Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 11th, 2025 - UPDATE #26

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

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

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NEWS:

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 77th Annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  In the awards' marquee category, "Theatrical Feature Film," the nominees are Jacques Audiard ("Emilia Perez"), Sean Baker ("Anora"), Edward Berger ("Conclave"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), and James Mangold ("A Complete Unknown").  The winners will be announced February 8th.

From EW:  The Screen Actors Guild has cancelled the 2025 / 31st SAG Awards nominations announcement live-stream because of the current wildfires sweeing through the Los Angeles area.  The nominations will be announced Thursday morning, January 9th via press release and on SAG Awards website.  The SAG Award ceremony will be hired Feb. 23rd.

CRIME - From LATimes:  There are new details in the shooting death of actor Johnny Wactor ("General Hospital," "Siberia").  The 37-year-old actor died after being shot in the chest May 25, 2024 by one of three thieves who were stealing the catalytic converter from his 2013 Toyota Prius.  At least two of the people involved are members of a South Los Angeles street gang.  One of the thieves reportedly shouted, "No!," before his accomplice shot Wactor, whose funeral was held in June 2024 in his hometown of Summerville, South Carolina.

DISNEY - From USAToday:  The result of FuboTV's lawsuit against Disney/Fox/Warner Bros. Discovery over their planned sports streaming service, "Venu Sports," is that Disney will merge "Hulu + Live" service with FuboTV.  Disney will own 70 percent of the new service, and the merger will be finalized in the next 12 to 18 months.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From THR:  The winners for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" won "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" and "Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language."  "The Brutalist" won "Best Motion Picture - Drama."  "Wicked" won in the new category, "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement."  "Flow" won "Best Motion Picture - Animated."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/3 to 1/5/2025 weekend box office is Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King" with a take of 23.8 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From APNews:  Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and Emmy-winner Michael J. Fox were among 19 people who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian honor) from President Joe Biden today (Sat., Jan. 4th) in a White House Ceremony.

AMAZON - From AwardsWatch:  Amazon Prime Video is set to debut Viola Davis' next film, the action-thriller, "G20," on April 20th.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Hot off his new film, "Nosferatu," Robert Eggers is set to direct a reboot/sequel to Jim Henson's 1986 film, "Labyrinth."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  British cinematographer, Roger Pratt, has died at the age of 77, December 2024.  Pratt received a "Best Cinematography" Oscar nomination for "The End of the Affair" (1999).  Pratt was also the cinematographer for two "Harry Potter" films and for three films by Terry Gilliam, beginning with "Brazil" (1985).  His other work includes "Batman" (1989), "Chocolat" (2000), and "Troy" (2004), to name a few.

From Deadline:  American singer, songwriter, and musician, Wayne Osmond, has died at the age of 73, Wednesday, January 1, 2025.  Along with his brothers: Alan, Merrill, and Jay, he co-founded "The Osmonds," later known as "the Osmond Brothers."  He was active from 1962 to 2019.  His television appearances include "Donny & Marie" (1976-79), his siblings, Donny and Marie Osmond's ABC variety series.

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BLAKE LIVELY:

From Deadline:  Justin Baldoni, in the middle of legal issues with his "It Ends With Us" co-star, Blake Lively, has added a new front to the war with a strike against Lively's husband, superstar actor and producer Ryan Reynolds.  Baldoni says that in Reynolds' recent worldwide hit, "Deadpool & Wolverine," the character, "Nicepool," is based upon him.

From NBCNews:  NBC News has a rundown on the events surrounding Blake Lively's civil rights complaint against her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

From Variety: "That bitch lied on me!" Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for "It Ends With Us" star and director, Justin Baldoni, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, fired back at the film's lead actress, Blake Lively’s civil rights complaint against Baldoni in a statement. He called it “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations.”

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BOWL SCHEDULE - From YahooSports:  Here is your 2024-2024 college football bowl schedule with games, matchups, times, and dates.  Most of the games are on ESPN.

It begins with the "Cricket Celebration Bowl" on Saturday, December 14th featuring Jackson State vs South Carolina State at Noon EST on ABC.

The first round of the "College Football Playoff" begins Friday, December 20th with Indiana at Notre Dame at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

It all climaxes January 20th, 2025 with the "College Football Playoff National Championship" on ESPN.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From THR:  The winners for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" won "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy" and "Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language."  "The Brutalist" won "Best Motion Picture - Drama."  "Wicked" won in the new category, "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement."  "Flow" won "Best Motion Picture - Animated."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 77th Annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  In the awards' marquee category, "Theatrical Feature Film," the nominees are Jacques Audiard ("Emilia Perez"), Sean Baker ("Anora"), Edward Berger ("Conclave"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist"), and James Mangold ("A Complete Unknown").  The winners will be announced February 8th.

From EW:  The Screen Actors Guild has cancelled the 2025 / 31st SAG Awards nominations announcement live-stream because of the current wildfires sweeing through the Los Angeles area.  The nominations will be announced Thursday morning, January 9th via press release and on SAG Awards website.  The SAG Award ceremony will be hired Feb. 23rd.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2025 / 56th Annual NAACP Image Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "The Piano Lesson" leads with 14 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 21st and 22nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the Minnesota Film Critics Association (MNFCA) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has taken five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Music City Film Critics Association (MCFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has won four awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 George Film Critics Association (GFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has won "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore), 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Challengers" has won "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Luca Guadagnino).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 DiscussingFilm's Global Film Critics Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" won "Best Picture."

From EW:  The nominations for the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" leads with 10 nominations.  The winners will be announced January 5, 2025 on CBS and Paramount+.

