TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Image Comics Announces Cory Walker's Return to "Invincible"

INVINCIBLE ORIGINAL SERIES ARTIST CORY WALKER RETURNS

Beloved co-creator of the long-running creator-owned superhero series begins new arc

New York Times bestselling author, multiple award-winning creator, and pop culture phenomenon Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA) reunites with original series artist—the fan-favorite and industry-beloved Cory Walker—for an all-new, heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping story arc coming this April from Image/Skybound.

In INVINCIBLE #127, Mark has returned from the past... to a very different future. Now he has to pick up the pieces of his life and try to put them back together.

In an exclusive interview with IGN, Walker added: “I’m a genuine fan of the book and I’ve always been involved in varying degrees through the years, but as the opportunity began to present itself, this possibility that I could come on and fill in for a few issues, it was pretty exciting. I have slowly been working on other things and haven’t had a comic on stands since I shared art duties with Ryan back on the Flaxan invasion/Rex and Monster Girl story back in Invincible 92-96, so the prospect of putting ANY comics out relatively soon was a sweet enough proposition, but make it Invincible and I can’t say no.”

INVINCIBLE #127 (Diamond Code FEB160514) will hit comic book stores on Wednesday, April 20th. The final order cutoff deadline for comic book retailers is Monday, March 28th.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

ABOUT SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 2010, Skybound Entertainment is a multiplatform entertainment company specializing in television, comics, film, digital content, interactive, gaming, and merchandise. The company is led by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and his longtime producing and business partner David Alpert.

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2016 Dorian Award Winnters Announced; "Carol" Dominates

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

GALECA Announces 2016 Dorian Award Nominations - Complete List

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA) is an organization that is comprised of critics and entertainment journalists who write on television and film for noteworthy media outlets easily accessible in the U.S. According to its website, most members identify as a member of the LGBTQ-munity: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, but the organization has non-gay “ally” journalists in its ranks, members who tend to work for LGBTQ-targeted outlets). Through its annual Dorian Awards, GALECA toasts the finest in movies and television, from mainstream to LGBTQ-centric.

2016 Dorian Award nominations (for the year in film and television 2015):

FILM OF THE YEAR
The Big Short / Paramount, Regency
Brooklyn / Fox Searchlight
Carol / The Weinstein Company
Mad Max: Fury Road / Warner Bros., Village Road Show
Spotlight / Open Road, Participant, First Look

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
(Film or Television)
Sean Baker, Tangerine / Magnolia Pictures
Todd Haynes, Carol / The Weinstein Company
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, The Revenant / Fox
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight / Open Road, Participant, First Look
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road / Warner Bros., Village Road Show

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Carol / The Weinstein Company
Brie Larson, Room / A24
Rooney Mara, Carol / The Weinstein Company
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years / Sundance Selects
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn / Fox Searchlight

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTOR
Matt Damon, The Martian / Fox
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant / Fox
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs / Universal
Tom Hardy, Legend / Universal, Cross Creek
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl / Focus, Working Title

LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR
Carol / The Weinstein Company
The Danish Girl / Focus, Working Title
Freeheld / Summit
Grandma / Sony Pictures Classics
Tangerine / Magnolia Pictures

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
The Assassin / Central Motion Pictures, Well Go USA
Mustang / Cohen Media Group
Phoenix / Sundance Selects
Son of Saul / Sony Pictures Classics
Viva / Magnolia Pictures

SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR
Emma Donoghue, Room / A24
Phyllis Nagy, Carol / The Weinstein Company
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short / Paramount, Regency
Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy, Spotlight / Open Road, Participant, First Look
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs / Universal

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
(theatrical release, TV airing or DVD release)
Amy / A24
Best of Enemies / Magnolia Pictures, Magnet
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief / HBO
Making a Murderer / Netflix
What Happened, Miss Simone? / Netflix

VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR
(honoring a production of stunning beauty, from art direction to cinematography)
Carol / The Weinstein Company
The Danish Girl / Focus, Working Title
Mad Max: Fury Road / Warner Bros., Village Road Show
The Martian / Fox
The Revenant / Fox

UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / Sony Pictures Classics
Ex Machina / A24
Grandma / Sony Pictures Classics
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / Fox Searchlight
Tangerine (Magnolia)

CAMPY FLICK OF THE YEAR
The Boy Next Door
Fifty Shades of Grey
Magic Mike XXL
Jupiter Ascending
Stonewall

TV DRAMA OF THE YEAR
Fargo / FX
The Leftovers / HBO
Mad Men / AMC
Mr. Robot / USA
Orange is the New Black / Netflix

TV COMEDY OF THE YEAR
Grace and Frankie / Netflix
Master of None / Netflix
Transparent / Amazon
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt / Netflix
Veep / HBO

TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTOR
Titus Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt / Netflix
Jon Hamm, Mad Men / AMC
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot / USA
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent / Amazon
Justin Theroux, The Leftovers / HBO

TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTRESS
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder / ABC
Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie / Netflix
Taraji P. Henson, Empire / Fox
Krysten Ritter, Jessica Jones / Netflix
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie / Netflix

TV CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW OF THE YEAR
Anderson Cooper 360 / CNN
The Daily Show / Comedy Central
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver / HBO
The Rachel Maddow Show / MSNBC
Real Time with Bill Maher / HBO

LGBTQ TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
Grace and Frankie / Netflix
Looking / HBO
Orange is the New Black / Netflix
Sense8 / Netflix
Transparent / Amazon

UNSUNG TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
Broad City / Comedy Central
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend / CW
Getting On / HBO
Looking / HBO
UnReal / Lifetime

TV MUSICAL MOMENT OF THE YEAR

Adele: “Hello / ” Adele Live in New York City / NBC
Aretha Franklin: “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors / CBS
Lady Gaga: The Sound of Music 50th anniversary tribute, 87th Annual Academy Awards / ABC
Sydney Lucas and the Cast of Fun Home: “Ring of Keys” 69th Annual Tony Awards / CBS
John Legend and Common: “Glory” (Original song nominee, Selma): 87th Annual Academy Awards / ABC

CAMPY TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
American Horror Story: Hotel
Empire
How to Get Away with Murder
Scream Queens
Sense8

“WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!” RISING STAR AWARD
Rami Malek
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez
Mya Taylor
Jacob Tremblay
Alicia Vikander

WILDE WIT OF THE YEAR
(honoring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
Billy Eichner
Rachel Maddow
Tig Notaro
John Oliver
Amy Schumer

WILDE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
(honoring a truly groundbreaking force in the fields of film, theater and/or television)
Andrew Haigh
Todd Haynes
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Tig Notaro
Amy Schumer

TIMELESS STAR
(to an actor or performer whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit)
Jane Fonda

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"Samurai General 'Daisho' Darth Vader" Makes Its Debut

BLUEFIN DEBUTS SAMURAI GENERAL “DAISHO” DARTH VADER MEISHO MOVIE REALIZATION STAR WARS FIGURE BY TAMASHII NATIONS

Highly Detailed Collectible Figure Of The Dark Sith Lord Of The Empire Is Available From Leading Retailers This Month And Incorporates A Unique Japanese Samurai Aesthetic

Irvine, CA – Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan, Hong Kong and more, moves to the Dark Side for its latest Star Wars collectibles product with the release this month of the Samurai General “Daisho” Darth Vader. The high-detail, 7 inch poseable figure is newest addition of the Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars figure line by Tamashii Nations.

The Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars line pays homage to the Samurai aesthetic and artfully reimagines iconic Empire characters from the legendary films with feudal-style Japanese armor and weaponry.

