Negromancer's Fool Day - April 2014

It's April 2014.  Welcome to Negromancer 2.0.  This is the rebirth of Negromancer, the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news site.

This month readers can look forward to a review of the new Captain America movie and (maybe) some Star Wars Episode VII news.  There will, of course, be more of the usual and a preview of the second issue of my comic book, Grumble.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.

"The LEGO Movie" Builds Past $400 Million in Worldwide Box Office

“The LEGO® Movie” Box Office Still Stacking up, Past $400 Million and Counting

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“The LEGO Movie” continues to build a following with audiences in the U.S. and around the globe, surpassing the $400 million mark in worldwide grosses and remaining a box office draw. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

To date, the film has earned $248.3 million domestically and $152.2 internationally, for a worldwide total of $400.5 million.

Following its record-breaking February 7th North American opening, “The LEGO Movie,” from Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and LEGO System A/S, was a huge hit with audiences and critics across the country and captured the top spot at the box office for three consecutive weeks. It also proved a crowd-pleaser internationally, entertaining moviegoers throughout Asia, Latin America and Europe, with an especially dominant UK showing that ranked number one at the box office for three consecutive weeks and has so far taken in $52.5 million.

Continuing its global expansion, “The LEGO Movie” is set to debut in additional territories in the coming weeks, including Australia on April 3rd and Germany on April 10th.

Fellman stated, “‘The LEGO Movie’ opened big and has maintained an impressive hold on the market, attracting new fans as well as repeat business from positive word of mouth. This latest milestone is a fitting testament to all the talented and dedicated people who put so much of themselves into this extraordinary film, and we congratulate them on their well-earned success.”

Said Kwan Vandenberg, “‘The LEGO Movie’ has been a strong competitor in the international arena, proving the appeal of unique, funny and creative storytelling across generations and cultures. We are confident it will continue to perform robustly in our overseas markets, including those yet to open, as people around the world discover it for themselves.”

“The LEGO Movie” tells an original 3D computer animated story about Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, “The LEGO Movie” stars Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. Lord & Miller also wrote the screenplay, from a story by Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, based on LEGO construction toys. “The LEGO Movie” is produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee. Executive producers are Jill Wilfert, Matthew Ashton, Kathleen Fleming, Allison Abbate, Zareh Nalbandian, Jon Burton, Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Seanne Winslow, Matt Skiena and Bruce Berman; and co-producer is John Powers Middleton. The filmmaking team includes cinematographer Pablo Plaisted, production designer Grant Freckelton, editors David Burrows and Chris McKay, and composer Mark Mothersbaugh. Chris McKay also serves as animation co-director.

“The LEGO Movie” is a Warner Bros Pictures Presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with LEGO System A/S, a Vertigo Entertainment/Lin Pictures Production. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. www.thelegomovie.com

This film is rated PG for “mild action and rude humor.”

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LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the brick and knob configuration are trademarks of The LEGO Group. ©2014 The LEGO Group. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Oscar Nominee Review: "American Hustle"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

American Hustle (2013)
Running time:  138 minutes (2 hours, 18 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence
DIRECTOR:  David O. Russell
WRITERS:  David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer
PRODUCERS:  Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon, Charles Roven, and Richard Suckle
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Linus Sandgren (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, and Crispin Struthers
COMPOSER:  Danny Elfman
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/COMEDY/HISTORICAL

Starring:  Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Shea Whigham, Louis C.K., Paul Herman, Jack Huston, Alessandro Nivola, and Michael Peña with Robert De Niro (no screen credit)

American Hustle is a 2013 historical comedic drama from director David O. Russell.  The film focuses on a con man and his seductive partner, both forced to work for an eccentric FBI agent, who forces them to help expose political corruption.

Like Russell’s previous film, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle has two distinctions.  It received Oscar nominations in the “Big Five” categories:  best picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay (original or adapted – original in this case).  American Hustle also received Oscar nominations in all four acting categories, and before Silver Linings Playbook, no film had received nominations in all four acting categories since 1981.  And like Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle is a damn good movie.  It is an outstanding American film about the American hustle to get what you want, by hook or by crook, the way Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas was and still is a great film about America.

American Hustle opens in 1978 and introduces Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), a successful conman.  While attending a friend’s party, Irving meets Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), a woman whose beauty and intelligence attracts him, and he falls hard for her.  Surprisingly, Sydney is excited about becoming Irving’s partner in his con jobs, and she takes on the identity of Lady Edith Greensly to assist Irving in tricking prospective marks/victims in their schemes.