From THR:  The winners at the 2025 National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) Awards have been announced. "Nickel Boys" has won the award for "Best Picture" of 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) Awards have been announced.  "Conclave" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Edward Berger), and "Best Actor" (Ralph Fiennes).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Conclave" has won three awards, including "Best Narrative Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Columbia Film Critics Association (COFCA) Awards have been announced. "The Substance" has won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Actress" (Demi Moore), 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 29th Capri, Hollywood-International Film Festival Awards have been announced. "Emilia Perez" won six awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Critics Association of Central Florda (CACF) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 UK Film Critics Association (UKFCA) Awards have been announced. "Dune: Part Two" won "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) Awards have been announced. "Anora" has won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" won six awards, including "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat). and "Best Leading Performance" (Demi Moore).  "The Substance" shared the "Best Film" honor with "Anora."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Awards have announced.  "The Beast" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Bertrand Bonello).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Nevada Film Critics Society (NFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has taken six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Zone of Interest" was named "Best Film" and its director, Jonathan Glazer, won "Best Director."  Although the film was released in Dublin this year, it was eligible for the Academy Awards in 2023.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critic Association (DFWFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has won three awards: "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Southeastern Film Critics Associations (SFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), and "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison).

From AwardsWatch: The winners at the 2024 New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Substance" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has been named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Awards.  "The Substance" has won six awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Coralie Fargeat), and "Best Leading Performance" (Demi Moore), and "Best Supporting Performance" (Margaret Qualley).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (RaMell Ross)

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Awards have been announced. "Dune: Part Two" has won three awards, including "Film" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the nominations in the category of "Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures." The winners at the 2025 / 39th Annual Producers Guild Awards will be announced Saturday, February 8, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. "Anora" has been named "Best Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) Awards have been announced. "The Brutalist" has taken five awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Brady Corbet), and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody). 

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Dune: Part Two" has won six awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Denis Villeneuve).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Nickel Boys" has won "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (RaMell Ross). "Sing Sing" has won "Best Actor" (Colman Domingo) and "Best Supporting Actor" (Clarence Maclin).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has been named "Best Picture."  The films four total wins including for "Best Director" (Brady Corbet) and "Best Actor" (Adrien Brody).

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Chicago Film Critics (CFC) Awards have been announced.  "The Brutalist" has won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Awards have been announced.  "Sing Sing" won "Best Picture," won of three awards it received.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Michigan Movie Critics Guild (MMCG) Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture," one of its four wins.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 2024 Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Film," one of four awards it won.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Washington Area Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Wicked" has won the award for "Best Feature."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners of the 49th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Anora" was named "Best Picture."  Marianne Jean-Baptiste (for "Hard Truths") became the first Black woman to win a lead performance honor in the groups history.

From AwardsWatch:  The winners for the 2024 / 27th British Independent Film Awards have been announced.  The Irish film, "Kneecap," wins "Best British Independent Film."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2024 Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) have been announced.  "Anora" wins "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Sean Baker), "Best Actress" (Mikey Madison), and "Best Original Screenplay."

From AFI:  The American Film Institute has named its top ten films and television series.  Among the films honored are "Dune: Part Two," "Nickel Boys," and "Wicked."

From THR:  The winners at the 2024 / 37th European Film Awards have been announced.  "Emilia Perez" wins the award for "European Film."  It also won the directing (Jacques Audiard), writing (Audiard), and actress (Karla Sofia Gascon) honors.

From NBR:  The National Board of Review has named its 2024 film honorees.  "Wicked" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (for John M. Chu).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2025 / 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.  Cannes 2024 Palme d'Or winner, "Anora," and "I Saw the TV Glow" each lead with six nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, February 22, 2025.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2024 / 90th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  Director Brady Corbet's three-hour epic, "The Brutalist," has won "Best Film" and its star, Adrian Brody, has won "Best Actor."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards have been announced.  Writer-director Aaron Schimberg's "A Different Man" has won the "Best Feature" award.

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film.  Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 27th British Independent Film Awards have been announced.  The Irish film, "Kneecap," leads with 14 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, December 8, 2024.

BEST PICTURE WINNER COUNT:

From AwardsWatch:  This link will take you, dear readers, to "AwardWatch's" article, "Who Won What? - The 2024/2025 Film Award Precursor Guide."

"Anora": 14 wins (Atlanta Film Critics Circle; Austin Film Critics Association; Boston Society of Film Critics; CACF: DFWFCA; Georgia Film Critics Association; IFCA; LAFCA; Michigan Movie Critics Guild; OAFFC; NTFCA; Philadelphia Film Critics Circle; SFBAFCC; SFCA)

"The Beast": 1 win (Florida Film Critics Circle)

"The Brutalist": 9 wins (AWFJ; BOFCA; Chicago Film Critics; Golden Globes-Drama; MNFCA; Nevada Film Critics Society; NYFCC; Phoenix Critics Circle; Phoenix Film Critics Circle)

"Challengers": 1 win (GWNYFCA)

"Conclave":  2 wins (North Carolina Film Critics Association; Oklahoma Film Critics Circle)

"A Different Man": 1 win (Gotham Awards)

"Dune: Part Two" - 4 wins (LVFCS; Music City Film Critics Associations; St.LFCA; UKFCA)

"Emilia Perez":  3 wins (Capri, Hollywood-International Film Festival Awards; European Film Awards; Golden Globes-Comedy or Musical)

"Kneecap": 1 win (British Independent Film Awards)

"Nickel Boys": 4 wins (AAFCA; DiscussingFilm; National Society of Film Critics; TFCA)

"Sing Sing": 1 win (San Diego Film Critics Society)

"The Substance": 6 wins (COFCA; Indiana Film Journalists Association; KCFCC; NYFCO; OAFFC; Seattle Film Critics Society)

"Wicked": 2 wins (National Board of Review; WAFCA)

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First Episode of Max/DC Studios' "CREATURE COMMANDOS" is Streaming Free

The seven-episode Max Original adult animated series "Creature Commandos," written and executive produced by James Gunn, debuted Thursday, December 5, 2024 on Max followed by one episode weekly until January 16, 2025.

 

Logline: Creature Commandos tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option.

 

Cast: Steve Agee as Economos, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Indira Varma as The Bride, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.

 

Credits: Creature Commandos is written and executive produced by James Gunn. Based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation; additional executive producers include Peter Safran, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register; Rick Morales serves as a supervising producer.

