Review: "SCREAM 7" Will Make You Laugh... and Scream

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 of 2026 (No. 2052) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream 7 (2026)

Running time:  114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)

Rating:  MPA – R for strong bloody violence, gore, and language

DIRECTOR:  Kevin Williamson

WRITERS:  Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick; from a story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)

PRODUCERS:  Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ramsey Nickell (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Jim Page

COMPOSER:  Marco Beltrami

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Mckenna Grace, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, Jeremy Connor, Matthew Lillard, and Roger L. Jackson (voice)

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

“Scream 7” is pure entertainment,a truly scary movie that is also a genuinely funny in all its mayhem and gore.

Neve Campbell makes a welcome return as Sidney Prescott, and dominates the film in a way that recalls that old “Scream” feeling.

I highly recommend “Scream 7” to fans of the franchise and also to people who just want to enjoy a good movie.

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Scream 7 is a 2023 slasher horror film from director Kevin Williamson.  It is the seventh film in the Scream film series and is a sequel to Scream VI.  In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott is living in a new town, but she cannot escape her past as a new Ghostface killer has emerged to target her teenage daughter.

Scream 7 finds original Woodsboro victim, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), living in Pine Grove, Indiana with her husband, Police Chief Mark Evans (Joel McHale), and their two daughters.  Now known as Sidney Prescott-Evans, she has her own small business, tea and coffeehouse, “The Little Latte.”

Despite her new life, Sidney is still vigilante, always expecting “the Ghostface Killer” to invade her life again.  Then, it happens; Sidney gets a call from Ghostface, and he is requesting a video call.  And right before Sidney's eyes is a ghost from the past, and this time, he declares that he is targeting Sidney's older daughter, teenager Tatum (Isabel May).  Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and her new assistants, siblings Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), come to rescue.  Before they can stop this new Ghostface, however, Sidney and company must discover how many Ghostface killers there are and who they are.

Personally, I believe that the previous film, Scream VI (2023), is the best Scream film since the original trilogy of films, and is closest to the original Scream (1996) in terms of entertainment value.  So I am surprised by how much I really enjoyed the new film, Scream 7, and I'll say the same for it as I did for the sixth.  Director Kevin Williamson, the who created Scream over three decades ago with his original screenplay for the first film, finally got his shot at directing a Scream film.  Scream 7 is so good that it makes me think that Williamson should have directed a film in this series long ago.

I saw this film with a predominately Black audience, and we all enjoyed talking to the screen the entire time (Girl, don't put the gun down!) simply because Scream 7 is so freaking entertaining.  It is as if Williamson deliberately has his characters do nonsensical things while in the throws of panic and terror in order to give the audience a reason to yell at them.  I can't say for certain that Williamson did that, but, if he did, it is like an ultimate meta experience.

Neve Campbell makes a killer return as the ultimate survivor.  Isabel May is good as her daughter, Tatum, but she can't help but be in the fearsome shadow Sidney/Neve casts.  Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding provide excellent support and comic relief in a film that is, at times, as shockingly gory and gruesome as Final Destination (2000) and its progeny.

I don't want to spoil Scream 7 by talking about all the scenes that held me, thrilled me, kissed me, and killed me.  Instead I will tell you, dear readers, that like Scream VI, Scream 7 is easily one of the series' best entries.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, March 1, 2026

The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "SCREAM VI" Thrills at Will

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 of 2026 (No. 2051) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream VI (2023)

Running time:  122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)

Rating:  MPA – R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use

DIRECTORS:  Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

WRITER:  James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)

PRODUCERS:  Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brett Jutkiewicz (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Jay Prychidny

COMPOSERS:  Sven Faulconer and Brian Tyler

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Samara Weaving, Henry Czerny, Andre Anthony, Skeet Ulrich, Max Laferriere, and Roger L. Jackson (voice)

Scream VI is a 2023 slasher horror film from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.  It is the sixth film in the Scream film series and is a direct sequel to Scream (2022).  In Scream VI, the survivors of the most recent Woodsboro murders move to New York City for a fresh start only to find that a new Ghostface killer is stalking them.

Scream VI opens one year after the latest Woodsboro murders that were orchestrated by Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman (as seen in the 2022 film).  The survivors of the murders:  sisters – Samantha “Sam” Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) – and their friends, siblings Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), have moved to New York City for a fresh start.

Tara, Mindy, and Chad attend Blackmore University and have new roommates and friends:  Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), Anika Kayoko (Devyn Nekoda), and Ethan Landry (Jack Champion).  Sam attends therapy with Dr. Christopher Stone (Henry Czerny), who views her with a skeptical eye.  Sam has also become the target of public ire because of an online conspiracy theory that says that she – not Richie and Amber – is the real killer behind the last Woodsboro murders.  It doesn't help that many know that Sam is the biological daughter of one of the original Woodsboro killers, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich).

But “the Ghostface killer” (Max Laferriere and the voice of Roger L. Jackson) has returned, more brutal and vicious than ever.  And he intends to pick up where the last Ghostface killer left off.

One then I didn't mention in my synopsis is that that two other franchise characters play a big role in Scream VI.  They are Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), who has been with the franchise since the original Scream 1996), and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), a survivor of the Woodsboro murders depicted in Scream 4 (2011).

Personally, I find Scream VI to be the best Scream film since the original trilogy of films.  It feels like this film's writers (James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick) and directors (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) had a freer hand to be wild and crazy, relentless and merciless, and imaginative and inventive in a way I don't think they did in Scream (2022).  From the opening twist killings to the last act, Scream VI is edgy and adventurous.  Only the best and most daring film franchises dig into the dysfunction of franchise characters, and Scream VI does that.  The result is a slasher film that is as much a family drama and thriller as it is a scary movie, and it is excellent as all three.

