43rd NAACP Image Awards Nominations: Music Categories

The 43rd NAACP Image Awards winners will be announced in a ceremony, February 17, 2012 and broadcast live on NBC.

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Outstanding New Artist
• Committed (Epic)
• Diggy Simmons (Atlantic Records)
• Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (Columbia Records)
• Mindless Behavior (Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records)
• Wynter Gordon (Big Beat/Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
• Anthony Hamilton (RCA Records)
• Bruno Mars (Elektra Records)
• Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)
• Chris Brown (Jive Records)
• Common (Warner Bros. Records)

Outstanding Female Artist
• Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
• Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)
• Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
• Ledisi (Verve Forecast)
• Mary J. Blige (Geffen)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
• Boyz II Men (Benchmark Entertainment/MSM Music Group)
• Cee Lo Green feat. Melanie Fiona (Elektra Records)
• Mary J. Blige feat. Drake (Geffen)
• Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)
• The Roots (Island Def Jam Music Group)

Outstanding Jazz Album
• "Chano y Dizzy" - Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez (Concord Music Group Inc.)
• "Friends" - Stanley Jordan (Mack Avenue Records)
• "Guitar Man" - George Benson (Concord Jazz)
• "Legacy" - Gerald Wilson (Mack Avenue Records)
• "Road Show Vol. 2" - Sonny Rollins (Emarcy)

Outstanding Gospel Album - (Traditional or Contemporary)
• "Becoming" - Yolanda Adams (N House Music Group)
• "Church on the Moon" - Deitrick Haddon (Verity Gospel Music Group)
• "Hello Fear" - Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)
• "Something Big" - Mary Mary (Columbia Records)
• "The Journey" - Andraé Crouch (RiverPhlo Entertainment)

Outstanding World Music Album
• "Afrodiaspora" - Susana Baca (Luaka Bop)
• "Carnival Fever" - Brother B (King Chero Records)
• "Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival" - Boukman Eksperyans (MunckMix, Inc.)
• "Sounds of Blackness" - Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)
• "The First Grader" - Alex Heffes (Varese Sarabande)

Outstanding Music Video
• "25/8" - Mary J. Blige (Geffen)
• "Hear My Call" - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
• "I Was Here" - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
• "Someone Like You" - Adele (Columbia Records)
• "Where You At" - Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

Outstanding Song
• "Best Thing I Never Had" - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
• "Fool for You feat. Melanie Fiona" - Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)
• "I Smile" - Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)
• "So In Love feat. Anthony Hamilton" - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
• "Someone Like You" - Adele (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Album
• "4" - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
• "F.A.M.E" - Chris Brown (Jive Records)
• "I Remember Me" - Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)
• "Lasers" - Lupe Fiasco (1st & 15th/Atlantic Records)
• "The Light of the Sun" - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

"I Am Bruce Lee" Documentary Arrives in February

I Am Bruce Lee: Premiere Screening Events for Documentary Film Feb 9th and 15th in 150 Theaters in 60+ Cities Nationwide

Bruce Lee returns to the big screen in the Year of the Dragon!

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Thursday, February 9th and Wednesday, February 15th the new feature length documentary film, I Am Bruce Lee, will be released exclusively for a two-night screening event in 150 theaters in 60+ cities across the U.S.

I Am Bruce Lee is the first documentary to truly tell Bruce Lee’s story in his own words and actions, as well as through the eyes of a diverse cast of international stars from the worlds of film, television, music and sports.

The film’s original interviews feature a broad spectrum of worldwide stars, including UFC President Dana White who calls Lee the “Father of Mixed Martial Arts,” NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, boxing champions Manny Pacquiao and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, UFC stars Jon Jones, Cung Le, Stephan Bonnar and Gina Carano, actor and star of the hit show ‘Modern Family’ Ed O’Neill, Academy Award Nominated actor Mickey Rourke, the Black Eye Peas’ Taboo, Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee and his wife Linda Lee Cadwell, among many others.

