NEGROMANCER 2.0: Amazon

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Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Review: Prime Video's "THE UNDERDOGGS" is Vulgar, Funny and Holds The Titty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 of 2024 (No. 1949) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Underdoggs (2024)

Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)

MPA – R for pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking

DIRECTOR: Charles Stone III

WRITERS: Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis

PRODUCERS: Kenya Barris, Mychelle Deschamps, Jonathan Glickman, Constance Schwartz-Morini, and Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg)

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mitchell Amundsen (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Paul Millspaugh

COMPOSER: Joseph Shirley

COMEDY/SPORT

Starring: Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Elias Ferguson, Jonigan Booth, Caleb Cm Dixon, Adan James Carrillo, Alexander Michael Gordon, Kylah Davila, Andrew Schulz, Thom Scott II, Kal Penn, Kandi Burruss, Tony Gonzalez, Terry Bradshaw, and George Lopez

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SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Snopp Dogg is excellent is this truly funny sports comedy.

--This film has a lot of profanity and bad behavior, and their reference to sex acts and sex organs is plentiful. It's family comedy that is not appropriate for viewing, unless the family is a bit daring.

--The Underdogg's scatological tale of a washed up, arrogant coach and a group of kids who know mostly disappointment does not come across as corny or phony. The Underdoggs keeps it real, perhaps, too real sometimes.

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The Underdoggs is a 2024 sports comedy film from director Charles Stone III. The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming on “Prime Video” January 26, 2024. The Underdoggs follows a washed-up former professional football player who decides to coach a peewee football team as way to regain his fame only to learn some important live lessons.

The Underdoggs opens at the “California High School State Championship 1997.” Jaycen "Two J's" Jennings (Elias Ferguson) is the star wide receiver at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and by catching the “Hail Mary” pass thrown his way, he wins the state championship for his school. Jaycen goes on to be a star professional football player, but his ego eventually gets him tossed from the professional ranks.

Now, Jaycen Jennings (Snopp Dogg) is a washed-up ex-professional football star – an arrogant washed up former football star, and the days of being “Two J's” are behind him. Still, he is desperately trying to hang onto fame, hopefully by landing a plum gig hosting his own Fox Sports TV show. However, Jaycen hits rock bottom when he is sentenced to community service after an accident.

Eventually, he finds his way to the Los Angeles County Community Outreach Program, where he decides to coach a peewee football squad, a group of poor kids known as “the Green Team.” Jaycen, however, sees this as a chance to get what he wants, but will he be forced to really give these kids what they need – a coach that cares?

I am shocked by how much I really like The Underdoggs. Of course, the screenplay by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis (from a pitch by Snoop Dogg and fellow producer, Constance Schwartz-Morini) revisits familiar territory. The tale of a fallen coach, mentor, or role model and his team of poor kids, outcasts, and assorted misfits has played out in such films as The Bad News Bears (1976) and Role Models (2008). The Mighty Ducks (1992), which is referenced in The Underdoggs, is apparently a similar film, but I have never seen it (nor have I ever wanted to).

I have been a long-time fan of Snopp Dogg, and perhaps because of serendipity, he is perfect as an actor is this story of underdogs. I like that the film allows Jaycen to stay true to himself while also evolving, but the children also keep it real while learning to take pride in themselves and in their efforts. In this way, The Underdoggs is a perfect, lesson-heavy, family film, but...

The Underdoggs is rated “R” by the MPA for “pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking,” and alla' that shit is actually in the film, sometimes in large quantities. There is even a funny “disclaimer” at the beginning of The Underdoggs that basically says that today's children use the same profane words spoken in the film. Perhaps, the filmmakers' argument is this is indeed a thoroughly modern family-friendly film. I think the “F-bomb” is said in The Underdoggs seemingly more than one hundred times. So its appropriateness will vary from family to family, respective of decorum and personal tastes. I have to admit that I was uncomfortable with the amount of profanity and bad behavior in this film, but...

I still laughed a lot. The Underdoggs is uproariously funny. I think Mike Epps as Kareem, Jaycen's friend who becomes his assistant coach, and Tika Sumpter as Cherise Porter, who was Jaycen's high school girlfriend, make the best of characters that are not that well written. Epps is always a scene-stealer in everything from comedy to action to horror, and he grabs all he can here. Sumpter makes Cherise an effective moral check on Jaycen's selfishness.

In the end, I feel totally comfortable recommending The Underdoggs to adult and older teen viewers. It is one of the funniest films of the new year, so far. I think some young viewers will be crazy about The Underdoggs, whether their parents approve or not.

A-

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

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Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Review: Prime Video's "ROLE PLAY" Offers an Odd Couple

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 of 2024 (No. 1948) by Leroy Douresseaux

Role Play (2024)

Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)

MPA – R for violence and language

DIRECTOR: Thomas Vincent

WRITER: Seth Owen

PRODUCERS: Kaley Cuoco, Alex Heinenman, and Andrew Rona

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Maxime Alexandre (ASC)

EDITOR: Gareth C. Scales

COMPOSER: Rael Jones

ACTION/THRILLER/COMEDY

Starring: Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Connie Nielsen, Rudi Dharmalingam, Lucia Aliu, Regan Bryan-Gudgeon, Jade-Eleena Dregorius, Stephanie Levi-John, and Bill Nighy

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SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Role Play is somewhat similar to the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), which was a big-budget action-comedy. Role Play is a smaller scale action-thriller with darker, edgier humor.

--Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo are an odd pairing, and for at least half of this film, they seem miscast in their roles.

--Role Play is an average, entertaining film that is better suited for Prime Video than it is for the big screens of a local movie theater. Still, the last half hour of the film really intensifies.

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Role Play is a 2024 action-thriller and black comedy film from director Thomas Vincent. The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming on “Prime Video” January 12, 2024. Role Play focuses on an assassin whose secret life intrudes on her life as a suburban wife and mother.

Role Play introduces Emma Brackett (Kaley Cuoco). She is married to Dave Brackett (David Oyelowo) and is now the mother to his son from his first marriage, Wyatt (Regan Bryan-Gudgeon), and is mother to the daughter, Caroline (Lucia Aliu), she had with Dave. Emma and Dave have been married seven years and are living in New Jersey. But Emma has forgotten their anniversary because she was busy overseas killing someone and not in Nebraska, as she told her husband.

To make up for forgetting their anniversary, Emma suggests that they spice things up by engaging in some romantic role play at “the Royal Grand” hotel in New York City. The fun, however, is interrupted by Robert “Bob” Kitterman (Bill Nighy), who is actually a rival assassin out to claim a bounty placed on Emma by her former agency, Sovereign. Emma is forced to reveal her real self – Anna Peller, professional killer. Now, her past has returned to reclaim her.

Dear readers, as soon as you read Role Play's synopsis, you will likely think of the hit 2005 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Directed by Doug Liman, the action-comedy film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They play a bored upper middle class couple, but both are actually assassins working for competing agencies. One day, they are assigned to kill each other.

Role Play is described as an action-comedy, but it is truthfully an action-thriller and dark comedy. The film does have a comic undertone; there are some genuinely funny moments; and the film's musical score by Rael Jones is action-comedy pitch perfect. Role Play, however, features several violent fight scenes and brutal killings, in addition to its offbeat sensibility.

One reason is the casting. Kaley Cuoco is best known for playing the role of “Penny” on CBS's long-running, former sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory” (2007-19). I found it a little difficult to picture her as an assassin or professional killer. David Oyelowo is known for his serious dramatic roles in such films as Red Tails (2012) and Selma (2014), as well as for his role in the recent Paramount+ Western television miniseries, Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023). For about the first hour of the film, I did not find him convincing as the clueless suburban husband.

However, once Anna Peller's cover as Emma is blown, Cuoco is forced to give it her all trying to convince the audience that she is a killer, and suddenly sitcom Penny seems quite dark, indeed. Also, it is then that Oyelowo can drop the hubby routine and become the spousal partner-in-crime. In the last half hour to 40 minutes of the film, Emma and Dave actually become funnier characters. Then, Role Play takes on its action-thriller aspects with gusto.

Director Thomas Vincent makes the most of the film's more intense moments, giving Seth Owen's screenplay, which probably had more juice on the printed page, a jolt. Role Play is the kind of easy-going film that could not make it as a theatrical release, but it makes for an entertaining streaming film, especially once the leads really start to... play their roles.

B-

5 of 10

★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Review: "CAFÉ SOCIETY" Sounds More Scandalous Than It Actually Is

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2024 (No. 1946) by Leroy Douresseaux

Café Society (2016)

Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for some violence, a drug reference, suggestive material and smoking

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Woody Allen

PRODUCERS: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Edward Walson

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Vittorio Storaro

EDITOR: Alisa Lepselter

COMEDY/ROMANCE with elements of crime

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively, Sheryl Lee, Jeannie Berlin, Ken Stott, Sari Lennick, Stephen Kunken, and Corey Stoll

Café Society is a 2016 period comedy and romance film written and directed by Woody Allen. Set in the 1930s, the film follows a Bronx native who moves to Hollywood and falls in love with a young woman who is already in an affair with a mysterious married man.

Café Society introduces Robert Jacob “Bobby” Dorfman (Jessie Eisenberg). He is the youngest child and younger son of Marty Dorfman (Ken Stott) and his wife, Rose Dorfman (Jeannie Berlin). The Dorfman's middle child is their adult daughter, Evelyn (Sari Lennick), who is married to Leonard (Stephen Kunken), a teacher, an intellectual, and a communist. Dorfman's oldest child is their elder son, Ben (Corey Stoll), a gangster. While his siblings' lives are set, Bobby's is not. He is discontented with working for his father, Marty, who is a jeweler, so Bobby decides to move to Hollywood.

There, his mother Karen's brother, Phil Stern (Steve Carell), is a powerful talent agent who works with the most famous stars, biggest filmmakers, and most powerful movie studios. Phil is married to a beautiful woman, Karen (Sheryl Lee), and he lives in a lavish mansion in Hollywood. And he might have a job for his wayward nephew, Bobby Dorfman.

Bobby ends up taking a job running menial errands for Phil, and that brings him into contact with on of Phil's employees, Veronica “Vonnie” Sybil (Kristen Stewart). Bobby falls in love with Vonnie, but she claims that she already has a boyfriend, Doug, whom she describes as a journalist. Ultimately, Bobby returns to New York City, where he runs a high-end nightclub that he names “Les Tropiques.” It is there that Bobby embraces “café society,” as the club soon becomes a famous hangout for the rich and powerful. Bobby, however, cannot escape his recent past, nor can he avoid Ben's gangster activities.