I don't want to spoil Scream VI by talking about all the scenes that held me, thrilled me, kissed me, and killed me.  Instead I will tell you, dear readers, that I highly recommend Scream VI, which easily one of the series' best entries.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, February 26, 2026

The text is copyright © 2026 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 March 13th to 19th, 2022 - Update #20

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

UKRAINE - From TheAtlantic:  From "The Atlantic":  "I Have a Message for My Russian Friends" by Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The piece includes a story about Arnold's friendship with his childhood idol, Russian weightlifter, Yuri Petrovich Vlasov.

PIXAR - From Variety:  Disney reportedly removed a "same-sex" kiss from its upcoming film, "Lightyear," about the inspiration for "Buzz Lightyear" from "Toy Story."  In the wake of its "Don't Say Gay" controversy, Disney has restored the kiss.

AVATAR - From IGN:  Actress Zoe Saldana says that James Cameron has solved "the underwater motion capture problem" in Avatar 2, which is due in theaters Dec. 16th, 2022.

MOVIES - From IGN:  On a recent podcast, actress Courteney Cox confirms that she is returning for 2023's "Scream 6."

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix has released new art related to its live-action "Resident Evil" TV series.  The series will debut July 14th.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon and MGM announced that their $8.5 billion merger deal has closed, Thursday morning, March 17, 2022.  There is no news on what the new management structure will be.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Mike Myers' new Netflix comedy series, "The Pentaverate," has a first-look trailer, first-look photos, and a premiere date, May 5th.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Actor Paul Wesley has been cast in the role of "James T. Kirk" (first played by William Shatner) for the second season of the Paramount+ series, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."  The first season premieres in May.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Top Gun: Maverick" will reportedly screen at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 17th to May 28th.

From Deadline:  Director Baz Luhrmann's splash Elvis Presley biopic, "Elvis," will also make its debut at Cannes.  The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek are returning for DreamWorks Animation's "The Last Wish," a sequel to its 2011 hit, "Puss in Boots."

MEDIA - From YahooIndependentUK:   Donald Trump lashes out at Time Warner Cable for dumping his favorite network, the news network, OAN (One America News).

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 3/11 to 3/13/2022 weekend box office is "The Batman" with an estimated take of 66 million dollars.

From Here:  Negromancer's review of "The Batman."

BAFTA - From Deadline:  The 2022 / 75th EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony was held in Lond, Sun., March 13th.  "The Power of the Dog" was named "Best Film" and Jane Campion won "Best Director" for the film.  Will Smith was named "Best Actor."  "Dune" won five awards, dominated the "craft categories."

AWARDS - From Variety:  The Directors Guild of America's 2022 74th annual DGA Awards were held on Sat., March 12th.  Jane Campion won the top prize "Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Film" for directing "The Power of the Dog."  She is the third woman to win the award and the second to have been nominated twice.

AWARDS/ANIMATION - From Variety:  The winners at the 2022 / 49th annual Annie Awards were announced, Sat. Mar. 12th.  Netflix's "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" was named "Best Feature."

DISNEY - From Deadline:  by Nellie Andreeva - Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s toughest test yet: Disney’s “Worst Week” over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ response could lead to “Profound Change”

OBITS:

From YahooSports:  Print, television and radio sports reporter, John Clayton, has died at the age of 67, Friday, March 18, 2022.  Clayton is best known for his stint as an NFL reporter for ESPN from 1995 to 2017.

From NBCNews:  Stage, film, and television actor, William Hurt, has died at the age of 71, Sunday, March 13, 2022.  His film career began with Ken Russell's 1980 flick, "Altered States."  That began an extraordinary run of critical and box office success in the 1980s, including three consecutive "Best Actor" Oscar nominations.  He won for "Kiss of the Spider-Woman" (1985") and was nominated for "Children of a Lesser God" (1986), and for "Broadcast News" (1987).  Most recently, he was known for portraying "Thaddeus Ross" in Marvel Cinematic Universe in five films, beginning with 2008's "The Incredible Hulk.

From Deadline:  Singer and reality television personality, Traci Braxton, has died at the age of 50, Saturday, March 12, 2022.  She was best known for appearing on the We TV reality series, "Braxton Family Values" (2011-20).  She was also a member of the girl-group, "The Braxtons," which initially featured Traci's sister, seven-time Grammy Award winner, Toni Braxton.

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94TH ACADEMY AWARDS:

OSCARS - From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 94th Academy Awards have been announced.  "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 nominations.  The winners will be revealed March 27th.

From Deadline:    With his "Best Actor" nomination for "The Tragedy of Macbeth," Denzel Washington is the most nominated Black actor is Oscar history.  He has been nominated in two acting categories a total of 10 times with two wins total.

From Variety:   With her "Best Director" Oscar nomination for "The Power of the Dog," Jane Campion becomes the first woman nominated twice in that category. She was previously nominated in that category for "The Piano" (1993).

From Variety:  With his three nominations today, Kenneth Branagh of "Belfast" becomes the first person to have been nominated in seven individual categories over his career.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From Variety:  At the 2022 / 27th annual Critics Choice Awards, director Jane Campion's Western film, "The Power of the Dog," is named is named "Best Picture."

From Deadline:  The Visual Effects Society announced the winners at the 2022 / 20th annual VES Awards.  "Dune" and Disney's "Encanto" led with four wins apiece.

From Deadline:  The American Cinema Editors' 72nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards were held, Sat., March 5th.  The top award, "Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)" went to "King Richard."

From Deadline:  The 2022/ 26th annual Art Directors Guild Awards turns out to be a good party.  "Dune" and "Nightmare Alley" are among the winners.

From Deadline:   The winners at the 2022 / 28th annual SAG Awards. "CODA" wins the top prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."

From Variety:  Here is a complete list of winners at 2022 / 53rd NAACP Image Awards in the film, television and music categories.  Jennifer Hudson was named "Entertainer of the Year."

From Deadline:   The 2022 / 9th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards were announced.  The Amazon film, "Coming 2 America" (the sequel to the 1988 film, "Coming to America"), led with three wins.