Max has made the first episode of "Creature Commandos" available to stream free on YouTube:

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Review: Uneven, Bombastic "BLACK ADAM" is Strictly for Fans

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 63 of 2022 (No. 1875) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Adam (2022)
Running time:  124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language.
DIRECTOR:  Jaume Collet-Serra
WRITERS:  Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani (based on characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck)
PRODUCERS:  Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Beau Flynn
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Lawrence Sher (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  John Lee and Michael L. Sale
COMPOSER:  Lorne Balfe

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari, Bodhi Sabongui, Mohammed Amer, Jalon Christian, Henry Winkler, and Djimon Hounsou with Viola Davis and Henry Cavill

Black Adam is a 2022 superhero and action-fantasy film from director Jaume Collet-Serra.  The film is based on characters created by writers Bill Parker and Otto Binder and artist C.C. Beck originally for defunct publisher, Fawcett Comics, and now owned by DC Comics.  Black Adam the movie focuses on a legendary hero who returns to life after nearly 5000 years, bringing his unique form of justice to his besieged homeland.

Black Adam opens in 2600 BC.  In the city of Kahndaq, there is a legend that the tyrannical king, Anh-Kot (Marwan Kenzari), intended to create an object of dark magic, the Crown of Sabbac, which is known to give the wearer great power.  He enslaves his own people and forces them to dig in the mountains for “Eternium,” the magical crystal Anh-Kot will use to make the crown.  A legendary hero, Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson), arises and kills Anh-Kot before the hero himself is buried somewhere in the ruins of the Anh-Kot's castle – so the legends say.

Present day Kahndaq is oppressed by members of the international crime syndicate known as “Intergang.”  They are searching for university professor and resistance fighter, Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi).  She is trying to locate the Crown of Sabbac, with the help of her brother, Karim (Mohammed Amer), and some of his colleagues.  Ambushed after finding the crown, Adrianna revives Teth-Adam, and although he kills her assailants, the risen hero proves to be something much less than a hero.

Meanwhile, from the United States, the superhero Hawkman/Carter Hall (Aldis Hodge) leads a group of heroes, the Justice Society:  Doctor Fate/Kent Nelson (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone/Maxine Hunkel (Quintessa Swindell), and newcomer Atom Smasher/Albert “Al” Rothstein (Noah Centineo), into Kahndaq to take Teth-Adam into custody.  While Adrianna and her son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), watch, Teth-Adam battles the Justice Society throughout the city.  However, Teth-Adam will be forced to confront the truth about himself and about his past if he and the Justice Society are going to stop a great evil from ruling Kahndaq again.

In case you are wondering, Teth-Adam does not become “Black Adam” until the end of the film.  He is neither hero nor villain.  Black Adam, in the case of this film, is not so much an anti-hero as he is simply Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  The movie only exists because Johnson willed it into existence.  Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films' original plan was apparently to make Black Adam a supporting character/villain in the movie Shazam that was released in 2019.  Johnson wanted more for the character than to be a mere lackey, and truthfully, had he appeared in Shazam as Black Adam, Johnson, as an international movie star with a huge personality, would have dominated the film in ways that probably would have been bad for it.

In the case of Black Adam the movie, it is Johnson's will that holds this film together, otherwise, it would fall apart.  The screenplay is a disaster with a plot that is a patchwork of clumsy sub-plots.  The film's pace is uneven, being a mixture of tedious action sequences and unnecessary fighting.  The characters are either barely likable or are ridiculous.  The kid character, Amon Tomaz, is actually quite nice, but his mother, Adrianna, is really irritating.

Don't get me started on the Justice Society.  As Hawkman, actor Aldis Hodge is so intense that it makes a lot of his performance seem like overacting.  [Actor Michael B. Jordan also has a problem with being too intense.]  Pierce Brosnan is embarrassing as Doctor Fate, but Brosnan's problems could be a poorly written character and crappy dialogue.  The superhero Cyclone is … tragic.  So is Atom Smasher, but actor Noah Centineo delivers Smasher's bad dialogue in a way that sounds funny.

Twice while watching Black Adam, I wanted to walk out of the film, but I was seeing it with a friend.  Black Adam seems much longer than its 124-minute running time.  At one point, I thought the film was over, so I checked my phone and discovered that there was more than a half-hour left.  I can only recommend this films to die hard fans of superhero movies and to fans of Dwayne Johnson.  I could not recommend this film to anyone else.  I'm only giving this film a “C” grade because I am a fan of Johnson and an admirer of what he has built for himself; if not for him, I don't know how much lower I would go.  I am not sure that I could watch Black Adam again, even in bits and pieces when it becomes a cable TV staple.

4 of 10
C
★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, October 21, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 18th to 24th, 2022 - Update #20

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:  Young actress, Storm Reid ("A Wrinkle in Time," HBO's "Euphoria"), has landed the lead role in the horror movie, "The Nun 2." The film is due in theaters Sept. 8th, 2023.

MOVIES - From THR:  The duo of Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein ("Freaks") will direct "Final Destination 6," which will be a relaunch of the franchise.

SCANDAL - From Variety:  In Canada, "Riverdale" and "Supernatural" actor Ryan Grantham has been sentenced to life in prison for March 2020 killing of his mother, Barbara Waite.

MOVIE - From Variety:  Lead actor, Jon Hamm, gave back 60 percent of his salary and director Greg Mottola gave back some of his salary, so that they could get extra days of filming in for their new film, "Confess, Fletch."  The film is a reboot of the 1980s Chevy Chase "Fletch" film series.

STREAMING - From Variety:  Multiple Oscar-nominee Saoirse Ronan will lead director Steve McQueen's World War II film, "Epic."  The film, which is being produced for Apple+, will focus on a group of Londoners during the Nazi aerial bombing campaign of WWII.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  FX's "Reservation Dogs" gets a third season that will stream exclusively on "Hulu."

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Four cast members of the original "Beverly Hills Cop": Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot, are returning for the Netflix sequel, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley."  The film is currently shooting in California.

DISNEY - From TheWrap:  An oral history of how 1993's "Hocus Pocus" went from box office dud to holiday hit.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Multiple Oscar and Emmy winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will make her feature film debut with Paramount's "Brilliance."  Will Smith is producing and may star in the film.  Sharmeen directed several episodes of Disney+/Marvel Studios' "Ms. Marvel."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  The plaintiffs have dismissed their sex abuse civil suit against actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The site has a list of television premiere dates for new and returning series on broadcast, cable and streaming for the 2022-23 television season.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/16 to 9/18/2022 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "The Woman King" with an estimated take of 19 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy's review of "The Woman King."

