TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Review: Netflix's "HOT FROSTY" is a Warm Cup of Christmas Cheer

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 51 of 2024 (No. 1995) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hot Frosty (2024) – TV Movie

Running time: 90 minutes

Rated: TV-PG

DIRECTOR: Jerry Ciccoritti

WRITER: Russell Hainline

PRODUCERS: Michael Barbuto, Shane Boucher, and Joel S. Rice; Aren Prupas and Jonas Prupas – executive producers

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eric Cayla

EDITOR: Julia Blau

COMPOSER: Ari Posner

ROMANCE/COMEDY/CHRISTMAS

Starring: Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Strause, Dan Lett, Katy Mixon Greer, Sherry Miller, Bobby Daniels, Shiloh Obasi, Sophia Webster, Allan Royal, Jennie Esnard, Joe Lo Truglio, and Craig Robinson

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Hot Frosty personifies both the silly scenarios and frothy goodness of Christmas television movies, which should please fans of holiday movies

--Hot Frosty is an ode to the joy of life and to enjoying life – at Christmas time and beyond

Hot Frosty is a 2024 American romantic-comedy and Christmas television film from director Jerry Ciccoritti. The film is a “Netflix Original” and began streaming on the service Wednesday, November 13, 2024. The film focuses on a widow who magically brings a snowman to life as a real man who promptly brings light back into her life.

Hot Frosty introduces Kathy Barrett (Lacey Chabert), who owns and operates Kathy's Kafe in the downtown section of the small town of Hope Springs. The cafe is mainly the focus of her life, and her home life, including her house, is slowly falling apart. Kathy is a widow and she mourns her late husband, Paul, a handyman who kept the house repaired and her heart whole.

It is Christmas time, and Kathy isn't feeling the holiday spirit or cheer. However, some of her friends want to change things. Mel (Sherry Miller) and her husband, Theo (Dan Lett), own and operate a clothing shop, “Reclaimed Rags.” This year, they give Kathy a red scarf, one that is “destined” to help her to seek happiness after her bereavement.

Hope Springs is also in the middle of its “Annual Snow Sculpture Competition.” On her way home one night, Kathy walks by the entries in the snow sculpture competition. One of them is of a seemingly naked, muscular young man. Not feeling the magic of Mel and Theo's red scarf, Kathy drapes it over the sculpture. Later that night, that snow sculpture (called “the Snowman”) comes to life. Calling himself, “Jack” (Dustin Milligan), the suddenly alive snowman finds his way to Kathy. Doubtful at first, she believes that Jack is indeed the snowman upon which she draped the scarf. Before long, his innocence and boundless joy are breaking down the barriers Kathy put up to protect herself. But she soon realizes a painful truth: Jack is doomed to melt.

Lacey Chabert is a former child actress with a long career in film and an even longer career in television, which includes voice-over work. I keep forgetting that she appeared in the original Mean Girls (2004). Now, audiences know Lacey for her near constant presence on the American cable television network, the “Hallmark Channel” and on its sister network, “Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.” In addition to series work, Chabert has appeared in over thirty television films for the network, as of this writing. One of those TV films, Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas (2020), is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies.

So about Hot Frosty: Netflix is in the middle of releasing several Christmas-themed films. I don't know if they have done this in previous years, but some of the 2024 releases intrigue me. Hot Frosty immediately caught my attention.

Honestly, I have to admit that I think that Hot Frosty's screenplay, written by Russell Hainline, could be adapted, with a few changes, as a gay-themed romance. Magically bringing an ice sculpture of a muscular man to life and falling in love with him seems like it could be a gay fantasy, gay fan fiction,a gay daydream... or wet dream.