From Deadline:  The 2022 BAFTA Film Awards nominations have been announced.  "Dune" leads with 11 nominations.  The winners will be announced March 13th.

From Deadline:   The 2022 / 33rd annual Producers Guild of America Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced Saturday, March 19th.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 74th annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced March 12th.

From COFCA:  The Columbus Film Critics Association name "The Power of the Dog" the "Best Film" of 2021.

From Deadline:  Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," was named the "Best Picture" of 2021 at the 13th annual African American Film Critics Association Awards.  The Western tied with "King Richard" for most wins with four.  Will Smith was named "Best Actor" for "King Richard."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.

From Variety:  The snubs and surprises in the nominations for the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

From Variety:   At the 2022 / 79th Golden Globes, "The Power of the Dog" wins "Best Motion Picture-Drama" and "West Side Story" wins "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Variety:  The National Society of Film Critics names the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the best film of 2021.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards were announced a few weeks ago. Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," has a record 20 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 27, 2022.

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association announced the nominations for their annual film awards.  Director Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 noms.  The winners will be announced Thurs., Jan. 6th, 2022.

From Deadline:  The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the "Best Picture" of 2021.

From Deadline:  The 2022 / 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominations. "Zola" leads with six nominations. The winners will be announced Sun., March 6, 2022.

From THR:  The 2022 / 79th Golden Globes Awards nominations have been announced.  "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog" lead with seven nominations each.  Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From GoldDerby:   The 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "West Side Story" leads with 11 nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From Deadline:   The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."

From THR:  Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."

From Variety:   The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."

From Deadline:  The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards.  Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."

From THR:  Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th).  The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

From Deadline:  This link will take you to Deadline's Halyna Hutchins page, which articles related to everything about her shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From THR:  Alec Baldwin moves to shield himself from liability in the shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."  In an arbitration demand, he blames others for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

From People:  Alec Baldwin says that certain lawsuits recording the Western film, "Rust," are targeted at "deep-pocket litigants" and that the suits are all about money.

From Deadline:  Matt Hutchins, the husband of Halyna Hutchins, blames Alec Baldwin for Halyna's accidental shooting death on the set of the doomed Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  The family and estate of Halyna Hutchins has filed suit against Alec Baldwin (who accidentally shot Hutchins), a slew of production companies and entities, producers, and key crew members involved in the Western film, "Rust," for her death.

From THR:   A Republican New Mexico legislator, State Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell, on Monday introduced a bill that would require all film set personnel who handle firearms to complete a safety course offered by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.  This is in the wake a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, being fatally shot on the set of the Western, "Rust," last year by Alec Baldwin with a weapon he says he thought was not loaded with live ammunition.

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin and the other producers of the doomed Western film, "Rust," want a California judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed against them by the script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell.

From Deadline:   Alec Baldwin has finally turned over his cell phone to police for their probe into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin's Western film, "Rust," last October in New Mexico.

From Variety:  One of the producers of tragic Western film, Rust, Emily Salveson, pushes tax shelters and hid income.

From THR:  "I let go of the hammer and 'Bang,' the gun goes off" says Alec Baldwin says in his first interview of the moment when a gun he was holding accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin will sit down with ABC's news-reading clown George Stephanopoulos for a one hour special tomorrow night to talk about what happened on the set of the movie "Rust."  It will be Baldwin’s first extensive interview about the shooting.

From Deadline:  Industry veteran, Thall Reed, the father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Western, "Rust," may have handed the police a tip on why the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot to death on the set.

From THR:  A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday for a prop shop sheds light on how alleged live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film, "Rust," where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October.

From Deadline:  A month after cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed on the New Mexico set the movie Western, "Rust," by a prop gun “discharged” by Alec Baldwin, those closest to the cinematographer held a private ceremony and interred her ashes at an unknown location.

From Deadline:  Actor Daniel Baldwin defends his brother, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film, "Rust."  "Someone loaded that gun improperly," Daniel says.

From Deadline:  The newest lawsuit involving the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," has been filed by the film's script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, against Alec Baldwin, the producers, the production company, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed, and others.

From Deadline:  Serge Svetnoy, the gaffer on "Rust," has filed a lawsuit against several parties related to the film, including the production, the financiers, star Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and first Assistant Director David Halls.

From THR:   In the wake of the tragic accidental shooting on the set of his film, "Rust," Alec Baldwin on Monday took to social media to urge Hollywood to employ a police officer on every film and TV set that uses guns.

From THR:   The budget for "Rust" - Alec Baldwin was set to earn $150,000 as lead actor and $100,000 as producer, while $7,913 was earmarked for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and $17,500 was set aside for the rental of weapons and $5,000 for rounds.

From Deadline:  Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film, "Rust," said that they’re looking into whether a live bullet was placed in a box of dummy rounds with the intent of  “sabotaging the set.”

From THR:   Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, "Rust," released a statement through her lawyers.  She says she had “no idea where the live rounds came from” that were recovered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's during the investigation of the accidental on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

From Jacobin:  An opinion piece says that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the set of the film, "Rust," was not a freak accident, but was about Alec Baldwin and his fellow producers' cost-cutting decisions.  Baldwin accidentally fired the gun that killed Hutchins.

From Deadline:   Two of executive producers on "Rust," Allen Cheney and Emily Salveson, disavow responsibility for the film's troubled production.

From THR:   Iconic "Ghostbusters" actor Ernie Hudson is reeling from the news of the death of Halyna Hutchins, like the rest of Hollywood. Hudson also appeared in the film, "The Crow," the film in which its star, Brandon Lee, was killed because of an on-set accidental shooting.  He also agrees with the call to ban real guns from movie sets.

From THR:  The Sheriff of Sante Fe County says that his office has recovered three guns and 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of the movie "Rust" where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

From Deadline:  Regarding criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, "all options are on the table - no one has been ruled out."

From THR:  Does Hollywood Need Guns? Will new regulations lead to an overreactions to a tragedy.

