Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 13th to 19th, 2022 - Update #11

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From EmpireOnline:  "Empire" has a world-exclusive image of Harrison Ford from "Indiana Jones 5."

SCANDAL - From NYPost:  Once upon a time comedian Andy Dick was a Hollywood star. Now, he will spend 90 days in jail and register as a sex offender related to a 2018 groping incident.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Bradley Cooper will play the character "Frank Bullitt" in Steve Spielberg's new film based on the classic Steve McQueen character.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The latest attempt to reboot director John Carpenter's classic sci-film, "Escape from New York," will come from 20th Century Studios and will directed by the collective known as "Radio Silence" ("Scream: 2022).

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures has dropped a trailer for its sports dramedy, "80 for Brady," which stars Jane Fonda, Rita Morena, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Tom Brady.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon Studios is developing a coming-of-age ROTC drama from writers Jalysa Conway (9-1-1 Lone Star) and Rebecca Murga (Swagger) — both military veterans — with Spike Lee set to direct and executive produce.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  CNN has announced Nov. 20th as the date for the release of its documentary "Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down."  Giffords is a former Arizona congresswoman who was terribly wounded in a near-fatal shooting in Jan. 2011, an event that ended the career of a rising star.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/10 to 11/13/2022 weekend box office is Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" with an estimated take of 180 million dollars.

From CNBC:  According to data cruncher, EntTelligence, 12.7 million patrons bought tickets to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" for an opening weekend box office gross of 181 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

SCANDAL - From THR:  Alec Baldwin has filed suit in Superior Court in Los Angeles in order to "clear his name" in the shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust."  Basically, he is suing the armorer and the crew for giving him a loaded gun.  A firearm Baldwin was holding fired and killed the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchinson.

OBIT:

From Deadline:  The French-born American actor and Holocaust survivor, Robert Clary, has died at the age of 96, Wednesday, November 16, 2022.  Clary was best known for playing "Corporeal Louis LeBeau" in the former CBS sitcom, "Hogan's Heroes."  Jewish, Clary survived two concentration camps during the Holocaust and was rescued from the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Review: "THE INVITATION" is the Movie Invite You Don't Want

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 70 of 2022 (No. 1882) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Invitation (2022)

Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)

MPA –  PG-13 for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content and partial nudity

DIRECTOR:  Jessica M. Thompson

WRITER:  Blair Butler

PRODUCER:  Emile Gladstone

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Autumn Eakin (D.o.P.)  

EDITOR:  Tom Elkins

COMPOSER:  Dara Taylor

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Sean Pertwee, Hugh Skinner, Carol Ann Crawford, Alana Boden, Stephanie Corneliussen, and Courtney Taylor

The Invitation is a 2022 supernatural horror, mystery,and suspense thriller from director Jessica M. Thompson.  The film focuses on a young woman who is swept off her feet by the chance of meeting members of her long-lost family, who are mysterious and odd.

The Invitation opens in New York City and introduces struggling artist, Evelyn “Evie” Jackson (Nathalie Emmanuel), who is still dealing with the recent death of her mother.  She and her best friend, Grace (Courtney Taylor), make a living freelancing for a catering business.  Evie takes a DNA test from an online company called “UnlockYourPast” and discovers that she has relatives in England.  She meets one of those alleged distant English cousins, Oliver L. Alexander (Hugh Skinner) of London.  Oliver tells Evie that she is related to him via her great-grandmother, Emmaline, who created quite a scandal decades ago.  He also invites her to an upcoming family wedding in Whitney, Yorkshire, England.

Evie and Oliver eventually arrive at New Carfax Abbey where several connected families: the De Villes, the Billingtons, the Klopstocks, and the Alexanders, have gathered for the nuptials.  Evie meets many family members, including the alluring Walter De Ville (Thomas Doherty), who seems to be the focus of everyone's attention.  However, Evie does not meet the bride and groom.  Before long, Evie discovers that not only is New Carfax a strange place, but also that the gathered family members are both eccentric and full of mystery.  It is a mystery that Evie must solve before she falls prey to the four families' darkest secrets.

The Invitation is a vampire movie and not a very good one.  The main reason is the vampire characters.  The film is inspired by author Bram Stoker's 1987 Gothic novel, Dracula.  Film vampires can be alluring and attractive, and they can often be the audience's favorite characters, although they are monsters and are often film villains.  The Invitation's vampires are not alluring and are mostly caricatures of the British upper class or assorted versions of Euro-trash.

The Invitation is not a very good horror movie simply because it is not scary.  Bumps in the night, shifty shadows, random yelps and screams, etc. are more annoying than chilling.  Evie is way too careless and clueless.  I understand that there are plenty of people in the real world who are not wary, who don't understand that when things seem too good to be true, they usually are too good to be true.  In this movie, the extent of Evie's lack of common sense is simply too much; it's irritating.

Also, I don't think that it is a coincidence that Nathalie Emmanuel, the actress who plays Evie, really resembles American actress Meghan Markle.  You know Meghan, right?  She married into an old British family that has its share of conspiracies and family members who are snobs, crypto-racists, and monsters.

The last twenty minutes of The Invitation – before the credits – are actually quite good, but by then it is too late.  I get why the studio and filmmakers would try to hide the fact that this film involves vampires as deep into the running time as they could.  Vampire films generally under perform at the box office, even good ones, which The Invitation is not.  Honestly, the last few minutes of this film could be used as the starting point for an even better film.  I cannot recommend The Invitation, and I want to discourage you, dear readers, from watching it if you have to pay to do it.