Coup de chance, the film Woody Allen says will likely be his final directorial effort, was released in France in September (2023). Because of the controversies surrounding Allen the last few decades, especially the last five years, the film may not get a stateside theatrical release (although there has been a rumor that it has found a thus far secret U.S. distributor). In anticipation of eventually somehow seeing Coup de chance, I have decided to watch the recent Woody Allen films that I missed, such as the 2015 film, Irrational Man, and Cafe Society.

Cafe Society is an amiable, lightweight Woody Allen period comedy. It's nostalgic overtones certainly recall Allen's utterly delightful and semi-autobiographical period film, Radio Days (1987). I adore Radio Days and am tempted to call it his masterpiece. Unfortunately, Cafe Society is nowhere near the film that Radio Days is.

The first half of Cafe Society, which is mostly set in Hollywood, ends up being a prologue to the main story. You see, dear readers, Cafe Society's real story takes place after Bobby Dorfman returns to New York City and becomes a player in cafe society, the party scene of the Big Apple's rich and famous – from the blue bloods and celebrities to politicians and gangsters. In fact, the film is practically sleepy until Bobby becomes the impresario of NYC's most popular and notorious nightclub. That is when the two strands of his past – his aborted relationship with Vonnie and the natural end of Ben's activities – meet. Of course, it is a time when Bobby has the best of everything.

Cafe Society's themes of love-at-first-sight, love lost, and yearning for what might have been are familiar, and the film deals with it all so slightly that the story feels underdeveloped. I can't help but believe Cafe Society would work better as a television series, which would allow it to fully develop its multiple subplots and to play out a cast that is filled with potential. Ultimately, Café Society is an average put-together of familiar Woody Allen tropes, decorated with gorgeous production values. The cinematography, costumes, and sets are all Oscar worthy.

5 of 10

B-

★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

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Thursday, January 11, 2024

Review: "SALTBURN" is not Salty, nor Does it Burn

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2024 (No. 1945) by Leroy Douresseaux

Saltburn (2023)

Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)

MPA – R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, some disturbing violent content, and drug use.

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Emerald Fennell

PRODUCERS: Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara, and Margot Robbie

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Linus Sandgren (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Victoria Boydell

COMPOSER: Anthony Willis

DRAMA/COMEDY

Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Alison Oliver, Sadie Soverall, Paul Rhys, and Carey Mulligan

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REVIEW SUMMARY:

-- The new film from the writer-director of Emerald Fennell has an intriguing premise and is actually intriguing for about its first hour.

-- Their are few good performances, particularly by Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, and Archie Madekwe. Sadly, the movie focuses on its least interesting character, Oliver Quick, played by one of the hottest dull actors around, Barry Keoghan.

-- Saltburn is mainly for adventurous movie fans. Viewers looking to be entertained may want to look for a movie that is less stiff.

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Saltburn is a 2023 psychological drama and black comedy from writer-director Emerald Fennell. The film follows a new student at Oxford University who is drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, which leads to a tragic summer at the classmate's family's sprawling estate.

Saltburn introduces Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a scholarship student at Oxford University. Oliver struggles to fit in due to his inexperience with upper-class manners and deportment. However, one of Oliver's fellow students does capture his imagination, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), an affluent and popular student. It turns out that Felix is empathetic to Oliver and his stories of his parents' substance abuse and mental health issues.

After Oliver becomes distraught when he learns of his father's sudden death, Felix comforts him. Later, Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his family's sprawling estate, Saltburn. Oliver meets Felix's eccentric parents, his father, Sir James Catton (Richard E. Grant), and his mother, Lady Elspeth Catton (Rosamund Pike). He also meets Felix's kooky and lewd sister, Venetia (Alison Oliver). Also staying at the state is fellow Oxford student and Felix's first cousin, Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe), who thinks very little of Oliver. As the summer wears on, however, these unlikable people become too self-absorbed to recognize the danger so very near to them.

I was a huge fan of Saltburn writer-director Emerald Fennell's 2020, Promising Young Woman, for which Fennell won a “Best Original Screenplay” Oscar. Promising Young Woman was a shocking, funny, vindictive, and righteous film, and which is much more than I can say about Saltburn, which looks like a sumptuous period drama. On the other hand, for all its good looks, Saltburn is sterile as a black comedy.

I can deal with a film that focuses on unlikable people, which Saltburn does. Still, I found Saltburn's lead actor, Barry Keoghan, and his character, Oliver Quick, dull and unimaginative. I don't get Keoghan's critical acclaim. He was pitiful and sad in The Banshees of Inisherin (2020), which earned him a “Best Supporting Actor” Oscar nomination. However, sad, silent waif characters bore me, and Keoghan's Oliver Quick is duller than his Dominic Kearney was in Banshees. Here, Keoghan's personality-free performance in this film does not convince me that Oliver is what the film's final act suggests he is. Honestly, what Fennell offers here is nothing more than a riff on novelist Patricia Highsmith's literary character, "Tom Ripley," if Ripley were played as a character that was stuffed and mounted. Also, I must admit to often mistaking Keoghan for another milky white boy actor, Ezra Miller (The Flash), who did the pale, waif thing really well until his... secrets came out.

I like Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton, a funny and charming character, and Elordi's boyish, white boy looks should give him at least a few years in Hollywood as a “hot thing.” The film's best performance is given by Archie Madekwe, the Black British actor who creates Saltburn's most intriguing character. As the “mixed-race” Farleigh Start, Madekwe is mysterious and sexy, and honestly, I wish Saltburn was about Farleigh's relationship with the Cattons and his life at Saltburn. I should also admit that I'm always crazy about Rosamund Pike, so I was in love with Lady Elspeth.