They eventually attract the unwanted attention of a wild and odd FBI agent, Richard “Richie” DiMaso (Bradley Cooper).  Richie forces Irving and Sydney into helping him in a sting operation to expose corruption among several members of Congress in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  Irving does not trust Richie, especially because the G-Man flirts with Sydney.  Irving’s young wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), isn’t too crazy about any of what they are doing and plots to play a part in a dangerous game of backstabbers, crooked politicians, and mobsters.

American Hustle is a fictional version of the Abscam (or ABSCAM) scandal of the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Abscam was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation in which the Bureau was aided by a convicted con-man in videotaping politicians.  These politicians were offered bribes by a fake Middle Eastern sheik in return for various political favors, which some accepted.  The investigation ultimately led to several people being convicted, including members of Congress and elected officials in both New Jersey and Philadelphia.

And you don’t need to know that to enjoy American Hustle.  I barely remember Abscam, and I probably wouldn’t, if not for the name (a codename which combined the words “Arab” and “scam”).  It is no scam that co-writer and director David O. Russell has once again delivered a film with an ensemble cast that is just plain good.  I won’t go into the details, except to say that the five main stars:  Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence are every bit as good as you have probably heard and certainly deserve the awards, nominations, and accolades they received.  It’s true.  Jennifer Lawrence is not a fluke; she’s the real deal.

Audiences that like good acting and like to see superb actors come together to love and hate, to support and challenge, and plays scenes together will want to hustle up a way to see American Hustle – immediately.  Spoiler alert:  Robert De Niro makes a cameo in American Hustle as the mobster, Victor Tellegio, but he does not receive a screen credit.  Of course, De Niro is good.  He exudes such murderous intentions as Tellegio that I almost ran away from my television set the first time he appeared on screen.

As I also said of Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle is a great movie, and I want to see it again.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards, USA:  10 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, and Jonathan Gordon), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Christian Bale), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Amy Adams), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Bradley Cooper), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Jennifer Lawrence), “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Michael Wilkinson), “Best Achievement in Directing” (David O. Russell), “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, and Alan Baumgarten), “Best Achievement in Production Design” (Judy Becker-production design and Heather Loeffler-set decoration)” and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell)

2013 BAFTA Awards:  3 wins: “Best Original Screenplay” (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell), “Best Supporting Actress” (Jennifer Lawrence), and “Best Make Up/Hair” (Evelyne Noraz and Lori McCoy-Bell); 7 nominations: “Best Film” (Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon), “Best Leading Actor” (Christian Bale), “Best Leading Actress” (Amy Adams), “Best Supporting Actor” (Bradley Cooper), “Best Production Design” (Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler), “Best Costume Design” (Michael Wilkinson), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (David O. Russell)

2013 Golden Globes, USA:  3 wins: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical,” “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Amy Adams), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Jennifer Lawrence); 4 nominations: “Golden Globe  Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Christian Bale), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Bradley Cooper), and “Best Director - Motion Picture” (David O. Russell), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell)

Sunday, March 30, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

New VIZ Media Books Reveals "The Art of The Wind Rises"

VIZ MEDIA’S STUDIO GHIBLI IMPRINT RELEASES THE ART OF THE WIND RISES

New Hardcover Release Presents The Captivating Artwork And Evolution Of Famed Director Hayao Miyazaki’s Acclaimed Film That Celebrates The Wonder Of Flight



VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, invites animation fans to savor the stunning artwork of The Wind Rises, Hayao Miyazaki’s widely acclaimed fictional biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of Japan’s Zero fighter plane, with the release of THE ART OF THE WIND RISES on April 8th, 2014. The brand new hardcover edition from the Studio Ghibli imprint will carry an MSRP of $34.99 U.S. / $39.99 CAN.

The Wind Rises is Miyazaki’s cinematic love letter to the power of flight and the imagination, an examination of the rise of Japan’s military might in the years leading up to the Second World War, and a call for worldwide peace and harmony in the face of destruction. The film has won numerous awards including Best Animated Film from The National Board of Review and The New York Film Critics Circle as well as Best Animated Feature from The Toronto Film Critics Association and The San Francisco Film Critics Circle, among others. THE ART OF THE WIND RISES captures the art of the film, from conception to production, and features in-depth interviews with the filmmakers.