3 of 10

C-

★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, November 16, 2022

The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #5" Has a Kick-Ass Ending

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #5 (OF 5)

IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: David Curiel

LETTERS: Clem Robins

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel

DESIGN: Melina Mikulic

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

36pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (November 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.  Letterer Clem Robins and colorists Laura Martin and David Curiel complete the sequel's creative team.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society pits Edison against “The Icarus Society,” a secret society of geniuses who are all richer than Edison.  And now, he is caught inside the club's internal rivalries and blackmailed into hunting for the treasures of one of the most legendary locations of all time – Shangri-La.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5 opens in the airspace of Balochistan (a region that covers Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan).  There, in a fleet of helicopters, a mercenary force heads for Shangri-La.  With their help, Felix Koffka intends to steal the legendary city of its treasures and stand astride it much as he does The Icarus Society.  And he plans to rid himself of Edison Crane, and Felix believes that he is winning because he is smarter than Crane.

But both Crane and Shangri-La are full of deadly surprises.  And this time Koffka may have really flown too close to the sun.

THE LOWDOWN:  I have described the two comic book series that make up the Prodigy franchise as spinners of conspiracies, legends, myths, and lore that could rival cable network, The History Channel's “Ancient Aliens” television series.  Now, the fifth issue of The Icarus Society brings this astounding series to an end.

I can't get over the fact that Mark Millar is a wealthy executive for one of the world's most influential and most powerful media companies (Netflix), yet he still writes comic books.  And he writes such great comic books, such as this final issue of The Icarus Society.  It is obvious that Millar is still engaged with his readers because he is always challenging our notions and expectations.  He is still turning out these incredible comic books that always do the opposite of what is expected and offer genuine shocks and surprises.

Seriously, this is the good stuff.  Artist Matteo Buffagni saves all his explosives and blows up this story right in our faces with widescreen art and cinematic storytelling.  He gives Millar's story so much energy and makes this final showdown feel lethal.  Buffagni makes sure we understand that many characters will pay the highest and deadliest of prices.  David Curiel's colors make the art pop off the page, dazzling our imaginations.  Clem Robins uses his letters to deliver a pound-your-ass soundtrack, with its strains carrying on past the last page.

What a blast Millar, Buffagni, and company have delivered in Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5, with its diabolical villain, queen of a lost world, and exquisite retribution.  And I don't want to forget the tease at the end.  Girl, the next Prodigy series will rock all the casbahs.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://www.netflix.com/

https://twitter.com/netflix

www.imagecomics.com

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "LORD OF THE JUNGLE Volume 3 #1" is a Good Start

LORD OF THE JUNGLE VOLUME 3 #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Jurgens

ART: Benito Gallego

COLORS: Francesco Segala

LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual

EDITOR: Matt Idelson

COVER: Gary Frank

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2022)

Rated Teen+

“The Bleak Zone”

Tarzan is one of the most famous fictional characters in the world.  Tarzan was an orphan and the archetypal “feral child,” and in this instance, he was raised in the African jungle by great apes.  Tarzan was born a noble, John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, but he rejected civilization and lived in the wilds of Africa as a heroic adventurer.  Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and first appeared in the novel, Tarzan of the Apes, which began serialization in All-Story Magazines in 1912, before it was published in book form in 1914.  Tarzan would go onto to be a multimedia star, appearing in films, on television, and in comic books.

The latest Tarzan comic book is Dynamite Entertainment's Lord of the Jungle Volume 3. It is written by Dan Jurgens; drawn by Benito Gallego; colored by Francesco Segala; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  The story involves an event that occurred in the early years of Tarzan's adventures.

Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 #1 opens in the 1950s, onboard a merchant vessel just off the coast of Africa.  One of its passengers is Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle.  Staring out at the storm-tossed ocean, Tarzan's mind returns to the days before his birth, as well as to times later in life – boyhood and early adulthood.  A past wrong must be made right, no matter what manner of beast or obstacle stands in Tarzan's way.  For now, there are thieving men standing in the way of his reunion with an old friend.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 #1, which is only the first issue of a solo Dynamite Tarzan comic book that I have read.

Writer Dan Jurgens has had a four-decade career in American comic books of solid work as both a writer-artist and a writer.  As a storyteller, Jurgens understands the processes of telling stories in the medium of comic books, which shows itself here.  Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 #1 reveals the familiar story of Tarzan's past with lots of teasing about the connection of his past with whatever is going to happen in this series' present.  With each page, Jurgens made me more interested in this first chapter.

Artist Benito Gallego also delivers solid work here with an alluring storytelling rhythm that encourages the readers to keep going.  It does not hurt that Gallego's drawing style resembles that of the late Joe Kubert.  Kubert's four-year stint (1972-76) as writer-artist and later as writer-only of DC Comics' Tarzan comic book series is considered by some to be among his best work.  Colorist Francesco Segala captures the varied moods of this story's settings, both in time and locale, and letterer Carlos M. Mangual brings a sense of drama with his stylish, shifting fonts.

Lord of the Jungle Volume 3 has potential.  I rarely read Tarzan comic books, but I think that I will return to this one for the second issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Tarzan comic books will want to read Lord of the Jungle Volume 3.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment

The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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