From Deadline:  In an interview with the site, "The Woman King" star Shelia Atim talks about triumph of the film's "dark-skinned" Black women stars.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Woody Allen has officially announced his retirement from filmmaking. He will start shooting his final film in a "couple of weeks."  The film will be shot in Paris and will be entirely in French.

FILM FESTIVAL - From Deadline:  Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film, "The Fablemans," wins "The People's Choice Award" at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has decided not to renew his deal with Starz.  His G-Unit Film & Television is reportedly entertaining offers from several streamers and studios.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Sony Pictures is developing a new "Karate Kid" film with a June 7, 2024 release date.  It would be the first since the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Film and television actress, Louise Fletcher, has died at the age of 89, Friday, September 23, 2022.  Fletcher is best known for the role of "Nurse Ratched" in the 1975 film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," for which she won the Academy Award for "Best Actress."  She also had a recurring role on the TV series, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993-99) and was a two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee.

From Deadline:  Former Major League Baseball player and manager, Maury Wills, has died at the age off 89, Monday, September 19, 2022.  Wills was a member of the 1959, 1963, and 1969 Los Angeles Dodgers World Series teams, and he was the 1962 National League MVP.  Wills had the MLB's first 100-stolen base season and is considered to have revived base-stealing as a part of baseball strategy in the 1960s.

BRITTNEY GRINER:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

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

Review: "THE WOMAN KING" Delivers a Beat Down for Your Viewing Pleasure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 53 of 2022 (No. 1865) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Woman King (2022)
Running time:  135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing material, thematic content, brief language and partial nudity
DIRECTOR:  Gina Prince-Bythewood
WRITERS: Dana Stevens; from a story by Dana Stevens and Maria Bello
PRODUCER:  Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Cathy Schulman, and Julius Tennon
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Polly Morgan (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Terilyn A. Shropshire
COMPOSER:  Terrence Blanchard

HISTORICAL/DRAMA/WAR

Starring:  Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Shelia Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren, and Chioma Antoinette Umeala

The Woman King is a 2022 epic war film and historical drama from director Gina Prince-Bythewood.  The film is a fictional account of the all-female military regiment, the Agojie, who protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey during the length of its existence (from approximately 1600 to 1904).  The Woman King focuses on a woman general who must face the ghosts of her past as she leads her all-female band of warriors in a bid to protect their kingdom.

The Woman King opens in 1823 in West Africa in the Kingdom of Dahomey.  The kingdom has a new monarch, the young King Ghezo (John Boyega), who is ambitious and has plans for a better future for Dahomey,which is currently paying tributes to the Oyo Empire.  His kingdom is protected by the female warriors called the “Agojie,” whose notorious and fearsome reputation has led people to call them the “Dahomey Amazons.”

Agojie leader, General Nanisca (Viola Davis), knows that Dahomey is threatened with destruction from Oyo and its allies.  Her enemy is the fearsome Oyo warrior, Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), so she must recruit new warriors to replace the ones who have died in battle.  Among her new recruits is Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a stubborn girl who was given away by her father.  Nanisca is running out of time as Dahomey's enemies plot against the kingdom.  Also, the threat of European slave traders means that some of her own warriors could end up in barracoons (cages) before they are carried away as slaves.  Meanwhile, Nanisca must face both a ghost and a demon from her past.

The “Dora Milaje,” the all-female “king's guard” of the Disney/Marvel Studios' film, Black Panther (2018), are based on the Agojie.  Since the Dora Milaje kicked ass in the Marvel film, The Woman King had to depict the Agojie as ass-kickers, and the film does.  The action choreography is quite good – martial arts, historical war epic, and superhero movie good.  The Woman King, in some ways, is similar to films like Braveheart (1995) and Gladiator (2000).  The Woman King manages to be quite the crowd-pleaser by having the female warrior kill their enemies, which includes plenty of white men involved in the slave trade.

I am not surprised that The Woman King reminds me of another Marvel film, last year's Black Widow (2021).  The fight choreography in The Woman King sometimes resembles the techniques used by the character, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.  Also like Black Widow the film, The Woman King delves into how much it costs the Agojie to be warriors.  Via Nanisca, we see how hard these women work and how much they sacrifice.  As Nanisca, Viola Davis gives her best performance since her Oscar-winning turn in Fences (2016), if not her best performance ever.  Davis' muscular performance makes Nanisca gritty and determined and that defines the rest of the Agojie.  It also defines this film because producers Maria Bello and Cathy Schulman had to show grit and determination as they tried to convince studios to finance this film.

The Woman King also has the distinction of being one of those rare films in which every performance is outstanding – from the largest to the smallest roles, in addition to Viola Davis' superb turn.  John Boyega is surprisingly regal as King Ghezo.  As Nawi, Thuso Mbedu nearly steals this entire film, and as her quasi-paramour, Malik, Jordan Bolger is a light-skinned Mandingo … and his acting is good, too.  Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim fairly leap off the screen as Nanisca's lieutenants, Izogie and Amenza, respectively.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and her cohorts deliver a film that is an absolute blast.  The mix of historical and alternate history feels uplifting, and it's totally fine for us to cheer and celebrate the battles and who gets killed in them.  Thank you, Maria Bello (who should have been Oscar-nominated for her performance in the film, The Cooler) and Cathy Schulman for getting this started.  Thank you, Viola Davis for leading all these goddesses in one of 2022's best films, The Woman King.

9 of 10
A+
★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Friday, September 16, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Idris Elba Drives James Gunn's "THE SUICIDE SQUAD"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 of 2021 (No. 1787) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Suicide Squad (2021)
Running time:  132 minutes (2 hours, 12 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity
DIRECTOR:  James Gunn
WRITER:  James Gunn (based on characters appearing in DC Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Charles Roven and Peter Safran
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Henry Braham (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner
COMPOSER:  John Murphy

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION and COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring:  Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Daniela Melchior, David Dastmalchian, Storm Reid, Sylvester Stallone (voice), Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, Nathan Fillion, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Peter Capaldi, Juan Diego Botto, Joaquin Cosio, Lynne Ashe, Taika Waititi, and Viola Davis

[Overview:  Yes, The Suicide Squad 2021 is the entertaining film that Suicide Squad 2016 should have been, but was not.  And that has as much to do with star Idris Elba as it does with writer-director James Gunn.]

