Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 1st to 7th, 2026 - UPDATE #6

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:

HULU - From WorldofReel:  Ryan Coogler's reboot of "The X-Files" will begin shooting its pilot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May to June. The series is slated for Hulu.  The early seasons of the original, the former Fox sci-fi drama "The X-Files," was also shot in Vancouver.  Danielle Deadwyler is expected to co-lead the new series.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Director Andy Serkis' "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" starts production in May.  The film, which reunites much of the original cast of the LOTR films could be the first in a series...

NETFLIX - From WorldofReel:  Oscar-winner Denzel Washington will star in a biopic about the legendary general and statesman of the empire of Carthage, Hannibal.  Frequent Washington collaborator, Antoine Fuqua, will direct for Netflix.  Production is slated to begin in June 2026.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  Actor Bruce Campbell, best known for his role in director Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" films has announced that he has cancer that is "treatable," but not "curable."

AWARDS - From Variety:  The winners at the 2026 / 32nd Actor Awards have been announced.  "Sinners" won the night's top prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."  The film's lead actor, Michael B. Jordan, also won "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Lead Role."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/27 to 3/1/2026 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Scream 7" with an estimated gross of 64.1 million dollars.

IMAGE AWARDS - From Forbes:  Director Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" dominates at the 2026 / 57th Image Awards.  The film wins 13 awards, including "Outstanding Motion Picture" and "Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture" (Ryan Coogler).  Michael B. Jordan, who won "Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture" for "Sinners" also won "Entertainer of the Year."

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OSCARS:

From THR:  The nominations for the 2026 / 98th Academy Awards have been announced.  Director Ryan Coogler's Sinners leads with history-making 16 nominations, including for "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Coogler), and Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan).  The winners will be announced March 15, 2026.

From Truthout:  Directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, the 2025 documentary film, "The Alabama Solution," is one of five nominees in the category of "Best Documentary Feature."  The film chronicles the horrific conditions inside the state of Alabama's prisons.  The incarcerated men who produced footage for "The Alabama Solution" were abruptly transferred to solitary this month (January).

From TheGuardian:  Director Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" earned 16 Oscar nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, the most in the 98-year history of the awards.  The previous record is 14, held by "All About Eve" (1950), "Titanic" (1997), and "La La Land" (2016).

From Variety:  With her fifth Oscar nomination, for "Best Costume Designer" for "Sinners," Ruth E. Carter is now the most Oscar-nominated Black woman in the history of the Academy Awards.

From Truthout:  One of the five nominees for this year's "Best International Feature" Academy Award is "The Voice of Hind Rajab."  Representing the nation of Tunisia, the film is a mix of drama and documentary, and it tells the story of Hind Rajab, a five-year old girl who was killed January 29, 2024 by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip.

From YahooEntertainment:  At the age of 73, actor Delroy Lindo finally gets his first Oscar nomination - in the category of "Best Supporting Actor" for "Sinners."  The actor also talks about being "profoundly disappointed" by previous Academy snubs.

From EW:  Oscar-nominee Kirsten Dunst is not pleased that her husband, previous Oscar-nominee, Jesse Plemons, was not Oscar-nominated for his work in the recent acclaimed film, "Bugonia."

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Review: "VENOM: THE LAST DANCE" Has a Death Wish

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 of 2025 (No. 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

Running time:  110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language

DIRECTOR:  Kelly Marcel

WRITERS:  Kelly Marcel; from a story by Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy (based on the Marvel Comics)

PRODUCERS:  Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Matt Tolmach, Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel, and Hutch Parker

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Fabian Wagner (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Mark Sanger

COMPOSER:  Dan Deacon

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, Alanna Ubach, Hala Finley, Dash McCloud, Cristo Fernandez, Jared Abrahamson, Jack Brady, Reid Scott, and Andy Serkis

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Venom: The Last Dance is the least of the three films in this series in terms of quality.

The entire point of the movie seems to be to end the series as soon as possible, so it is strictly for fans of this series

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Venom: The Last Dance is a 2024 superhero fantasy-action film directed by Kelly Marcel.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics super-villain/anti-hero characters, Eddie Brock/Venom.  Several comic book writers, artists, and editors contributed in the development of this duo, and artist Todd McFarlane and writer David Michelinie are the creators of Venom.  This is also the third entry in the Venom film series.  In Venom: The Last Dance, Eddie Brock and Venom are on the run from both an alien monster and a mysterious military officer, and they may be forced to break up their symbiotic partnership.

Venom: The Last Dance opens on Klyntar, the home world of the symbiotes.  Knull (Andy Serkis), the creator of the symbiotes, seeks a way to escape the prison made for him by his rebellious creations.  To that end, he has discovered a key – some thing called a “Codex” – that will free him.  What and where is the codex?

Well, it is on Earth, and the Codex exists because of the relationship between the symbiote, Venom, and his human host, the former investigative reporter, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy).  They have just returned to Earth after their short stay in the multiverse (as seen in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home) and has landed in the Mexico of their own Earth.  While there, Eddie and Venom learn that Eddie is being blamed for the death of Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham).

Mulligan is not dead.  He was infected by a symbiote (as seen in 2021's Venom: Let There Be Carnage).  He has been imprisoned in an underground facility at “Area 55” (which is beneath “Area 51”), and is being held in captivity by the “Imperium Program.”  There, Mulligan and his symbiote are under the watchful gazes of Imperium scientist, Dr. Teddy Paine (Juno Temple), and the Imperium's military commander, General Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Eddie and Venom are headed for New York City in a bid to clear Eddie's name, unaware that General Strickland is hunting them.  The duo, however, is soon made aware of an even more dangerous hunter.  Knull has sent a creature known as a “Xenophage” to capture the Codex within Eddie and Venom.  Now, a year into their symbiotic relationship, Eddie Brock and Venom may have to make a most devastating and heart-wrenching decision in order to save the Earth and at least one of their lives.