Obviously, Hot Frosty's scenario is preposterous, but this is a Christmas movie. That genre has a lot of leeway so that such films can simply be feel-good and spread Christmas cheer or at least lay down a foundation for that. I have to give director Jerry Ciccoritti credit in assuring that Hot Frosty does have some substance. Basically, the film is the story about two characters. First, there is Jack, an object brought to life by magic, and he really wants to live and to enjoy that life. The tension and conflict in the story comes from the human lead, Kathy, who is just going through the motions of life everyday and who seems disinterested in life. Jack has to show Kathy that she can find love and happiness, again... if she really wants that.

The joy in Hot Frosty is not in its lack of realism or even in its overwhelming nonsensical nature. The joy is in watching Jack discover the joys of life and in turn, showing Kathy that she can enjoy life after loss – in spite of her determination not to enjoy life. I say, “Pshaw!.” the cynicism. Hot Frosty is not a great movie, but it is great entertainment. Dear readers, I can't imagine a Christmas season in which Hot Frosty won't feel like a welcomed warm chocolaty drink.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, November 23, 2024

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Nov. 17th to 23rd, 2024 - UPDATE #10

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).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

AMAZON - From Deadline: Idris Elba is set to star as "Man-At-Arms" in Amazon/MGM's "Masters of the Universe." Nicholas Galitzine is set to play "He-Man" in a film directed by Travis Knight.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel: Robert Pattinson has been cast in Christopher Nolan's next film which begins shooting in several countries across Europe. Pattinson was previously in Nolan's wonderful film, "Tenet."

CELEBRITY - From THR: "The Hollywood Reporter" names their 10 hottest young stars in Hollywood."

CABLE - From Deadline: Comcast is spinning off all its linear cable networks (except "Bravo") into a separate company apart from NBCUniversal. The castoffs... err... I mean spinoffs include MSNBC, CNCB, E!, Syfy, and USA, to name a few.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Season 5 of the CBS hit, "The Equalizer," will introduce two guest characters with the potential to spun off into their own series.

MOVIES - From Esquire: Although "The Equalizer 3" (which I still haven't seen) suggests that the series is done, Denzel Washington confirms that "The Equalizer 4" and "The Equalizer 5" are in development.

STREAMING - From Variety: Oscar-winner Javier Bardem will star as the villain, "Max Cady," in the Apple TV+ series, "Cape Fear." Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, who directed the 1991 film version of "Cape Fear," are among the series executive producers.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/15 to 11/17/2024 weekend box office is Amazon/MGM Studios' "Red One" with an estimated take of 34 million dollars.

From Variety: Director Edward Berger's awards-season favorite, "Conclave," is making money at the domestic box office.

MOVIES - From Deadline: During the press tour for "Gladiator II," Denzel Washington explains why he made some clunkers (bad films) after earning an Oscar nomination for his role in "Malcolm X" (1992).

From WorldofReel: Denzel Washington says that he has spoken to director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Licorice Pizza") about working together.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From Deadline: The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film. Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 British Independent Film Awards have been announced. The Irish film, "Kneecap," leads with 14 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, December 8, 2024.

Friday, November 22, 2024

Comcast Plans to Dump Most of Its Cable Television Networks into Spin-off Company

Comcast Announces Intention to Create Leading Independent Media Business Through Spin-off of Select Cable Television Networks

New company to provide world-class news, sports and entertainment with significant scale and resources

Media veterans Mark Lazarus and Anand Kini to lead the new company

Comcast will continue its strategic focus on driving its core growth businesses, including residential broadband, wireless, business services and NBCUniversal’s streaming, studios and theme parks

Tax-free transaction expected to be completed in approximately one year

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) today announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company comprised of a strong portfolio of NBCUniversal’s cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets including Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and Sports Engine, through a tax-free spin-off. The well-capitalized independent company (“SpinCo”) will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content.

SpinCo will be an industry-leading news, sports and entertainment cable television business with a focused strategic direction. SpinCo’s stable of marquee brands will provide a diverse and differentiated content offering that will reach approximately 70 million U.S. households.

