Amazon Greenlights "Cortes" from Steven Spielberg and Javier Bardem

Amazon Studios Greenlights a New Series, Cortes — Steven Spielberg and Steven Zaillian Set to Executive Produce and Javier Bardem Set to Star and Executive Produce

Javier Bardem is set to star as Hernan Cortes, the explorer who overthrew the Aztec empire for the Spanish

The Amblin series created for television by Steven Zaillian

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)— Amazon Studios announced it has greenlit a straight-to-series order of a four-hour miniseries based on the epic saga of Hernan Cortes. The series, from three-time Academy Award-winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan) and Amblin Television, is created for television and written by Academy Award-winner Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List) and based on the screenplay by Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday). Emmy-winning Zaillian, Emmy-winning Darryl Frank (The Americans) and Emmy-nominated Justin Falvey (The Americans) are set to executive produce, and Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) is set to star and executive produce.

    “It is a privilege to tell this epic story — one that is full of drama and conflict within this huge, historical spectacle where two distant civilizations clash at the height of their reign”

Cortes reveals the legendary conqueror, Hernan Cortes, who led a rebellious expedition to the heart of King Montezuma II’s Aztec empire, connecting two civilizations for the first time and changing the course of history.

“Cortes’ epic discoveries shaped the world as we know it today, and through the minds of Amblin, Steven Spielberg, Steve Zaillian and Javier Bardem, we will bring Prime Video members on an exhilarating journey,” said Sharon Yguado, Head of Scripted Series, Amazon Studios. “There are few moments in history that shape an entire culture such as Cortes’ story, and this series will be one filled with drama and adventure.”

“We are so pleased that Amazon has given us the opportunity to bring this exciting 500-year-old story to Prime Video members worldwide. It is a part of history that had such a significant impact and largely influenced modern day civilizations. With Javier as Cortes, we have the perfect star for this role, and we can’t wait to get started,” said Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, co-heads of Amblin Television.

“It is a privilege to tell this epic story — one that is full of drama and conflict within this huge, historical spectacle where two distant civilizations clash at the height of their reign,” said Javier Bardem. “The best and worst of human nature came to life in all its light and darkness. As an actor, there is no better challenge than to serve such a unique project that I have been passionate about for years, and I am thrilled to be working with this dream team of Steven Spielberg, Steven Zaillian and Amazon.”

Prime Original series are available for Prime members to stream and enjoy using the Prime Video app for TVs, connected devices including Amazon Fire TV, and mobile devices, or online with other Prime Original series at Amazon.com/originals, at no additional cost to their membership. Eligible customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Prime Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream. Content is available through the Prime Video app and PrimeVideo.com in more than 200 countries and territories.


About Prime Video
Prime Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch, and how to watch it. Prime Video is the only service that provides all of the following:

•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed and self-published content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Prime Original series like The Grand Tour, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Sneaky Pete, and kids series Tumble Leaf, and Amazon Original Movies such as Academy Award-winning Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman, and Academy Award-nominated The Big Sick, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Live Sports: Sporting events, including AVP volleyball and ATP tennis, are available to watch live on Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe
•     Amazon Channels: Over 140 channel subscriptions that Prime members can add to their membership, including HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV and more. To view the full list of channels available, visit www.amazon.com/channels
•     Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new-release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers
•     Instant Access: Instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Prime Video app on TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire tablets and Apple TV or online. For a list of all compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream
•     Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR), X-Ray and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalogue with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About Amblin Television
Amblin Television, a long-time leader in quality programming, is a division of Amblin Partners, a content creation company led by Steven Spielberg, with investment partners that include Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment, Entertainment One (eOne), Alibaba Pictures and Universal Pictures. Amblin Television’s co-presidents, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, oversee all development, production and programming for the company. With the addition of “Cortes” for Amazon, Amblin Television currently has ten series in various stages of production including “Bull” for CBS, the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated drama “The Americans” for FX, the upcoming dramatic thriller “Reverie” for NBC, the adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” for Netflix, the Rev Run and Justine Simmons family sitcom for Netflix, “Amazing Stories” for Apple, “Animaniacs” for Hulu, “Days that Shaped America” for The History Channel, and “Cooper’s Treasure” for Discovery. Some of Amblin Television’s previous credits include the Emmy-nominated HBO movie “All The Way” starring Bryan Cranston, “Smash” for NBC, “Under the Dome” for CBS, “Falling Skies” for TNT, “The Borgias” and “The United States of Tara” for Showtime, and “Las Vegas” for NBC.

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April Fools Love Negromancer 2018

It's April 2018.  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.