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 superhero and action-fantasy film from writer-director James Gunn.  It is a sequel to the 2016 film, Suicide Squad, and is based on the DC Comics team of antiheroes, Suicide Squad.  The Suicide Squad the film focuses on a team of imprisoned super-villains who are forced to invade a South American island where a deadly creature supposedly resides.

As The Suicide Squad opens, intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has activated her “Task Force X,” a team composed of dangerous criminals.  Imprisoned in Louisiana's Belle Reve penitentiary, these individuals either possess super-powers, have special abilities, or are some kind of meta-human, humanoid, animal hybrid, or mutant.  All of them are “super-villains.”  Waller chooses thirteen of these inmates and divides them into two teams (unbeknownst to the inmates) and sends them to the small island nation of Corto Maltese, off the coast of South America.

The first team is led by Army Special Forces Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and is comprised of  former psychiatrist and Joker boy toy, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie); Australian thief and super-boomerang thrower, Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney); animal hybrid and child killer, Weasel (James Gunn), meta-human, T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion); long-haired computer hacker, Savant (Michael Rooker); overeager mercenary, Blackguard (Pete Davidson); possessor of a special javelin ... Javelin (Flula Borg); and the alien warrior, Mongal (Mayling Ng).

The second more serious team is comprised of five super-villains.  It is lead by a mercenary and hit man with an advanced technological suit and weapons, Bloodsport (Idris Elba), and is comprised of the former military officer who kills for peace, Peacemaker (John Cena); a man who can emit polka-dots, Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian); a female thief who controls rats, Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior); and a man-eating, human-shark hybrid, Nanaue a.k.a. “King Shark” (Sylvester Stallone).

Once on Corto Maltese, Task Force X has to reach a structure called “Jötunheim.”  It houses a laboratory built on the island decades ago by exiled Nazi scientists so that they could continue their monstrous experiments.  Now, Jötunheim apparently houses a secret program known as “Project Starfish.”  At the heart of this project is something referred to as “the beast,” and to destroy this project, the members of this squad will show why the nickname for Task Force X is “The Suicide Squad.”

First, I can say that The Suicide Squad is a much better film than its predecessor, Suicide Squad (2016), which was probably made problematic by Warner Bros. Pictures executives making bad decisions about it.  In The Suicide Squad, writer-director James Gunn offer his audience gleeful and extreme violence, insane set pieces, and snappy dialogue.  However, Gunn is also very good at creating engaging character drama that allows even the most troubling characters to have a journey in which he or she experiences a poignant or uplifting heroic arc.  In this case, Bloodsport (kinda) transforms from selfish, killer asshole into an anti-hero who cares … about a few things and people … and a rat.

Other characters more or less have a similar arc, although Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is as crazy, as homicidal, and as sweet as ever.  Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, a holdover from the first film, is a much more interesting and likable character.  Viola Davis' Amanda Waller is darker, maybe even more … evil than ever, and Storm Reid delivers a surprisingly deft turn in a small role as Tyla, Bloodsport's daughter, who appears in two scenes.  David Dastmalchian steals a few scenes as the surprisingly endearing Polka-Dot Man.  Overall, the characters are both more interesting and much more appealing and fun than the characters in the first film.  I say that although in the new film, the Suicide Squad is much more homicidal.

Gunn makes sure The Suicide Squad feels irreverent and outrageous and pours on the ultra-violence, and most of the time, it works.  Sometimes, however, it feels like Gunn is trying too hard, and the violence is either gross or is so over the top as to come across as lame.  Gunn is known for writing and directing Disney/Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy films.  However, I think Gunn was trying to make The Suicide Squad like 20th Century Fox's Deadpool films, which are gleefully violent and shameless and infused with droll humor.  However, the Deadpool movies have Ryan Reynolds, who has mastered his own brand of (sometimes) endearing comedy that is witty, sarcastic, sardonic, silly, and stupid.  There is no Ryan Reynolds om The Suicide Squad, so the film can seem a little desperate in its bid to be crazy and cool.

However, The Suicide Squad does have Idris Elba, and if not for him, James Gunn would have ended up with a Suicide Squad film that works about as well as David Ayers' Suicide Squad film.  Elba, as the world-weary, but supernaturally skilled killer, Bloodsport, plays the complicated anti-hero turned action hero with his usual understated grace and commanding screen presence.  The Suicide Squad is bonkers, inventive, and imaginative – thanks to James Gunn.  However, it is a superhero fantasy and action thrill machine because of Idris Elba.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, August 6, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 18th to 24th, 2021 - Update #17

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   CBS has revealed a first-look teaser trailer for "CSI: Vegas," the sequel to its long-running, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

CULTURE - From Slate:  BY Dahlia Lithwick: "We Are All Our Own Militia Now": The new Texas abortion law, paired with rising vigilantism and the ideas that fuel “stand your ground,” points to a frightening future.

MUSIC - From YahooTheRoot:   The first Prince album to be released posthumously will be available for streaming beginning July 30th.  Prince died in April 2016, and the album, entitled "Welcome 2 America," was apparently recorded 11 years ago.

MOVIES - From RollingStone:   A year from now, July 22, 2022, Jordan Peele's next feature film will debut ... says Peele.  He releases a teaser poster for the film with a title, and the title is "Nope."

STAR TREK - From WeGotThisCovered:  While the streaming series, "Star Trek: Picard," is currently in production of its second season, rumors say that there could be as many as three more seasons.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Rob Zombie has provided a first look at the makeup and costume design for his big screen adaptation of "The Munsters."

TELEVISION/OLYMPICS - From Deadline:   The site offers the Tokyo Olympics full TV & streaming schedule: how to watch everything from gymnastics to track & field, basketball and soccer on NBC, Peacock and more.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:   The Milwaukee Bucks are the 2021 NBA World Champions.  They beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Game 6 on Tues. July 20th to win the best-of-seven series, 4 games to 2.  Star player Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points.  This is the Bucks first NBA title since 1971.