“The Wind Rises is an epic story set during an important era in Japan’s history, and we very excited to complement Miyazaki’s landmark film with the release of this wonderfully illustrated new hardcover art book,” says Masumi Washington, Senior Editorial Director. “THE ART OF WIND RISES captures the evolution of the designs and characters that brought this captivating story to life. Join us to celebrate the work of one of the world’s most visionary animation directors with this new release from our Studio Ghibli imprint.”

THE ART OF THE WIND RISES is the newest title in VIZ Media’s acclaimed collection of full-color, hardcover Art Books based on Studio Ghibli films. Fans can also enjoy THE ART OF SPIRITED AWAY, THE ART OF HOWL’s MOVING CASTLE, THE ART OF MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, THE ART OF NAUSICAÄ, THE ART OF PORCO ROSSO and more. VIZ Media also publishes two notable biographical memoirs of Hayao Miyazaki that feature an insightful collection of essays, interviews, memoirs, and illustrations from legendary animation director – STARTING POINT: 1979-1996, which charts Miyazaki’s early days, and TURNING POINT: 1997-2008, which examines the critical stage in the director’s career when his animated films such as Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo began to garner a significant international audience.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's most beloved animation directors. His first feature, The Castle of Cagliostro, was released in 1979. His film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, based on his own manga (published domestically by VIZ Media, Rated ‘T’), was released in 1984. In 1985 Miyazaki cofounded Studio Ghibli, through which he directed the box-office smashes Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), which won the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film in 2003. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) received the Osella Award for technical achievement at the 2004 Venice International Film Festival. In 2005 VIFF awarded Miyazaki the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. His other acclaimed films include My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Ponyo. Miyazaki's essays, interviews, and memoirs have been collected in Starting Point: 1979-1996 and Turning Point: 1997-2008. His final film, The Wind Rises, was nominated for both a Golden Globe and Academy Award®.

For more information on Hayao Miyazaki titles published by VIZ Media, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.

Review: "The Tin Drum" is a Masterpiece (Remembering Maurice Jarre)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 118 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Die Blechtrommel (1979)
The Tin Drum (1980) – U.S. release
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  West Germany
Running time:  142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Volker Schlöndorff
WRITERS:  Jean-Claude Carrière, Franz Seitz, and Volker Schlöndorff, with Günter Grass providing additional dialogue (based upon the novel by Günter Grass)
PRODUCER:  Franz Seitz
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Igor Luther
EDITOR:  Suzanne Baron
COMPOSER:  Maurice Jarre
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler, Katharina Thalbach, Daniel Olbrychski, Tina Engel, Berta Drews, Roland Teubner, Tadeusz Kunikowki, and Heinz Bennent

The subject of this movie review is The Tin Drum (original title: Die Blechtrommel), a 1979 West German drama and black comedy from director Volker Schlöndorff.  The film is an adaptation of the 1959 novel, The Tin Drum, written by author, Günter Grass, which is the first book in Grass’ Danzig Trilogy.  The Tin Drum the movie follows a most unusual boy who, on his third birthday, decides not to grow up.

The 1979 West German film Die Blechtrommel won the 1980 Academy Award for “Best Foreign Language Film.”  It is the story of Oskar Matzerath (David Bennent), a young boy in 1930’s Danzig, Germany who decides to stop growing at the age of three.  Oskar carries a small tin drum around his neck that he beats often, much to the chagrin of the adults, and Oskar has the unique physical gift of being able to scream at such a high pitch that he can break glass.

Although Oskar’s body stops growing, mentally and psychologically he keeps aging, and as he grows he witnesses the rise of Nazism and the beginning and the end of World War II.  With everything going on around him, however, Oskar’s world revolves around pleasing himself.  Despite Oskar’s self-centeredness, the film also examines the chaotic and tumultuous lives of the adults around him, especially his mother, Agnes (Angela Winkler), and his mothers two lovers, a German shopkeeper named Alfred (Mario Adorf) and Jan Bronski (Daniel Olbrychski), a handsome Polish man who works at a Polish post office in Danzig, either of whom could be Oskar’s biological father.

Many consider The Tin Drum to be one of the great films to come out of West Germany in the last quarter century.  The film, however, isn’t one of those beautiful and genteel foreign films or one of those French films shot to mimic the immediacy of realism.  The Tin Drum is an unflinching and dense psychological examination of people caught in complicated relationships who also have to navigate the narrow straights of their own interior lives.  It’s also a sweeping cinematic observation of Nazi Germany that unfurls its ideas simultaneously through symbolism and blunt literalism.  Like some glossy, Hollywood eye candy flick, The Tin Drum doesn’t allow the audience to look away; it’s like watching a miraculous apparition unfurl before one’s eyes or like watching a mesmerizing accident.

