TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Monday, July 22, 2024

DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for July 24, 2024

DC COMICS:

Absolute Power Ground Zero #1 (One Shot)(2nd Printing Cover A Dan Mora), $4.99

Absolute Power Origins #1 (Of 3)(Cover A Irvin Rodriguez), $3.99

Absolute Power Origins #1 (Of 3)(Cover B Dave Wilkins Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power Origins #1 (Of 3)(Cover C Alitha Martinex & Danny Miki Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power Task Force VII #2 (Of 7)(Cover A Pete Woods), $3.99

Absolute Power Task Force VII #2 (Of 7)(Cover B Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power Task Force VII #2 (Of 7)(Cover C John Giang Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power Task Force VII #2 (Of 7)(Cover D Stephen Platt Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power Task Force VII #2 (Of 7)(Cover E John Timms Connecting Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power Task Force VII #2 (Of 7)(Cover F Dan Mora Foil Variant), $6.99

Batman Dark Age #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Michael Allred), $5.99

Batman Dark Age #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Chris Samnee Card Stock Variant), $6.99

Batman Dark Age #4 (Of 6)(Cover C Jorge Fornes Card Stock Variant), AR

Batman The Brave And The Bold #15 (Cover A Simone Di Meo), $7.99

Batman The Brave And The Bold #15 (Cover B Khary Randolph), $7.99

Batman The Brave And The Bold #15 (Cover C Dan Hipp), $7.99

Batman Vs. Robin TP, $19.99

DC Connect #51, AR

Detective Comics #1087 (Cover A Evan Cagle), $4.99

Detective Comics #1087 (Cover B Kelley Jones Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Detective Comics #1087 (Cover C Guillem March Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Detective Comics #1087 (Cover D Sebastian Fiumara Card Stock Variant), AR

Flash #11 (Cover A Mike Deodato Jr.), $3.99

Flash #11 (Cover B Javier Rodriguez Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Flash #11 (Cover C Matt Taylor Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Flash #11 (Cover D Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez Artist Spotlight Wraparound Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Green Arrow #14 (Cover A Phil Hester)(Absolute Power), $3.99

Green Arrow #14 (Cover B John Giang Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $4.99

Green Arrow #14 (Cover C Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez Artist Spotlight Wraparound Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $4.99

Harley Quinn #42 (Cover A Sweeney Boo), $4.99

Harley Quinn #42 (Cover B Lesley Leirix Li Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Harley Quinn #42 (Cover C Ben Harvey Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Harley Quinn #42 (Cover D Marcial Toledano Vargas Card Stock Variant), AR

Nice House By The Sea #1 (Of 12)(Cover A Alvaro Martinez Bueno), $4.99

Nice House By The Sea #1 (Of 12)(Cover B Nick Robles Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Nice House By The Sea #1 (Of 12)(Cover C Hayden Sherman Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Nice House By The Sea #1 (Of 12)(Cover D Dani Card Stock Variant), AR

Poison Ivy Volume 2 Unethical Consumption TP, $17.99

Power Girl #11 (Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99

Power Girl #11 (Cover B Terry Dodson Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Power Girl #11 (Cover C Inhyuk Lee Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Robin Tim Drake Compendium 1 TP, $59.99

Supergirl Woman Of Tomorrow The Deluxe Edition HC, $49.99

Zatanna Bring Down The House #2 (Of 5)(Cover A Javier Rodriguez), $5.99

Zatanna Bring Down The House #2 (Of 5)(Cover B Jenny Frison), $5.99

Zatanna Bring Down The House #2 (Of 5)(Cover C Ariel Diaz), $5.99

Zatanna Bring Down The House #2 (Of 5)(Cover D Jenny Frison Virgin Variant), AR

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Sunday, July 21, 2024

Review: "LOGAN" is Mournful, Violent, and Hopeful

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 of 2024 (No. 1976) by Leroy Douresseaux

Logan (2017)