From Deadline:   "Rust" producers have opened an internal investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film.  They have hired outside lawyers to conduct interviews with the film's production crew.

From Deadline:  "Rust's" AD (assistant director), Dave Halls, has come under scrutiny in the wake of the on-set shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The affidavit of Sante Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano has been made public. It can be read at "Deadline."  The affidavit was for a search warrant from the property were the Western, "Rust," was being filmed.

From THR:  The production company behind "Rust" has shut the film down until the police investigation into the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is through.  The Sante Fe County Sheriff's Office has also revealed a timeline of the shooting.

From Deadline:  The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday night that Alec Baldwin “discharged” a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the movie, "Rust."  As a result, one crew member, director of photography Halyna Hutchins, was killed and director Joel Souza was injured and remains in a local hospital - his condition unknown.

From THR:  "Rust" director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the accidental on-set shooting, says that he is "gutted" by the death of his cinematographer on the film, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" may have been "recorded" according to detective for Santa Fe Sheriff's Department.

From Deadline:  The production company behind the film, "Rust," will launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins; possible prior gun incidents; and a camera crew walkout.

From CNN:   Crew member yelled "cold gun" as he handed Alec Baldwin prop weapon, court document shows.

From Variety:  Actor Alec Baldwin releases statement on the death of Halyna Hutchins: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness."

From Variety:  The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership.

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Review: New "SCREAM" Will Entertain Scream Fans

[Fans will want to see the entertaining new “Scream” film in movie theaters – right now.  But for everyone else, there is nothing here worth a trip to the local theater.]

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2022 (No. 1814) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream (2022)
Running time:  114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPA – R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references
DIRECTORS:  Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
WRITERS:  James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)
PRODUCERS:  Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brett Jutkiewicz (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Michel Aller
COMPOSER:  Rich Delia

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Marley Shelton, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, Kyle Gallner, Chester Tam, Skeet Ulrich, and Roger L. Jackson (voice)

Scream is a 2022 slasher horror film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.  It is the fifth film in the Scream film series, which began with the 1996 film, Scream.  In Scream 2022, a new series of murders forces familiar faces to return to Woodsboro, where they will confront a horrible legacy.

Scream opens twenty-five years after high school pals and serial killers, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher, terrorized the town of Woodsboro as the killer known as “Ghostface.”  Now, Ghostface (voice of Roger L. Jackson) has returned and high school student, Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), is the first victim.  

Informed of the attack on Tara, her estranged sister, Samantha “Sam” Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), returns to Woodsboro with her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid), reluctantly along.  Sam is not only troubled by the attack on Tara, but she is also dealing with her shocking connection to one of the original Woodsboro murderers.  With this new Ghostface adding to the body count, Sam turns to an original Woodsboro survivor for help, the reclusive, Dwight “Dewey” Riley (David Arquette).

Although he is initially reluctant to get involved, he contacts two other survivors, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), and his ex-wife, television host, Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox), to inform them that the killings have started again.  Although she is the center of the new killing spree, is Sam Carpenter willing to stay and fight the killer, or will she simply run away from her past, again?

I'll start of my critique of the new Scream by repeating what I said of 2011's Scream 4.  As a slasher film, Scream 2022 is entertaining.  Ghostface remains a terrific and terrifying horror movie villain, although in the new Scream, he does lots of slashing and stabbing, whereas Scream 4's Ghostface slaughtered his victims to the point that they seemed like butchered meat and offal.  Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are still the “old reliables,” of this franchise, no matter how old they look or how much plastic surgery they may have had done.  Scream's new cast is, for the most part, pretty good.  As Sam Carpenter, Melissa Barrera seems like she could carry this franchise going forward – at least for two more films.  When the new Scream plays it straight, it is a better-than-average slasher horror film.

Scream 4 was the work of the franchise's original writer, Kevin Williamson, and original director, the late Wes Craven (to whom the new film is dedicated).  Scream 4 was a sequel and essentially a remake of the original 1996 film, but it was critical of two huge cultural changes that had occurred since the first film – Internet celebrity and social media culture.  [Williamson is only an executive producer on the new film.]

The writers and directors have offered in Scream 2022 a film that is a sequel and also a reboot.  This film is intimately connected to the original film, but it essentially reboots Scream with a new cast of both victims and survivors.  The original Scream was self-referential and was also steeped in pop culture, especially concerning horror films.  The new Scream essentially mocks both the idea of film sequels and the fan culture that is obsessed with sequels, prequels, reboots, and every detail concerning their making.

I thought Scream 4's rant against social media and celebrity seemed like the creation of two guys whose aging was putting an every widening gap between them and the core audience for the kind of films they made.  The new Scream seems like the work of dudes who don't appreciate the kind of fans they attract with the kind of the films they make.  In a way, if they can't stand the fan heat, they should get out the slasher film kitchen.

Anyway, I think the motivation behind the Ghostface of the new Scream would have worked better for the Ghostface of Scream 4.  So, I'll say about the new Scream what I said about Scream 4: it is best when it focuses on its great villain (Ghostface) stalking his victims.  For the most part, hardcore fans of this franchise will want to see Scream 2022 in movie theaters.  Anyone else who is interested can wait for on-demand and streaming.

6 of 10
B

Friday, January 14, 2022


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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 20th to 30th, 2021 - Update #33

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BLM - From VICE:   Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and America’s first Black billionaire, wants a reparations check. He wants it from the government. And he wants it to come with an apology for slavery, Jim Crow, and hundreds of years of racism.

SCANDAL - From Variety:   "Smallville" actress Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in federal prison for her part in the NXIVM cult on Wednesday morning in federal court in Brooklyn, NY.

MOVIES - From IndieWire: "F9" star Sung Kang finds its validating that acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan, has a "soft spot" for, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006), the third entry in the "Fast & Furious" saga and the one that introduced his Kang's character, "Han Lue."