Venom: The Last Dance is the fifth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” line of films.  It follows Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Morbius (2022), and Madame Web (2024).  The Last Dance arrived in movie theaters a little more than a month before the series' sixth film, Kraven the Hunter (2024).  This film series stars characters and properties commonly associated with Marvel Comics' character, Spider-Man.  Sadly, media reports indicate that Kraven the Hunter will be the last entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

Anyway, just before the halfway mark in Venom: The Last Dance, the Venom symbiote enters a horse, and “venomizes” it, creating a “Venom horse.”  The sequence featuring Venom as a horse, which becomes a wild ride across the desert with Eddie on its back, is probably the liveliest moment in this movie.  Venom does not venomize any more animals the rest of the way, but strangely, the beginning of the film's end-credits is a montage of venomized animals, everything from insects and birds to mammals and amphibians.  A Venom movie featuring the Venom symbiote venomizing countless different insects and animals?! – now, that would be a Venom movie I'd love and a lot of people would watch.  Sadly, that is what we get in Venom: The Last Dance.

Yes, there are some genuine character moments – such as Eddie/Venom's relationship with the Moon family – but even that is overwhelmed by Venom: The Last Dance's need to end.  Yes, this isn't so much a movie as it is an execution or suicide pact.  Venom is a trilogy and Venom: The Last Dance must be the end of it:  that's what this movie feels like – a race to the end.

I found myself unable to really enjoy this movie.  I really didn't connect with the film's best action scenes, and there were a few really good ones.  Also, I feel like the Knull subplot was woefully underutilized.  There are some good moments here, and by the end of the film, I thought the good things had been downplayed in favor of this movie's fatalistic mood.  Ultimately, I think Venom: The Last Dance is only for fans of the series who will want to see it through to the end.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars out of 4 stars

[This film has one mid-credits scene and one scene that occurs at the end of the credits.]

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 12th to 18th, 2024 - UPDATE #15

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  Will Smith confirms that production is ongoing for "I Am Legend 2," and that he has had a "productive" meeting with Michael B. Jordan, his co-star.

MOVIES - From THR:  Universal has made a number of changes to and announcements concerning its 2025 horror movie slate.  That includes the following:  "Five Nights at Freddy’s 2" has received an official release date in theaters. Dec. 5, 2025. "M3GAN 2.0" moves from May 16, 2025 to June 27, 2025.  "The Black Phone 2" moves from June 27, 2025 to Oct. 17, 2025.

MOVIES - From Variety:  "Mortal Kombat 2" is set for an October 24, 2025 release date.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Junior broadcast network, "The CW," is looking to expand its reach into live sports. While that can't compete for the NFL or NBA rights, they are considering partnerships with entities like ESPN.

BUSINESS - From CBSNews:  McDonald's is considering a $5 meal deal.

From CBSNews:  Americans are choking on surging fast food prices.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Director George Miller said that there was "no excuse" for the feud between Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, the stars of his 2015 hit film, "Mad Max: Fury Road."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Steve Buscemi is the latest celebrity to be attacked on the streets of New York City.  An unknown man walked up and struck the 66-year-old actor while he was walking in a neighborhood on Manhattan's East side. Buscemi's publicist said the actor is doing ok.

CANNES - From Deadline:  Francis Ford Coppola's much-talked about film, "Megalopolis," has buyers that will distribute the film in key European markets.  Constantin Film has bought the film for distribution in Germany and all German-speaking territories, including Switzerland and Austria.  Eagle Pictures bought it for Ital.  Tripictures has the film for Spain.  Entertainment Film Distributors Limited purchased the film for the U.K.  As announced last week, Le Pacte will distribute the film in France.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/10 to 5/12/2024 Mother's Day weekend box office is 20th Century's "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" with an estimated take of 56.5 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Warner Bros. is set to release a new "Lord of the Rings" movie.  Entitled "The Hunt for Gollum", the film will focus on the tragic character, "Gollum," to be played again, by Andy Serkis.  "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit" trilogy director, Peter Jackson, and his partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, will produce the film and will be involved every step of the way.  Andy Serkis will direct the feature which is scheduled for 2026.

From Deadline:  Peter Jackson, Andy Serkins, and Philippa Boyens talk about their return to "Middle-Earth" for more "Lord of the Rings" films.  They also talk about how the Cannes 2001 saved the original films.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American film and television actor, Dabney Coleman, has died at the age of 92, Thursday, May 16, 2024.  Best known as a character actor, Coleman's best known work was in such films as "9 to 5" (1980), "On Golden Pond" (1981), "Tootsie" (1982), and "WarGames" (1983), to name a few.  He was also the lead in several short-lived TV series:  "Buffalo Bill" (NBC, 1983-84), "The Slap Maxwell Stoy" (ABC, 1987-88), "Drexell's Class" (Fox, 1991-92), and "Madman of the People" (NBC, 1994-95).  Coleman was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards and won once, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special," for his performance in the ABC made-for-TV movie, "Sworn to Silence" (1987).

From Deadline:  American alto saxophone player, jazz musician, and composer, David Sanborn, has died at the age of 78, Sunday, May 12, 2024.  According to "Discogs," Sanborn had over 800 recorded music credits, including 33 albums releases.  Sanborn also won six Grammy Awards.  He also composed the score for several films, including "Lethal Weapon 2," "Lethal Weapon 3," and "Lethal Weapon 4."

From Variety:  American film producer and director, Roger Corman, has died at the age of 98, Thursday, May 9, 2024.  According to his IMDb stats, Corman directed 55 films and produced 385 between 1954 and 2008.  With his brother, Gene Corman, Roger founded New World Pictures, a small film production and distribution company.  Corman mentored and gave starts to a number of directors who would go on to fame, including Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, John Sayles, and James Cameron, to name a few.  Future acting legend who got a start with Corman, including Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, and Dennis Hopper, to name a few.  In 2009, Corman received an honorary Academy Award.  Among Corman's most famous films are "The Big Doll House" (1971), "The Little Shop of Horrors" (1960), and "The Masque of the Red Death" (1964), to name a few.