The new “Daisho” Darth Vader figure depicts the Dark Sith Lord as a Samurai General, clad in sinister black “Death Star” armor, and debuts with an MSRP of $92.99 from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide and also from a variety of leading online outlets. The figure is constructed with hybrid materials and features 15 points of articulation to create endless posing possibilities

Meisho Movie Realization Samurai General “Daisho” Darth Vader
Height: Approx. 7 inches; MSRP: $92.99

The greatly popular Samurai General Darth Vader makes a comeback in an all new Death Star motif. Another stunningly unique artistic interpretation master crafted by acclaimed artist Takeya Takayuki, Darth Vader - Death Star Armor - has a revamped armor design. Most notable is the fearsome Death Star-style crest on the helmet and highly detailed chest plate pattern. Set includes interchangeable hands, gun (large, small), and katana sword (light saber and regular).

Fans can also enjoy other figures from the Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars product line – available now – that include the “Ronin” Boba Fett, “Ashigaru” Stormtrooper, and the Samurai General “Taisho” Darth Vader. Each is clad in a unique set of armor and comes with an array of weapons and other accessories. Additional new figures will be announced in coming months.

For more information on Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars figures distributed by Bluefin, please visit: www.bluefincorp.com/catalog/tamashii-nations/meisho-movie-realization.html.

About Bluefin
Based in Irvine, CA, Bluefin built its reputation as a leading distributor of Japanese toys, collectibles, novelty and hobby products. In recent years, Bluefin has grown to include a range of high quality collectible lines from the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and established itself as the official North American consumer products and retail development partner for Studio Ghibli. Selling to thousands of specialty, chain and independent stores, Bluefin is an official North American distributor for Bandai Hobby, Kotobukiya and Capcom, is the sole provider of Bandai Tamashii Nations products, and is also the exclusive and official distributor for Hero Cross, Beast Kingdom, Comicave, Mr. Hobby, SEN-TI-NEL and X-Plus. Bluefin also represents TruForce Collectibles products worldwide. Additional information is available at: www.bluefincorp.com.

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36th London Critics Circle Film Awards Announced; "Mad Max: Fury Road" Named Best Film

The London Critics’ Circle Film Section 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 London Critics’ Circle Film Section announced nominations for its 36th annual film awards on December 15, 2015. The winners were announced Sunday, January 17, 2016 at The May Fair Hotel. Kenneth Branagh received the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film.

2016 / 36th London Critics' Circle Film Awards – winners (for the year in film 2015):

FILM OF THE YEAR: Mad Max: Fury Road

BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR: 45 Years

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR: The Look of Silence (Denmark)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR: Amy

ACTOR OF THE YEAR: Tom Courtenay — 45 Years

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR: Charlotte Rampling — 45 Years

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR: Mark Rylance — Bridge of Spies

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR: Kate Winslet — Steve Jobs

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR: George Miller — Mad Max: Fury Road

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy — Spotlight

BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR: Tom Hardy — Legend, London Road, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant

BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR: Saoirse Ronan — Brooklyn, Lost River

YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR: Maisie Williams — The Falling

PHILIP FRENCH AWARD FOR BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER: John Maclean — Slow West

BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR: Stutterer — Benjamin Cleary

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Ed Lachman, cinematography — Caro

DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM: Kenneth Branagh

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Monday, January 18, 2016

2016 Critics Choice Awards Announced; "Spotlight" Named Best Picture of 2015

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada. It represents almost 300 television, radio and online critics. For additional information about the BFCA and their memberships, visit www.criticschoice.com.

The winners for the 21st Critics’ Choice Awards were announced Sunday, January 17, 2016.