MUSIC - From MJVibe:   According to the site, recent streaming sales data has made the late Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Michael Jackson, the solo artist with the highest sales of recording music.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Rian Johnson has alerted us. "Knives Out 2" has started production, as filming begins in Greece.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 6/25 to 6/27/2021 weekend box office is "F9" with an estimated total of 70 million dollars.

From Variety:  "F9's" 70 million dollar weekend box office debut is the largest opening since the COVID-19 pandemic started affecting movie theaters in the North America.

From Variety:  The stars of "F9" react to its record-breaking box office success.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:   On that HBO asshole show, writer-director Quentin Tarantino insists he will retire after he directs a tenth film (his next) and that he thought about doing a reboot of his first film, "Reservoir Dogs."

EMMYS - From Deadline:  If you care, here is the full winners list from the 2021 / 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

DISNEY - From WeGotThisCovered:   Set photos from Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid," reveals film's star, Halle Bailey, with reddish hair.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   "Supernatural" (2005-20) was one of the most important shows in the history of The CW.  Now, one of its stars, Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester), is joining his wife, Danneel Ackles, are working on a prequel series, "The Winchesters."

From Deadline:  Meanwhile, Jensen Ackles's "Supernatural" co-star, Jared Padalecki, is "bummed" about not being involved in the prequel series.

TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  Courtney Cox was hurt that she was the only one of the six stars of the former NBC sitcom, "Friends," who was never nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award during the series' original run.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures revealed the title and details about its seventh "Transformers" film, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts."

DISNEY - From Collider:  Scarlett Johansson will star in and produce a film based on Disney's theme park attraction, "Tower of Terror."

DISNEY - From ABCNews:   Actor Harrison Ford, the one and only Indiana Jones, takes a break from filming "Indiana Jones 5" after injuring his shoulder on set.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry and T.D. Jakes got the go-ahead from local authorities Thursday to purchase over 130 acres in Atlanta including a proposed expansion of Tyler Perry Studios for an entertainment district with theaters, retail shops and restaurants.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   "Fast & Furious" actor, Vin Diesel, talks about his feud with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson."

DISNEY - From Variety:    Rachel Zegler has been cast as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming remake of the classic fairytale. Zegler is making her feature film debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” which bows later in 2021, and will also appear in the superhero sequel to “Shazam.”

LGBTQ/SPORTS - From OutSports:   Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player in history to announce that he is gay.

SCANDAL - From TheDailyEdge:   A list of Republican and Trump-connected child rapists, sex traffickers, pedophile enablers and child porn offenders

OSCARS - From Deadline:    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday announced its newly elected 2021–2022 Board of Governors.

From WeGotThisCovered:   Warner Bros. reportedly wants Dwayne Johnson to joins its "Mortal Kombat" film franchise.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Mike Epps will play legendary comedian and actor Richard Pryor in Adam McKay's HBO drama series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers.  Three others actors have been cast, including Carina Conti as Paula Abdul.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Steven Spielberg has entered his Amblin Partners into a Netflix that will find the Amblin producing multiple films each year for Netflix.  Spielberg and Amblin will continue to produce films for Universal Pictures.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 6/18 to 6/20/2021 weekend box office is "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" with an estimated take of 11.6 million dollars.

CULTURE - From YahooEntertainment:  Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray wrote an op-ed for "Market Watch, in which she called for the U.S. flag to be replaced: "It is tattered, dated, divisive and incorrect."  She has drawn cheers and rage.

 

From MarketWatch:   Opinion: "For Juneteenth, America needs a new flag that all of us can honor" by Macy Gray.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:   Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corporation, which includes Arclight Cinemas, is really not set to reopen anytime soon. The exhibition company released a statement today that they’re filing Chapter 7 in order to liquidate their assets for creditors.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:   Netflix has released a trailer for its African-American cast Western film, "The Harder They Fall," from director Jeymes Samuel which arrives in Fall 2021.

From YouTube:  Here is the trailer to Universal/Illumination's "Sing 2," the sequel to 2016's "Sing."  The film is due December 22, 2021.

From YouTube:  Here is the second trailer for Universal's "Candyman" reboot/re-imagining, which is due August 27th.

From YouTube:  Here is the official trailer for "Halloween Kills," which is due October 15th.

"Friends" Gets "Nick at Nite" Renewal

Nickelodeon Renews Hit Sitcom Friends for Nick at Nite as Part of Multi-Series ViacomCBS Syndication Deal

Net Presents “Super-Stuffed Friends-Giving” beginning Monday, Nov. 23, with Classic Episodes and Thanksgiving-Themed Marathon

Share it : @nickatnitetv

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nickelodeon announced the renewal of the Emmy® Award-winning series Friends, from Warner Bros. Television, for its nighttime programming block Nick at Nite. The agreement, negotiated for ViacomCBS by Barbara Zaneri, Executive Vice President of Global Content Acquisitions, was part of a multi-year, multi-series deal that included several renewals of top-rated syndicated series from Warner Bros. Television that air across ViacomCBS' portfolio of cable networks. Also included in the deal were the off-network cable premiere rights to TV’s number-one comedy series, Young Sheldon, scheduled to begin on Nick at Nite on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.

Year to date, Nick at Nite ranks as cable’s top network with Women 18-49 and is also currently delivering its highest share of Adults 18-49 since 2017. The highly successful NAN programming block of family comedies where Friends and Young Sheldon will air, also includes popular Warner Bros Television series such as Mom and Full House.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 23, 2020 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), fans can celebrate Thanksgiving with their favorite friends as Nick at Nite presents “Super-Stuffed Friends-Giving,” featuring a lineup of classic Friends episodes with beloved funny moments from the series airing throughout the week, and a marathon of Thanksgiving-themed episodes on Thursday.

Friends, which debuted in 1994, follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends while they navigate their way through their twenties living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).

Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who executive produced the series with Kevin Bright through Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Nickelodeon, now in its 41st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC).