CELEBRITY - From APNews:   HarperOne will publish Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis' memoir, "Finding Me," April 19, 2022. Davis is currently working on the memoir.

SCANDAL - From ABCNews:   This morning (Tues., July 20th), New York State Dept. of Corrections officials handed over convicted rapist, Harvey Weinstein, for extradition to California to face sexual assault charges there.

COVID-19 - From THR:   Hollywood’s major studios and guilds have come to a tentative, short-term agreement on new on-set COVID-19 protocols, finally taking vaccines into account.

CELEBRITY - From YahooLife:   Grammy-winning recording artist, Megan Thee Stallion, is the cover stallion on the 2021 edition of the "Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit" issue.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate has acquired worldwide rights to Kevin Smith’s "Clerks III," which is in pre-production in New Jersey and will begin production next month.  The film will be a sequel to his 1994 cult hit classic, "Clerks," and to he first sequel, 2006's "Clerks II."

MOVIES - From Collider:   Warner Bros. releases a bunch of character posters for its upcoming blockbuster film, "Dune," which is due October 22nd in theaters and on HBO Max.

MOVIES - From Collider:   Actor Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise the Clown in "It") is joining "John Wick 4."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/16 to 7/18/21 weekend box office is "Space Jam: A New Legacy" with an estimated take of 31.6 million dollars.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  There are rumors of a Comcast/ViacomCBS merger and NBCUniversal/Lionsgate merger, among others.

ANIMATION - From THR:   There will be at least two animated series based on "Game of Thrones." While a single animated project was previously reported to be in development in January, HBO Max is now working on at least two more potential shows.

The Trailer for the Upcoming Film "The Suicide Squad" Sets a Record

James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” Sets a New Record for Most Views of a Red Band Trailer in a Week

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures dropped a heavy-hitting red band trailer for the R-rated actioner “The Suicide Squad” that, in the spirit of the Squad, is kicking some serious ass. With 151.1 million views, “The Suicide Squad” has set a new record for most views of a red band trailer in a week and counting.

The trailer—the first released for the film—delivers intense action and wry humor, and global fans showed up in a big way in support of writer/director James Gunn’s vision. In total, the trailer trended in 40 markets on YouTube and 28 markets on Twitter.

About “The Suicide Squad”:
From writer/director James Gunn comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ superhero action adventure “The Suicide Squad,” featuring a collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup.

Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.

The film stars Margot Robbie (“Birds of Prey,” “Bombshell”), Idris Elba (“Avengers: Infinity War”), John Cena (upcoming HBO Max series “Peacemaker,” “Bumblebee”), Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”), Jai Courtney (the “Divergent” franchise), Peter Capaldi (“World War Z,” BBC’s “Doctor Who” ), David Dastmalchian (upcoming “Dune,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp”), Daniela Melchior (“Parque Mayer”), Michael Rooker (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films), Alice Braga (“Elysium”), Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island,” TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Joaquín Cosio (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” TV’s “Narcos: Mexico”), Juan Diego Botto (“The Europeans”), Storm Reid (“The Invisible Man,” “A Wrinkle in Time”, “Euphoria”), Nathan Fillion (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” TV’s “The Rookie”), Steve Agee (“Brightburn,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), Sean Gunn (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, the “Avengers” films), Mayling Ng (“Wonder Woman”), Flula Borg (“Ralph Breaks the Internet”), Jennifer Holland (“Brightburn,” upcoming HBO Max series “Peacemaker”) and Tinashe Kajese (TV’s “Valor,” “The Inspectors”), with Sylvester Stallone (the “Rocky,” “Rambo” and “Expendables” franchises), and Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Suicide Squad”).

Gunn (the “Guardian of the Galaxy” films) directs from his own screenplay, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Charles Roven and Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, Nikolas Korda and Richard Suckle executive producing.

Gunn’s creative team includes director of photography Henry Braham (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), production designer Beth Mickle (“Captain Marvel”), editors Fred Raskin (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”) and Christian Wagner (the “Fast & Furious” films) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”). The music is by John Murphy (“Kick-Ass”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents An Atlas Entertainment/Peter Safran Production, A James Gunn Film, “The Suicide Squad.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set for release internationally beginning July 29, 2021 and in North America in theaters and IMAX on August 6, 2021; it will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

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Eight Disney Releases Earn a Combined 17 Wins at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards

Congratulations to Disney’s 2021 NAACP Image Awards Winners

The Walt Disney Company received 17 NAACP Image Awards for 2021, including eight for ABC, which marked the most for any network or distributor this year. The awards were announced during a special live broadcast of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, hosted by Anthony Anderson, star of ABC’s black-ish, on Saturday, March 27, 2021 and as part of a weeklong NAACP Image Awards Virtual Experience that began Monday, March 22, 2021. As he kicked off the live event, Anderson said, “Tonight, we celebrate all that is amazing, outstanding and beautiful about our Blackness… Black people, we are amazing, limitless and remarkable.”

The NAACP Image Awards honor the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also recognize individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. This year’s nominees “have provided moments of levity, brought our communities together and lifted our spirits through culture when we needed it the most,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said when the nominations were announced in February.

ABC’s black-ish, which is currently in its seventh season on ABC, earned five NAACP Image Awards—more than any other show—including Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for Anderson and two awards for Marsai Martin, who was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series).

Disney General Entertainment Content also received NAACP Image awards for ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud and Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins, which earned two apiece; Viola Davis, star of ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, was named Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series; and FX’s The New York Times Presents “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” was honored as Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special).

In accepting her award, Davis thanked series creator Peter Nowalk, executive producer Shonda Rhimes and “the beautiful cast of How to Get Away with Murder,” which concluded in 2020 after a successful six-season run on ABC. “It was the joy and journey of my life to go on this ride with you,” Davis said and she credited Nowalk for “redefining what it means to be a leading lady, what it means to be a woman, what it means to be Black on network television.”