From Deadline:  Hollywood remembers Roger Corman, including quotes from Gale Anne Hurd, William Shatner, Ron Howard, John Carpenter, and Joe Russo.

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GAZA:

5/7/2024 - From NewYorkTimes:  The actions of police officers and counterprotesters at campus demonstrations came under further scrutiny on Tuesday, with the University of California system saying it would investigate the law enforcement response to a violent attack on pro-Palestinian protesters at its Los Angeles campus, while the White House condemned the taunting of a Black student captured in a video at the University of Mississippi.

5/4/2024 - From TheGuardian:  On the police crackdown on campus Gaza ceasefire protests: "the police are sending a message" says Dartmouth labor historian.

5/3/24 - From NBCNews:  In an interview with Kristin Welker on NBC's "Meet the Press," Cindy McCain, the executive director of the World Food Programme, said she believes there is a "full-blown famine" in northern Gaza.

Review: "WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES" Gets Personal

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 of 2024 (No. 1966) by Leroy Douresseaux

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Running time:  140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, thematic elements, and some disturbing images

DIRECTOR:  Matt Reeves

WRITERS:  Matt Reeves and Mark Bomback (based upon characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver)

PRODUCERS:  Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Michael Seresin (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  William Hoy and Stan Salfas

COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino

Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/DRAMA/MILITARY

Starring:  Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Ty Olsson, Michael Adamthwaite, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Devyn Dalton, Max Lloyd-Jones, and Amiah Miller

War for the Planet of the Apes is a 2017 American science fiction film and military drama directed by Matt Reeves.  It is a direct sequel to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and is also the third installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot film series.

It is the ninth entry in the overall Planet of the Apes film series, which began as an adaptation of the 1963 French science fiction novel, La planète des singes, by Pierre Boulle.  In War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar goes on a quest for revenge as a mentally unstable military leader escalates the war between apes and humans.

Fifteen years earlier, the birth of “The Simian Flu” pandemic (as seen in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes) proved deadly to humans.  The flu reduced the worldwide human population, and only 1 in 500 humans (.20 percent) are genetically immune to it.  Human civilization has been destroyed after societal collapse.  Five years earlier, the apes of the Muir Woods National Monument colony, led by the chimpanzee, Caesar (Andy Serkis), clashed with the humans living in the ruins of San Francisco (as seen in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).  The humans contacted the last remaining U.S. Army unit.

As War for the Planet of the Apes opens, “The Colonel” (Woody Harrelson), a ruthless leader of a paramilitary faction, has been hunting Caesar, whom he calls “Kong,” and his ape colony in the two years following the battle in the ruins of San Francisco.  The colony is betrayed by turncoat apes that the humans call “donkeys,” and tragedy strikes close to Caesar.  He sets his colony on a journey to reach a recently discovered oasis, while he begins his mythic quest for revenge.

Caesar's lieutenants:  Luca (Michael Adamthwaite), Maurice (Karin Konoval), and Rocket (Terry Notary) insist on accompanying him.  Along the way, they meet a mute human girl (Amiah Miller) and a lonely chimpanzee who can speak and calls himself “Bad Ape” (Steve Zahn).  Will Caesar's quest, however, endanger all his people instead of saving them?  And is he dangerously ignorant of the true nature of the conflicts within the remaining groups of humans?

I have been a fan of the Planet of the Apes film ever since I saw the original film, Planet of the Apes (1968), back in the day when CBS broadcast it on a regular basis.  Its sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), thrilled and chilled me.  I also enjoyed Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes, a remake and re-imagining of the original film

In preparation for the new film in the franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), I decided to review the two films in the reboot franchise that I had not seen, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.  I have previously seen and reviewed Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011).

I found Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to be a really entertaining film, with its director Matt Reeves spearheading a pulpy, post-apocalyptic drama that thrives on inter-tribal conflict.  However, I didn't find Dawn's drama to be quite as substantive as its predecessor, mainly because this film focuses so much on the apes that the film glosses over the human characters that have the most potential.

In War for the Planet of the Apes, it is much the same, but this film is the pinnacle of the first three films in ape acting via motion-capture and voice performances.  Here, Reeves wrings much more emotion from the characters, story, and settings.  Andy Serkis hits the heights as Caesar, his best performance of the first three films.  There are also numerous other fine supporting ape performances.  Through these characters, Reeves presents a film in which the emotion is raw and real and drives the drama to be more powerful than even this film's best action scenes.

On the other hand, there is only one exceptional human character, that would be the mute orphan girl, and Amiah Miller gives an exceptional physical performance as the child.  Using facial expressions and hand movements, she gives the girl such personality that the audience will come to buy her as a legitimate member of Caesar's tribe rather than as a random human.  Woody Harrelson has played so many kooky characters, and The Colonel is not one of the better ones.  It is as if Harrelson has done the crazy dude thing so much that he didn't know where to take that kind of character for this film.

War for the Planet of the Apes improves on the plots, characters, elements and ideas introduced in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  It is a fine end to what we might call “the Caesar trilogy.”  Dear readers, you can't go forward in the Planet of the Apes franchise without seeing War for the Planet of the Apes.

8 of 10

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, May 9, 2024

NOTES:

2018 Academy Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, and Joel Whist)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination:  “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, and Joel Whist)

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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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).

Review: "DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES" Goes Ape Sh*t

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 21 of 2024 (No. 1965) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Running time:  130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language

DIRECTOR:  Matt Reeves

WRITERS:  Mark Bomback and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (based upon characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver)

PRODUCERS:  Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Michael Seresin (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  William Hoy and Stan Salfas

COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino

Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring:  Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Toby Kebbell, Nick Thurston, Karin Konoval, and Judy Greer

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a 2014 American science fiction-thriller, action, and drama film directed by Matt Reeves.  It is a direct sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and is also the second installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot film series.