Ultimately, I can only recommend Saltburn to adventurous movie fans who are always on the lookout for films from interesting filmmakers, which Emerald Fennell certainly is. I simply wish that Saltburn burned a little more.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

You can stream the SALTBURN film here on AMAZON Prime Video.

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Dec. 10th to 16th, 2023 - Update #18

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline: The finale episode of the CBS/NBC's "Magnum P.I." reboot starring Jay Hernandez will air Jan. 3rd, 2024 with the final two episodes (19 and 20 of Season 5) airing as a two-hour event from 9 to 11 EST.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Warner Bros. has won an auction for "Calamity Hustle," an action-comedy from writer-directors Adam & Aaron Nee. The film is currently set to star Ryan Reynolds and Channing Tatum.

MOVIES - From Deadline: The site has the screenplay for "Asteroid City" by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola available for reading.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Dwayne Johnson will play Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds barred era of UFC, in A24‘s "The Smashing Machine." The film will be directed by Benny Safdie of Uncut Gems fame.

AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon MGM Studios has won the "film pitch packet" for "Best of Enemies," a spy thriller set to star Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale.

MOVIES - From Deadine: Actress Naomi Scott, who first gained fame as "Princess Jasmine" in Disney's live-action Aladdin (2019), will star in Paramount sequel to its 2022 horror hit, Smile. The sequel is set to hit theaters Oct. 18th, 2024.

STREAMING - From Variety: From 1993 to 2004 Tony Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce played "Dr. Niles Crane" on the former NBC sitcom, "Frasier." He received 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the role and won four of them. The series was recently rebooted for Paramount+ with series star, Kelsey Grammer, returning, but Pierce says that he did not return because he never really wanted to go back.

POLITICS - From Deadline: "Biden Victory Fund" campaign co-chair, Jeffrey Katzenberg (co-founder of DreamWorks), says that the fund raised a record 15 million dollars during President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden's weekend visit to Los Angeles.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 12/8 to 12/10/2023 weekend box office is GKIDS' "The Boy and the Heron" with an estimated take of 12.8 million dollars.

From Deadline: "The Boy and the Heron" is now the first original anime production to finish at the top of the domestic (North American) box office.

AMAZON - From THR: David Alan Grier says playing a black Santa Claus in the Prime Originals holiday movie, Candy Cane Lane, reminded him of Marvel's Black Panther.

From Deadline: Prime Video has released the first trailer for its upcoming series, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," based on the the 2005 Jolie-Pitt film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Premiere date is Feb. 2nd, 2024.

OBITS:

From Deadline: Journalist, historian, and documentary filmmaker, Cari Beauchamp, has died at the age of 74, Thursday, December 14, 2023. Her 1998 biography, "Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and The Powerful Women of Early Hollywood," became a documentary she wrote and co-produced. It premiered on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Beauchamp frequently appeared on TCM programming and at the annual TCM Classic Film Festival.

From Variety: Film and television actor, Andre Braugher, has died at the age of 61, Monday, December 11, 2023. Braugher was best known for his TV work. He was "Detective Frank Pembleton" on NBC's former cop drama, "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "Captain Raymond Hoult" on the former Fox/NBC sitcom, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Braugher was nominated for 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and won twice, once for his work on "Homicide."

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AWARDS:

From THR: The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced. The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch: The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters. The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR: The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced. "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch: The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced. "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch: The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch: "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association). The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline: At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety: The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced. "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023." Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety: The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th. Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

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Sunday, December 10, 2023

Review: Prime Video's "CANDY CANE LANE" is an Unexpected Delight

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 of 2023 (No. 1941) by Leroy Douresseaux

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)

MPA – PG for language throughout and some suggestive references

DIRECTOR: Reginald Hudlin

WRITER: Kelly Younger

PRODUCERS: Brian Grazer, Charisse M. Hewitt, Karen Lunder, and Eddie Murphy

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Newton Thomas Sigel (ASC)

EDITORS: Kenny G. Krauss and Jim May

COMPOSER: Marcus Miller

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Genneya Walton, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Madison Thomas, Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, Robin Thede, David Alan Grier, Ken Marino, Timothy Simons, Danielle Pinnock, and D.C. Young Fly

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

I watched “Candy Cane Lane” on a lark, and I did not expect much from it. Boy, am I surprised. It is so shockingly charming and endearing that this must be some kind of Christmas magic.

Eddie Murphy is quite good in family-oriented films, and even his fans who don't ordinarily like Murphy's family films will probably find something to like in “Candy Cane Lane”

The story is ridiculous at times, but “Candy Cane Lane” is the best Christmas movie I have seen in a long time. I recommend it without reservation.

Candy Cane Lane is a 2023 comedy, fantasy, and Christmas film directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Eddie Murphy. The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming December 1, 2023. Candy Cane Lane focuses on a man who is so determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest that he makes an unwise pact with a rogue elf.

Candy Cane Lane introduces Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy), a husband and father who crafts his own hand-carved Christmas decorations. Every year, a local television station hosts the “Candy Cane Lane Spectacular,” a contest to judge the best decorated house. Chris has never won, and he is jealous of his neighbor, Bruce (Ken Marino), who has won several times.