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Review: "Barnyard" Surprises (Happy B'day, Kevin James)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 199 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Barnyard (2006)
Running time:  84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild peril and rude humor
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Steve Oedekerk
PRODUCERS:  Pam Marsden, Steve Oedekerk, and Paul Marshal
EDITORS:  Billy Weber and Paul Calder
COMPOSER:  John Debney

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  (voices) Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliot, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes, Andie MacDowell, David Koechner, Jeff Garcia, Cam Clarke, Rob Paulsen, Tino Insana, Laraine Newman, John DiMaggio, and Fred Tatasciore

The subject of this movie review is Barnyard, a 2006 computer-animated comedy and family film from writer-director Steve Oedekerk and Paramount Pictures.  The film is also known as Barnyard: The Original Party Animals, and yielded a spin-off animated television series, Back to the Barnyard, in 2007.  Barnyard, which features a group of anthropomorphic animals, focuses on a carefree cow that resists the call that he be the animal in charge of a barnyard.

In a barnyard of walking and talking animals, Otis the Cow (Kevin James) is the party animal.  Otis and his friends: Pip (Jeff Garcia) the mouse, Freddy (Cam Clarke) the ferret, Peck (Rob Paulsen) the rooster, and Pig (Tino Insana) the pig are world-class pranksters out for a laugh.  Otis’ father, Ben (Sam Elliot), however, wants his son to be like him – the cow who makes sure the barnyard runs on all cylinders and the cow who protects the barnyard’s denizens from their common enemy, a pack of coyotes led by the malevolent and conniving Dag (David Koechner).

Otis, who is in a state of perpetual arrested development, is not interested, but when Ben is no longer able to lead and protect, the responsibility falls on Otis.  It’s not an easy fit, and he struggles with the tension between a sense of duty and an urge to run away.  There is, however, a pretty girl cow, Daisy (Courtney Cox) and the crafty Miles the Mule (Danny Glover) who just may give Otis the impetus to take the mantle of leadership.  He’ll need the encouragement because Dag is plotting to make a major attack on the barnyard.

With its August 4 release date, Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies’ computer animated feature, Barnyard: The Original Party Animals was the eighth computer animated feature film to debut in U.S. theatres.  Barnyard is a story about taking responsibility and honoring obligations – a staple of computer animated family fare, but other than that, Barnyard looks different from the rest of its cartoon brethren.

As far as plot and character, Barnyard is mediocre and mildly entertaining.  The animation, however, is quite good.  The characters have a rubbery texture, so they look more like cartoon characters than computer rendered characters.  The story’s setting and environments personify 3-D animation.  Watching this film, it becomes evident that it is indeed taking place in a world of space and depth rather than in the traditional “flat” world of hand drawn animation.  It’s not that any of this looks real; it just doesn’t look flat, so the action looks like actual action.  When characters move, it looks like the figures are really moving.

Barnyard is a pretty and colorful animated feature, which makes up for the average narrative and voice acting.  Only Sam Elliot as Ben, Danny Glover as Miles, and Wanda Sykes as Bessie the Cow give voice performances that come across with any richness.  This is a typical children’s animated feature, filled as it is with funny animal supporting characters that spout line after line of silliness.  Barnyard’s simple story and childish and raucous humor explains why it has long legs at the box office.  It’s actually a family movie that the family can enjoy together.  Barnyard: The Original Party Animals is unashamedly for children.  Still, there are enough risqué gags, bathroom humor, and innuendo to keep teenagers interested and adults chuckling.

5 of 10
B-

Monday, September 18, 2006

Updated:  Saturday, April 26, 2014

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: Entertaining "Scream 4" Treads Familiar Territory

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 32 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream 4 (2011)
Running time: 111 minutes (1 hour, 51 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking
DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
WRITER: Kevin Williamson (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)
PRODUCERS: Wes Craven, Iya Labunka, and Kevin Williamson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Deming (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter McNulty
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Marley Shelton, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Alison Brie, Erik Knudsen, Mary McDonnell, Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Heather Graham, and Roger Jackson (voice)

A little over 11 years after Scream 3, Scream 4 hits movie theatre screens in an explosion of blood and guts. However, Scream 4 is not just a sequel. It is also something of a remake of and homage to the original 1996 movie, Scream.

On the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro massacre (as seen in the original movie), Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro, the final stop on the tour to promote her book, Out of Darkness. Sidney discovers that she cannot escape the horrors of her past, because two high school students have just been murdered by the new Ghostface. Sidney also finds herself thrust back into the lives of the only other two people to survive the various Ghostface killers, Sheriff Dwight “Dewey” Riley (David Arquette) and his wife, journalist-turned-novelist, Gail Weathers Riley (Courteney Cox).

Now, Sidney’s young cousin, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), and her high school classmates are the targets of the new Ghostface. This new generation of potential victims, however, seems to relish the murderous attention of the infamous killer and hope this latest Ghostface rampage will help bring them fame in the age of social networking. Will they still be excited when they learn that the new murder spree is not like a sequel, but is instead like a reboot? Do they know that Ghostface is playing by new rules? Anyone can die anytime.

As a slasher film, Scream 4 is entertaining. Ghostface remains a terrific horror movie villain, slaughtering his victims to the point that they seem like butchered meat and offal. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are reliable, if not a little a hoary. The new cast is, for the most part, pretty good, but Hayden Panettiere’s saucy Kirby Reed is the only standout. Overall, when Scream 4 plays it straight, it is a better-than-average horror movie.

Director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson continue their efforts to make the Scream franchise self-referential and each installment a horror movie about horror movies. This is where Scream 4, as well as the other sequels, flounders. The original film, for all its hip attitude and pop culture references, was a traditional horror movie, only slicker and with a better script and filmmaking. The original’s charming small town setting was perfect for a horror movie, and the youthful cast was vibrant and cool. The villains behind the Ghostface killer had believable (though crazy) motivation for their murder spree. Scream was a genuine horror flick.