Running time: 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for strong brutal violence and language throughout, and for brief nudity

DIRECTOR: James Mangold

WRITERS: James Mangold & Scott Frank and Michael Green; from a story by James Mangold (based on the characters and stories appearing in Marvel Comics)

PRODUCERS: Simon Kinberg, Hutch Parker, and Lauren Shuler Donner

CINEMATOGRAHER: John Mathieson (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Michael McCusker and Dirk Westervelt

COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

Academy Award nominee

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, Quincy Fouse, Jason Genao, and Bryant Tardy

Logan is a 2017 American drama, action film and superhero movie from director James Mangold. Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, it is the tenth film in 20th Century Fox's X-Men movie franchise and is also the third entry in the Wolverine film series. Logan is based on the Marvel Comics character, Logan/Wolverine, that was created by writer Len Wein and artists John Romita and Herb Trimpe and first fully appeared in the comic book, The Incredible Hulk #181 (cover dated: November 1974). Logan the movie focuses on a legendary mutant trying to save a mutant child from the evil people determined to capture her.

Logan opens in the year 2029. Mutants are nearly extinct, and no new mutants have been born in 24 years. The aging and ailing Logan (Hugh Jackman) works as a limousine driver in El Paso, Texas. Once upon a time, he was known as “Wolverine,” and he was a member of the legendary band of mutants, the “X-Men.” Now, he and the elderly founder of the X-Men, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), live in hiding. Xavier suffers from a degenerative brain condition, and he sometimes has telepathic seizures that render anyone in the vicinity virtually helpless. A mutant known as “Caliban” (Stephen Merchant) helps Logan care for Charles.

Logan has plans for escape, but a complication arrives in the form of a small girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), also known as test subject “X23.” She is a mutant and her abilities are remarkably similar to those of Wolverine's. However, she is being hunted by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and his band of killers, the “Reavers.” They are in service of the research institute, Alkali Transigen, and the scientists there want her back no matter what it costs in terms of lives. Will Logan become the hero Wolverine, again, and help Laura get to a place called “Eden?” Or will he run away from his fate, again?

Having seen the first two Wolverine films, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013), I did not go to the theater to see Logan when it was originally released in 2017. [In my defense, I was knee deep in catastrophic family drama at the time.] With the impending release of the upcoming Marvel Studios film, Deadpool & Wolverine, I decided it was time.

My was I missing an excellent film. Logan is by far the best of the Wolverine films, and at the time of its release, it was the best X-Men since 2011's X-Men: First Class. Truthfully, Logan would end up being the last really good X-Men film produced by 20th Century Fox.

Logan, which was rated “R” by the MPAA, is one of the most violent superhero films that I've ever seen. Logan, Laura, and a surprise character called “X24” disembowel, dismember, behead, eviscerate, stab, and chop up what seems like a small town's worth of deserving men of various stripes. Although I can sometimes be a prude about what I see as gratuitous violence in cinema, I love the brutal violence of Logan. In fact, all the action scenes in Logan are brilliant, from the standoffs to the fights and car chases.

However, director James Mangold, a filmmaker with a hugely diverse filmography, makes Logan turn on dramatic storytelling and performances. It is obvious that Hugh Jackman as Logan and Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier would give fine performances. Still, actor and comedian, Stephen Merchant, is simply wonderful in the important supporting role of Caliban, bringing pathos and depth to a role that could have ended up being an extraneous freak character.

Boyd Holbrook also brings range and a variety of moods to Donald Pierce, another character that could have been a generic mercenary type. Dafne Keen matches the rage and range of Jackman as Logan. Laura could have been lost in the hurricane that is Logan/Wolverine's story in this film, but Keen makes Laura a force of her own. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Eriq La Salle makes the most of his short time on screen as Will Munson.