Shortly before Christmas, Chris' employer, the industrial plastics firm, Sydel Twain, lays him off. When Chris learns that this year's Candy Cane Lane prize is $100,000, he becomes desperate to win the money for his family, although he wife, Carol Carver (Tracee Ellis Ross), has a very good job. Chris is also oblivious to the lives of his two older children, Joy (Genneya Walton), a high school senior and track star, and Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson), a tuba player and budding musician.

Looking for Christmas decorations and supplies, Chris and his youngest child, daughter Holly (Madison Thomas), stumble across “Kringle's,” a mysterious Christmas shop filled with all kinds of beautiful decorations, including model buildings, ceramic figures, and a strange Christmas tree. Chris is so enchanted by all that he sees, believing that these decorations could help him win Candy Cane Lane. He unwarily signs a deal with Kringle's eccentric shopkeeper, Pepper (Jillian Bell). However, Pepper is more than she seems, and so is the receipt Chris signs. Soon, he will need all the help he can get from his family and from a trio of diminutive new friends in order to keep himself out of Pepper's clutches. And he also has some Christmas lessons to learn.

Audiences first came to know and love Eddie Murphy from his stand-up comedy career; his stint as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (1980-84); and his R-rated comedy films, such as 48 Hrs (1982), Trading Places (1983), and Beverly Hills Cop (1983). Much to the chagrin of the those fans, Murphy's film career as an A-list star eventually led him to make innocuous family-friends films, especially Dr. Doolittle (1998), Shrek (2001), and Daddy Day Care (2003).

Those fans will not be pleased with Candy Cane Lane. It is a family movie, an absurd fantasy film, and a Christmas movie full of holiday lessons to learn. For me, Candy Cane Lane is one of the best absurd movies that I have ever seen. Its concepts and ideas are as imaginative and as inventive as they are ridiculous and preposterous, yet I find the film endlessly lovable. Every time I tried to dismiss it, I found myself drawn ever deeper into its delicious, addictive fluffiness. Candy Cane Lane is a true feel-good movie. It shouldn't work, yet it works to perfection. Considering director Reginald Hudlin's past directorial efforts, I was (and still am) shocked that he could pull of this kind of Christmas movie, which is, for the most part, a warm cup of cocoa. If anything, Candy Cane Lane suggests that screenwriter Kelly Younger is certainly inventive.

Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, and Robin Thede are a delight in their voice roles, and David Alan Grier is sly and smooth in his surprise role. Jillian Bell is nearly perfect as Pepper, except for a few moments that are too over the top. I think Madison Thomas needed more screen time as Holly Carver, and Timothy Simons and Danielle Pinnock are a winning pair as TV co-hosts, Emerson and Kit.

Eddie Murphy barely breaks a sweat as Chris Carver, and neither does Tracee Ellis Ross as Carol Carver. Still, they work well together as a screen couple at the center of this delightful family fare. Despite what some fans may think, Eddie Murphy has the magic touch when it comes to family films. Murphy passes on the lessons that Chris has to learn with a knowing wink and a nudge, and I was willing to buy it all. I think I'll be watching Candy Cane Lane again, if only because, for two hours, it made me believe in that Hollywood bullshit called “Christmas magic.”

B+

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, December 10, 2023

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Saturday, December 9, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Dec. 1st to 9th, 2023 - Update #24

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Variety: Director Denis Villeneuve says that there are "words on paper" for a Dune Part Three.

MOVIES - From Deadline: The site has a first-look at "Hurricanna," a biopic about the late TV personality, model, "Playboy Magazine" centerfold, and actress, Anna Nicole Smith. The project is currently filming.

From Deadline: A heist moving starring Ryan Reynolds is a hot pitch. There reportedly seven "big bids" for what is being described as a high-concept ensemble action comedy.

STREAMING - From Deadline: The third season of Max's "And Just Like That" (a follow-up to "Sex in the City") will arrive in 2025.

MUSIC - From Time: Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Taylor Swift, has been named "Time" magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2023.

AMAZON - From Deadline: The Eddie Murphy Christmas-themed holiday movie, Candy Cane Lane, is is the number one film globally on Prime Video. It is also Amazon MGM Studios is the most watched film. "Candy Cane Lane" debuted Dec. 1st.

From Deadline: Prime Video has lined up an all-star guest cast for its eight-episode series, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine and based on the 2005 Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie action comedy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Newly announced guests include Sarah Paulson, Ron Perlman, and Alexander Skarsgard, to name a few.

CELEBRITY - From THR: Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx makes his first public appearance since his "medical event" back in April (2023). Foxx attended Critics Choice Association's "Celebration of Cinema and Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements" where he received the "Vanguard Award" for his performance in director Maggie Betts' 2023 legal drama, "The Burial."

MOVIES - From Showbiz411: The recent Barbie, Margot Robbie, and Ken, Ryan Gosling, will reunite for an "Ocean's 11" prequel. Robbie and Gosling will play the parents of Danny Ocean of the George Clooney trilogy: Ocean's 11, 12, and 13. They will also be the parents of Debbie Ocean of "Ocean's 8," of which I am not that familiar, so Debbie is apparently Danny's sister.

DISNEY - From Deadline: Ryan Murphy will reunite with one of his "American Horror Story: Delicate" stars, Kim Kardashian, for a "high-end, glossy and sexy adult procedural" set in Los Angeles. The series is bound for Hulu.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 12/1 to 12/3/2023 weekend box office is AMC Theatres Distribution/Variance' "Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce" with an estimated take of 21 million dollars.

