Support Leroy on Patreon.
NEWS:
From TheWrap: Paramount has a release date for "Jack Reacher 2" (Oct. 1, 2016).
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From YahooSports: Sony email hack reveals that Sony was afraid of the wrath of the NFL concerning the Will Smith film, "Concussion."
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From THR: The Hollywood Reporter's "Critic's Notebook" looks at the work of famed horror director, Wes Craven, who died Sunday, August 31st, 2015.
From THR: Hollywood reacts to passing of Wes Craven.
From YahooTV: Wes Craven's legacy in TV.
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From Variety: It's not too early for Oscar narratives.
COMICS - Films and Books:
From THR: Kevin Feige is free at Marvel Studios.
OBITS:
From Variety: The actor Dean Jones died at the age of 84, on Tuesday, September 1, 2015. He was known for his appearance in Disney movies, including "The Love Bug" and "That Darn Cat."
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Review: "A View to a Kill" Still Has its Charm 30 Years Later
A View to a Kill (1985)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.K.
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: John Glen
WRITERS: Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson (based on the character created by Ian Fleming)
PRODUCERS: Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alan Hume (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter Davies
COMPOSER: John Barry
SONG: “A View to a Kill” performed by Duran Duran
Golden Globe nominee
SPY/ACTION/ADVENTURE
Starring: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Patrick Macnee, Patrick Bauchau, David Yip, Fiona Fullerton, Manning Redwood, Alison Doody, Willoughby Gray, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown, Lois Maxwell, Walter Gotell, and Daniel Benzali
A View to a Kill is a 1985 spy and adventure film from director John Glen. It is the 14th entry in Eon Productions' James Bond film franchise, and it is also the seventh and last time that actor Roger Moore played James Bond. 2015 also marks the 30th anniversary of A View to a Kill's original theatrical release (specifically May 1985).
A View to a Kill takes its title from the short story, “From a View to a Kill,” which first appeared in the 1960 short story collection, For Your Eyes Only. A View to a Kill the movie finds James Bond investigating a horse-racing scam perpetrated by a power-mad French industrialist, who also has his eye on monopolizing the worldwide microchip market.
A View to a Kill opens with M16 agent James Bond (Roger Moore) locating the body of agent 003 in Siberia. From the body, Bond (agent 007) recovers a microchip originating from the Soviet Union. The microchip turns out to be a copy of one designed to withstand an electromagnetic pulse, and one made specifically for the British government by a private contractor, Zorin Industries.
Bond discovers that Zorin Industries' owner, Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), breeds racehorses and may be cheating by drugging his horses. Bond travels to Zorin's palatial estate outside of Paris and pretends to be a prospective buyer of thoroughbred horses. Bond learns, however, that Zorin has even bigger plans on the west coast of the United States, specifically Silicon Valley in California. Before Bond can uncover Zorin's diabolical plot, he will have to survive Zorin's Amazon-like body guard, Mayday (Grace Jones).
Roger Moore was the first actor I saw portraying James Bond, and it only took a few Bond films with Moore before the actor imprinted upon my imagination as being the quintessential James Bond. Over the years, I have pretended, a few times, that I preferred Sean Connery as Bond, especially when I was with friends who claimed that they preferred Connery as Bond. I have even been in the thrall of the three actors who have, to date, succeeded Moore as Bond: Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. I do think that Dr. No, the first film featuring Connery as Bond, remains the blueprint for both a Bond movie and for a secret agent movie. Still, I come back to Roger Moore as Bond.
The past few years, I have revisited the two James Bond movies that I first saw while in high school, For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Octopussy (1983). I recently revisited A View to a Kill, and after this nostalgic mini-Bond film festival, I am sure of my love for Roger Moore as my cinematic James Bond.
Now, I won't pretend that A View to a Kill is a great film or that it is even the best of Moore's Bond filmography. For one thing, the entire horse-racing subplot feels like padding to make the story longer, but it is fun. Christopher Walken is an engaging Bond villain, and Grace Jones is a delightful riot as his bodyguard, Mayday. Thus, any subplots and story that give them even more screen time is perfectly good padding. In fact, the horse-racing section of the film is the reason we get to see actor Patrick Macnee as Bond's partner, Sir Godfrey Tibbett.
After 12 years as Bond, Moore was, by 1985, the oldest actor to play Bond, being 58-years-old when he retired after A View to a Kill was originally released. He definitely shows his age in this film. Maybe, it was time for him to retire, but, at least, his last film was fun, even if it wasn't outstanding. Yes, Tanya Roberts delivers an awful performance as Bond girl, Stacey Sutton, but Roberts is likable. She puts out the effort, and that is worth something even if the result is pitiful.