Logan is a mournful film. It really is not a sequel to the earlier Wolverine films so much as it is the completion of Logan/Wolverine's tragic, but heroic story arc that buttressed the earlier films. Logan is both an ending and a beginning, and I wish that the care and effort put into this film had been put into some of the other X-Men films.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Sunday, July 21, 2024

NOTES:

2018 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Scott Frank, James Mangold, and Michael Green)

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Saturday, July 20, 2024

Comics Review: "ELVIRA Meets H.P. Lovecraft Volume 1 #4" in the Dreamlands

ELVIRA MEETS H.P. LOVECRAFT VOLUME 1 #4

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: David Avallone

ART: Kewber Baal

COLORS: Walter Pereyra

LETTERS: Taylor Esposito

EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt

COVER: Dave Acosta with Walter Pereyra

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2024)

Rated Teen+

Chapter Four: “Behind the Wall of Creep”

In 1981, actress and model Cassandra Peterson created the “horror hostess character,” known as “Elvira.” Elvira gradually grew in popularity and eventually became a brand name. As Elvira, Peterson endorsed many products and became a pitch-woman, appearing in numerous television commercials throughout the 1980s.

Elvira also appeared in comic books, beginning in 1986 with the short-lived series from DC Comics, Elvira's House of Mystery. In 2018, Elvira returned to comic books via Dynamite Entertainment. Elvira's latest comic book series is Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft Volume 1. The series is written by David Avallone; drawn by Kewber Baal; colored by Walter Pereyra; and lettered by Taylor Esposito. In this new series, Elvira joins the ghost of infamous horror and fantasy author, H.P. Lovecraft, who has returned to the mortal plane on a mission from the Elder Gods to locate the last true company of the infamous “Necronomicon.”

Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft Volume 1 #4 (“Behind the Wall of Creep”) opens in the otherworldly dimension known as Earth's “Dreamlands.” Elvira escaped to this place in order to avoid the machinations both of her supposed partner, H.P. Lovecraft – the would-be God-King of the Universe, and of the “Great Old One” known as Nyarlathotep, who wants to restore said Great Old Ones to their dominion over time and space.

After a brief rodent problem and a cat-rescue, Elvira meets the ghost of the author Robert “Bob” Bloch, whose 1959 novel, Psycho, is the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic film, Psycho. Now in possession of a true copy of the “Necronomicon,” Elvira seeks the help of one who can stop Lovecraft and Nyarlathotep's plans. But do these gods even give a f**k?

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 Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft Volume 1 #4, one of many Dynamite/David Avallone Elvira comic books that I have read and enjoyed.

One of the good things about writer David Avallone's Elvira comic books is that I can repeat myself in each review of his work. Avallone's mixture of sardonic and deadpan humor sparkles and brings Elvira to life, not quite as lively as in her television and film appearances, but lively.

Kewber Baal is pitch perfect for Avallone, and I hope the work together more in the future. Baal art's gets prettier in style and stronger in storytelling with each chapter. Baal spins Avallone's humorous tales into sparkling tales of comic horror and horror comedy. Walter Pereyra's colors keep everything looking nice and pretty, and Taylor Esposito's lettering brings out the hell in the story.

I expected really good things from Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft, and I'm getting it. I expect you to read Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft, dear readers, now or later in trade paperback form

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Elvira and of David Avallone's Elvira comic books will want to read Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft Volume 1.

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

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https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

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https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w

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

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Comics Review: "ARCHIE COMICS: JUDGMENT DAY #2" - Is Hellraisin' a Bad Thing?

ARCHIE COMICS: JUDGMENT DAY #2 (OF 3)

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Aubrey Sitterson

ART: Megan Hutchinson

COLORS: Matt Herms

LETTERS: Jack Morelli

EDITORS: Jamie Lee Rotante; Vincent Lovallo; Stephen Oswald

EiC: Mike Pellerito

COVER: Megan Hutchinson with Matt Herms

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Francesco Francavilla; Reiko Murakami; Inhyuk Lee

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2024); on sale in comic book shops June 19, 2024

Rating: Teen+

Eternal high school student and teenage boy, Archie Andrews, and his friends made their debut in M.L.J. Magazines' Pep Comics #22 (cover dated: December 1941), and before long, Archie was the publisher's headliner character. In 1946, the company changed its named to Archie Comic Publications, also known as “Archie Comics.”