The 2016 / 21st Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards – winners (for the year in film, 2015):

BEST PICTURE: Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR: George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant

BEST ACTRESS: Brie Larson – Room

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sylvester Stallone – Creed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS: Jacob Tremblay – Room

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE: Spotlight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay – The Big Short

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Mad Max: Fury Road – Colin Gibson

BEST EDITING: Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Inside Out

BEST ACTION MOVIE: Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE: Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE: Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST COMEDY: The Big Short

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY: Christian Bale – The Big Short

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY: Amy Schumer – Trainwreck

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE: Ex Machina

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Son of Saul (Hungary)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Amy

BEST SONG: Furious 7 – “See You Again”

BEST SCORE: The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone

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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Review: "Furious 7" is Furious and Bittersweet

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review first appeared on Patreon.]

Furious 7 (2015)
Running time: 137 minutes (2 hour, 17 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language
DIRECTOR: James Wan
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, and Michael Fottrell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon and Marc Spicer
EDITORS: Christian Wagner, Leigh Folsom Boyd, Dylan Highsmith, and Kirk Morri
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou, Lucas Black, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Brotherton, Tony Jaa, Ali Fazal, Ronda Rousey, Iggy Azalea, Sarah Sohn, Noel Gugliemi, T-Pain, Luke Evans, and Sung Kang

Furious 7 is a 2015 action movie from director James Wan and released by Universal Pictures. It is the seventh installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise. Furious 7 is set after the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but follows the events of Fast & Furious 6. In Furious 7, a new enemy seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family.

Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), and their friends are trying to live a normal life, but that is a bit more complicated than they imagined. Dom is troubled that his longtime girlfriend and ride-or-die chick, Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), is having trouble regaining her memories. Brian struggles with domestic life as a husband to Mia (Jordana Brewster), who is also Dom's sister, and as a father to their small son, Jack.

Meanwhile, trouble is brewing overseas. Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the older brother of Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), swears revenge against Dom and his racers who defeated Owen (in Fast & Furious 6), leaving him in a coma. Deckard infiltrates the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service) office in Los Angeles to get information on Dom and company. In the process, Deckard severely injures Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who brought Dom and his race team into his hunt for Owen Shaw.

After Deckard launches a series of attacks on his friends and family, Dom reunites Brian, Letty, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), to find Deckard. They get help from Frank Petty (Kurt Russell) a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” the leader of a covert ops team. However, Deckard finds an ally in Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou), a mercenary and terrorist who leads a private military company. Now, all parties are chasing Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), a computer hacktivist and her creation, God's Eye.

One cannot talk about Furious 7 without making note of the death of actor Paul Walker in November of 2013. Walker and Vin Diesel were the face of The Fast and the Furious franchise. Walker was only half-finished with the scenes he needed to film for Furious 7 when he died. Stand-ins for Paul, including his brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, and the judicious application of computer-generated imagery were used to finish the rest of Walker's scenes.

Other than for a few scenes and some dialogue/audio, I could not tell the difference between Paul and the Paul stand-ins. Besides, Furious 7 is so full of over-the-top, eye-popping, and breath-taking action scenes and sequences that my focus was on taking it all in and not on detecting real-Paul vs. faux-Paul. Yes, Paul's death hangs over Furious 7, but not in a morbid way. This film is a celebration of the work for which Walker is best known and for which he will be best remembered.

I do find Furious 7 to be a little too long, but there is no point in talking about the art of filmmaking when it comes to Furious 7. Yes, it is well acted, surprisingly so. James Wan seems superfluous as director; any of the three directors who have helmed previous installments of this franchise could have directed this film. The script is half well-written, in terms of drama, and half-ridiculous, as the screenplay for a movie like Furious 7 must be.

When talking about Furious 7, we must talk about the action. I loved the Predator drone; the multi-million dollar sports car driven through three skyscrapers; the Caucasus Mountains sequence that begins with five vehicles dropped from an airplane; the Tony Jaa-Paul Walker fights; and the awesome Dwayne Johnson-Jason Statham fisticuffs, to name a few. This is not a great film, but it is fast and furious. So why let Furious 7 be the last one? Keep 'em coming.

6 of 10
B

Friday, October 30, 2015

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