It is the eighth entry in the overall Planet of the Apes film series, which began as an adaptation of the 1963 French science fiction novel, La planète des singes, by Pierre Boulle.  In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, apes and humans are thrown together for the first time in years, and a fragile peace is threatened by mistrust and betrayal.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opens ten years after the birth of “The Simian Flu” pandemic (as seen in Rise of the Planet of the Apes).  Deadly to humans, the flu has reduced the worldwide human population, and only 1 in 500 humans (.20 percent) are genetically immune to it.  Human civilization has been destroyed after societal collapse.

There was a large group of apes that were all bestowed with genetically enhanced intelligence by the virus.  They established a colony in the Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco.  Their leader is the chimpanzee, Caesar (Andy Serkis), who protects the colony with his lieutenants.  Among them is the sinister and treacherous bonobo, Koba (Toby Kebbell).

One day, for the first time in years, apes and humans meet.  A group of humans, led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke), unknowingly enters the apes' territory in search of a hydroelectric dam that could restore power to a rag tag human community living in the ruins of San Francisco.  As level-headed as Malcolm is, there are hotheads among the humans, like their leader Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), an ex-police officer.  Among the apes, Koba is the hothead, but a fragile peace develops between the two tribes.  However, mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both humans and apes in a terrible war for control of the San Francisco area and ultimately, for dominance over the Earth.

I have been a fan of the Planet of the Apes film ever since I saw the original film, Planet of the Apes (1968), back in the day when CBS broadcast it on a regular basis.  Its sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), thrilled and chilled me.  I also enjoyed Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes, a remake and re-imagining of the original film.

I was skeptical of Rise of the Planet of the Apes when it was first release, but I thoroughly enjoyed it when I first saw it.  I could not believe how exceptionally well made it was.  As we all prepare for the impending release of the franchise's latest film, 2024's Kingdom of the Planets of the Apes, I am going back to watch and review, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017).

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a really entertaining film.  Director Matt Reeves has spearheaded a pulpy, post-apocalyptic drama that thrives on inter-tribal conflict.  However, I don't think Dawn's drama is quite as substantive as its predecessor, mainly because this film focuses so much on the apes that, except for Malcolm, the film glosses over the human characters that have the most potential.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a true Planet of the Apes film.  The apes are more important, and the humans exist mainly to cause conflict among the apes.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes's drama was more grounded in reality, and its subplots mattered beyond being fuel to light the flames of conflict.  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is very well made and is fun to watch.  Still, I feel like I'm waiting for a bigger and more important film.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, May 5, 2024

NOTES:

2015 Academy Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, and Erik Winquist)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination:  “Best Special Visual Effects” (Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, and Daniel Barrett)

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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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).

Review: "THE BATMAN" Has Great Action Scenes and Dull Psychological Drama

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 12 of 2022 (No. 1824) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Batman (2022)
Running time:  175 minutes (2 hours, 55 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material
DIRECTOR:  Matt Reeves
WRITERS:  Matt Reeves and Peter Craig (based on Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
PRODUCERS:  Dylan Clark and Matt Reeves
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Greig Fraser (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  William Hoy and Tyler Nelson
COMPOSER:  Michael Giacchino

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION and DRAMA/MYSTERY

Starring:  Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Alex Ferns, Rupert Penry-Jones, Hana Hrzic, Charlie Carver, Max Carver, Luke Roberts, Stella Stocker, and Barry Keoghan

The Batman is a 2022 superhero action-drama from director Matt Reeves.  It is the eighth film in the modern Batman film franchise that began with director Tim Burton's 1989 film, Batman, and it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise.  In The Batman, a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures, forcing Batman to investigate his city's hidden corruption, which may involve both his father and mother's side of the family.

The Batman opens on Halloween.  The Gotham City mayoral race is in the final stretch between incumbent Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones) and challenger, Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson).  A sadistic new serial killer, who calls himself “The Riddler” (Paul Dano), murders Mayor Mitchell.  Thus, begins The Riddler's wave of murder and terror.

The Batman (Robert Pattinson), a vigilante who has operated in Gotham for two years, works alongside Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) of the Gotham City Police Department, much to the chagrin of many rank and file officers and higher-ups in the department.  They discover that with each of his murders, The Riddler leaves a message for Batman.

Batman is really reclusive billionaire, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), who obsessively protects Gotham.  So focused on his mission is Bruce that he pushes away his loyal butler and mentor, Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis).  However, Batman ends up partnering with Selina Kyle ( Zoë Kravitz), a waitress who is something of a cat burglar – a “Catwoman” – who is trying to find her missing roommate and girlfriend Annika (Hana Hrzic).

The Batman will be forced to reckon with Gotham City's hidden corruption and also face tough questions about his late parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne's (Luke Roberts and Stella Stocker) involvement in that corruption  Especially, troubling is Thomas Wayne's connection to a notorious Gotham crime lord, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).

The Batman is a film that borrows liberally from the recent film and comic book past of Batman.  I recognize story elements borrowed from Batman comic book stories like “Batman: Year One” and “Zero Year.”  There are allusions to Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film; even composer Michael Giacchino's score seems to reference composer Danny Elfman's score for Burton's film.

However, director Matt Reeves, in making The Batman, seems obsessed with or bewitched by director Christopher Nolan's hugely popular Batman films:  Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), referred to as “The Dark Knight trilogy.”  Nolan's film were “dark” and edgy in terms of subject matter, plots, and characters, but Nolan filled the films with invigorating and tense action set pieces.

The Batman is just dark.  It is as if Reeves took Nolan's aesthetic and through a coal black filter over it.  The Gotham City of this film seems like a real-life city, and it is dark as all Hell at night and damp – really damp.  Reeves and his co-screenwriter, Peter Craig, fashion a story that is overwhelmed with political corruption and depraved criminals that are dark in personality and even darker in motivation.  Bruce Wayne is morose, as if both actor Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves are determined to make him a caricature of the caricature that has become iconic rock musician, the late Kurt Cobain.  It is an utter waste of Pattinson's potential as both an actor and a movie star.