Besides, Tanya Roberts helps Roger Moore go out with a bang, as she is the last of the three women he beds in this film (including Mayday). A View to a Kill certainly delivers what we like about Roger Moore as James Bond, and it makes me appreciate him all the more.
7 of 10
B+
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
NOTES:
1986 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (John Barry and Duran Duran for the song "A View to a Kill")
1986 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Actress” (Tanya Roberts)
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
"Arrow" Stars Katie Cassidy and Paul Blackthorne at 2015 Baltimore Comic-Con
Katie Cassidy
"Arrow" Media Guests Cassidy and Blackthorne Come to Baltimore Comic-Con
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - The Baltimore Comic-Con returns this September 25-27, 2015. Held at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, tickets for the Baltimore Comic-Con and Harvey Awards are now available. The convention is very pleased to announce its first media guests for 2015, Katie Cassidy and Paul Blackthorne, stars of television's Arrow, adapting the DC Entertainment character Green Arrow and his supporting cast. Katie and Paul will be in attendance Saturday and Sunday.
Katie Cassidy, one of Hollywood's most engaging young actresses, can currently be seen as the female lead in the smash hit CW series, Arrow. Based on the DC Entertainment Green Arrow comic, Cassidy plays Laurel Lance, an attorney and ex-girlfriend of Oliver Queen, who becomes Black Canary, fighting crime with Oliver (Green Arrow) and his team.
Cassidy can also be seen in the thriller titled The Scribbler, based on the 2006 Image Comics graphic novel, in which she plays the lead character 'Suki' and co-stars with Michelle Trachtenberg and Eliza Dushku.
Cassidy's other film credits include: Monte Carlo, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Taken, Black Christmas, Click, The Lost, and When a Stranger Calls.
No stranger to the small screen, Cassidy's other television credits include playing the female lead in CBS's 13-week murder mystery mini-series Harper's Island along with CW's Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, Supernatural, and 7th Heaven.
Off screen, Cassidy is very involved in H.E.L.P Malawi. Katie and H.E.L.P Board Members journeyed to Malawi in 2009 to visit and participate on the grounds. Katie witnessed first hand H.E.L.P's ongoing efforts. While in Malawi, Katie learned how H.E.L.P. utilizes resources in the natural environment to teach the children and the community self-sustaining skills. She helped to plant crops, make stoves out of mud and clay, and harvest the jam and peanut butter ingredients which were grown at the local school. Katie left her special mark in Malawi by creating the Katie Cassidy and Friends Garden. She also designed a necklace to raise money for the foundation that can be purchased online.
http://shop.helpchildren.org/whate-love-means-collection-katie-cassidy.html
Paul Blackthorne
British born actor Paul Blackthorne will be returning to primetime TV this fall for a fourth season as Quentin Lance on the CW's hit series Arrow. Father to Cassidy's Laurel, Quentin Lance is a police officer who struggles with the ongoing vigilantism and his role in law enforcement in Central City.
Last fall, he appeared in Dumb and Dumber To, the long-awaited sequel to Dumb and Dumber with original cast members, Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels.
In 2000 Blackthorne starred as the villainous Captain Russell in the Oscar nominated film Lagaan. The Oscar campaign brought him to Los Angeles where he landed many roles in American television and film. He played manipulative reality show producer, Clark Quietly in ABC's paranormal thriller The River and has appeared opposite Ted Danson in CSI and Callie Thorne in Necessary Roughness. Blackthorne played Stephen Saunders in Season 3 of 24, and starred in NBC's Lipstick Jungle opposite Brooke Shields. He is well known for his portrayal as the inimitable Harry Dresden in the SiFy series The Dresden Files. Other credits include: ER, Deadwood, Burn Notice, and Monk along with the movies Special and A Christmas Carol directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Blackthorne's directorial debut ,This American Journey, was released last fall. This documentary film follows Blackthorne and Australian photographer Mister Basquali as they travel across America interviewing everyday Americans about how they feel about their country and their hopes for its future. Along the way, stereotypes are shattered and wisdom found in the most unexpected places.
Blackthorne spends his free time traveling the world, and is an accomplished photographer. His first exhibition, 'Fish Heads and Other Things', took place in London and raised money for Greenpeace. This was followed by 'Bollywood Backpack' which raised money for the Gujarat Indian earthquake victims. His most recent collection, 'Delhi to Manhattan', was presented at Tibet House, New York and chronicles his journey through India, trekking in the Himalayan Tibetan communities and his meeting with the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala as part of 'The Missing Peace' project. Proceeds from this exhibition, which can be viewed at www.paulblackthorne.com, went to the Tibetan children's villages in India.
Blackthorne was born in Shropshire, England in 1969. His acting career began at age 12 year when he joined the illustrious National Youth Music Theater at the Edinburgh festival. Blackthorne studied the Spiritual Psychology of Acting in London from 1996-1998 with acclaimed teacher John Osborne-Hughes.
