepdaughter-turned-spouse, Soon Yi Previn, revives the mess around the long-running feud slash controversy involving Allen and his former wife, Mia Farrow, who was also Soon Yi's adopted mother.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/14 to 9/16/2018 weekend box office is "The Predator" with an estimated take of $24 million.

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COMICS-FILM - From RollingStone:  See first image of Joaquin Phoenix as "the Joker" in Todd Phillips' upcoming film.

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CULTURE - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway denounces white and straight privilege.

----------
POLITICS - From RollingStone:  On Sept. 29th, country music legend Willie Nelson will hold his first ever public performance on behalf of a politician, in this case Texas candidate for the U.S. Senate, Beto O'Rourke.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From ComicBook:  Matt Reeves' script for the "Batman" movie is will reportedly direct is rumored to be complete.

From ConsequenceofSound:  Emmy-winning actor, Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), wants to play Batman.  [That would be a Batman with a sweet, sweetback - Editor.]

----------
CELEBRITY - From TheWrap:  Fan Bingbing, one of China's most popular actresses, has gone missing.  Speculation is that she has been arrested for tax evasion.

TRAILERS:

From YahooEntertainment:  The first official trailer for Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel."

Director Todd Phillips, Actor Joaquin Phoenix Unite for "Joker" Film

Joaquin Phoenix Set to Star in Todd Phillips’ Joker Origin Story

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Joaquin Phoenix will star in an origin story of one of DC’s most notorious Super-Villains, the Joker.

Under the direction of Todd Phillips, the film centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Phillips will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with writer Scott Silver (“The Fighter”). The film will be produced by Emma Tillinger Koskoff and executive produced by Richard Baratta. The film begins production later this year.

One of today’s most versatile actors, Phoenix has been honored with three Oscar nominations, for his work in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” James Mangold’s “Walk the Line,” in which he starred as Johnny Cash, and Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.” He won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017 for Lynne Ramsey’s “You Were Never Really Here,” and has also earned acclaim for his work in numerous films, including Spike Jonze’s “Her.” His most recent film, Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” premiered at Sundance this year.

The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

-----------------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 20th to 26th, 2017 - Update #33

Support Leroy on Patreon.

TELEVISION - From SlashFilm:  Lionsgate is among a group of entities developing a reboot of the 2008 film "Jumper."  Doug Liman, who directed the film, is also developing a "Jumper"-related series for Youtube Red.

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TELEVISION - TVLine:  The first three episode of "American Horror Story: Cult" have been screened for the press, revealing details about Lena Dunham and Emma Roberts' characters.

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MOVIES - From FlickeringMyth:  Vera Farmiga and J.K. Simmons are joining Hugh Jackman in his Gary Hart biopic, "The Front Runner."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  "It," the new film adaptation of Stephen King's epic novel, is looking like it may set a box office record for the month of September.

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COMICS-FILM - From Vulture:  James Cameron ain't buying all the self-congratulatory back slapping over the "Wonder Woman" film.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  A "Girls Trip" sequel may be in the works.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the producers of NBC's hit drama, "This is Us," will write and direct a film featuring DC Comics' characters, The Joker and Harley Quinn.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Jon Favreau teases a reunion of Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow and himself in "Avengers 4."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooTV:  Tyler Perry says that he still takes care of his step-father although the man physically and verbally abused him as a child.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Director Matt Reeves says that his movie, "The Batman" (starring Ben Affleck as Batman) will not be part of the DC Extended Universe and it will be a stand alone film.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Martin Lawrence does not think "Bad Boys 3" will happen.

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BLM - From GuardianUK:  The U.S. justice system uses the chokehold to oppress and humiliate black men.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Common will star in Starz "Black Samurai" series with RZA (Wu-Tang Clan) and Jerry Bruckheimer executive producing.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Iranian filmmaker, Asghar Farhadi, has begun shooting his new film in Spain with Oscar winners Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz headlining the film.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are planning another Batman spinoff movie.  This one would focus on the origin of iconic Batman villian, The Joker, and would involve the creative talents of Todd Phillips and Martin Scorsese.

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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  Ed Skein of "Deadpool" is joining the "Hellboy" reboot film.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC has scrapped its plans for a reboot of "Xena: Warrior Princess."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Margot Robbie is unrecognizable as Queen Elizabeth I in the film, "Mary Queen of Scots."