Support me on Patreon.

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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 25th to 31st, 2018 - Update #16

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ANIMATION-SCANDAL - From BuzzFeed:  John Kricfalusi, creator of "Ren and Stimpy," has been accused of preying on underage girls who wanted animation careers

MUSIC-SCANDAL - From HuffPostBlog:  While crazy rock musician Ted Nugent criticizes the #ParklandShooting survivors, let's look at his pedophile and statutory rape issues.

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POLITICS - From TheDailyBeast:  Neil Young Sounds Off on Trump: ‘He Has No Balls’

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STREAMING - From JoBlo:  Comic book luminary Frank Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) and Tom Wheeler will develop a TV series for Netflix.  It is (another) take on King Arthur based on Miller and Wheeler's upcoming YA book.

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice:  The magazine's Bilge Ebiri talks to eccentric actor, Joaquin Phoenix.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  In the wake of the cancellation of his "Deadpool" animated series for FX, Donald Glover posts a fake episodic script he wrote for "Deadpool" (for an imagined finale) and he wonders if the series was cancelled because it was too black...

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COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  Fox's next "X-Men" franchise films get more release changes.  "The New Mutants was moved from Spring 2018 to February 2019 and now it's new release date is August 2, 2019.  "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" has also been moved, from Nov. 2, 2018 to Feb. 14th, 2019.

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#MarchForOurLives - From TheDailyBeast: Paul McCartney Honors John Lennon at NYC March for Our Lives

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 3/23 to 3/25/2018 weekend box office is "Pacific Rim: Uprising" with an estimated take of $28 million.

From Variety:  After five weekends at the top of the box office, "Black Panther" is finally dethroned.

From Deadline:  "Pacific Rim: Uprising" opens at $65 mil in China for a possible worldwide box of about $150 million.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Steven Spielberg says no Oscars for Netflix films.

From Deadline:  Peter Bart and Mike Fleming, Jr. had a similar conversation a few weeks earlier.

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ANIMATION - From THR:  Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, and FX have dropped their involvement in an animated series based on Marvel Comics' "Deadpool."

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From NOLA:  Tom Hardy will star as Al Capone in the biopic, "Fonzo."  The film will reportedly shoot in New Orleans and will be directed by Josh Trank, who shot his superhero film, Fantastic Four, in Louisiana.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Tessa Thompson will reunite with her "Thor: Ragnarok" co-star, Chris Hemsworth, to headline Sony's "Men in Black" reboot.  F. Gary Gray is set to direct the film which is due for release June 14, 2019.

OBIT:

From CJOnline:  Linda Brown has died at the age of 76, Monday, March 26, 2018.  As a child, Linda was at the center of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that ended school segregation in the United States.  Linda's father, Oliver Brown, became the lead plaintiff in the Brown v. Board case after attempting to enroll Linda in 1951 in the all-white Sumner Elementary School near the family’s home in Topeka, Kansas.

"Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale" Manga Arrives in April

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE DEBUT OF KENKA BANCHO OTOME: LOVE’S BATTLE ROYALE

Shojo Series About A Heroine Who Must Fight Her Way Through An All-Boys High School Debuts In April

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, releases the romantic-comedy series Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale on April 3rd, 2018.

Kenka Bancho Otome is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will be published under the Shojo Beat imprint. It features story and artwork by creator Chie Shimada and is based on an original concept by Spike Chunsoft. Volume 1 carries a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale is also available digitally via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores. The final volume of the two-volume series will be released later this year.

Hinako thought she didn't have any family, but on the day that she starts high school, her twin brother Hikaru suddenly appears and tricks her into taking his place. But the new school Hinako attends instead is beyond unusual. Now she must fight her way to the top of Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents!

“Kenka Bancho Otome is a play on the fighting game genre, but in this series the heroine Hinako must battle the strongest guys in school to become the boss,” says Nancy Thistlethwaite, Senior Editor. “But she may break some hearts as well as noses along the way!”

