Negromancer News Bits and Bites for December 14th to 20th, 2014 - Updated #9

NEWS:

From Variety:  "The Interview," Seth Rogen and James Franco's comedy about a silly assassination plot against Kim Jong-un (North Korean dictator), will not get a theatrical release.  It may not get any kind of release.

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From Variety:  Steve Carell's North Korea-set thriller dropped by New Regency.

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From Vulture:  Frank Rich interviewed Chris Rock.

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From YahooMovies:  It was 75 year ago today that the Gone with the Wind premiere was held in Atlanta.  Oops, none of the black actors could attend, even eventual Oscar-winner, Hattie McDaniel.

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From Variety:  FOX's Exodus: Gods and Kings was the #1 film at the box office for the weekend of Fri., Dec. 12th to 14th, 2014 with an estimated take of $24.5 million.

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From Arstechnica:  Marvel reveals plot details about "Ant-Man."

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From LATimes:  Sony emails about Obama.  Actually, they aren't terrible.


COMICS:

From Screengonzo:  News of a possible "meeting of the minds" between Marvel and Sony about Spider-Man.

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From IGN:  Joss Whedon talks about a big surprise in Avengers: Age of Ultron.


STAR WARS:

From EntertainmentWeekly:  Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director, Jason Reitman stages a live reading of The Empire Strikes Back, with surprise performances by Mark Hamill and Rainn Wilson.

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From EntertainmentWeekly:  10 things Andy Serkis can say about Episode 7.



MISC:

From YahooSports:  Kobe Bryant passes Michael Jordan for third place on the National Basketball Association (NBA) scoring list.

Women Dominate IMDb "Top Stars of 2014" Lists

IMDb Announces the Top 10 Stars of 2014; Women Sweep the Top 10 for the First Time Ever; Shailene Woodley Dethrones Jennifer Lawrence

IMDb Premieres New Web Show (The IMDb Countdown) and New Top 10 List (Movers & Shakers); Margot Robbie Is The #1 Breakout Star of 2014

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IMDb (www.imdb.com), the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content, today unveiled the Top 10 Stars of 2014, the Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2014, and a new list, the Top 10 Movers & Shakers of 2014. Rather than base its annual rankings on small statistical samplings, reviews of professional critics or box office performance, these definitive top 10 lists are determined by the actual page views of the more than 200 million monthly unique visitors to IMDb.

    “Although theatrical blockbusters deeply influenced this year’s list, the perennial popularity of TV title Game of Thrones ensured that Emilia Clarke, known to fans as Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, earned her seat on the Top 10 Stars list at #4”
IMDb’s just-launched Best of 2014 section (www.imdb.com/bestof2014) features a variety of additional top 10 lists, the IMDb Top 100 Stars of 2014 list, and other compelling year-end editorial coverage. In-depth IMDb STARmeter rankings are available exclusively on IMDbPro (http://www.imdbpro.com), the subscription version of IMDb designed for entertainment industry professionals.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of IMDb’s annual end-of-year top 10 lists, IMDb will premiere a new IMDb original web series, The IMDb Countdown. Hosted by Brooke Anderson of Entertainment Tonight, The IMDb Countdown brings IMDb’s top 10 lists to life, featuring expert commentary from IMDb’s editors and celebrity acceptance speeches. The first episode, focused on the Top 10 Stars of 2014, premieres today (December 9) in IMDb’s Best of 2014 section (www.imdb.com/bestof2014) which is accessible via IMDb’s homepage and mobile apps. The second episode, which explores IMDb’s Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2014, will premiere on December 11. The third episode, which will reveal the Top 10 Movies of 2014 as determined by IMDb user ratings, will premiere on December 13. The fourth episode, which announces the Top 10 TV Series of the year as determined by page views on IMDb, will premiere on December 15.

And the 2014 winners are:

The IMDb Top 10 Stars of 2014 List*
1. Shailene Woodley

2. Jennifer Lawrence

3. Margot Robbie

4. Emilia Clarke

5. Scarlett Johansson

6. Nicola Peltz

7. Chloë Grace Moretz

8. Rosamund Pike

9. Emma Stone

10. Eva Green

*The 10 stars who consistently ranked the highest on the IMDb weekly STARmeter chart throughout 2014. IMDb STARmeter rankings are based on the actual page views of IMDb’s more than 200 million unique monthly visitors.