----------
SPORTS - From BET:  A large number of NYPD officers rally in support of blackballed NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.

-----------
CULTURE - From RollingStone:  The history of White supremacy in America.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  New details emerge on "Deadpool 2" crash that took the life of stunt woman Joi Harris.

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Lynn Whitfield joins Sanaa Lathan in Netflix's comedy, "Nappily Ever After."

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  A spoiler-filled recap of the Aug. 20th, 2017 "Game of Thones."

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/18 to 8/20/2017 weekend box office is "Hitman's Bodyguard" with an estimated take of $21.6 million.

----------
ANIMATION - From YahooTV:  Writer-director Adam Reid is trying to raise money to produce a pilot for a proposed animated TV series featuring President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden as time traveling heroes.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Cover story:  Has Netflix's Ted Sarandos rescued or ruined Hollywood?

From Variety:  Marvel/Netflix's "The Defenders" could set binge-viewing / streaming records.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  New Line is looking to reboot the "Shaft" film franchise again.  Samuel L. Jackson is in negotiations to join the film with Jessie T. Usher ("Survivor's Remorse").  Jackson starred in the title role in Paramount Pictures' 2000 "Shaft" film.

CULTURE - From Politico:  How militias became the private police force for White supremacists.


OBITS:

From THR:  The comedian, radio talk show host, and comic actor, Jay Thomas, has died at the age of 69, Thurs., August 24, 2017.  Thomas won two Emmys playing "Jay Gold" on the 1980s-90s CBS sitcom, "Murphy Brown."  He was also known for his annual appearances on David Letterman's late-night talks shows.

From RollingStone:  Actor, filmmaker, comedian, and philanthropist, Jerry Lewis, has died at the age of 91, Sunday, August 20, 2017.  Before he embarked on a solo film career, he partnered with legendary singer and actor, Dean Martin.  Many knew Lewis for his annual "The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon," which raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

---------------------------------
From Variety:  Groundbreaking civil rights activist and comedian, Dick Gregory, has died at the age of 84, Saturday, August 19, 2017.  He counted among his friends Dr. Martin Luther King and Medgar Evars.  Gregory wrote several books, including "Nigger: An Autobiography."  His new book, "Defining Moments in Black History" is due in September.

From Variety:  Tributes to Dick Gregory, who died on Saturday, pour in from colleagues, fans, and admirers, including Whoopi Goldberg, George Wallace, Ava DuVernay, Gilbert Gottfried, Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Lawrence O'Donnell, and more.

From Variety:  Dick Gregory recent guest column for Variety: "Fight Police Brutality with Your Wallet."
-----------------------------------------

From Variety:  The actor Sonny Landham died at the age of 76, Thursday, August 17, 2017.  Part Seminole and Cherokee, Landham was best known for playing the Native American tracker, Billy Sole, in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Predator (1987).  He also had roles in "The Warriors," "48 Hrs," and "Action Jackson."

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

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

Film Marks Cooper’s Directorial Debut

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-------------------------------

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga to Headline "A Star is Born" Remake

 Lady Gaga to Star Opposite Bradley Cooper in Reimagining of “A Star is Born,” Marking Cooper’s Directorial Debut

Lady Gaga Will Also Write and Perform New Music in the Film

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Award-winning music superstar Lady Gaga has been set to star opposite four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) in a remake of the iconic musical drama “A Star is Born.” The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. The film will also be helmed by Cooper, who will be making his directorial debut.

Lady Gaga’s role in “A Star is Born” will mark her first lead in a feature film. In addition, she will compose new songs for the film, which she will also perform.

“A Star is Born” is being produced by Billy Gerber and Jon Peters; together with Bradley Cooper and Todd Phillips, under their Joint Effort Productions banner. Basil Iwanyk is serving as executive producer.

In making the announcement, Silverman stated, “For those of us lucky enough to watch him work as an actor and producer, it has been clear that Bradley would make this transition to director. We are honored that he is doing it, here, at his home—Warner Bros.—and with Lady Gaga as a collaborator and co-star. The world is in for a treat as these great artists craft an all new vision of ‘A Star is Born.’”