“When you look at our assets, talented management team and balance sheet strength, we are able to set these businesses up for future growth,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast. “With significant financial resources from day one, SpinCo will be ideally positioned for success and highly attractive to investors, content creators, distributors and potential partners.”

The planned spin-off will also strategically position NBCUniversal with its leading broadcast and streaming media properties, including NBC entertainment, sports, news and Bravo – which all power Peacock – along with Telemundo, the theme parks business and film and television studios.

“This transaction positions both SpinCo and NBCUniversal to play offense in a changing media landscape,” said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast. “Taken together, the entirety of NBCUniversal will be on a new growth trajectory, fueled by our world-class content, technology, IP, properties and talent – all working in concert with each other as an integrated media company.”

As a global media and technology company, Comcast will be well-positioned to continue to invest in its strategic core growth businesses across its Content & Experiences and Connectivity & Platforms businesses, including residential broadband, wireless, business services, streaming, studios and theme parks. The transaction is expected to be accretive to revenue growth at Comcast and approximately neutral to Comcast’s leverage position. The company does not anticipate any change to its credit profile or ratings as a result of this transaction.

SpinCo Leadership Team and Profile:

SpinCo will be led by an experienced and well-respected management team. Mark Lazarus, current Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, will serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, and Anand Kini, current Chief Financial Officer of NBCUniversal and EVP of Corporate Strategy at Comcast, as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Together they will lead the development of an independent strategy, while also establishing SpinCo as a potential partner and acquirer of other complementary media businesses.

“As a standalone company with these outstanding assets, we will be better positioned to serve our audiences and drive shareholder returns in this incredibly dynamic media environment across news, sports and entertainment,” said Mark Lazarus. “We see a real opportunity to invest and build additional scale and I'm excited about the growth opportunities this transition will unlock. Our financial strength will also provide capacity for an attractive capital return policy while allowing for investment in the growth of these businesses.”

Over the last twelve months ended September 30, 2024, SpinCo generated approximately $7 billion in revenue. SpinCo will have the same dual-class share structure as Comcast. As an independent company, SpinCo will be better positioned to achieve long-term growth and create value for stakeholders, benefitting from:

Financial flexibility to pursue growth opportunities
A dedicated management team with deep sector expertise that can tailor decisions and allocate capital based on the needs of the business
Well capitalized balance sheet with strong credit metrics
Capacity for attractive capital return policy to drive shareholder value
Increased operational focus
Dedicated board of directors
While SpinCo will operate as an independent business, it will enter into a transition services agreement with NBCUniversal to allow SpinCo to operate seamlessly from day one.

Transaction Details:

Comcast is targeting to complete the spin-off in approximately one year, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including obtaining final approval from the Comcast Board of Directors, satisfactory completion of SpinCo financing, receipt of tax opinions and receipt of any regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that a separation transaction will occur, or, if one does occur, of its terms or timing.

Advisors:

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are serving as financial advisors to Comcast, and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is serving as legal counsel.

About Comcast Corporation:

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should consider various factors, including the risks and uncertainties we describe in the “Risk Factors” sections of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include changes in and/or risks associated with: the competitive environment; consumer behavior; the advertising market; consumer acceptance of our content; programming costs; key distribution and/or licensing agreements; use and protection of our intellectual property; our reliance on third-party hardware, software and operational support; keeping pace with technological developments; cyber attacks, security breaches or technology disruptions; weak economic conditions; acquisitions and strategic initiatives; operating businesses internationally; natural disasters, severe weather-related and other uncontrollable events; loss of key personnel; labor disputes; laws and regulations; adverse decisions in litigation or governmental investigations; and other risks described from time to time in reports and other documents we file with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise. The amount and timing of any dividends and share repurchases are subject to business, economic and other relevant factors.