Archie Comics also has a dark side, as seen via a number of horror and dark fantasy titles sometimes published under the “Archie Horror” imprint. Archie's latest horror offering is Archie Comics: Judgment Day. It is the first in Archie Comics' new line, “Archie Premium Event.” It is written by Aubrey Sitterson; drawn by Megan Hutchinson; colored by Matt Herms; and lettered by the great Jack Morelli. The series finds Archie on a mission to rid his hometown of Riverdale of all “wicked-kind.”

Archie Comics: Judgment Day #2 opens in a Riverdale beset by all manner of shape-shifting demons. Archie is on a quest to cleanse his hometown, and thanks to Madam Satan, he has the power to do so. She possesses the power to summon, imprison, and enslave demons for her own purposes. Archie now has the “infernal power” in the form of Alistair, a demon that Madam Satan has bound to him.

Archie has been so successful that there are apparently only two demons left to kill. However, his old buddy, Jughead Jones, is concerned that in the course of killing all those demons that Archie has lost himself. He hopes that Betty and Veronica can help him reach Archie, but Alistair has other plans. Meanwhile, where is Reggie?

THE LOWDOWN: For a long time, Archie's marketing department has been sending PDF copies of some of their titles for review. Archie Comics: Judgment Day #2 is one of them.

With this miniseries, writer Aubrey Sitterson has concocted a delicious dark brew that should quench the dark thirsts of his readers' imaginations. In a review of the first issue, I said that Madam Satan is the straw that stirs this drink. However, with this issue, Sitterson has made Archie such a radiant alpha-man hero that even Alistair pales next to him.

Megan Hutchinson is killing it with Judgment Day. Her art is a flow of magical weaving with page after page of tapestries that recall the art of Heironymus Bosch. Hutchinson's storytelling is dazzling, and her cover art is purely a thing of illustrative beauty. Under the colors by Matt Herms, her art is eye-popping and gorgeous. The great Jack Morelli tops it off with his classic comics lettering.

If Archie plans on doing more horror and dark fantasy comic books like Archie Comics: Judgment Day, then, they must do them. There is entertainment gold in Archie's horror comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Archie Comics' “Archie Horror” imprint will want Archie Comics: Judgment Day.

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

https://archiecomics.com/

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https://www.instagram.com/archiecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/ArchieComicsOfficial?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchieComicsOfficial

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8914136-archie-comics

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 14th to 20th, 2024 - UPDATE #15

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

NETFLIX - From YahooFinance: Netflix says that it will phase out its $11.99 ad-free plan.

CELEBRITY - From Variety: Donald Glover brings an end to his musical persona, "Childish Gambino," with a new album, "Bando Stone and the New World," and perhaps, a film and world tour.

EMMYS - From Variety: The nominations for the 76th / 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced. FX's "Shogun" leads the drama categories with 25 nominations and its series, "The Bear," leads the comedy categories with 23. The winners will be announced Sunday, Sept. 15th in a ceremony broadcast on ABC.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Michael Mann says that he hopes to start film "Heat 2" by the end of this year or the beginning of next year (2025). He won't discuss the cast, although there are rumors about Adam Driver and Austin Butler.

AMAZON - From Variety: Oscar-winner Colin Firth has joined Amazon Prime Video's "Young Sherlock." Based on Andy Lane's series of novels, the Amazon production will star Hero Fiennes Tiffin.

BUSINESS - From THR: Another day, another round of layoffs at Warner Bros. Discovery, across all divisions.