The IMDb Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2014 List*
1. Margot Robbie

2. Nicola Peltz

3. Rosamund Pike

4. Chris Pratt

5. Naomi Grossman

6. Theo James

7. Jared Leto

8. Taryn Manning

9. Taylor Schilling

10. Jamie Dornan

*Among the select group of stars who charted on IMDb’s annual Top 100 list for the first time in their careers in 2014, these 10 stars consistently ranked the highest on the IMDb weekly STARmeter chart throughout the year. IMDb STARmeter rankings are based on the actual page views of IMDb’s more than 200 million unique monthly visitors.

“This is the 10th anniversary of calculating IMDb’s Top 10 Stars and this is the first time women have swept every spot on the list, reflecting the fact that strong roles for women and breakthrough performances by women permeated 2014, ” said Keith Simanton, IMDb’s Managing Editor. “Leonardo DiCaprio, who ranked #3 in 2013 and #4 in 2010, was the highest performing actor in 2014 (ranking #11 for the year). 2014 was quite a year for Shailene Woodley, who dethroned last year’s #1 star (Jennifer Lawrence) by consistently being of interest to IMDb’s users throughout the year with her lead performances in early spring hit Divergent and summer’s hit The Fault In Our Stars. Margot Robbie catapulted to the top of our Breakout Stars list this year, fueled by intense fan interest in her role in The Wolf of Wall Street.”

“Although theatrical blockbusters deeply influenced this year’s list, the perennial popularity of TV title Game of Thrones ensured that Emilia Clarke, known to fans as Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, earned her seat on the Top 10 Stars list at #4,” said Melanie McFarland, IMDb’s TV editor. “Joining her is Eva Green (#10), who not only co-starred in the action flicks 300: Rise of an Empire and Sin City: A Dame of Kill For during 2014, but thrilled fans as the mysterious Vanessa Ives in Showtime’s rising hit Penny Dreadful -- which, like Green, is fast becoming a fan favorite.”

“Among IMDb’s 2014 Breakout stars are a few prominent TV/film crossovers. Yes, Chris Pratt (#4) may be known as Star-Lord nowadays, but long before winning the lead in Guardians of the Galaxy, he was the lovably dopey Andy Dwyer on NBC’s Parks and Recreation,” continued Melanie McFarland. “Similarly, the man the world will soon know as Christian Grey might be more familiar to TV viewers as Paul Spector on BBC’s The Fall. But among the three TV stars on the list, while it’s interesting to see Orange is the New Black’s Taylor Schilling (#9) and Taryn Manning (#8) on our year end Break-Out Stars list, the quick rise of American Horror Story star Naomi Grossman at #5 is a terrific story. Grossman’s transformation into Pepper on American Horror Story’s Asylum and Freak Show seasons is simply astounding, and her portrayal has piqued a lot of curiosity about her among our users.”

IMDb also revealed a new end-of-year top 10 list, Movers & Shakers. Among the rising stars who ranked on IMDb’s annual Top 200 STARmeter List in 2014, the stars on IMDb’s new Movers & Shakers list experienced the largest increase in their best weekly STARmeter ranking in 2014 as compared to 2013. The list follows:

The IMDb Top 10 Movers & Shakers of 2014 List*
1. Camren Bicondova

2. Emily Ratajkowski

3. Lupita Nyong’o

4. Dave Bautista

5. Danielle Panabaker

6. Ansel Elgort

7. Michelle Monaghan

8. Imogen Poots

9. Uzo Aduba

10. Dane DeHaan

*The rising stars on this list experienced the largest increase in their best weekly STARmeter ranking in 2014 as compared to 2013.