On the other hand, Pattinson's Batman has more layers.  Pattinson makes him formidable and dangerous, but also introspective and capable of mercy.  This Batman is also a fierce fighter, but is physically vulnerable; Bruce's body is marked with the scars of his Batman activities.  Batman is often knocked down by his opponents in hand to hand combat and seriously injured by gunfire.

Too bad that The Batman does not have better villains.  They aren't really worth talking about, but I do want to point out the really terrible version of The Riddler that is in this film.  He is a whiny, boring incel, and as The Riddler, actor Paul Dano is more doofus than diabolical.

The Batman does have good supporting characters, but the script does not give them much with which to work.  Zoë Kravitz is full of fire and talent as Selina Kyle, and when she is allowed to show her acting chops, she steals entire scenes.  Most of the time, however, it feels like all the filmmakers really want her to do is pose and look bad-ass slash alluring.  James Gordon is a mostly one-note character, and even the supremely talented Jeffrey Wright cannot make the character be more than that.  I won't get into how much the brilliant Andy Serkis is wasted as Alfred Pennyworth.

The Batman is truly at its best during the fights, chases, and action scenes.  The film also gives us a monster-like Batmobile that is more muscle car than mobile, and when Batman uses it to pursue the Penguin (Colin Farrell) in his car, the film seems to explode off the screen.

What keeps The Batman from being a really good film, to say nothing of being a great film, is that it is too long.  It is half kick-ass action and half plodding melodrama, and I wish the plodding melodrama had been cut in half.  Honestly, I would only recommend The Batman to people who enjoy watching Batman movies, regardless of whether they are comic book fans or not.

6 of 10
B

Friday, March 4, 2022


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

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Review: Entertaining "VENOM: Let There Be Carnage" Offers Some Crazy Love

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 59 of 2021 (No. 1797) by Leroy Douresseaux

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Running time:  97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material and suggestive references
DIRECTOR:  Andy Serkis
WRITERS:  Kelly Marcel; from a story by Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Matt Tolmach, Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel, and Hutch Parker
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Robert Richardson (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Maryann Brandon and Stan Salfas
COMPOSER:  Marco Beltrami

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Little Simz, Jack Bandeira, Olumide Olorunfemi, and Woody Harrelson

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a 2021 superhero fantasy-action film directed by Andy Serkis.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics super-villain/anti-hero characters, Eddie Brock/Venom, to which several comic book writers, artists, and editors contributed in the creation, most especially artist Todd McFarlane and writer David Michelinie.  This film is a direct sequel to the 2018 film, Venom, and it is also the second film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” series.  In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Eddie Brock and Venom face a new symbiote, a violent monster more powerful than Venom.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens in “St. Estes Home for Unwanted Children,” circa 1996.  There, young Cletus Kasady (Jack Bandeira) watches helplessly as his love, young Frances Barrison (Olumide Olorunfemi), is taken away.  She will be placed at the “Ravencroft Institute,” where she will be experimented upon because of her special power, her ability to emit a sonic scream.

In the present day, police Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) contacts Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who is attempting to revive his journalism career.  Mulligan asks Brock to speak to Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), now a serial killer who sits on death row and awaits execution.  Kasady refuses to talk to anyone other than Brock.  Kasady invites Brock to attend his execution, but Brock uses the visit to benefit himself.  Kasady sees Brock's actions as betrayal.

Meanwhile, Brock and the symbiote, Venom, have hit a wall in their relationship.  Each believes that the other does not really appreciate what he brings to the relationship.  Plus, Brock's ex-fiancée, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), tells him that she is now engaged to Dr. Dan Lewis (Reid Scott).  This news and his cantankerous relationship with Venom lead Brock into being careless when he visits Kasady a second time, which leads to the creation of a monstrous new symbiote named “Carnage.”  Meanwhile, the adult Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris) is still imprisoned and, in her new identity as “Shriek, she still pines for her man, Cletus.

From what information I have gathered, the general consensus seems to be that the sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, is better than the first film, Venom.  As entertaining as I found the sequel, I think the original is the better film.  Yes, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has a lot going for it.  Its main cast:  Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, and Woody Harrelson have all received Academy Award nominations for their acting – Williams and Harrelson more than once.

Yes, the sequel's special effects are excellent.  It is quite an achievement to create multiple scenes featuring not one but two shape-shifting, morphing CGI characters.  Venom and Carnage transmute at the same speed and frequency with which the late actor and comic legend, Robin Williams, blabbed and babbled – every chance he got.

Yes, I will give Venom: Let There Be Carnage credit for attempting to be something more than just a superhero film.  [Venom considers himself a hero.]  The film offers themes related to romance, fractured relationships, troubled friendships, jealousy, unrequited love, and love triangles.  In fact, I have to credit Tom Hardy for sharing so much of what is essentially his film with another actor.  Much of this film is about the story of Woody Harrelson's character, Cletus Kasady.

However, the first film seemed more sure of its plots and story points.  As eye-popping as Carnage is in this sequel, I think the original film's human/symbiote villains, Carlton Drake (played by Riz Ahmed) and Riot, were … deliciously evil.  Carnage is needlessly homicidal, and the character takes away from the subtle notes that Woody Harrelson tries to play as Cletus Kasady.

So, in the end, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is entertaining and often funny.  The supporting characters get to play, even fifth wheel Dr. Dan, and I'm always happy to see Naomi Harris, who makes the most of her time as Shriek.  But Venom: Let There Be Carnage feels like a placeholder.  It is as if Sony Pictures offered this sequel in order to satisfy demand while it takes time to develop a really good follow-up to the original Venom, instead of this merely good one.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, October 5, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Director Matt Reeves Has Begun Filming "The Batman"

Filming Is Underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Batman,” Directed by Matt Reeves and Starring Robert Pattinson

Pattinson plays the dual role of Batman and Bruce Wayne amidst a star-studded ensemble

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Batman.” Director Matt Reeves (the “Planet of the Apes” films) is at the helm, with Robert Pattinson (upcoming “Tenet,” “The Lighthouse,” “Good Time”) starring as Gotham City’s vigilante detective, Batman, and billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Starring alongside Pattinson as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (the “Hunger Games” films) as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro (the “Transformers” films) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Black Mass”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Dumbo”) as Oswald Cobblepot.