Autograph, Picture, and Media Guest VIP Tickets can be purchased at http://baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets.
"This is really exciting for us," said Marc Nathan, promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. "We constantly get requests for more media guests, but as a comic book convention, we are specifically interested in staying true to our roots. We're all fans of Arrow and enjoy seeing interpretations of our favorite comic book characters make the leap to television and in movies, so being able to announce Katie and Paul as our first media guests of 2015 is a thrill and a treat. We know their fans, and fans of the show in general, are going to be ecstatic to hear this news!"
TICKETS
General Admission and VIP Package tickets for Weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as the Harvey Awards, are now on sale! Visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets/ for more information and to purchase your advanced tickets now, and as always, kids 10 and under get into the show free with a paid adult General Admission!
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
While they are available, be sure to take advantage of discount rate arrangements we have made with hotels near the Baltimore Convention Center. For all the details, see: http://baltimorecomiccon.com/about/hotels/
In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.
Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com- for the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com- for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries
About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 15th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.
About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 10 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.
------------------------
Review: "Last House on the Left" (Remembering Wes Craven)
Last House on the Left (1972)
Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – X
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
PRODUCER: Sean S. Cunningham
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Victor Hurwitz (D.o.P.)
COMPOSER: David Alexander Hess
HORROR/THRILLER with elements of crime and drama
Starring: Mari Collingwood, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, Marc Sheffler, Gaylord St. James, Cynthia Carr, Marshall Anker, and Martin Kove
Last House on the Left is a 1972 horror and exploitation film written, directed, and edited by Wes Craven. The film was inspired by the 1960 Swedish film, The Virgin Spring, directed by Ingmar Bergman and written by Ulla Isaksson. Last House on the Left focuses on the murder of two teenage girls by a quartet of psychotic criminals and the subsequent vengeance of one of the girls' parents.
Horror master Wes Craven’s (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) first film, Last House on the Left, is nothing like his later work. A film of unflinching brutality, it is shocking in the immediacy of its horror, and it is matter-of-fact in the way it portrays murder. As a horror film, Last House on the Left is not supernatural, nor does it have any of the conventions of the “slasher flicks” that would grow to mass popularity in the late 70’s and into the late 90’s, including films that would be the work of Craven.
Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) is celebrating Sweet Sixteen with her rebellious friend, Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham), when the pair encounters a gang of sadistic criminals. The evil bunch kidnaps them, and when the girls try to escape, the gang members hunt and kill them. They disembowel Phyllis, and the lead thug, Krug Stillo (David Hess), rapes (in probably the sloppiest and most pathetic rape scene in film history) and shoots Mari.
Later, the gang unwittingly stumbles upon the home of Dr. William (Gaylord St. James) and Estelle Collingwood (Cynthia Carr), Mari’s parents, and become their guests. When the parents discover that their daughter was murdered at the hands of their guests, the couple quickly and savagely begins to slay their daughter’s murderers.
The acting is nothing short of remarkable. Combined with Craven’s documentary style of filmmaking, Last House on the Left seems very real – kind of jerky, shaky and bloody. Watching it is like being in the middle of some crazy incident and then having to run madly from one corner to another to find safety. From the prolonged torture of the teenage girls to the speedy dispatching of the bad guys, Last House on the Left is a jolt of a violent voyeurism. Part crime drama and part thriller, it is a horror movie like no other. Disquieting, it is a shunned corner in the mirror of its time – the dirty and worn ends of the hippie era. At times, it seems too raw and too unpolished, but the movie still leaves you shaking your head and saying, “What the hell…”
7 of 10
B+
Revised: Monday, August 31, 2015
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
The September Negromancer
It's September 2015. 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.
All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.
Support me on Patreon.
All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.
Support me on Patreon.
Monday, August 31, 2015
About This Movie: "99 Homes" Starring Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon
99 HOMES
Release: September 25, 2015
CLIP: Watch Carver lay his cards on the table and explain to Nash how America really works in "I’m Not Gonna Drown": https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ehlHN0A6FxI&app=desktop
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Screenplay by: Ramin Bahrani & Amir Naderi
Story by: Ramin Bahrani & Bahareh Azimi
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Tim Guinee and Laura Dern
Produced by: Ashok Amritraj, p.g.a., Ramin Bahrani, p.g.a., Kevin Turen, p.g.a., Justin Nappi
Executive Producer: Manu Gargi
Runtime: 112 minutes
Rating: R
Synopsis: Ruthless and charismatic businessman, Rick Carver (Academy Award® nominee Michael Shannon), is making a killing by repossessing homes and gaming the real estate market. When he evicts Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), a single father trying to care for his mother (Academy Award® nominee Laura Dern) and young son (newcomer Noah Lomax), Nash becomes so desperate to provide for his family that he goes to work for Carver – the very man who left them homeless in the first place. Carver promises Nash a way to regain his home and earn security for his family, but slyly seduces him into a lifestyle of wealth and glamour. It is a deal-with-the-devil that comes with an increasingly high cost. On Carver’s orders, Nash must evict families from their homes – an undertaking that grows more brutal and dangerous than he ever imagined.