About IMDb
IMDb is the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The IMDb consumer site (www.imdb.com) is the #1 movie website in the world with a combined web and mobile audience of more than 200 million unique monthly visitors. IMDb offers a searchable database of more than 180 million data items including more than 3 million movies, TV and entertainment programs and more than 6 million cast and crew members. Consumers rely on the information IMDb provides -- including local movie showtimes, ticketing, trailers, critic and user reviews, personalized recommendations, photo galleries, entertainment news, quotes, trivia, box-office data, editorial feature sections and a universal Watchlist – when deciding what to watch and where to watch it. IMDb’s portfolio of leading entertainment apps (http://www.imdb.com/apps/) includes its popular “Movies & TV” app for iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phones, Android tablets and its mobile-optimized website. To date, there have been more than 115 million downloads of IMDb’s mobile apps worldwide. IMDb's X-Ray for Movies & TV (www.imdb.com/x-ray) is a feature that revolutionizes the viewing experience by bringing the power of IMDb directly to Kindle Fire HD and Wii U devices. IMDb’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/imdb) and official Twitter account (https://twitter.com/imdb) are followed by more than 7 million passionate entertainment fans. IMDbPro (http://www.imdbpro.com) is a subscription version of IMDb designed exclusively for professionals who work in the entertainment industry. IMDbPro provides a casting service, contact information, in production listings for film and television projects, exclusive STARmeter rankings that are determined by user searches on IMDb, and a mobile optimized website. IMDb’s original web series, What to Watch (http://www.imdb.com/whattowatch), helps fans discover and dive deeply into movies and TV shows they’ll love. Additionally, IMDb owns and operates Withoutabox (http://www.withoutabox.com), a marketplace for film festivals and filmmakers, and Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com), the leading online box-office reporting service. IMDb.com is operated by IMDb.com, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) (http://www.amazon.com). To learn more, go to: http://www.imdb.com/press.

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New Trailer and Poster for "Hot Tub Time Machine 2"

Lou Dorchen founder CEO of LouNET, the Internet powerhouse responsible for Lougle™, LougleMaps™, and LouMail™ writes exclusively for Mashable about how he makes Internet magic happen.

Read now: http://mashable.com/2014/12/10/lou-dorchen-went-to-the-future-brought-back-a-new-hot-tub-time-machine-2-trailer/

Watch now: http://youtu.be/qlPja0-7ALk

When Lou (Rob Corddry) finds himself in trouble, Nick (Craig Robinson) and Jacob (Clark Duke) fire up the hot tub time machine in an attempt to get back to the past. But they inadvertently land in the future with Adam Jr. (Adam Scott). Now they have to alter the future in order to save the past... which is really the present, in the sequel from the same team that brought you the original cult hit.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 is in theaters February 20th, 2015

Site: http://www.hottubtimemachine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hottubtimemachine
Twitter: http://www.hottubtimemachine.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HotTubTimeMachine2

#HotTubTimeMachine

Detroit Film Critics Name "Boyhood" the Best Film of 2014

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

2014 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST FILM
    Winner: Boyhood

BEST DIRECTOR
    Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTOR
    Winner: Michael Keaton, Birdman

BEST ACTRESS
    Winner: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
    Winner: JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    Winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

BEST ENSEMBLE
    Winner: Birdman

BREAKTHROUGH
    Winner: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (director, screenplay)

BEST SCREENPLAY
    Winner: Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST DOCUMENTARY
    Winner: CitizenFour

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Benefit Screenings of "American Sniper" Announced

Chris Kyle Frog Foundation to Host Multi-City Benefit Screenings of “American Sniper”

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures will join forces with the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation (CKFF) on special pre-release screenings of “American Sniper,” directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller as his wife, Taya. Based on Chris Kyle’s autobiography, “American Sniper” recounts the personal story of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history.

Eight cities have been chosen to host the CKFF benefit event on Wednesday, January 14, 2015: Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, San Diego, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Miami, Denver, and San Antonio.

Chris Kyle Frog Foundation was launched this past Veterans Day, with Taya Kyle presenting the organization’s vision of establishing a nationwide connection of service members and first responder families.

Taya stated, “I am so happy to welcome everyone to enjoy these special screenings of this inspiring, powerful and meaningful film, which captures Chris’s spirit and his character in telling the story of our family’s military experiences. ‘American Sniper’ not only reflects our story but also those of all military and first responder families; we honor them and their service to God and country. On behalf of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, I also want to express our deep appreciation to those who have supported our mission and made these screenings possible, especially Warner Bros. and our cinema partners, which are all listed on our website.”