Four NAACP Image Awards went to Disney and Pixar’s Soul, which is streaming on Disney+, including Outstanding Animated Motion Picture and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance—Motion Picture. The film’s music was honored with two awards for Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album and Outstanding Jazz Album—Instrumental. “Being able to tell a universal tale that explores the meaning of life through the prism of a Black man’s experiences was a special and incredible honor for all of us,” said Kemp Powers, co-director of Soul. “And though the details of all of our stories are very specific, the struggle to find meaning in our lives is universal.”

ESPN’s The Last Dance, which chronicled Michael Jordan and the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls, was named Outstanding Documentary (Television). Additionally, Hulu Originals’ Little Fires Everywhere received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, which went to Attica Locke for her episode, “The Spider Web.”

Here is the full list of winners from across The Walt Disney Company:

black-ish (ABC)—5 awards

    Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: Anthony Anderson
    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Deon Cole
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Marsai Martin
    Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series): Marsai Martin
    Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series: Anya Adams, “Hair Day”

Soul (Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Disney+ / Walt Disney Records)—4 awards

    Outstanding Animated Motion Picture
    Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance—Motion Picture: Jamie Foxx
    Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album: Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste and Tom MacDougall
    Outstanding Jazz Album—Instrumental: Music From and Inspired By Soul; Jon Batiste

Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)—2 awards

    Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)
    Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special)—Individual or Ensemble: Steve Harvey

Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior)—2 awards

    Outstanding Animated Series
    Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television): Laya DeLeon Hayes

How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)—1 award

    Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Viola Davis

The Last Dance (ESPN / Netflix)—1 award

    Outstanding Documentary (Television)

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)—1 award

    Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series: Attica Locke,“The Spider Web”

The New York Times Presents “The Killing of Breonna Taylor” (FX)—1 award

    Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)

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#28DaysofBlack Review: GET ON UP

[The late Chadwick Boseman portrayed four African-American historical figures, three of them as the lead actor.  His performance as James Brown in “Get on Up” is an example of why so many are devastated by his passing and also by the loss of what could have been.]

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 of 2021 (No. 1752) by Leroy Douresseaux

Get on Up (2014)
Running time:  139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sexual content, drug use, some strong language, and violent situations
DIRECTOR:  Tate Taylor
WRITERS:  Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth; from a story by Steven Baigelman and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth
PRODUCERS:  Brian Grazer, Erica Huggins, Mick Jagger, Victoria Pearman, and Tate Taylor
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Stephen Goldblatt
EDITOR:  Michael McCusker
COMPOSER:  Thomas Newman

BIOPIC/MUSIC/DRAMA

Starring:  Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Jamarion and Jordan Scott, Viola Davis, Lennie James, Fred Melamed, Jamal Batiste, Craig Robinson, Jill Scott, Octavia Spencer, Josh Hopkins, Brandon Mychal Smith, Tika Sumpter, Aunjanue Ellis, Tariq Trotter as Pee Wee Ellis, John Benjamin Hickey, and Allison Janney

Get on Up is a 2014 biographical film and musical drama directed by Tate Taylor.  The film is a fictional depiction of the life of singer, songwriter, recording artist, and concert performer, James Brown (1933-2006).  Get on Up chronicles the rise from extreme poverty of one of the most influential musical performers in history.

Get on Up opens in Augusta, Georgia, the year 1988.  James Brown (Chadwick Boseman), one of the world's most famous recording artists and performers, gets high on mix of marijuana and PCP.   He visits one of his businesses and discovers that someone from a nearby seminar has used his private restroom.  Furious, Brown confronts the seminar attendees while carrying a shotgun, which he accidentally fires into the ceiling.

The film then uses a nonlinear narrative, following James Brown's stream of consciousness, as he recalls events from his life.  We meet young James Brown (Jamarion and Jordan Scott), living in poverty with his mother, Susie Brown (Viola Davis), and abusive father, Joseph “Joe” Brown (Lennie James).  Eventually abandoned by both his parents, young James lives in a brothel run by his Aunt Honey Washington (Octavia Spencer).

Later, James joins “The Flames,” a gospel singing group fronted by his new friend, Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis).  Soon, they become “The Famous Flames” and sing R&B songs, but within a decade James Brown is ready to go solo.  It would not be the last time James is willing to go it alone on the way to becoming one of the most influential singer, songwriters, musicians, producers, dancers, bandleaders, and recording artists of all time.

Director Tate Taylor and screenwriters Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth have fashioned of a story that looks at two sides of James Brown:  his musical talent and performances and his personal and professional relationships.  This allows Get on Up to give audiences what they want – lots of James Brown on stage – and to also tell a behind-the-music-like story of a complicated man.

Get on Up takes its title from a chorus in James Brown's 1970 hit, “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine.”  Brown does indeed “get on up” every time he experiences something personally or professionally that could have brought him down and kept him down.  The thing that I can respect about this film is that it does not only portray Brown as someone who overcomes, but also portrays him as someone who does not appreciate that he was never alone in creating his success.  Late in the film, Brown breaks the fourth wall (one of many times he does this) to tell the audience that he “paid the cost to be the boss.”  However, he did not pay the cost alone, to which wives, girlfriends, lovers, children, band mates, and employees can certainly testify.

Through the impressive work of Get on Up's film editor, Michael McCusker. Tate Taylor jumps around time to show the many faces of this artist who was, in a way, a chameleon as a performer.  We see moments from the years:  1939, 1949, 1955, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1971, 1988, and 1993.  This time-shifting of the film's narrative also reveals the many dark times of Brown's life.

Everyone's work would not mean much without a great performer giving a great performance as James Brown, and Chadwick Boseman certainly does that.  Boseman fashions a James Brown that is perfect for the story that Get on Up tells, creating a Brown that is an inspired genius and a dictatorial general.  Boseman nearly buries himself in the role, and I often found myself forgetting that Get on Up is not a documentary and that the James Brown on screen was a portrait not the real man.  However, Boseman's dynamic performance gives us both sides, the public persona known as James Brown, the musical revolution, and the private James Brown, unyielding to family, friends, collaborators, and partners and beset by demons.

There are other good performances.  Viola Davis packs her own power into every scene in which she appears as Brown's mother, and Octavia Spencer's displays the naturalism of her acting that charms her audiences as well as her fellow thespians.  Nelson Ellis offers a rich and layered performance as Brown's longtime collaborator, Bobby Byrd, and twins Jamarion and Jordan Scott damn near steal Get on Up with their performances as young James Brown.