For additional information on Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale and other manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

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Review: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" Earns Love, Draws Ire

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2018) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Running time:  152 minutes (2 hours, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi action and violence
DIRECTOR:  Rian Johnson
WRITER:  Rian Johnson (based on characters created by George Lucas)
PRODUCERS:  Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Steve Yedlin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Bob Ducsay
COMPOSER:  John Williams
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA

Starring:  Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro, Frank Oz (voice), Billie Lourd, Joonas Suotamo, Amanda Lawrence, Jimmy Vee, and Justin Theroux

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a 2017 science fiction-fantasy action film written and directed by Rian Johnson.  It is the ninth movie in the Star Wars film franchise, which began with the 1977 Oscar-winning film, Star Wars, created by George Lucas.  The Last Jedi is also a direct sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and the eighth Star Wars “episode” film.  The Last Jedi focuses on a young woman who takes her first steps into the world of the Jedi and tries to unlock the mysteries of The Force and the secrets of the past.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi finds the wannabe galactic rulers, the First Order, and its Supreme Commander Snoke (Andy Serkis), ascendant.  The First Order moves to destroy the main base of its enemy, the Resistance.  General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) struggles to keep the Resistance one step ahead of the First Order.  Heroic Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac),  leads the charge that gives the Resistance vessels the time they need to jump into hyperspace to escape the First Order.  However, escaping the First Order will not be so easy, and now stormtropper turned Resistance fighter, Finn (John Boyega), and mechanic, Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), must execute a dangerous mission to allow the Resistance to really escape the First Order.

Meanwhile, budding Jedi, Rey (Daisy Ridley), is on the planet, Ahch-To, where she has found the long-missing Jedi Knight legend, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).  However, Luke refuses to initiate Rey into the ways of the Force and also declares that the Jedi Order must end with him.  Frustrated, Rey also discovers that she has some kind of psychic connection to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Luke's former student who turned to the Dark Side and now serves Snoke and the Resistance.

I found Star Wars: The Last Jedi to be as entertaining and as well-made as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  It is quite thrilling at times and kept my on the proverbial edge of my seat hoping our heroes could survive the overwhelming First Order odds against them.  The Last Jedi is not exactly a “non-stop thrill machine,” but it is thrilling.  But neither The Last Jedi nor The Force Awakens are as good as 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars film.

I thought about why I feel that way.  I thought about it, and I think that The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi both suffer because Star Wars creator George Lucas did not have direct hand in making them.

For all the criticism leveled against Lucas by critics and fans over the decades, especially because of the Lucas directed “prequel” films, (Star Wars: Episodes I to III), Lucas is a wildly imaginative and inventive filmmaker and storyteller.  Each prequel film had enough subplots, characters, settings, worlds, ideas, and creatures to power its own film trilogy.  Lucas' weakness (relatively speaking) seems to be in the execution of telling a  film story via screenplay and directing (especially in directing actors).  Visually, Lucas' films seem almost too big for even the biggest movie screens, but that size and scale comes at the cost of the narrative.

The Force Awakens (Episode VII) and The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) are disciplined and narrow in focus, in terms of plot.  The Last Jedi focuses on (1) the struggle of the Resistance to escape destruction at the hands of the First Order and (2) Rey's quest to discover the secrets of the Jedi and the Force.  The Last Jedi is so focused that it looses the sense of wonder that permeates the original Star Wars films.  Instead, The Last Jedi references and remakes scenes from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983).  Some people complained that The Force Awakens was a kind of remake and reboot of the original Star Wars film, but The Last Jedi does not do that as much.  [Strangely, I find that Rogue One, which is a side story connected to Star Wars 1977, comes across as a fresh, new take on Star Wars, while being true to the work of George Lucas.]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a Star Wars movie, and I will likely always love all Star Wars movies, to one extent or another.  [Every time one is on TV, I try to watch at least some of it.]  So I love The Last Jedi and will give it a high grade.  However, this final trilogy (Episodes VII to IX) is starting to seem like fan fiction, created by writers and directors who cherry pick ideas from their childhood Star Wars favorite moments.  Maybe the current owner of Star Wars, The Walt Disney Company, and the filmmakers it hires to continue the “Star Wars saga” are really afraid of new ideas or too many new ideas.  Maybe, Disney got the message; the prequel trilogy looked too different from the original trilogy and audiences, at least the vocal part of it, were pissed.  Well, the Disney-produced Star Wars films will suffer for playing it safe.

Let me summarize my thoughts and feelings this way.  If Disney replaced the title, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with something else, say Alien or Predator, I would give this film a rating of 5 or 6 out of 10 at most.  This 8 out of 10 is the kind of love you show family.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, December 17, 2017
Edited:  Thursday, March 15, 2018

NOTES:
2018 Academy Awards, USA:  4 nominations: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Ben Morris, Michael Mulholland, Neal Scanlan, and Chris Corbould), “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures-Original Score” (John Williams), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce), and” Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Michael Semanick, David Parker, Stuart Wilson, and Ren Klyce)

2018 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations: “Best Sound” (Ren Klyce, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood, David Parker, and Stuart Wilson) and “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects”


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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