From Variety: With its gross now north of 14.36 million dollars, "Godzilla Minus One" is now the highest-grossing live-action movie in North America.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: HBO Films has optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano’s new book, "The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos" (which was published on November 28, 2023), as part of its plan to develop a film about disgraced former U.S. Congressman, George Santos.

AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon has renewed "Jack Reacher" for a third season, although Season 2 doesn't make its debut until Dec. 15th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: HBO has released the first teaser trailer for "House of the Dragon" Season 2, along with some information on new cast members and plenty of first-look images from the upcoming season. The new season is set for Summer 2024.

MOVIES - From Deadline: If you want to read the "Killers of the Flower Moon" screenplay, Deadline has a copy.

DISNEY - From Variety: James Cameron says "Avatar 3" is in a hectic two years of post-production and is due Christmas 2025.

OBITS:

From Deadline: Film and television actor, Ryan O'Neal, has died at the age of 82, Friday, December 8, 2023. He received a "Best Actor" Oscar nomination for his role in the 1970 romance, "Love Story." His other most famous films include "What's Up, Doc" (1970), "Paper Moon" (1973), "Barry Lyndon" (1975), and "The Main Event" (1979), to name a few. Before he took up acting, O'Neal was an amateur boxer.

From Deadline: Television writer and producer, Norman Lear, has died at the age of 101, Tuesday, December 5, 2023. TV pioneer, icon, and legend, Lear produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 TV shows. His best known TV work occurred in the 1970s and include "All in the Family" (1971-79), "Maude" (1972-78), "Sanford and Son" (1972-77), "The Jeffersons" (1975-85), and "Good Times" (1974-79), to name a few. He was nominated for 18 Primetime Emmy Awards and won six, including the three he won for "All in the Family" as "Outstanding Series - Comedy." Lear was also known for his political activism and support of liberal causes and politicians and for founding the advocacy organization, "People for the American Way."

From Deadline: In a photo gallery, the site offers "Norman Lear's Career in Pictures."

From Deadline: English rock musician, guitarist, and songwriter, Denny Laine, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Laine was a rounding member of the English rock band, "The Moody Blues," with who he performed from 1964 to 1966. In 1971, he joined Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney to form "Wings" (also known as "Paul McCartney and Wings"). He remained with the band until it disbanded in 1981. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Class of 2018 - as a member of The Moody Blues. Laine received four Grammy Award nominations as a member of Wings and won two of them.

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AWARDS:

From Deadline: At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 22nd to 31st, 2023 - Update #29

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline: Quiver Distribution announced they have completed production on the military action/science fiction film, "Agent Recon." It features legendary martial arts expert and action film and TV hero, Chuck Norris (The Expendables 2, "Walker Texas Ranger"). Quiver and will launch sales at the 2023 American Film Market (AFM), which takes place Oct. 31st to Nov. 5th.

AMAZON - From Deadline: Michael B. Jordan's production company, Outlier Society, will join Amazon MGM Studios to develop Rebecca Yarros' fantasy novel series, "The Empyrean," for television.

From Variety: Amazon MGM Studios is in the early stages of developing a TV series based on the 1982 film, "Poltergeist."

MOVIES - From THR: David Robert Mitchell is ready to make a sequel to his hit horror film, It Follows (2014). Mitchell is taking "They Follow" to the 2023 American Film Market (AFM), where film people try to find buyers for new films and projects. The fun starts Oct. 31st and ends Nov. 5th.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 10/27 to 10/29/2023 weekend box office is "Five Nights at Freddy's" with an estimated take of 78 million dollars.

From THR: It's 78 million dollar opening weekend gives "Five Nights at Freddy's" the largest box office opening for a Halloween weekend.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Jason Statham will star in the film, "Levon's Trade," directed by David Ayer from a script by Sylvester Stallone.

STREAMING - From Deadline: On Fri., Oct. 27th, Spectrum SportsNet and the Los Angeles Lakers announced the launch of "Spectrum SportsNet+." This is a new direct-to-consumer streaming subscription service that will deliver a 24/7 feed of Spectrum SportsNet programming, including live Lakers games and behind-the-scenes Lakers content. Now available, it is free to existing Spectrum SportsNet customers. Others will pay $19.99 a month or $179.99.

DISNEY - From THR: Disney releases a first-look at its film, "Disney's Snow White," a live-action version of its classic animated feature film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). The other news is that the film is moving to a 2025 release date from its original March 2024 release date. This will be first of many release date changes as the Hollywood actors' strike continues.

AMAZON - From THR: Amazon's ad revenue soars to $12 billion - in the third quarter.

POLITICS - From Medium: Former President Barack Obama offers "Thoughts on Israel and Gaza."

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: There is a new film in The Hunger Games franchise. "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" looks to have a strong box office debut.

MUSIC - From Variety: Taylor Swift, SZA, and Morgan Wallen lead the nominations for the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. The winners will be announced Nov. 19th.

MOVIES - From Variety: While promoting his new film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," Martin Scorsese comments on fellow director Quentin Tarantino's impending retirement.

SCANDAL - From Deadline: In a hearing today (Wed. Oct. 25th), New York Supreme Court Judge Michael Gaffey denied a defense motion to dismiss the domestic abuse charges that actor Jonathan Majors (Creed III) is facing. Judge Gaffey set a start date of November 29th for the trial.