Because of Chadwick Boseman's tragic passing in 2020, Get on Up will largely be remembered for his performance.  That's a shame because Get on Up is a really good film and is one of the best contemporary biographies of an African-American figure and of an icon figure in popular music in recent memory.  So, I'll take both.  Get on Up captures the music and the madness of James Brown, and the film captures a truly great performance by an actor who was becoming great and greater still before he died.

9 of 10
A+

Monday, February 15, 2021


NOTES:
2015 Black Reel Awards:  3 nominations: “Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture” (Chadwick Boseman), :Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture” (Nelsan Ellis), and “Outstanding Ensemble” (Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee)

2015 Image Awards (NAACP):  5 nomination: “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Chadwick Boseman), “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Jill Scott), “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Octavia Spencer), and “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Viola Davis)

The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#28DaysofBlack Review: Denzel and Viola Tear it Up in "FENCES"

[Over a decade after his death, August Wilson's acclaimed stage play, Fences, finally made it to the big screen, three decades after word came that it was to be adapted into film.  Every time I think that Denzel Washington:  the film's star, director, and one of its producers, can no longer amaze me, he amazes us all.  It turns out that America's greatest male actor is also a really fine director.]

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 12 of 2021 (No. 1750) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fences (2016)
Running time: 139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some suggestive references
DIRECTOR:  Denzel Washington
WRITER:  August Wilson (based upon his play, Fences)
PRODUCERS:  Todd Black, Scott Rudin, and Denzel Washington
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Charlotte Bruus Christensen (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Hughes Winborne
COMPOSER:  Marcelo Zarvos
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sidney

Fences is a 2016 period drama film directed by Denzel Washington.  It is based on playwright, August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fences (1985).  Wilson also wrote the film adaptation's screenplay before he died in 2005 at the age of 60.  Fences focuses on a working-class African-American father in the 1950s who tries to come to terms with the events of his troubled life.

Fences opens in 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and introduces 53-year-old Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington).  Troy lives with his wife, Rose Lee Maxson (Viola Davis), and their son, Cory (Jovan Adepo).  Troy works as a garbage collector alongside his best friend, Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson).  Troy has a younger brother, Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), who sustained a head injury in World War II that left him mentally impaired.  Gabriel received a $3,000 government payout that Troy subsequently used as a down payment on a home for his family.  Troy sometimes wonders if he has done right by Gabriel, who now lives at “Miss Pearl's house.”

Troy also has an adult son from a previous relationship, Lyons Maxson (Russell Hornsby), an apparently talented musician who visits Troy on payday when he wants to borrow money.  Troy's relationship with Lyons is strained, as are his relationships with just about everyone else.  Troy is especially bitter about his professional baseball career.  He played professionally in the Negro Leagues, but never played Major League Baseball, which had a “color barrier” until 1947 that prohibited Black players from joining the majors.  Now, Troy refuses to give permission for Cory to play football because he does not want the teen to fail in sports as he did … he says.  This decision, his general contrarian ways, and his rancor about his life is pushing his family and friends away from him.

Fences is the sixth play in August Wilson's ten-part, “Pittsburgh Cycle,” of plays.  Like all the plays in the cycle, Fences explores the evolving African-American experience and examines race relations, among other themes.  Back in the late 1980s, actor Eddie Murphy had the film rights to Fences, but his planned film never came about.  Wilson and Murphy clashed over Wilson's insistence that the film adaptation of Fences be directed by an African-American because, more or less, only a black man could understand Troy Maxson's life.  At least, that is how I remember the behind-the-scenes happenings concerning Murphy's planed Fences film.

Watching Denzel Washington play Troy Maxson made me realize how universal Fences action and especially its themes are.  Washington is one of the film's producers as well as being the director, so he could make the film he wanted, and he filmed Fences in the city of Pittsburgh, where it is set.  It seems to me that Washington made Fences in its original setting, but played Troy Maxson and presented his world as a story in which audiences, practically from around the world and most certainly in the United States, could recognize and even identify.

Troy isn't just bitter about not being a Major League Baseball player; he is also always yearning.  Troy knows what he's got, but surpassing that is the desire to have more.  It is as if he is constantly thinking, “I have a good wife, son, home, and job, but …”  I have never seen Fences the play or read its text, so I am assuming that Fences the film is true to its source.  However, I interpret Fences the film as revealing that Troy's biggest obstacle isn't race, but is him always believing that what he has now will no longer make him happy, if it ever did.  He always believes that if he gets this “next thing” he will be happy or, at least, happier than he is at the present.

Washington's performance as Troy Maxson in his film, Fences, is a performance for the ages.  If this isn't his best acting, it is his best since The Hurricane.  And what do you know, Washington was nominated for the “Best Actor” Oscar for his performances in both Fences and The Hurricane, and he lost to actors who gave good but inferior performances to Washington's.

At least, Viola Davis finally won an Oscar – for “Best Supporting Actress” – for her performance in Fences.  She was long overdue, and in Fences, as Rose Maxson, she grounds the story and keeps Washington and Troy Maxson from dominating the entire story.  Some thought that Davis should have been nominated in the lead actress category, but Rose Maxson is a supporting character in this film.  Fences the film needs Viola Davis and Rose Maxson's support.

Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, and Mykelti Williamson give some of the best performances of their careers.  I have no doubt that Henderson would have been nominated in the “Best Supporting Actor” category if he were a white actor...

That's okay.  All these black folks make Fences a major cinematic accomplishment.  They make it an African-American experience writ large, and anyone who can comprehend a movie, regardless of ethnic background, can take into Fences into his or her soul.

10 of 10

Wednesday, February 10, 2021


NOTES:
2017 Academy Awards, USA:  1 winner: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Viola Davis); 3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Todd Black, Scott Rudin, and Denzel Washington), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Denzel Washington), and “Best Adapted Screenplay” (August Wilson-Posthumously)

2017 Golden Globes, USA:  1 winner: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Viola Davis) and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Denzel Washington)

2017 BAFTA Awards:  1 winner: “Best Supporting Actress” (Viola Davis)

The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).