A singular talent, Lady Gaga earned an Oscar nomination earlier this year for her moving song “Til it Happens to You,” from the documentary “The Hunting Ground.” Among her many music honors, she has also won six Grammy Awards and earned another nine Grammy nominations. Her multi-platinum hits range from “Bad Romance,” “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” to the chart-topping anthem “Born This Way.” In 2014, she proved her crossover appeal with “Cheek to Cheek,” partnering with the legendary Tony Bennett on a duet album of standards, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart. On the acting front, Lady Gaga starred in the 2015-16 season of FX’s hit series “American Horror Story,” earning widespread acclaim and winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Made for Television Movie. She had earlier been seen in the Robert Rodriguez films “Machete Kills” and “Sin City: A Dame to Die For.”

“A Star is Born” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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Todd Phillips Begins Shooting "Arms & the Dudes" with Jonah Hill and Miles Teller

Shooting Begins on “Arms & the Dudes”

Jonah Hill and Miles Teller star under the direction of Todd Phillips

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Arms & the Dudes,” starring Oscar nominee Jonah Hill (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Moneyball”) and Miles Teller (“Whiplash”). “The Hangover” trilogy director and Oscar nominee Todd Phillips (“Borat” screenplay) is directing the film.

Based on a true story, “Arms & the Dudes” follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a $300 million deal to arm the Afghan Military—a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.

Phillips directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jason Smilovic (“Lucky Number Slevin”), and Stephen C. Chin (“Another Day in Paradise”), based on the Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson. Todd Phillips and Bradley Cooper, under the banner of their 22nd & Green Productions, and Mark Gordon, under the banner of The Mark Gordon Company, are producing the film. The executive producers are David Siegel and Bryan Zuriff.

Filming began on location in Romania, and shooting is also being accomplished in Las Vegas, Southern California, Miami, and in Morocco.

“Arms & the Dudes” reunites Phillips with several of his collaborators from “The Hangover” trilogy, including director of photography Lawrence Sher, production designer Bill Brzeski and editor Jeff Groth. Joining the team is costume designer Michael Kaplan (“Star Trek,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness”).

The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

------------------

Bradley Cooper and Todd Phillips Form Production Company

Warner Bros. Pictures Announces First-Look Producing Deal with Todd Phillips and Bradley Cooper’s New Production Company

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Longtime friends and collaborators Todd Phillips and Bradley Cooper have formed a production company as producing partners and signed a three-year, first-look production agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures, it was announced today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    “Bradley is a tremendous talent and one of my closest friends”

“Todd and Bradley have deep personal ties throughout the Studio and we couldn’t be more pleased that they are combining their immense talents into what promises to be one formidable production company,” said Silverman. “The entire Warner Bros. family is excited about the great movies we know will come from this collaboration of two highly successful and original filmmakers.”

“Todd is one of the smartest, coolest guys I know,” said Cooper. “He also happens to be one of the best filmmakers in the business, and I am honored and excited to be his partner.”

“Bradley is a tremendous talent and one of my closest friends,” said Phillips. “He is the hardest working guy I know and truly loves all aspects of filmmaking. The pairing of his intense focus and my good looks should make for some fun, and hopefully compelling, projects. I look forward to causing some trouble with him.”

The first collaboration under the new banner will be “Arms & the Dudes,” which is Phillips’ next project to direct. The film is based on a Rolling Stone article written by Guy Lawson that chronicles the true story of two stoner kids from Miami Beach who wound up becoming big-time arms dealers for the U.S. government, eventually landing a $300 million contract that got them in way over their heads.

Cooper, who became well known from “The Hangover” franchise, has since been nominated for Academy Awards® for his work in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle.” He formed 22nd & Indiana Pictures and partnered with Warner Bros. in a two-year development deal in 2012. One of the first projects Cooper acquired under the 22nd & Indiana banner was “American Sniper,” an adaptation of the autobiography of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Cooper is producing and starring in the film, which is currently shooting in Morocco and Los Angeles, under the direction of Clint Eastwood.

Phillips’ Green Hat Films has been based at Warner Bros. since 2005. The first film under the Green Hat banner was “The Hangover,” which grossed $469.2 million worldwide, and still ranks, domestically, as the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever. The sequel, “The Hangover Part II,” surpassed its predecessor, grossing $587.2 million worldwide. Collectively, “The Hangover” trilogy has grossed over $1.4 billion globally. Phillips also produced and directed “Due Date” for the studio in 2010 and produced “Project X” in 2012.