Website: http://www.99homesmovie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99homesmovie?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/99HomesMovie
Instagram: https://instagram.com/99homesmovie/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfttvNCIJvE
Hashtag: #99homes
----------------------------
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Negromancer News Bits and Bites for August 23rd to August 31st, 2015 - Update #16
Support Leroy on Patreon.
NEWS:
From THR: Famed film writer/director, Wes Craven, has died of brain cancer, Sunday, August 30, 2015.
---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo: "Straight Outta Compton" is the #1 movie at the box office for the 8/28 to 8/30/15 weekend. This is the film's third consecutive week at #1.
---------------
From DigitalSpy: Tid bits on "Jurassic World" sequel.
---------------
From CinemaBlend: Woody Allen replaces Bruce Willis with Steve Carell.
---------------
From Deadline: Lee Daniels' Richard Pryor biopic is apparently a go with a list of hot stars.
---------------
From YahooMovies: Six actors who sabotaged their own careers.
---------------
From Variety: Amazon preps TV series based on "Galaxy Quest."
---------------
From InformedComment and IReadsYou: Natalie Portman on genocide.
---------------
From SlashFilm: Vin Diesel confirms xXx sequel to start filming in December.
---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo: "Straight Outta Compton" wins the 8/21 to 8/23/15 weekend box office with an estimated take of $26.8 million dollars.
---------------
From Variety: Universal and Disney dominate Summer 2015 box office, leaving not much for the other studios.
COMICS - Films and Books:
From CinemaBlend: Guardians of the Galaxy spinoffs.
---------------
From Variety: In an exclusive story, Variety is reporting that Marvel is courting Mads Mikkelsen to play a villain in Doctor Strange.
---------------
From SlashFilm: The "Blade" film franchise may be revived, but focus on Blade's daughter, Fallon Grey. Grey is supposed to be the lead in an upcoming Blade comic book revival from Marvel Comics.
REVIEWS:
From VillageVoice: A review of "Z for Zachariah" by Stephanie Zacharek.
OBITS:
From ESPN: Former NBA basketball player, Darryl Dawkins, died Thursday, August 27, 2015. Known as "Chocolate Thunder," Dawkins is remembered for his backboard-shattering dunks and also for the naming of the dunks. I thought that he was so cool and that he remained cool in retirement. Negromancer sends condolences to his family. R.I.P. Mr. Dawkins.
NEWS:
From THR: Famed film writer/director, Wes Craven, has died of brain cancer, Sunday, August 30, 2015.
---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo: "Straight Outta Compton" is the #1 movie at the box office for the 8/28 to 8/30/15 weekend. This is the film's third consecutive week at #1.
---------------
From DigitalSpy: Tid bits on "Jurassic World" sequel.
---------------
From CinemaBlend: Woody Allen replaces Bruce Willis with Steve Carell.
---------------
From Deadline: Lee Daniels' Richard Pryor biopic is apparently a go with a list of hot stars.
---------------
From YahooMovies: Six actors who sabotaged their own careers.
---------------
From Variety: Amazon preps TV series based on "Galaxy Quest."
---------------
From InformedComment and IReadsYou: Natalie Portman on genocide.
---------------
From SlashFilm: Vin Diesel confirms xXx sequel to start filming in December.
---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo: "Straight Outta Compton" wins the 8/21 to 8/23/15 weekend box office with an estimated take of $26.8 million dollars.
---------------
From Variety: Universal and Disney dominate Summer 2015 box office, leaving not much for the other studios.
COMICS - Films and Books:
From CinemaBlend: Guardians of the Galaxy spinoffs.
---------------
From Variety: In an exclusive story, Variety is reporting that Marvel is courting Mads Mikkelsen to play a villain in Doctor Strange.
---------------
From SlashFilm: The "Blade" film franchise may be revived, but focus on Blade's daughter, Fallon Grey. Grey is supposed to be the lead in an upcoming Blade comic book revival from Marvel Comics.
REVIEWS:
From VillageVoice: A review of "Z for Zachariah" by Stephanie Zacharek.
OBITS:
From ESPN: Former NBA basketball player, Darryl Dawkins, died Thursday, August 27, 2015. Known as "Chocolate Thunder," Dawkins is remembered for his backboard-shattering dunks and also for the naming of the dunks. I thought that he was so cool and that he remained cool in retirement. Negromancer sends condolences to his family. R.I.P. Mr. Dawkins.
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