Reeves and Dylan Clark (the “Planet of the Apes” films) are producing the film, with Simon Emanuel, Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada and Chantal Nong Vo serving as executive producers. Reeves’ behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (“Lion,” upcoming “Dune”); his “Planet of the Apes” production designer, James Chinlund; editors William Hoy (the “Planet of the Apes” films) and Tyler Nelson (“Rememory”); Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Dan Lemmon (“The Jungle Book”); Oscar-nominated SFX supervisor Dominic Tuohy (“1917,” “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”); Oscar-nominated sound mixer Stuart Wilson (“1917,” the “Star Wars” franchise); Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“1917,” “Little Women,” “Anna Karenina”) and costume designers Glyn Dillon (the “Star Wars” franchise) and David Crossman (“1917,” the “Star Wars” franchise); hair designer Zoe Tahir (upcoming “No Time to Die,” “Spectre”); and Oscar-nominated makeup designer Naomi Donne (“1917”).

Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Based on characters from DC, “The Batman” is set to open in theaters June 25, 2021 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 10th, 2019 - Update #24

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES - From DigitalSpy:  This article is a list of films that 20th Century Fox had planned to make, but Disney has cancelled since buying Fox.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Robert Kirkman, the co-creator of "The Walking Dead" comic book, is suing AMC over profits concerning "The Walking Dead" television series.  That trial may begin sooner than expected.

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DISNEY - From SlashFilm:  Disney's live-action remake of its animated classic, "Lady and the Tramp," will feature real dogs.  Here is a first look at those dogs.

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COMICS-FILM - From SlashFilm:  Multiple Oscar-nominee, Michelle Williams, is returning for the Venom sequel, "Venom 2," to play "Anne Weying."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Wesley Snipes joins Eddie Murphy and Craig Brewer's "Coming to America" sequel.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Disney CEO Bob Iger says that the Disney+ streaming service will include reboots of 20th Century Fox movie properties like "Home Alone," "Night at the Museum," and "Cheaper by the Dozen."

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COMICS-TV - From Deadline:  ABC is looking for its next series based on a Marvel Comics property as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to an end. They are looking for a mostly brand new female superhero.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Andy Serkis has closed a deal with Sony Pictures to direct "Venom 2."  Sexy Tom Hardy will return as the film's star.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  On the heels of "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons", ABC has ordered two more "live" specials from producers Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel.  No word on which classic Norman Lear TV series will get the live treatment.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/2 to 8/4/2019 weekend box office is "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" with an estimated 60.8 million dollars.

From Patreon:  My review of "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Actress Afton Williamson recently quit ABC's TV series, "The Rookie" (starring Nathan Fillion).  She announces that the reasons were sexual misconduct and racist behavior towards her.  Deadline has a dedicated page to follow this controversy which is heating up.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have signed a first-look production deal with Universal Pictures.

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MOVIES - From THR:  In a rare public appearance, Lilly Wachowski (formerly Andy Wachowski), talks about the visibility of trans-people.  Lilly and her sister, Lana, (formerly Larry), are best known for directing "The Matrix" trilogy.

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MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  "Fragile masculinity: why no one in the Fast and Furious films can lose a fight" by Stuart Heritage.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Former costars Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren are reuniting for an hour-long action drama series, and it is a hot property with broadcast and streaming companies.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  The eighth and final season of Showtime's Emmy-winning series, "Homeland," will begin February 2020.

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  Gal Gadot will star in Showtime's biopic of famed Golden Age of Hollywood actress, Hedy Lamarr (who was also an inventor).

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MOVIES-TELEVISION - From Variety:  CBS and Viacom's reunion moves closer as both companies agree to an executive structure.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Cate Blanchett looks to join Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley," opposite Bradley Cooper.

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MOVIES - From Jezebel:  An analysis by Rich Juzwiak: "Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood Doubles Down on Shittiness Toward Women."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Robert De Niro is in talks to join director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the film adaptation of the book, "Killers of the Flower Moon."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The American author, Toni Morrison, has died at the age of 88, Monday, August 5, 2019.  Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, the first Black woman to win the award.  Ms. Morrison was known for such novels as Sula, The Song of Solomon, and Beloved.

From ReviewJournal:  Sports reporter Don Banks has died at the age of 56, Sunday, August 4, 2019.  Banks was known for his work covering the National Football League (NFL).  He wrote for "Sports Illustrated" for 17 years and had recently joined "The Las Vegas Review-Journal. "

From IndieWire:  Documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker died at the age of 94, Thursday, August 1, 2019.  He was known for his focus on arts ("Don't Look Back" and "Monterey Pop") and politics ("The War Room") and was a pioneer of "Direct Cinema."  He was only nominated for one Oscar (for "The War Room"), but he won an "Honorary Oscar" for Lifetime Achievement.

From NFL:  Former National Football League (NFL) player, Nick Buoniconti, died at the age of 78, Tuesday, July 30, 2019.  Buoniconti played middle linebacker for the Boston Patriots and the Miami Dolphins.  He was on two Super Bowl winning Dolphins teams, including the 1972 "Perfect Season" Dolphins.  He was named to the "Pro Football Hall of Fame" in 2001.  Known for his charitable work, he co-founded Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and he raised hundreds of millions of dollars for research into brain and spinal cord injuries.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 21st to 31st, 2019 - Update #31

Support Leroy on Patreon:

STAR TREK - From BleedingCool:  Nickelodeon's untitled "Star Trek" CGI-animated series announces its writers' room.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Samantha Morton says that she does not regret working with director Woody Allen.  She received her first Oscar nomination for her role in Allen's 1999 film, "Sweet and Lowdown."