Review: "Starsky and Hutch" is Average Entertainment (Happy B'day, Snoop Dogg)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Running time:  101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PR-13 for drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence
DIRECTOR:  Todd Phillips
WRITERS:  John O’Brien, Scot Armstrong and Todd Phillips, from a story Steve Long and John O’Brien (based upon characters created by William Blinn)
PRODUCERS:  William Blinn, Stuart Cornfeld, Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, and Alan Riche
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Barry Peterson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Leslie Jones
COMPOSER:  Theodore Shapiro

COMEDY/CRIME with some elements of action

Starring:  Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Fred Williamson, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Jason Bateman, Amy Smart, Carmen Electra, George Cheung, Chris Penn, Patton Oswalt, Jenard Burks, The Bishop Don Magic Juan, and Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul

The subject of this movie review is Starsky & Hutch, a 2004 crime comedy from director Todd Phillips.  The film is based on the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch, a police drama-thriller that was created by William Blinn and was originally broadcast on the ABC television network from 1975 to 1979.  The film is a kind of prequel to the original television series.  Starsky & Hutch the movie follows two streetwise cops who fight crime in their red-and-white Ford Torino.

With my refined tastes, I should technically be repulsed by film remakes of 70’s television programs, but repulsed or otherwise, I’ll generally see them.  Still, I’d planned on seeing the controversial Mel Gibson Jesus movie, but it was sold out, and there was the poster for Starsky & Hutch staring me in the face.  Though I had to settle on something I hadn’t planned on seeing at the time, it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of Starsky and Hutch.  It’s a fairly funny film, but you wouldn’t have missed a cinematic event that must be seen on the big screen if you’d waited for home video or TV.

Set in a sort of anachronistic version of the 1970’s, S&H is the story of two streetwise detectives who form an unlikely partnership.  David Starsky (Ben Stiller) is an anal by-the-books guy, who actually does nothing but screw up, despite his attention to rules.  Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson (Owen Wilson) is a genial kind of guy, always hanging loose, but he is also the kind of cop who breaks the law when it suits him.  Hutch robs bookies for their loot, and he uses illegal drugs.  The mismatched pair gets on the nerves of their boss, Captain Dobey (Fred Williamson), relies on tips from an omniscient street informer, Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg), and busts crime in Starksy’s 1974 red-and-white, souped-up Ford Torino.  Their first big case together involves a respectable businessman, Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), who may be a big time cocaine dealer.  However, Starsky and Hutch’s bumbling and lack of hard evidence dog their case every step of the way.

Starsky & Hutch has some extremely hilarious moments, not as many as, say, Scary Movie 3.  S&H is structured like SM3 in that S&H’s plot, story, and script are basically an elaborate, but dumb, blueprint to layout jokes.  S&H’s script is, however, nothing like the disaster of that was SM3’s script.  S&H also reminds me of another of director Todd Phillip’s hits, Old School (2003): lots of funny scenes, but ultimately a lame, by-the-book, Hollywood yuck fest that plays it way too safe.

This is also one of the times that Ben Stiller’s shtick, that of the angry, quick-tempered nerd, works for the film.  Owen Wilson is a great screen presence; the camera loves him, and the role of the amiable Hutch easily fits Owen’s usually warm and generous film persona.

I generally enjoyed this film’s deep tongue in the tongue-in-cheek mode.  Starsky and Hutch is not to be taken seriously, nor does the film try to make you do so.  The quasi-70’s setting is a hoot, at least early on, but the film’s period atmosphere eventually dissolves into mere background noise.  There should have been much more Snoop Dogg because he surprisingly has good screen presence.  Also, Will Ferrell’s (who doesn’t get a screen credit) riotous turn as Big Earl, a man in the county lockup with serious man crush issues, is certainly a reason to see this film, at home or in a theatre.

5 of 10
B-

NOTES:
2005 Razzie Awards:  2 nominations: “Worst Actor” (Ben Stiller) and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Carmen Electra)

Updated:  Sunday, October 20, 2013

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Review: "The Hangover Part II" Not Quite the Same

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Hangover Part II (2011)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips
WRITERS: Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong, and Todd Phillips (based on characters created by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore)
PRODUCERS: Daniel Goldberg and Todd Phillips
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lawrence Sher (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Debra Neil-Fisher and Mike Sale
COMPOSER: Christophe Beck

COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Paul Giamatti, Mason Lee, Sasha Barrese, Jamie Chung, Jeffrey Tambor, Nirut Sirichanya, Bryan Callen, Mike Tyson, and Nick Cassavetes

The subject of this movie review is The Hangover Part II, a 2011 comedy from director Todd Phillips. The film is a sequel to the 2009 hit comedy, The Hangover. Most of the cast returns for this sequel, including Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha, the characters the comprise “the Wolfpack.” In The Hangover Part II, another pre-wedding get-together turns bad, this time in Thailand.