I Am Bruce Lee presents a rich cinematic view of the life of Bruce Lee, and features the best of Bruce Lee’s groundbreaking martial arts action films, punctuated with an evocative score and rarely seen archival footage. Working with Bruce’s daughter Shannon Lee, the film features previously unseen home movies and interviews, classic photos and dynamic visuals and graphics. “My family and I are so proud of this film, which truly portrays the legacy of my father and his incredible story,” says executive producer Shannon Lee.

The documentary is produced by award-winning studio Network Entertainment, the producers of 2010’s Academy Award shortlisted documentary Facing Ali, and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Pete McCormack.

Network Entertainment Presents I Am Bruce Lee. Produced by Derik Murray, Executive Produced by Paul Gertz and Shannon Lee, Directed by Pete McCormack. Run Time: 94 minutes, Genre: Documentary, Rating: This film is not rated.

Cities and Ticket info: http://www.iambruceleemovie.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BruceLee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/iambruceleefilm

"Pariah" Gets GLAAD Media Award Nomination

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) promotes the image of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people in media. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their accurate representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

GLAAD just announced the nominations for the 23rd Annual Media Awards. There are 116 nominees in 25 English-language categories, and 35 Spanish-language nominees in 10 categories. For a full list of nominees, go here.

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 24, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square; in Los Angeles on April 21 at the Westin Bonaventure; and in San Francisco on June 2 at San Francisco Marriott Marquis.

Here are the nominees in the two film categories:

OUTSTANDING FILM – WIDE RELEASE
Albert Nobbs (Roadside Attractions)
Beginners (Focus Features)
J. Edgar (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OUTSTANDING FILM – LIMITED RELEASE
Circumstance (Roadside Attractions)
Gun Hill Road (Motion Film Group)
Pariah (Focus Features)
Tomboy (Rocket Releasing)
Weekend (Sundance Selects)

http://www.glaad.org/

 

Aerial Combat Scenes Give "Flyboys" Wings

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 56 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Flyboys (2006)
Running time: 139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)
Rating: MPAA – PG-13 for war action violence and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: Tony Bill
WRITER: Phil Sears & Blake T. Evans and David S. Ward; from a story by Evans
PRODUCERS: Dean Devlin and Marc Frydman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Henry Braham
EDITORS: Chris Blunden and Ron Rosen

WAR/ACTION/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: James Franco, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, David Ellison, Tyler Labine, Abdul Salis, Philip Winchester, and Augustin Legrand

Flyboys is the epic World War I drama from Oscar-winner Tony Bill (which he won for producing The Sting) that tells the true story of the Lafayette Escadrille. Before the United States’ official entry into the war (1917), the Allied powers of England, France, and Italy were losing to the German military juggernaut. Many young Americans volunteered to fight for the French; some served in the infantry and others in the Ambulance Corps. The Lafayette Escadrille were the young men who wanted to be pilots. Flyboys is based upon this true story, and the film’s characters are based directly upon real men or are composites of the historical figures.

The story focuses on bankrupt farm boy, Blaine Rawlings (James Franco), who joins the Escadrille and finds himself chafing under the discipline of learning to be a pilot. Briggs Lowry (Tyler Labine) is bullied by his father into joining. Black American Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis) is an American expatriate boxing in France when he decides to serve France as a thank you for being more racially tolerant than his birth country.

Under the guidance of the weary French Captain Thenault (Jean Reno) and the leadership of American veteran, Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson), these young men take to the sky to face the formidable German flying armada. They fly newly invented and mechanically imperfect aircraft, but the men of the Escadrille find themselves having the kind of adventure they never imagined. Rawlings also finds time to romance Lucienne (Jennifer Decker), a young Frenchwoman who lives in a nearby town.