The focus of the story is, of course, Oskar, who is mostly not likeable.  In fact, there’s something menacing or even evil about him.  He seeks to shut himself off from the world or at least totally funnel existence through his wants, but what’s most fascinating is watching Oskar’s life grow (his personality doesn’t change) with the rise of Nazism.

This is powerful stuff, the kind of thing that stands out amidst all the pedestrian films.  The Tin Drum has had a somewhat controversial existence in the United States because there is both full and partial nudity of children, which some people saw as kiddie porn.  The film is not pornography or pornographic; this film is art.  The nudity and frank sex (including a sex scene between children) is actually handled quite carefully and with imagination by director Volker Schlöndorff, as he handles everything in his masterpiece.

9 of 10
A+

Updated:  Saturday, March 29, 2014


NOTES:
1980 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Foreign Language Film” (West Germany)

1979 Cannes Film Festival:  1 win: “Palme d’Or” (Volker Schlöndorff – tied with Apocalypse Now1979)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

New "Transformers: Age of Extinction" Poster; Plus Wahlberg on Nickelodeon

Remember to tune-in to the Kids' Choice Awards tomorrow Saturday, March 29th @ 8pm/7pm on Nickelodeon for Transformers: Age of Extinction star and host Mark Whalberg.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is in theaters 06.27.14

Official site: TransformersMovie.com
Watch the Teaser Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/transformersmovie
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/transformers

Review: "Rush Hour 3" Serves the Franchise Well

TRASH IN MY EYE, No. 3 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Rush Hour 3 (2007)
Running time:  91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity, and language
DIRECTOR:  Brett Ratner
WRITER:  Jeff Nathanson (based on the characters created by Ross LaManna)
PRODUCERS:  Roger Birnbaum, Andrew Z. Davis, Jonathan Glickman, Arthur M. Sarkissian, and Jay Stern
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  J. Michael Muro
EDITORS:  Mark Helfrich, Billy Weber, and Don Zimmerman
COMPOSER:  Lalo Schifrin

ACTION/COMEDY/CRIME

Starring:  Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Max von Sydow, Yvan Attal, Noémie Lenoir, Jingchu Zhang, Tzi Ma, and Roman Polanski

The subject of this movie review is Rush Hour 3, a 2007 action movie and crime comedy from director Brett Ratner.  It is the third film in the Rush Hour movie franchise.  In Rush Hour 3, Lee and Carter head to Paris, after an attempted assassination on an ambassador, to protect a French woman with knowledge about the Triads’ secret leaders.

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker return for the long-awaited third installment of their wildly popular comic action film franchise, Rush Hour.  While Rush Hour 3 is funny and action-packed, the stars and director seem to be trying too hard.

After his dear friend, Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma), is shot, Hong Kong Police Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) finds himself guarding Han’s daughter, Soo Yung (Jingchu Zhang), from the Triads who want Han and the information he has on them destroyed.  There is, however, another complication when Lee discovers that Kenji (Hiroyuki Sanada), someone from his past who is greatly important to him, suddenly appears and is associated with the Triads.

LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) leaves the doghouse of traffic detail to help his old friend, Lee.  Soon, the duo is in Paris looking for two elusive women, the sexy Geneviéve (Noémie Lenoir) and the mysterious “Shy Shen,” who may hold the secrets that the Triads guard so jealously.  But in Paris, Lee and Carter are out of their element and always in trouble and/or danger.

Rush Hour 3 has its moments – in fact, plenty of them, but there seem to be an equal number of times in which the pratfalls, explosions, gunfire, banter, sex, etc. seem forced.  The sad thing is that neither director Brett Ratner nor his two stars need to be so over the top.  With two strong comic actors – Lee being the great physical comedian and Tucker personifying the fast-talking streetwise comic – the Rush Hour franchise has the perfect opposites-attract pair.  It’s not that hard to build an action comedy around them with only the thinnest scenario.

Instead, Chris Tucker’s witty banter often turns to babbling, and Jackie Chan’s fighting and gymnastic scenes usually make him look like a tired windup toy or a beat-up action figure caught in a wind tunnel.  It is okay to refry the same old shtick; Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson just overcooked it and let some of the fun get scorched.  Still, seeing Chan and Tucker back together is good, and the movie is not exactly bad.  In fact, Rush Hour 3 is good enough to make a fourth film worth the wait.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Updated:  Friday, March 28, 2014

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.