The Hangover Part II opens two years after the Wolfpack’s escapade in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now, dentist Dr. Stuart “Stu” Price (Ed Helms) is getting married, but the nuptials are in Thailand, the home of Stu’s bride-to-be, Lauren (Jamie Chung). Stu invites Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Doug Billings (Justin Bartha), and reluctantly, Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) to attend the wedding.

In addition to the usual pre-wedding jitters, there is some other tension. Lauren’s father, Fohn Srisai (Nirut Sirichanya), hates Stu, and Alan does not like that Teddy (Mason Lee), Lauren’s little brother, is tagging along with the Wolfpack. Stu, Phil, Doug, Alan, and Teddy decide to spend one night around a campfire on the beach, drinking beers and roasting marshmallows. The following morning, Stu, Phil, and Alan wake up in a dirty hotel room in Bangkok. They can’t remember what happened after the campfire, and someone is missing again.

The Hangover Part II is not The Hangover. For one thing, the sequel lacks the element of surprise that made the first film such a delight. The Hangover practically came out of nowhere and caught audiences unaware, with its twists and turns that made Las Vegas seems like a wonderland of playful raunchiness and good-humored naughtiness. In spite of all the R-rated fun, The Hangover was joyful, and the danger was less about jeopardy and more about merriment.

I can’t say that The Hangover Part II is darker than the first film, because The Hangover wasn’t a film with a dark mood or even dark undertones. The Hangover Part II is just plain dark. It is raunchier, as if to say “Bangkok don’t play!” I also wouldn’t say that the story is especially cruel to the characters, but the screenplay does seem to be putting Phil, Stu, and Alan through their paces. It is as if fate doesn’t really care one way or the other about them. Whatever made Las Vegas a special, but safe playground for the Wolfpack isn’t a privilege the friends will get everywhere they go. Sometimes, in some city, one of the Wolfpack will get f***** up the a**, and it won’t be any bigger a deal than getting a bad tattoo after getting pissy drunk.

However, The Hangover Part II is funny, not as funny as the original, but funny in its own foul and revolting way. It is a sequel, but it is also basically a remake of the first movie, set in a new “sin city,” with some changes in circumstances, and a few new supporting characters.

Four years ago, I wrote that the fun in The Hangover was in getting the surprises. The fun in The Hangover Part II is being surprised that you are more amused than you are disgusted by the Wolfpack’s one night in Bangkok.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2012 Razzie Awards: 2 nominations: “Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel” (Both a Remake and a Sequel) and “Worst Supporting Actor” (Ken Jeong, also for Transformers: Dark of the Moon-2011, Zookeeper-2011, and Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son-2011)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

"The Hangover Part III" Starts Shooting for May 2013 Release

Cameras Roll on “The Hangover Part III”

Director Todd Phillips takes stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis on one last wild ride

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Hangover Part III,” the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy franchise.

This time, there’s no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.

“The Hangover Part III” reunites Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug. Returning to the ensemble are Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor and, as the guys’ long-suffering wives, Gillian Vigman, Sasha Barrese and Jamie Chung. John Goodman joins the cast as well.

Phillips directs from a screenplay he wrote with Craig Mazin, who also collaborated with him on the screenplay for “The Hangover Part II.” Phillips is producing the film under his Green Hat Films banner, together with Dan Goldberg. Thomas Tull, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink are the executive producers.

Also back for another round are Phillips’ behind-the-scenes creative team from the first two films: director of photography Lawrence Sher, editor Debra Neil-Fisher and costume designer Louise Mingenbach. They are joined by production designer Maher Ahmad (upcoming “Gangster Squad”) and editor Jeff Groth (“Project X”).