In this movie, the drama is simple TV movie quality melodrama, and not the kind one might get from a well-written and directed television movie. The character moments often seem like filler, and director Tony Bills just rushes the characters through scenes of intimacy and bonding. That’s why half the time the romance between Rawlings and Lucienne seems forced, and the scenes between Rawlings and Capt. Thenault are sadly thin, lacking the power relationships between soldiers in war movies generally have. Even camaraderie between the members of the Escadrille is underdeveloped, which is sad because there are so many scenes that only hint at how good this subplot of the movie could be (although there is a great moment between Lowry and Skinner about what their fathers did for a living).

Over a stirring score by Trevor Rabin, the cool and terrific aerial combat scenes make (and save) this movie. Dogfights, duels, and even a kind of jousting in the sky: they rouse you from the slumber the rest of this movie induces. It’s obvious that computers were used to create these scenes, but Tony Bill uses these scenes to bring out the humanity of his characters. It is in the sky that Bill allows the actors to develop the characters and give us reason to invest in them. Flyboys may not make serious movie lovers forget about classic World War I films, but it is in those dogfights in the sky where the director, his cast, and creative crew find the heart of Flyboys and leave the viewer delighted.

6 of 10
B

Thursday, March 29, 2007

London Film Critics' Circle Surrounds "The Artist"

The London Film Critics’ Circle is part of a larger organization, The Critics’ Circle, which makes an annual award for Services to the Arts. This circle is comprised of the five sections: dance, drama, film, music, and visual arts.

The 32nd London Critics’ Circle Film Awards were presented Thursday, 19th January 2012.

32nd London Critics’ Circle Film Awards winners:

FILM OF THE YEAR
The Artist

CRITICS' CIRCLE TOP 10 FILMS of 2011
1. The Artist
2. A Separation
3. Drive
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
5. The Tree of Life
6. We Need to Talk About Kevin
7. Melancholia
8. Shame
9. Margaret
10. The Descendants

The Attenborough Award: BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
A Separation (Artificial Eye)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Senna (Universal)

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist (Entertainment)

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi - A Separation (Artificial Eye)

The Virgin Atlantic Award: BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Andrew Haigh - Weekend (Peccadillo)

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Jean Dujardin - The Artist (Entertainment)

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (Tied)
Anna Paquin - Margaret (Fox)
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé)

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Sareh Bayat - A Separation (Artificial Eye)

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method (Lionsgate), Shame (Momentum)

The Moët & Chandon Award: BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Olivia Colman - The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé), Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Craig Roberts - Submarine (StudioCanal)

The Sky 3D Award: TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Maria Djurkovic, production design - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

The Dilys Powell Award: EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Nicolas Roeg

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" Rises on Its Own

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – R for bloody violence and some sexuality
DIRECTOR: Patrick Tatopoulos
WRITERS: Danny McBride, Dirk Blackman, and Howard McCain; from a story by Len Wiseman, Robert Orr, and Danny McBride (based on characters created by Kevin Grevioux, and Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride)
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Skip Williamson, Len Wiseman, and Richard S. Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ross Emery
EDITORS: Peter Amundson and Eric Potter
COMPOSER: Paul Haslinger

HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION/ROMANCE

Starring: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux, David Aston, and Elizabeth Hawthorne

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a 2009 American vampire/werewolf fantasy film. It is the third film in the Underworld film series and is also a prequel to the first two films, Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006). Rise of the Lycans is part origin story and also depicts how the Vampire-Lycan war (the centerpiece of the original film) began.

Rise of the Lycans opens in the Dark Ages of Europe. Viktor (Bill Nighy) is the ruthless elder lord of a vampire coven. Human nobles pay him to protect them from the ravenous, uncontrollable werewolves that are unable to return to their original human form. One day, a female werewolf gives birth to human child who grows up to be Lucian (Michael Sheen), the first werewolf able to take human form. Viktor uses Lucian to create a new breed of werewolf that can keep guard over the coven during the daylight hours, a breed Viktor calls “Lycans.”