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MOVIES - From Variety:   The screenwriting duo of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are in negotiations to direct the “Dungeons & Dragons” movie for Paramount Pictures.

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DISNEY - From YahooNews:  The late actor and Disney Channel child star, Cameron Boyce, died July 6th, 2019.  Today (July 30th), the Los Angeles County coroner's office says Disney actor Cameron Boyce died unexpectedly from epilepsy.

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TELEVISION - From Newsarama:  There is a first teaser for the third "Walking Dead" series that is currently known as "The Walking Dead: New Series."

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DISNEY - From THR:  Thus far, The Walt Disney Company has collected $7.67 billion in global box office in the year 2019.  That is a record, and we aren't even in August 2019.  Disney has collected over $5 billion at the 2019 international box office - a first for a Hollywood studio.  Disney held the previous record, $7.61 billion in global box office in 2016.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 7/26 to 7/28/2019 weekend box office is "The Lion King" with an estimated 75.5 million dollars.

From Patreon:  Leroy a.k.a. "I Read You's" review of "The Lion King."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  The real and the fake in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Sony is in talks with actor-director Andy Serkis to direct "Venom 2," the sequel to its hit 2018 film, "Venom."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Two celebrity couples, actress Gabrielle Union and her husband, NBA superstar and champion, Dwyane Wade and recording artist Ciara and her husband, NFL and Super Bowl champion quarterback, Russell Wilson, are joining to produce a film about the inspiration true story of former NFL player, Vernon Turner.

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COMICS-TELEVISION - From Deadline:  AMC to develop Rob Guillory's acclaimed comic book, "Farmhand" (Image Comics) for television.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  HBO reportedly still considering one or two more "Game of Thrones" spinoff scripts.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Showrunner Carlton Cuse and movie writer Jason Fuchs are developing classic science fiction humor novel, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," for the streaming service Hulu.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller says he has multiple "Mad Max: Fury Road" sequels in the works.  He is also "cautiously optimistic" that his Tilda Swinton/Idris Elba romance epic, "Three Thousand Years of Longing," will happen.

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FILM FESTIVAL - From Deadline:  The Toronto International Film Festival 2019 will showcase star power with Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy, and Matt Damon films making their premieres.  Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker" film is also set to premiere.

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STREAMING - From Variety:  Markella Kavenagh is in talks to be the first actor cast for Amazon's still-developing "Lord of the Rings" TV series.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Quentin Tarantino says that he is still in talks with Uma Thurman for a "Kill Bill, Vol. 3."  The original films debuted in 2003 and 2004.

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MOVIES-CULTURE - From Medium:  Former police officer, Larry Smith, writes for "Medium" that Clint Eastwood's "Dirty" Harry Callahan was a bad cop and bad at his job - like many movie cops.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the 7/19 to 7/21/2019 weekend box office is "The Lion King" with an estimated take of 185 million dollars - a record opening for the month of July.

From Deadline:  The final gross for the opening weekend of "The Lion King" is 191.8 million dollars.

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SDCC-TELEVISION - From Deadline:  At Comic-Con, The CW's long-running series talks about the upcoming final season, teasing details.

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SDCC-STREAMING - From Deadline:  At Comic-Con 2019, Seth MacFarlane announced that his TV series, "The Orville" is moving from Fox to Hulu for its Season 3 debut, which occur late in 2020.

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SDCC-MOVIES - From THR:  At Comic-Con 2019, Guillermo del Toro talks about trying to keep some of the old way of creating movie visual special effects alive in the film, "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark."  The film arrives in theaters in August 2019.

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SDCC-COMICS - From Polygon:  The winners at the 2019 Will Eisner Awards were announced Friday night (July 19th).  The Eisner Awards are the self-proclaimed most important comic book awards in the U.S.

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STREAMING - From YahooEntertainment:  The story of "Stranger Things," the #NeverEndingChallenge, "A NeverEnding Story," and singer Limahl.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Legendary Broadway director and producer, Harold "Hal" Prince, has died at the age of 91, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.  Prince won 21 Tony Awards (the most for an individual), including eight for directing a musical and 8 for producing a musical.  His Tony Award directing wins including "Cabaret," "Sweeney Todd," and and "Evita."  His producing wins include "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

From TheWrap:  Voice actress and Disney Legend, Russi Taylor, has died at the age of 75, Friday, July 26, 2019.  She was the voice of Minnie Mouse for 30 years, beginning in 1986 when she beat out 200 others hoping to land the role.  Taylor also voice several characters on the long-running series, "The Simpsons."  She received the "Disney Legend Award" in 2008.  Alos, Russi's late husband, Wayne Allwine, was the third voice of Mickey Mouse from 1991 until his death in 2009.

From Variety:  The Dutch actor Rutger Hauer died at the age of 75, Friday, July 19, 2019.  Hauer was best known for the role of Roy Batty, the leader of an outlaw band of replicants in "Blade Runner," starring opposite Harrison Ford.  Other memorable films include two 1985 films, "Ladyhawke" and "The Hitcher" and 1986's "The Hitcher."

From BoingBoing:  Writer, journalist, activist, and counterculture figure, Paul Krassner, has died at the age of 87, Sunday, July 21, 2019.  He was one of the founding members of the Yippies.  In the early 1960s, he founded an abortion referral service when abortions were illegal.  He started the satire zine, "The Realist," for which he commissioned cartoonist Wally Wood to draw the "Disneyland Memorial Orgy."

From RollingStone:  American singer and songwriter and New Orleans music legend, Art Neville, has died at the age of 81, Monday, July 23, 2019.  Neville co-founded the funk band, The Meters.  With his brothers, he co-founded "The Neville Brothers."  He won two Grammy Awards, one with his brothers and another as part of a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute collaboration.