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Thursday, November 21, 2024

Comics Review: "SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #130" Showcases Valerio Chiola

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? (2010) #130

DC COMICS

STORY: Sholly Fisch; Scotty Beatty

PENCILS: Valerio Chiola; Robert Pope

INKS: Valerio Chiola; Scott McRae

COLORS: Valerio Chiola; Heroic Age

LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Dezi Sienty

EDITORS: Courtney Jordan; Kwanza Johnson (reprint)

COVER: Valerio Chiola

32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (December 2024)

Ages 8+

“Mayor May Not!”

Welcome, dear readers, to my continuing journey through the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series, which began publication in 2010. I continue to renew my subscription so that I can continue to review this series for you, dear readers.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #130 opens with “Mayor May Not!,” which is written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Valerio Chiola. The story finds Mystery Inc.: Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma attending a costume ball thrown by Mayor Flowers. The party is also a campaign event for the mayor's reelection campaign. It seems as if the mayor has invited the whole city to this event, but did he also unknowingly invite a werewolf?

As usual, the second story, “Paranoidal Activity,” is a reprint story. It is written by Scott Beatty and drawn by Robert Pope and Scott McRae. [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You #19 (cover date: May 2012).] The story opens as the Mystery Machine drives up to “the Spectral Silk Mill.” Mystery Inc. has been called to this old silk mill by its current owners, Mr. Stanislaus and Mr. Oliveri, to discover if the place really is haunted. For their latest case, the gang has decided to test their new high tech equipment in the detection of ghosts. Will that work, or will it just get in the way of the ghost-busting?

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #130 doesn't really have a theme so much as it finds its ghostly instigators in suspects that manage to be both surprising and expected. This isn't a particularly good issue, but like #129, the lead story is drawn by Valerio Chiola. I really dig Chiola's quirky and funky illustrative style which brings some needed freshness to the pages of this series that is well into its second decade. Chiola's squashed and stretched art reminds me of legendary cartoonist and Plastic Man creator, Jack Cole, and it looks like some of the graphical storytelling frequently found in kids' comics and graphic novels.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #130 may not be top of the line, but it is still a Scooby-Doo comic book. So grab your “Scooby Snacks” and read this issue, and maybe watch a Scooby-Doo movie, later. And until next time, Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

[This comic book includes a seven-page preview of the DC Comics original graphic novel, “Deadman Tells the Spooky Tales” by Franco and Sara Richard, Isaac Goodhart, and others.]

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

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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Comics Review: "DUCKTALES Volume 1 #1" is Ready for Adventure

DUCKTALES VOLUME 1, ISSUE #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Brandon Montclare

ART: Tomasso Ronda

COLOR: Tomasso Ronda

LETTERS: Fabio Amelia

EDITOR: Nate Cosby

COVER: Ivan Bigarella

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Francesco Tomaselli; Carlo Lauro; Alan Quah; Ivan Bigarella; Tomasso Ronda

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2024)

All Ages

Based on “Uncle Scrooge” by Carl Barks

“Four Corners of Your World” Part One: “The More Things Change...”

“DuckTales” was an animated television series that ran from 1987 to 1990. Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and Tokyo Movie Shinsha, DuckTales was syndicated to American local television stations and ran for 100 episodes. The series also yielded a theatrical spin-off movie, DuckTales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990). In 2017, a second “DuckTales” series ran for 69 episodes over three seasons (2017-2021).

DuckTales was inspired by and based upon the Uncle Scrooge comics book and other comic books set in the world of Donald Duck that Carl Barks, legendary comic book writer-artist, created mainly from the early 1940s and into the 1960s. The TV show followed the adventures of Donald Duck's uncle, Scrooge McDuck; his three grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie (who were also Donald's nephews), and a close group of friends.

There were several DuckTales-related comics publications and comic books published on and off over a period from 1988 to 2020. Dynamite Entertainment brings DuckTales back to comic books with DuckTales Volume 1. It is written by Brandon Montclare; drawn and colored by Tomasso Ronda; and lettered by Fabio Amelia.