Lucian and Viktor’s daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), are in a relationship that they struggle to keep hidden. Lucian also begins to struggle with the way Viktor and the other vampires treat his werewolf brothers. After he encounters Raze (Kevin Grevioux), a brave human destined to be turned into a werewolf, Lucian is inspired to plot a revolution. Love and revolution, however, may cost Lucian and Sonja everything.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is essentially a stand alone film. One need not have seen the first two films in order to enjoy Rise of the Lycans. In a way, this film’s story is like an aristocratic melodrama in which a noble lord’s precious daughter has a forbidden romance with the help or, in this case, a werewolf slave. This movie is as much about its themes of mixed race romance, racism, discrimination, and exploitation as it is about the tropes of modern vampire versus werewolf fiction. That makes Rise of the Lycans different from the other Underworld films, but not necessarily inferior, although I do think that it is the least of the three in terms of quality.

As a big fan of the series, I can say that I liked Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and Michael Sheen’s vigorous and physical performance gives the film much dramatic credibility. Rhona Mitra and the reliable Bill Nighy also deliver sturdy performances. Director Patrick Tatopoulos is straight-forward, seeming to care more about the film than showing off to prove what a hotshot fantasy film director he is.

6 of 10
B

Thursday, January 19, 2012

"Underworld: Evolution" Also Slick, Sexy and Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Underworld: Evolution (2006)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong violence and gore, some sexuality/nudity, and language
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman
WRITERS: Danny McBride; based upon a story by Danny McBride and Len Wiseman (based upon characters created by Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride and Len Wiseman)
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, and Richard Wright
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Simon Duggan
EDITOR: Nicolas De Toth

FANTASY/ACTION/HORROR with elements of sci-fi

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Bill Nighy, Derek Jacobi, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, and Steven Mackintosh

After the chaos at the end of Underworld, the war between the vampires and the lycans (werewolves) has taken a backseat to unlocking the secrets to the beginnings of the ancient feud. Vampire heroine, Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a Death Dealer (one who hunts lycans), and Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), the human who became a lycan/vampire hybrid, have found their quest to unlock the secrets of their bloodlines hampered by the reawakening of Marcus (Tony Curran), the first vampire – also a powerful hybrid.

Marcus is hunting for the crypt where his brother William, the first werewolf, has been imprisoned for eight centuries. That also means Marcus must uncover the machinations of Viktor (Bill Nighy), the vampire lord who imprisoned William and who was killed at the end of the first film. [Viktor only appears in this film via flashbacks). Marcus is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way, including Selene, Michael… and Alexander Corvinus (Derek Jacobi), who is Marcus and William’s father and the man who was the first immortal.

Underworld: Evolution, as a sequel, is like Superman II to Superman and Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, more kick-ass than the original. I would call Evolution better than its predecessor. Although this film is even more of an action flick than the first, the two films are different. Whereas the first could be seen as some kind of riff on the Blade films with a twist of Goth style and music video cool, Underworld: Evolution has the explosiveness of a Lethal Weapon movie or a Michael Bay film (say, The Rock or Bad Boys II). It’s a fantasy mini-epic, but more video game fantasy than Tolkien.

The acting is as good as before. Kate Beckinsale is as magnetic and as alluring as the sexist action babe or femme fatale, and she can give a beat down that would make Charles Bronson proud. Scott Speedman is a solid leading man, and he plays second fiddle to Ms. Beckinsale without disappearing; he actually makes us miss him when he’s off screen. The music is better, and there is a nice addition to the costumes in the form of the vampire war armor. The film’s hues are warmer than in the first film – the better to fit Evolution’s hot passions and blood feuds.

But the architects of the film’s success remain director Len Wiseman and screenwriter Danny McBride; they seem to hit all the right notes. Here, it’s the fabulous and intricate back-story of the vampires and lycans that engages the viewer as much as the visual pyrotechnics and theatrics that Wiseman pumps into the film. If there is any reason for this franchise to continue, it’s certainly to see the twists, turns, and surprises that McBride and Wiseman may have in store. In the meantime, Underworld: Evolution simultaneously satisfies and whets the appetite. It will only take a few minutes of this excellent entertainment to make the viewer want to invest himself in the wild ride.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, January 21, 2006