Scream 4 wants to be more than something from the horror movie slasher subgenre. The script makes Scream 4 essentially a remake inside a sequel, and some of the film seems like a middle-aged guy’s rant against Internet celebrity and social media culture. That’s just filler material. It’s time for some fresh faces and ideas. Scream 4 is at its best when it focuses on what it already has that every successful horror franchise needs – a great villain. So if there is a fifth film, hopefully it will feel more like a fresh reboot instead of a tired sequel. Still, Scream 4 offers some bloody good fun.

6 of 10
B

Sunday, April 17, 2011

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Review: Wes Craven Makes "Scream 3" Worth the Repetition

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream 3 (2000)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong horror violence and language
DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
WRITER: Ehren Kruger (based upon characters created by Kevin Williamson)
PRODUCERS: Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena, and Kevin Williamson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Deming
EDITOR: Patrick Lussier
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Patrick Dempsey, Parker Posey, Scott Foley, Deon Richmond, Emily Mortimer, Lance Henriksen, Jenny McCarthy, Matt Keeslar, Patrick Warburton, Liev Schreiber, Kelly Rutherford, and Jamie Kennedy

When a series of murders are tied to Stab 3, a movie about the tragic events in her life, the most famous survivor of the Woodsboro massacre, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), leaves her secluded residence in Northern California to visit Stab 3’s Hollywood film set. Of course, the remaining survivors of Woodsboro and of the other Woodsboro-related murders – hot tabloid TV reporter, Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Woodsboro deputy, Dwight “Dewey” Riley (David Arquette), are also on the scene. But they all soon learn that in the third film of a trilogy, all the rules are thrown out the window. The killer could be anyone, and even heroes can die.

Scream 3 is supposedly the closing chapter of the Scream franchise, and it’s a pretty good send off. Ehren Kruger’s script is certainly in the heart and vein of Scream creator Kevin Williamson’s scripts for the first two films. Kruger ably captures the self-referential, meta-lite atmosphere of the earlier films, and Kruger’s is less a satire or homage to horror flicks and more itself a good horror movie.

The cast is good, and the actors really understand their parts. The players who are supposed to be campy murder victims play their parts with relish, while the leads are intense and skillful. But the true hero of Scream 3, as he was for the first two, is horrormeister Wes Craven, who may be the most successful director of horror films in the history of movie making. He’s also skillful and adept at making even the rough spots in this move work, because he helms slasher flicks with the verve of an auteur making art films.

Scream 3 is not great, but it’s scary and funny and hard to stop watching. It’s clever and witty, both in its smart moments and in its lesser scenes. Though it seems to fall apart in some scenes of its last act, the film is worth viewing for its many genuinely creepy moments that keep you on the edge of your seat.

6 of 10
B

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Review: "Scream 2" Doesn't Sustain Strong Start

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 51 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream 2 (1997)
Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)
MPAA – R for language and strong bloody violence
DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
WRITER: Kevin Williamson (based upon characters Kevin Williamson created)
PRODUCERS: Cathy Konrad and Marianne Maddalena
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Deming (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Patrick Lussier
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Elise Neal, Jerry O’Connell, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett, Liev Schreiber, Lewis Arquette, Duane Martin, Rebecca Gayheart, Portia de Rossi, Omar Epps, Heather Graham, (voice) Roger L. Jackson, Tori Spelling, and Luke Wilson

Two years after the shocking events in Scream, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Randy Meeks (Jaime Kennedy), the only surviving teens of the Woodsboro massacre, are attending college. Sidney is trying to get on with her life until a copycat killer begins acting out a real-life sequel, and some of Sidney’s college classmates meet a grisly fate at the hands of a knife-wielding killer. Ambitious reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Woodsboro deputy Dewey (David Arquette) are also back as the new killing spree leaves no one safe and no one above suspicion of being the Woodsboro copycat murderer.

Scream 2 is, for the most part, quiet entertaining. It does not, however, have half the wild and crazy energy of the first, and part of that may be because the original film was full of nutty high school kids running amok and having a good time, although there was a murderer in their midst. There are plenty of party crazy college students in the sequel, but we don’t see much of them because the film really zeroes in on Sidney’s character. Wacky kid characters made the first film fun, not female problems. Beyond Sidney’s small circle of associates, no other characters, not even bit players, come in to add something surprising to the mix.

Scream 2 is worth watching, at least for the first hour. After that there are some good moments, but the film begins to fall apart.

5 of 10
B-

NOTES:
1998 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst New Star” (Tori Spelling)

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Review: "Scream" Still a Scream

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 50 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream (1996)
Running time: 111 minutes (1 hour, 51 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong graphic horror violence and gore, and for language
DIRECTOR: Wes Craven
WRITER: Kevin Williamson
PRODUCERS: Cathy Konrad and Cary Woods
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mark Irwin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Patrick Lussier
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, W. Earl Brown, Drew Barrymore, Joseph Whipp, Lawrence Hecht, Roger Jackson (voice), Liev Schreiber, and Henry Winkler

In the GenX/post-GenX thriller Scream, a psychopathic killer stalks a group of teens just like psychos stalk victims in slasher movie. His primary focus is teenage virgin Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), and the killings begin near the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death. A tabloid reporter, Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), who covered sensational murder trial of the alleged killer of Sidney’s mom, is determined to uncover the truth because she believes the wrong man was convicted of killing Mrs. Prescott and that the real killer is still at large. Of course, the mystery surrounding the killer culminates during a raucous teen party held at the obligatory isolated farmhouse. Finding out who survives is as fun as learning who the killer is.

Much has been made of how Scream references the many horror films that preceded it, especially 1980’s slasher flicks, but Scream is simply a great horror film and as much a mystery thriller as it is a scary movie. Maybe that’s because the film is a horror movie for the sake of being a horror movie. Any social commentary the film makes is ancillary, and anything it says about other movies is just the nature of the beast. Just about any horror movie will reflect the others that came before it.