DuckTales Volume 1 #1 (“The More Things Change...”) opens in “The Money Bin,” the large storage building where Scrooge McDuck keeps his three cubic acres of cash. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are engaged in the drudge work that is counting their Uncle Scrooge's money when suddenly old McDuck himself suddenly appears while engaging in his favorite hobby – diving and swimming in his cash. This excites the nephews, but they want more.

Suddenly, they want to hear stories about the old days when Scrooge was building his fortune. The boys imagine faraway lands and legendary places. But what if they knew what their uncle knows? The greatest mysteries may be right there in their hometown of Duckburg.

THE LOWDOWN: Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles. DuckTales Volume 1, Issue #1 is the latest.

This first issue sports nice art and colors by Tomaso Ronda, and Ronda's graphical and illustrative style would be a perfect fit in any one of the classic Disney comic books published in the U.S. over the last four decades. Even Fabio Amelia's lettering feels like Disney comics.

However, writer Brandon Montclare's story for this debut issue feels like a waiting game, as if Montclare simply wants to establish this central conceit. The real adventure is like the adventure stories the nephews want so badly: it's coming, but not just yet. The end of this first issue teases some interesting characters and intriguing possible future story lines. In the meantime, it seems that we have to wait a little longer. However, that means this series does not start off with a blast, which is not quite the “DuckTales” way.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Disney comic books and DuckTales will want to try DuckTales Volume 1.

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

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Review: First "GLADIATOR" Film is Still Rockin' the Colosseum

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 50 of 2024 (No. 1994) by Leroy Douresseaux

Gladiator (2000)

Running time: 155 minutes (2 hours, 35 minutes)

MPAA – R for intense, graphic combat

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott

WRITERS: David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson (from a story by David Franzoni)

PRODUCERS: David Franzoni, Branko Lustig, and Douglas Wick

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Mathieson

EDITOR: Pietro Scalia

COMPOSERS: Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard

Academy Award winner

DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Tomas Arana, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, and Tommy Flanagan

Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott. At the 73rd Academy Awards (March 2001), the film won the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year 2000. Gladiator focuses on a Roman general who is reduced to slavery, becomes a gladiator, and takes on a corrupt Roman emperor in order to exact vengeance upon him.

Gladiator opens in the year 180 AD in the region known as Germania. Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) prepares to end his 17-year campaign against the barbarian tribes in their final stronghold in the region. The Roman general, Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a Spaniard, intends to return home after he leads the Roman army to victory against the barbarians. After the battle, Emperor Aurelius tells Maximus that he does not wish to make his own son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the next emperor because he is unfit to rule. Instead, the emperor wants Maximus, who is like a son to him, to succeed him and act as the regent who will restore the Roman Republic.

After secretly murdering his father, Aurelius, Commodus proclaims himself the new emperor. After Maximus spurns his request for loyalty, Commodus has Maximus arrested and orders him executed. Commodus also has the Spaniard's family murdered. After foiling the attempt to execute him, Maximus, badly wounded, is unable to save his family. Maximus is later found and sold into slavery and becomes the property of Proximo (Oliver Reed), a man who trains slaves to become gladiators whom he forces into fighting in gladiatorial events.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Commodus decides to stage 150 days of games, including gladiatorial events held at “The Colosseum.” Seeking newfound wealth, Proximo enters his gladiators, which now include Maximus and Juba (Djimon Hounsou), an African Maximus has befriended. Fate has brought Maximus to Commodus. Now, the general who became a slave is now a gladiator who just might save Rome when he exacts his vengeance upon the new emperor for murdering his family.

In anticipation of the upcoming, Gladiator II, I decided to watch the original film in its entirety for the first time since I first saw it in a movie theater with some friends back in May of 2000. Since then, I have re-watched parts of Gladiator of during cable broadcasts more time than I can remember, but I felt that it was time to watch the entire thing again and commit a review.