HULU - From Deadline: Halle Berry has reportedly exited Ryan Murphy's Hulu legal drama, "All's Fair," starring Kim Kardashian.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: CBS has announced the Fall 2024 premiere dates for its returning and new TV series. The first series arrives on Wednesday, September 18th with the Season 47 premier of "Survivor" and and the last two arrive Sunday, October 27th with the Season 2 premier of "Tracker" and the Season 5 premiere of "The Equalizer."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/12 to 7/14/2024 weekend box office is Universal/Illumination's "Despicable Me 4" with an estimated take of 44.65 million dollars.

From YahooEntertainment: Neon's release, "Longlegs," is a surprise #2 at this weekend's box office. But is the film cursed by star Nicolas Cage's creepy performance?

MOVIES - From Deadline: Zoe Kravitz's talks about why her directorial debut, "Blink Twice," is no longer entitled "Pussy Island."

TELEVISION - From Deadline: HBO has released a first-look image of Emily Watson as "Valya Harkonnen" from the television series, "Dune: Prophecy." The series is due this fall.

OBITS:

From Variety: American comedian, actor, and recording artist, Bob Newhart, has died at the age of 94, Thursday, July 18, 2024. Newhart came to prominence with the release of an album of comedic monologues, entitled "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart." That LP and its follow-up, "The Button-Mind Strikes Back!," won Newhart his three Grammy Awards. As an actor, he would be best known for two former CBS sitcoms, "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-78) and "Newhart" (1982-90). He would win his sole Primetime Emmy Award for a guest role on the former CBS sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory."

From Deadline: Tributes pour in for iconic deadpan comedian, Bob Newhart, who died yesterday (Thurs., July 18th) at the age of 84

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From Deadline: Film and television actor, James B. Sikking, has died at the age of 90, Saturday, July 13, 2024. Sikking was best known for the role "Lt. Howard Hunter" on the former NBC police drama, "Hill Street Blues" (1981-86), a role for which he was once nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He also played "Doogie Howser's" dad, "David," on the former ABC sitcom, "Doogie Howser M.D." He also appeared in such films as "Ordinary People" (1980), "Outland" (1981), "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984), to name a few.

From Variety: American film and television actress, Shannen Doherty, has died at the age of 53, Saturday, July 13, 2024 after a long battle with breast cancer beginning with her 2015 diagnosis. She first gained prominence playing the role of "bad girl," "Brenda Walsh," during the first four seasons of the former Fox teen soap, "Beverly Hills, 90210." She also starred as the witch, "Prue Halliwell," on the first three seasons of The WB series, "Charmed." She appeared in a number of films, including "Heathers" (1988) and "Mallrats" (1995).

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Review: "DEADPOOL" Goes in Through the Back Door on the Superhero Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 of 2024 (No. 1975) by Leroy Douresseaux

Deadpool (2016)

Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity

DIRECTOR: Tim Miller

WRITERS: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (based on Marvel Comics characters)

PRODUCERS: Ryan Reynolds, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ken Seng (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Julian Clark

COMPOSER: Tom Holkenborg

SUPERHERO/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Stan Lee, and Stefan Kapicic (voice)

Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film and action-comedy from director Tim Miller. It is a spin-off film in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series and is the eighth film overall in the series. It is also the first entry in what would become the Deadpool movie franchise. The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Deadpool, that was created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, and first appeared in New Mutants #98 (cover dated: December 1990). Deadpool the movie focuses on a wisecracking costumed antihero who seeks revenge against the man who left him hideously scarred after a series of experiments.

Deadpool introduces Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a smart-mouthed mercenary and former special forces operative (“the merc with a mouth”). Wade's life takes a dramatic turn when he meets and falls in love with Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin), a prostitute. However, after a whirlwind romance, Wade discovers that he has terminal cancer, but as he is preparing to accept death, he learns of a lab run by the mysterious Ajax (Ed Skrein). Ajax promises to not only cure Wade's cancer, but to also give him powers and make him a superhero. Unfortunately, Ajax is a lying monster.