MOVIES - From Deadline: "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two," starring Tom Cruise, changes its release date from June 28, 2024 to May 23, 2025.

NETFLIX - From Deadline: Filmmaker and media mogul Tyler Perry has struck a new, multi-year first-look deal with Netflix that will see him write, direct and produce features for the streamer. Perry signed a deal with Amazon Studios in November 2022 to write, direct and produce four features for Prime Video.

AMAZON - From Deadline: "Good Omens" hopes to be renewed for a third and final season on Amazon Prime. If it renewed, co-showrunner Douglas Mackinnon will not return. The series is based on the book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

SCANDAL - From Deadline: During his stand-up performance at the TD Garden in Boston on Thurs., Oct. 19th, comedian Dave Chappelle addressed the events in Israel-Palestine and the audience reacted with cheers, jeers, and walk-outs.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 10/20 to 10/22/2023 weekend box office is "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" with an estimated take of 31 million dollars.

DISNEY - From ScreenRant: Disney has confirmed "Zootopia 2," the sequel to its 2016 Oscar-winning hit, Zootopia. The sequel may not arrive in theaters until 2028.

OBITS:

From Variety: Television and film actor, Matthew Perry, has died at the age of 54, Saturday, October 28, 2023. Perry was best known for the role of "Chandler Bing" in the long-running former NBC sitcom, "Friends" (1994-2004), a role for which he received one Primetime Emmy nomination in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series." Perry would receive two more Emmy nominations for his guest role in the former NBC drama, "The West Wing" (2003) and another Emmy nomination for his starring role in the television film, "The Ron Clark Story" (2006, TNT). His final Emmy nod came as an executive producer on HBO Max's "Friends: The Reunion" special (2021).

From Deadline: In a joint statement to "People," the five surviving leads of the former NBC sitcom, "Friends": Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer said “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”

From Deadline: Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, paid an emotional tribute to his former classmate, "Friends" actor, Matthew Perry, who died on Sat., Oct. 28th. They both attended Rockcliffe Park Public School in Ottawa, Canada.

From Deadline: The Hollywood "breaking news" site, "Deadline," has a page dedicated to the recently deceased "Friends" actor, Matthew Perry.

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From Deadline: The film and television actor, Richard Roundtree, has died at the age of 81, Tuesday, October 25, 2023. Roundtree is considered to be "the first black action hero" for his most famous role, the private detective, John Shaft, in the 1971 film, "Shaft." He played the role in two sequels, "Shaft's Big Score!" (1972) and "Shaft in Africa" (1973), as well as a series to TV films for CBS during the 1973-74 broadcast season. He would return to the role in the "contemporary sequels," "Shaft" (2000) and "Shaft" (2019). In addition to his film roles, he made numerous TV appearances, including in such TV miniseries and series as "Roots," "Murder, She Wrote," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Desperate Housewives," to name a few.

From Deadline: Richard Roundtree (1942-2023) - a life in photographs.

From Deadline: Samuel L. Jackson offers a remembrance of his late co-star, Richard Roundtree.

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ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline: Striking actors are set to meet the studios today for Halloween negotiations, but they are still "far apart on key issues."

From Variety: SAG-AFTRA (actors) and AMPTP (studios) will resume strike negotiations tomorrow (Tues., Oct. 24th).

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher says that the offer from top-earning Hollywood actors to chip in some money to help end the strike "isn't legally compatible with the union's contract.

From Deadline: Top earning Hollywood actors want to chip in some money to end the SAG-AFTRA strike.

From Deadline: George Clooney, Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry and Scarlett Johansson were among a group of top talent guild members that spoke Tuesday (Oct. 17th) with guild president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland for a detailed debrief, we hear.

From Deadline: The movie studios via AMPTP have suspended their talks with striking actors via SAG-AFTRA. The snag seems to be that actors want "2 precent of potential profits" on streaming.

From Variety: SAG-AFTRA (the actors) and AMPTP (the studios) are to resume strike talks Wed., Oct. 11th, as the actors strike enters Day 88.

From Deadline: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood studios CEOs met for strike talks for the first time since the actors went on strike July 14th. They plan to meet again, Wed., Oct. 4th.

BREAKING - From Deadline: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels.

From WGAContract: The WGA contract page has additional information on the settlement.

From WGAContract: A summary of the new agreement.

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From Deadline: The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day. Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline: Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline: Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline: Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes. Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline: If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety: International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety: Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline: Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From Variety: Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety: Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline: If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety: The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles. Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline: The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline: The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

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Saturday, August 26, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 20th to 26th, 2023 - Update #13

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

NETFLIX - From Variety: Director Sammi Cohen talks about directing Adam Sandler's daughters in the Netflix teen movie, "You're So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah."

MOVIES - From Deadline: Warner Bros. Pictures has moved it big event film, "Dune: Part Two," to 2024. The sequel to the Oscar-winning "Dune: Part One" is now scheduled to hit theaters March 15, 2024.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Paramount+'s steaming sequel "Frasier," the sequel to the long-running NBC sitcom, "Frasier" (1993-2004), will beginning streaming with two episodes on October 12, 2023. Afterwards, new episodes will arrive on Thursdays. The first two episodes of the 10-episode series will also air on CBS on October 17th.

CELEBRITY - From Variety: Grammy-winning recording artist, Britney Spears, says news of her divorce from her husband of 14-months, Sam Asghari, is "nobody's business." However, she did say that she couldn't take the pain anymore.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/18 to 8/20/23 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Blue Beetle" with an estimated take of 25.4 million dollars.