Warner Bros. is proud to be a part of this special event, which will aid in introducing the foundation to the selected cities and beyond.

Tickets for these multi-city benefit screenings can be purchased beginning Thursday, December 18th. For more information about tickets, please visit: chriskylefrogfoundation.org.

ABOUT CHRIS KYLE FROG FOUNDATION
Chris Kyle Frog Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is TO SERVE THOSE WHO SERVE US by providing meaningful interactive experiences enriching family relationships. Embracing Loyalty, Empowerment, Integrity and Excellence, Chris Kyle Frog Foundation experiences are designed to support its vision of a country of connected and thriving service member and first responder families. Each experience helps to build resilience while providing time and space without the distractions of everyday life. chriskylefrogfoundation.org

ABOUT “AMERICAN SNIPER”
From director Clint Eastwood comes “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, whose skills as a sniper made him a hero on the battlefield. But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “The Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

Two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle”) heads the cast, which also includes Sienna Miller, Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kevin Lacz, Navid Negahban and Keir O’Donnell. Eastwood directed “American Sniper” from a screenplay written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The autobiography was a runaway bestseller, spending 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of those at number one. The film is produced by Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan. Tim Moore, Jason Hall, Sheroum Kim, Steven Mnuchin and Bruce Berman served as executive producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Mad Chance Production, A 22nd & Indiana Production, “American Sniper.” Opening in limited release on December 25, 2014, and wide on January 16, 2015, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. “American Sniper” has been rated R for strong and disturbing war violence and language throughout, including some sexual references. americansnipermovie.com

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Boston Society of Film Critics Choose "Boyhood" as Best Picture of 2014

The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) was formed in 1981.  The group claims that its mission is to make “Boston's unique critical perspective heard on a national and international level by awarding commendations to the best of the year's films and filmmakers and local film theaters and film societies that offer outstanding film programming.”  One of the society’s members, Wesley Morris, won 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

2014 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Winners:

Best Picture  - Boyhood

Best Actor - Michael Keaton for Birdman

Best Actress - Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant and Two Days, One Night

Best Supporting Actor -  J. K. Simmons for Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress -  Emma Stone for Birdman

Best Director - Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Screenplay -  (TIE)

• Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo for Birdman
• Richard Linklater for Boyhood

Best Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman

Best Documentary - Citizenfour

Best Foreign-Language Film  (awarded in memory of Jay Carr) -  Two Days, One Night (Belgium)

Best Animated Film - The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) - Sandra Adair for Boyhood

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) -  Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler

Best Ensemble Cast -  Boyhood

Best Use of Music in a Film - Inherent Vice

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Boston Online Film Critics Name "Snowpiercer" as Best Picture of 2014

The Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) was founded in May 2012.  According to the group, BOFCA fosters a community of web-based film critics and provides them with a supportive group of colleagues and a professional platform for their voices to be heard. They collect and link to their reviews every week at a website that also features original content by members, including filmmaker interviews and spotlights on Boston’s vital repertory film scene.

By widening professional membership to writers working in new media, BOFCA aims to encourage more diverse opinions in the field. The Boston Online Film Critics Association has gathered together critics writing for publications that collectively receive over 15 million impressions/page views per month. BOFCA is present on social media year-round with members’ film articles and essays.

The 2014 Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards:

BEST PICTURE: SNOWPIERCER

BEST DIRECTOR: Alejandro González Iñárritu, BIRDMAN

BEST ACTOR: Brendan Gleeson, CALVARY

BEST ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard, TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Edward Norton, BIRDMAN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Tilda Swinton, SNOWPIERCER

BEST SCREENPLAY: John Michael McDonagh, CALVARY

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (Belgium)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: LIFE ITSELF

BEST ANIMATED FILM: THE LEGO MOVIE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: BIRDMAN

BEST EDITING: James Herbert & Laura Jennings, EDGE OF TOMORROW

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Mica Levi, UNDER THE SKIN

BEST ENSEMBLE: BIRDMAN


THE TEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR:

1. SNOWPIERCER

2. UNDER THE SKIN

3. BOYHOOD

4. ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

5. THE BABADOOK

6. TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT

7. BIRDMAN

8. CALVARY

9. INHERENT VICE

10. SELMA

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