From Deadline:  The actor David Hedison died Thursday, July 18, 2019 at the age of 92.  He was best known for his role on the popular 1960s adventure TV series, "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (ABC, 1964 to 1968).  He also played James Bond's ally,  CIA agent Felix Leiter, in two films, "Live and Let Die" (1973) and "License to Kill" (1989).


TRAILERS AND VIDEO:

From YahooEntertainment:  Here is the first teaser trailer for Netflix's Martin Scorsese film, "The Irishman," with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci.  The film is due this fall in select theaters and on Netflix.

From THR:  Presented at Comic-Con 2019, this is a new trailer for "Terminator: Dark Fate." The film is due November 1, 2019.

From THR:  Presented at Comic-Con 2019, this is a new trailer for "Top Gun: Maverick."  The film is due June 26, 2020.

From Newsarama:  Apple TV+ releases the first trailer for its series, "Snoopy in Space."

From Variety:  Disney releases a teaser trailer for the "The King's Man," the prequel to "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (2014) and "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" (2017).  It stars Ralph Fiennes and is due Feb. 14th, 2020.

From EW:  Here is the first trailer for the "Rabid," a remake of the 1977 David Cronenberg film.  The remake, directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska, will premiere at Frightfest in August.

From YouTube:  Here is the first official trailer for director Rian Johnson's whodunit, "Knives Out."

Review: "Black Panther" is the Best Marvel Movie... Best Superhero Movie... Best Comic Book Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2018) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Black Panther (2018)
Running time:  134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture
DIRECTOR:  Ryan Coogler
WRITERS:  Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole (based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige (p.g.a.)
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rachel Morrison (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Debbie Berman and  Michael P. Shawver
COMPOSER:  Ludwig Göransson

SUPERHERO/ACTION/SCI-FI

Starring:  Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, Florence Kasumba, John Kani, David S. Lee, Nabiyah Be, and Stan Lee

Black Panther is a 2018 superhero and science fiction movie directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Marvel Studios.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Black Panther, that first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated: July 1966) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.  Black Panther the movie follows a new king of a secretive and isolated African nation as he tries to guide his nation into the future while dealing with dark secrets from it past.

Black Panther opens after the events depicted in the film Captain America: Civil War (2016).  Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is returning to his home, the (fictional) African nation of Wakanda, after the death of his father, T'Chaka (John Kani), in order to assume the throne.  The throne comes with a role – the mantle of the “Black Panther,” protector of Wakanda.  Accompanying him are Okoye (Danai Gurira), the leader of the Dora Milaje, a fighting force and the King of Wakanda's personal guard; and also T'Challa's ex-lover, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who is a Wakandan spy. T'Challa arrives home to meet his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and his younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), as they prepare for the coronation ceremony.

First, T'Challa must face a challenge of ritual combat for the crown from M'Baku (Winston Duke), the leader of an estranged Wakandan tribe.  However, T'Challa will face even greater challenges, specifically in the form of Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), a South African black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster who wants to possess Wakanda's greatest asset, the rare alien metal, “Vibranium,” of which Wakanda is the only source on Earth.  Even more troubling is Klaue's compatriot, Erik Stevens (Michael B. Jordan).  A former United States “black operations” soldier also known as “Killmonger,” Erik has a shocking connection to T'Challa and Wakanda's past that may put both the African nation and the rest of the world in peril.

When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Black Panther for Marvel Comics over 50 years ago, they conceived a Black man as a king, a warrior, a protector, an inventor, and as a superhero.  As African-American comic book writers like Dwayne McDuffie, Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates over the last three decades started writing the character, they began to flesh out and to add to what Lee and Kirby and the comics creators that followed them in the 1970s did with the character.  Thus, co-writer/director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole had a wealth of source material from which to fashion their screen adaptation of one of the most historically important superhero characters of all time.

Coogler and Cole turn that wealth into the best film based on a Marvel Comics character and the best movie based on a comic book to date.  In fact, Black Panther is the best superhero movie to date.  It is a brooding drama that is intelligent and socially, politically, and historically relevant, especially in regards to the continent of Africa, to Black Africans, to the trade of African slaves to the Americas, and to the history of Africans and African-Americans over the last five centuries.  Basically, Black Panther is a superhero movie and a big-budget, big studio event movie that is steeped in all things Pan African.

Yet Black Panther is so shockingly entertaining.  The film deals in such themes as how the sins of a leader can reverberate through generations of his people (even his people who live outside his kingdom), yet Black Panther manages to be a visually striking and imaginative science fiction and superhero fantasy.  Even more surprisingly, Black Panther not only finds the heroism in its male protagonist (T'Challa-Black Panther), but also in his female compatriots:  the brave and bold Okoye and her fearsome charges in the Dora Milaje; Nakia the “War Dog” (spy), who is as sharp as James Bond; and Shuri, the genius inventor like no other genius inventor.  This movie does not even slight its antagonist; Killmonger has legitimate beef with Wakanda and its ways.  He is right; Africans and the people of the diaspora would have been better off if an African nation possessing super science had used their technological advances to make (White) oppressors bow down and surrender.

Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright give bravura performances.  It is not just their acting, however; it is also in the kind of characters they bring to life.  These five actors and the rest of the cast give us cinematic characters as people of color who are not victims to be saved or people that are problems for other people.

These actors and filmmakers present a narrative where heroism and technology define the characters.  American cinema has been filled with African-Americans and people of color as slaves, runaway slaves, scared slaves, servants, coons, criminals, pimps, mammies, and the shiftless and the unemployed.  And damn, often they actors playing such characters have to play them as dignified.  Finally, Black Panther presents a sparkling, wondrous, rich mix of African tribalism, history, and art and culture; a mix of limitless possibilities; an Afro-Futurism that is so bright, we have to wear shades.  That is uplifting, and you know what?  That's entertaining.

10 of 10

Friday, February 23, 2018


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

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

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

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

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

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 of 10
A

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

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

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


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

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