While casting young stars from TV shows popular with teens and twenty-somethings in the mid-90’s was a savvy move on the part of the filmmakers (most 80’s slasher movies cast young unknowns), the two elements of that make Scream great are screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven. Williamson’s script is tight, smart, funny, deft, self-referential, and most of all, creates a solid structure of suspense. The characters are mostly throwaways, but Williamson makes us care about them because the situations he puts them in are so precarious, we’d be cruel not to root for them to escape. For all the artful window dressings, Williamson’s script simply tells a scary story.

Wes Craven is one of the greatest horror film directors of all time having helmed A Nightmare of Elm Street and The Last House on the Left. Scream simply cements his position as a master director of the suspense genre. He turns Williamson’s words into palatable fear. He knows when to make the film outright scary, and when slowly increase the level of suspense and fright. Craven knows when to be funny and silly, and he knows when to deliver the deathblow, but most of all when to leave it all hanging on a thin string.

Scream is a film no slasher fan should go without seeing, and certainly it’s a work not to be missed by admirers and students of horror cinema.

8 of 10
A

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First Season of "Cougar Town" Now on DVD

Press release:

ABC’s Hilarious New Comedy Comes to DVD!

COUGAR TOWN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Debuts on DVD -- August 17, 2010

BURBANK, CA, July 2010 – Audiences can bring home the hilarious first season of one of TV’s funniest new series beginning August 17, as ABC’s laugh out loud comedy Cougar Town comes home on DVD, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in Cougar Town: The Complete First Season.

Golden Globe® nominee* Courteney Cox (Friends) stars in the hilarious hit comedy Cougar Town: The Complete First Season. After spending the last seventeen years as a wife and mother, recently divorced Jules (Cox) has reluctantly waded back into the dating pool and quickly finds herself in over her head.

Now forty-something and single, Jules tackles real-life issues – dating, parenting and friendship. It doesn’t help Jules that her two best friends can hardly stand each other, her ex-husband is hanging around more now than he did during their marriage…and there’s that handsome divorced neighbor that Jules can’t quite get out of her head. Packed with laugh-out-loud moments and featuring a cast of television’s brightestcomedic stars, Cougar Town struts its stuff in this DVD collection, along with exclusive bonus features and one or two special surprises. Cougar Town – it’s more than a place, it’s a state of mind.

COUGAR TOWN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON was created by Bill Lawrence (creator of Scrubs and Kevin Biegel and also stars Christa Miller (“Scrubs”, “The Drew Carey Show”, “Seinfeld”), Busy Philipps (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, “ER”), Dan Byrd (“Heroes”, “CSI”), Josh Hopk (“Private Practice”), Ian Gomez (“The Drew Carey Show”) and Brian Van Holt (“John from Cincinnati”).

Bonus Features:
DVD Exclusives
• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes
• Taming Cougar Town – Discover How Cougar Town Has Evolved From Its Initial Comedy Pilot Into Today’s More Subtly Sexy ABC Hit
• ‘Ask Barb’ series
* *Best Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy (2010)

DVD non-Exclusives
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Saber-Tooth Tiger Town
• Ask Barb – The Ultimate Cougar Answers Your Questions
• ‘Stroking it with Bobby Cobb’ series

Cougar Town: The Complete First Season is priced at $39.99 SRP (US) and $44.99 SRP (CAN).

Street Date: August 17, 2010

DVD
Suggested Retail Price: $39.99 US; $44.99 Canada
Feature Run Time: Approx. 552 minutes (24 thirty-minute episodes)
Rating: US: TV-14 DLSV (US)
Canada: 14A Mature Theme, Language May Offend
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Languages: English
Subtitles: Spanish, French subtitles


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Review: "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" Eternally Funny

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 116 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Running time: 87 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for off-color humor and some nudity
DIRECTOR: Tom Shadyac
WRITERS: Jack Bernstein and Tom Shadyac & Jim Carrey, from a story by Jack Bernstein
PRODUCER: James G. Robinson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Julio Macat
EDITOR: Don Zimmerman, A.C.E.

COMEDY

Starring: Jim Carrey, Sean Young, Courteney Cox, Tone Lōc, Dan Marino, Noble Willingham, Troy Evans, and Udo Kier

Jim Carrey had appeared in a few minor movies in the 1980’s; then, a national TV audience discovered his talents for monkeyshines, physical comedy, and impersonations in the hit television sketch comedy series, “In Living Color.” Carrey, however, blew up as a movie star with the 1994 debut of his first film as the lead actor, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and in the eleven and a half years since that movie first opened at the box office, Carrey’s film career has hit few potholes on the road to continued success.

Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is a Miami-based pet detective, a private dick who finds lost and stolen pets. He’s also a serious animal lover, and his apartment is filled with dogs, penguins, raccoons, etc. Ace, however, isn’t making much of a living as a pet detective, but he gets his big break when Snowflake, the dolphin mascot of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, is kidnapped. The Dolphins top management is furious because Snowflake is popular with both the fans and the superstitious Dolphin players who consider Snowflake a good luck charm – one without which they’d really rather not play the upcoming Super Bowl. No one else can find Snowflake, so a Dolphins front office employee, Melissa Robinson (Courteney Cox), hires Ace, but the case grows complex when another Dolphin official is found murdered. Can Ace solve the mystery before something else goes wrong, or will his unorthodox methods lead to disaster?

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which certainly would never win an “Edgar Allan Poe” award as an example of exceptional detective or mystery film, is strictly a vehicle for Jim Carrey’s talents, and it certainly features Carrey’s raw, juvenile, and sometimes infantile act – the talking butt hole, the twisted facial expressions, hamming for the camera, the ADD, the ADHD-inspired antics, etc. Of course, much of the act is uproarious; since those early years, however, Carrey’s refined his act, and we can look upon Ace Ventura: Pet Detective as the beginning of a short, golden age when Carrey reintroduced audiences to gross out comedy and then, took it to the next level.

6 of 10
B

July 18, 2005