Although the experiments leave his face and body hideously disfigured, Wade is rendered virtually immortal when his mutant power activates and gives him incredibly accelerated healing powers. Taking the name, “Deadpool,” Wade goes on a mission of revenge. On the other hand, Colossus, the mutant who has a giant organic steel body, wants Deadpool to join the X-Men and become a superhero. Will Deadpool become a good guy, or will he simply keep piling up dismembered and bullet-riddled bodies on the way to his reunion with Ajax?

We are nearing the release of the latest Disney/Marvel Studios blockbuster movie, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). I had seen Deadpool and Deadpool 2, previously, but I had never reviewed them. I decided that now is the time to foist my opinions upon you, dear readers. I'm also going to watch and review, Logan (2017), the one X-Men movie I have been unable to finish.

Gleefully profane in language and sexual content, Deadpool was a surprise to movie audiences upon its February 2016 original theatrical release. It was an R-rated superhero movie, and it was proud of it. At the time, movie audiences had seen plenty of movies featuring superheroes, ordinary heroes, and anti-heroes, in which the lead character brutally kills his adversaries. None of those films had done it like Deadpool, although 2013's The Wolverine, had tried.

The foul language is in such abundance in Deadpool that there are moments when it all seems like too much, but even in those moments, I started laughing after being repulsed for a few seconds. I think a movie has to be doing something right when it has even Emmy and Tony-winning actress, Leslie Uggams (as Blind Al), dropping F-bombs.

For all the credit I give director Tim Miller and film editor, Julian Clark, for this film's fast action and eye-popping dances of violence, actor Ryan Reynolds makes Deadpool work. Yeah, the sex scenes are a bit too long and too over-the-top, but it never seems as if Wade Wilson/Deadpool is talking too much. Reynolds makes Deadpool different and unique; he makes it work. Eight years after its original theatrical release, Deadpool and its superhero cinema blasphemy still seem fresh.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

NOTES:

2017 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Ryan Reynolds)

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Monday, July 15, 2024

Review: "THEY CLONED TYRONE" Digs in the Past to Raise Hell Today

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 of 2024 (No. 1974) by Leroy Douresseaux

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)

MPA – R for pervasive language, violence, some sexual material and drug use

DIRECTOR: Juel Taylor

WRITERS: Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor

PRODUCERS: Jamie Foxx, Charles D. King, Stephen “Dr.” Love, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor, and Datari Turner

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ken Seng (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Saira Haider

COMPOSERS: Pierre Charles and Desmond Murray

SCI-FI/COMEDY/DRAMA and MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, David Alan Grier, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Tamberla Perry, Eric B. Robinson Jr., Trayce Malachi, Leon Lamar, Joshua Mikel, and Keifer Sutherland and Jamie Foxx

They Cloned Tyrone is a 2023 American science fiction comedy-drama and mystery-thriller from director Juel Taylor. After receiving a limited theatrical release, the film began streaming on Netflix on July 21, 2023 as a “Netflix Original.” The film focuses on a drug dealer, a pimp, and sex worker, who must uncover a bizarre mystery that seems to originate from an underground facility beneath their predominantly Black neighborhood.

They Cloned Tyrone focuses on Fontaine (John Boyega), a drug dealer living and slanging in the predominantly African-American, poverty-stricken, and crime ridden suburban neighborhood called “the Glen.” One night, Fontaine arrives at the hotel hideaway of the pimp, Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), to get money owed to him. Slick freaks out when he sees Fontaine, who apparently had visited him the previous night just before being gunned down by Isaac (Eric B. Robinson Jr.), a rival drug dealer.