From Here: A review of "Blue Beetle" by Leroy Douresseaux.

From Deadline: At the specialty box office (art house), the 20th anniversary re-release of the South Korean film, "Oldboy," grosses 495,000 dollars on 250 screens. It may reach 1 million dollars before the end of its first week back in circulation.

From Here: This is a nearly seventeen year-old review of "Oldboy" by Leroy Douresseaux.

AMAZON - From Variety: Amazon has cancelled its series, "A League of Their Own," so it won't have a second and final season.

OBITS:

From Deadline: American television writer, producer, and director, David Jacobs, has died at the age of 84, Sunday, August 20, 2023. He was best known for creating the long-running CBS dramas, "Dallas" and its spin-off, "Knots Landing." He left "Dallas" after its third season in order to focus on "Knots Landing" for the duration of its 14 season fun. Jacobs received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations - one for his work on the ABC TV movies, "Homefront" (1991) and the subsequent "Homefront" TV series (ABC, 1991-93).

From THR: American film and television actor, Ron Cephas Jones, has died at the age of 66, Saturday, August 19, 2023. Jones was best known for his role as "Walter Hill" on the former NBC drama, "This Is Us." As Walter Hill, Jones received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He won twice in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" (2018, 2020). Jones also had roles in USA Network's "Mr. Robot," Netflix/Marvel's "Luke Cage," and Apple TV+'s "Truth Be Told," to name a few.

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From THR: As talks with the Writers Guild of America stall, the studio trade association, AMPTP, has retained D.C.-based firm, The Levinson Group, to pursue a fresh messaging strategy.

From Deadline: Regarding the Hollywood writers strike, the AMPTP (representing the studios) released the details of a proposed labor agreement that it made to the WGA (the Writers Guild) on August 11th.

From Deadline: A pair of former production assistants-turned-assistant directors have created a nonprofit in hopes of providing financial aid to PAs (production assistants) who’ve been put out of work due to the strike.

From Deadline: Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline: Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

From Deadline: If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety: Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline: Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From THR: Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety: Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Deadline: If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety: The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles. Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline: The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline: Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline: WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR: TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline: The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline: Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR: Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline: The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline: Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline: Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline: President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline: Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline: Retaliation! Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike. Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline: Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline: The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline: What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline: The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Saturday, May 13, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 7th to 13th, 2023 - Update #21

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline: ABC has cancelled the Hilary Swank-led drama, "Alaska Daily," after one season.

MOVIES - From THR: Oscar-nominee, Willem Dafoe, is joining "Beetlejuice 2," which is due Sept. 2024.

TELEVISION - From THR: The CW has cancelled "The Winchesters," the prequel to its long-running fantasy drama, "Supernatural," after one season. The broadcast network also cancelled "Kung Fu" after three seasons.

From CBR: Executive producer, Jensen Ackles, is not ready to let "The Winchesters" die in the wake of its cancellation by The CW.

MOVIES - From CBR: Despite saying that he would NOT, Dwayne Johnson apparently does appear as his character "Luke Hobbs" in the upcoming "Fast X."

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From EW: There is a trailer for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3." The film is due in theaters Sept. 8, 2023.

DISNEY - From Variety: Disney+ is adding Hulu content for a "one-app experience" to begin later this year. The price for Disney+ will increase, also.

CANNES - From Deadline: FilmNation is bringing is Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie to the Cannes film market. Callas was a Greco-American opera singer (soprano) who was one of the most influential of the 20th century.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: NBC's "Night Court" reboot welcomes back actress Marsha Warfield, who starred as "Roz" in the original series.

SCANDAL - From CBSNews: A federal jury in New York City found former President Donald Trump liable for battery (sexual abuse) and defamation in a civil trial stemming from allegations he raped the writer, E. Jean Carroll, in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. She was awarded $5 million total in damages.

MOVIES - From Variety: "Beetlejuice 2" is set for release September 6, 2024. Original stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return. Jenna Ortega, the star of Netflix's "Wednesday," will play the daughter of Ryder's character, "Lydia Deetz."

SCANDAL - From THR: Marvel Studios star, Jonathan Majors ("Kang the Conqueror") appears in court virtually to answer the assault charges against his girlfriend from March 25th.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Variety: Warners Bros. has released a trailer for "Met 2: The Trench," a sequel to the 2018 hit, "The Meg." Both films star Jason Statham.

AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon Studios has formed Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, which will license Amazon original and the MGM library to the international market.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: Th e winner of the 5/5 to 2/7/2023 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" with an estimated total of 114 million dollars.

From Here: A Negromancer movie review of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" by Leroy Douresseaux.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: CBS has uncancelled "S.W.A.T." The police drama will return for a seventh and final season.

From Deadline: A surge in ratings could not save "S.W.A.T." from being cancelled by CBS. The last episode of this current season (the 6th) will serve as the series finale.

OBIT:

From Variety: The Spanish-born American graphic artist, Frank Kozik, has died at the age of 61, Saturday, May 6, 2023. He designed the album cover art for Queens of the Stone Age's 1998 debut album, "Queens of the Stone Age" and for The Offspring's 1998 LP, "Americana." He also designed concert posters for such musical acts as Butthole Surfers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Soundgarden, to name a few.

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WRITERS STRIKE:

From Deadline: President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline: Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline: Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline: The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline: What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline: The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.