Gladiator is a great film because it recalls what Hollywood has always done well, historical epics that are more epic than they are history. The screenplay is a collection of familiar tropes (sword and sandals); stock characters (the crazy usurper; the put-upon woman; the wronged hero); and beloved settings (the Roman empire). The script is really nothing to write home about. The cast and crew and the director and his creative cohorts are the people who turn Gladiator into one of those truly great films that gave the twentieth century a grand Hollywood send-off.

Gladiator is probably director Ridley Scott's slickest and most polished Hollywood film. The film's narrative heart beats strong because Scott gets the best out of his film editor, film music composers, production designer and set decorator, and cinematographer. Everyone pulls together to make this film a visually sumptuous masterpiece, the kind that pounds audiences until they stop resisting and give into the bliss of a grand cinematic epic made in a true Hollywood style.

However, I think the actors are the true heart of Gladiator, delivering performances that make even the least famous of them seem like movie stars. Richard Harris is philosophical and earnest as the doomed Emperor Marcus Aurelius, while Joaquin Phoenix turns what could have been a clownish role into an unpredictable, but alluring reptilian super man-beast, the usurper Emperor Commodus. Oliver Reed, in his final role, made Proximo real and really lovable. And it's sad that Djimon Hounsou as Maximus' steady, philosophic friend, Juba, got almost no love from the various movie award-giving organizations.

The king – or emperor, if you will – of Gladiator is Russell Crowe. Maximus Decimus Meridius is one of Crowe's finest roles, even if it isn't one of his most subtle, graceful, and profound performances. Crowe carries this movie, and Gladiator defeats its own warts because Crowe is its true and one and only Gladiator. Crowe is the center and the beating heart of Gladiator, and the passage of a quarter-century has not changed that. Gladiator remains a great work of Hollywood cinema because it has what the great works of Hollywood must have – a movie star that radiates enough light to blind us to the blemishes of film with ambitions to be great.

9 of 10

A+

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

NOTES:

2001 Academy Awards, USA: 5 wins: “Best Picture” (Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, and Branko Lustig), “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Russell Crowe), and “Best Costume Design” (Janty Yates), “Best Sound” (Scott Millan, Bob Beemer, Ken Weston, and John Nelson), and “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (John Nelson, Neil Corbould, Tim Burke, and Rob Harvey); 7 nominations: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Joaquin Phoenix), “Best Director” (Ridley Scott), “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (David Franzoni-screenplay and story, John Logan-screenplay, and William Nicholson-screenplay), “Best Cinematography” (John Mathieson), “Best Film Editing” (Pietro Scalia), “Best Music, Original Score” (Hans Zimmer), and “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Arthur Max-art director and Crispian Sallis-set decorator)

2001 BAFTA Awards: 4 wins: “Best Film” (Douglas Wick, David Franzoni, and Branko Lustig), “Best Cinematography” (John Mathieson), “Best Production Design” (Arthur Max), “Best Editing” (Pietro Scalia); 10 nominations: “David Lean Award for Direction” (Ridley Scott), “Best Screenplay-Original” (David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Russell Crowe), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Joaquin Phoenix), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Oliver Reed-posthumously), “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard), “Best Costume Design” (Janty Yates), “Best Sound” (Ken Weston, Scott Millan, Bob Beemer, and Per Hallberg), “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (John Nelson, Tim Burke, Rob Harvey, and Neil Corbould), and “Best Make Up/Hair” (Paul Engelen and Graham Johnston)

2001 Golden Globes, USA: 2 wins: “Best Motion Picture-Drama” and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard); 3 nominations: “Best Director-Motion Picture” (Ridley Scott), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Russell Crowe), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Joaquin Phoenix)

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Tuesday, November 19, 2024

BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for November 20, 2024

BOOM! STUDIOS

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SEP240089 LAWFUL #5 (OF 8) CVR B MERCADO $4.99

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