Fontaine does not remember the previous night's events, so Slick takes him to one of his ho's, Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), in order to confirm his claims of Fontaine's death. Yo-Yo does just that, but later, a series of eerie events thrusts the three onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy. But can a drug dealer, a pimp, and a ho really solve a mind-bending mystery that threatens not only their own neighborhood, but Black neighborhoods everywhere?

They Cloned Tyrone got lost in the glare of two of 2023's mega-box office hits, the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer. This month – specifically July 14th – is the one year anniversary of its limited theatrical release. I had been putting off seeing They Cloned Tyrone, so I thought now was a good time to do so.

In They Cloned Tyrone, co-writer-director Juel Taylor and co-writer Tony Rettenmaier make many references to American popular storytelling via the characters dialogue. However, the film's plot and narrative reference numerous previous Black speculative and genre films. They Cloned Tyrone's conspiracy around consumer products recalls the blaxploitation homage and spoof films, Undercover Brother (2002) and Black Dynamite (2009). Director Jordan Peele's Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) are spectral presences in They Cloned Tyrone's narrative, and I also see a passing resemblance to elements from Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You (2018). The essences of two landmark 1971 films, A Clockwork Orange and Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song, as well as that of the 1988 cult classic, They Live, are in pungent evidence here.

Still, They Cloned Tyrone is an original. It is a gleeful comedy and satire of America. It also manages to be a bolder and more imaginative science fiction film than the pew-pew-pew, space opera epics that pass for modern sci-fi cinematic storytelling. Taylor and Rettenmaier are correct. The Founding Father's of the United States of America came up with some high ideals, but then, died and left us with the messy reality of a fractured disunited state of affairs. These two writers are among the few to plainly state via metaphor and allegory that for too long, Black people have carried the weight of fixing that mess and trying to make the experiment called America an actual thing.

The film has great production values all around, from cinematography and editing to art direction, costume design, and score. You might, dear readers, miss that because They Cloned Tyrone is such an engaging, crazy, lovable story driven by powerhouse performances. John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris give killer performances, and if they were nepo babies, at least one of them (likely Foxx) would have received Oscar nominations for his or her performance here. Parris clearly has leading lady chops, which she wields in this film to make herself a co-lead rather than a supporting player. Foxx balances pathos and absurdity in making Slick Charles a wonderfully engaging and exceedingly likable character.

But John Boyega: let's be honest. His career in America has not exploded like that of his Star Wars sequel trilogy co-star, Adam Driver... and we know why. Boyega is every bit as good as everything that passes for the young Hollywood's A-list. Boyega disappears inside Fontaine and makes him not so much a tragic figure or even criminal for that matter. Fontaine's is the hero's journey even if he is not fair of hair and skin. Boyega has moments here that are most poignant and dramatic and that only an actor both talented and skilled can pull off.

Boyega makes They Cloned Tyrone more than satire, blaxploitation, horror, science fiction, and absurdist comedy. Boyega gives the film dramatic heft and weight. They Cloned Tyrone is memorable and is also one of 2023's very best films because John Boyega is one of a kind.

10 of 10

Monday, July 15, 2024

NOTES:

2024 NAACP Image Awards: 9 nominations: “Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (John Boyega), “Outstanding Breakthrough Creative-Motion Picture” (Juel Taylor), “Cinematography in a Motion Picture” (Ken Seng), “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Jamie Foxx), “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture” (Juel Taylor), “Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture” (Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier), and “Outstanding Stunt Ensemble-Television or Film”

2024 Black Reel Awards: 8 nominations: “Outstanding Lead Performance” (John Boyega), “Outstanding Supporting Performance” (Jamie Foxx), “Outstanding Screenplay” (Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor), “Outstanding Ensemble” (Kim Coleman), “Outstanding Emerging Director” (Juel Taylor), “Outstanding Score” (Desmond Murray and Pierre Charles), “Outstanding Costume Design” (Francine Jamison-Tanchuck), and “Outstanding Editing” (Saira Haider)

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