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures, “The Hangover Part III” is scheduled for release on May 24, 2013, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"The Hangover III" Announced for May 2013

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Are Ready for Another “Hangover”

Director Todd Phillips will reunite with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis for Part III of the blockbuster comedy franchise, to open on May 24, 2013

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are reteaming with Todd Phillips for “The Hangover Part III,” the third installment in the record-breaking comedy franchise, which is slated for release on May 24, 2013. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

“The Hangover Part III” will star Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, who will reprise the roles of Phil, Stu and Alan, collectively known to moviegoers as “the Wolfpack.” In the previous two films, the three friends’ attempts to plan a celebration have resulted in disaster for them, but led to a combined billion-dollar success at the worldwide box office.

In making the announcement, Robinov stated, “We are extremely pleased to have Todd Phillips and the guys back together again for another ‘Hangover,’ and we look forward to collaborating with them on another great movie.”

Phillips said, “I’m so excited to embark on another ‘Hangover’ film with Bradley, Ed and Zach. We’re going to surprise a lot of people with the final chapter we have planned. It will be a fitting conclusion to our three-part opera of mayhem, despair and bad decisions.”

Phillips is writing the screenplay with Craig Mazin, who also collaborated with him on the screenplay for “The Hangover Part II.” Phillips is again producing the film under his Green Hat Films banner, together with Dan Goldberg. Thomas Tull and Scott Budnick will serve as executive producers.

Production on the film is projected to begin in September 2012.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures, “The Hangover Part III” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The Hangover Part II: It Can't Be Stopped!!

The Wolfpack Tears up the Box Office Again with a Record-Breaking Opening for “The Hangover Part II”

Comedy Sequel Has Now Crossed the $200 Million Mark Worldwide

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Hangover Part II” made it a memorable Memorial Day weekend at the box office. The blockbuster comedy has now crossed $200 million worldwide, the fastest of any comedy to surpass that benchmark. The joint announcement was made today by Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution Dan Fellman, and President of International Distribution Veronika Kwan-Rubinek. To date, “The Hangover Part II” has grossed more than $205 million globally.

Domestically, the Todd Phillips-directed comedy raked in more than $135 million dollars in its first five days in release, smashing multiple records along the way, beginning with its $10.4 million dollar midnight opening and first-day Thursday gross of over $31.6 million. “The Hangover Part II” broke the three-day, four-day and five-day opening records for a comedy film opening of any rating. Additionally, the film shattered both the Memorial Day weekend record and the Friday-to-Monday holiday record for an R-rated film, with a total of $103.5 million, more than doubling the previous records.

Fellman remarked, “We could not imagine a better way to kick off our summer and, based on audience reactions and strong word-of-mouth, we expect this ‘Hangover’ to last throughout the summer. Cheers to Todd Phillips and the ‘Wolfpack,’ who are back in a big way and who made ‘The Hangover Part II’ an experience no one will forget.”

In addition, “The Hangover Part II,” which was released in 40 territories, woke up to a staggering international gross, topping the box office with $70.05 million on 5193 screens through Monday.

Kwan-Rubinek stated, “With the unprecedented success and continuing popularity of the first film, expectations were incredibly high for ‘The Hangover Part II.’ This fantastic opening shows that the movie not only met but exceeded those expectations on a global level. We applaud Todd, his fantastic cast, and everyone involved in the film, all of whom share in this extraordinary success.”

In “The Hangover Part II” Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. With the memory of Doug’s nearly disastrous bachelor party in Las Vegas still fresh—or at least well-documented—Stu is taking no chances. He has opted for a safe, subdued, pre-wedding trip brunch, with pancakes, coffee…and no alcohol. However, things don’t always go as planned. Two nights before the big day, at a fabulous resort in Thailand, Stu relents. One beer each. In sealed bottles. What could go wrong?

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined.

“The Hangover Part II” is director Todd Phillips’ follow-up to his 2009 smash hit “The Hangover,” which became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time and also won the Golden Globe for Best Film – Comedy or Musical.

Reprising their roles, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha star in the film. Ken Jeong and Jeffrey Tambor also return from the first film, and Mason Lee, Jamie Chung and Paul Giamatti join the ensemble.

The screenplay is by Craig Mazin & Scot Armstrong & Todd Phillips. Phillips also produced the film under his Green Hat Films banner, together with Dan Goldberg. Thomas Tull, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink are the executive producers, with David A. Siegel and Jeffrey Wetzel serving as co-producers.

“The Hangover Part II” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The film has been rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use and brief violent images.