Comics Review: "ELVIRA in Horrorland Volume 1 #5" - Elvira Finds the Exit

ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND VOLUME 1 #5

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: David Avallone

ART: Silvia Califano

COLORS: Walter Pereya

LETTERS: Taylor Esposito

EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt

COVER: Dave Acosta and Jason Moore

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2022)

Rated Teen+

Chapter Five: “Fly Me to the Moon”

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

Elvira also appeared in comic books, beginning in 1986 with the short-lived series from DC Comics, Elvira's House of Mystery.  In 2018, Elvira returned to comic books via Dynamite Entertainment.  Elvira's latest comic book series is Elvira in Horrorland Volume 1.  The series is written by David Avallone; drawn by Silvia Califano; colored by Walter Pereyra; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  The series finds Elvira trapped in the Multiverse of Movies (a bunch of “pocket dimensions” created by the existence of movies) with only the illusive “Remote Control of Federico Fellini” capable of returning her home.

Elvira in Horrorland Volume 1 #5 (“Fly Me to the Moon”) opens in a new world.  Elvira lands in the cinematic world of filmmaker, Daniel Chernabog.  First up for the Mistress of the Dark is the horror flick starring two unreasonably tall people, “The Mumblefly.”  Now she faces off against telepods, Brundleflies, scanners, videodromes, talking cockroaches, bug powder … and a static-y hand that emerges from a television screen.  Is this the final leg of Elvira's journey?  Will the remote finally work correctly for her?  Or will she merely be left with a naked lunch?

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Elvira in Horrorland Volume 1 #5, one of many Dynamite/David Avallone Elvira comic books that I have read and enjoyed.

“Fly Me to the Moon” skewers the films of the renowned Canadian filmmaker and writer-director, David Cronenberg, who is one of my favorite film directors.  Writer David Avallone spoofs Cronenberg as “Daniel Chernabog” and references a number of Cronenberg's films, including Scanners (1981), Dead Ringers (1988), and Naked Lunch (1992).  The ones that get the most pounding are two of Cronenberg's most memorable and notorious films, Videodrome (1983) and The Fly (1986), which is a remake of classic 20th Century Fox sci-fi/horror film, The Fly (1958).

Avallone gleefully lampoons Videodrome's acclaimed actor turned pariah, James Woods.  Avallone also has fun with his spoof versions of the stars of The Fly, Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, and he captures the strangeness of them as leads in the same film.  I believe that if Cronenberg's The Fly were made today, the studio would not allow two offbeat types like Goldblum and Davis to be cast – maybe one, but not both.  [They'd likely cast British or Australian waifs with generic American accents.]

Elvira in Horrorland artist Silvia Califano certainly captures the general wackiness of the actors who star in Cronenberg's films.  Califano produces a perfectly creepy cartoon version of James Woods, and that alone is worthy of an award from some comics organization.

Elvira in Horrorland is fun and full of puns and proves that even the best filmmakers are ripe for some deflating of filmography … if not also of reputation.  Avallone and Califano also prove once again that if you can't get Elvira live, you can get her as a perfect comic book character.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Elvira and of David Avallone's Elvira comic books will want to read Elvira in Horrorland Volume 1.

A

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

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Review: Viggo Mortensen is a Kingpin in Cronenberg's "CRIMES OF THE FUTURE"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 of 2022 (No. 1861) by Leroy Douresseaux

Crimes of the Future (2022)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Canada (with France, Greece, and UK); Language:  English
Running time:  107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong disturbing violent content and grisly images, graphic nudity and some language
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  David Cronenberg
PRODUCERS:  Robert Lantos, Panos Papahadzis, and Steve Solomos
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Douglas Koch (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Christopher Donaldson
COMPOSER:  Howard Shore

SCI-FI

Starring:  Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Don McKellar, Scott Speedman, Welket Bungué, Lihi Kornowski, Nadia Litz, Tanaya Beatty, Sotiris Siozos, and Kristen Stewart

Crimes of the Future is a 2022 Canadian science fiction film from writer-director David Cronenberg.  The film focuses on a performances artist who showcases the metamorphosis of his internal organs with the help of his partner who performs surgery on him during the performance.

Crimes of the Future opens sometime in the future when humanity has experienced a number of biological changes and evolutionary changes to human physiology.  The film introduces Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) and Caprice (Lea Seydoux), a performance artist couple.  Saul's body is afflicted by “accelerated evolution syndrome,” which forces his body to constantly develop new vestigial organs.  Tenser is in constant pain, and he relies biomechanical devices in order to sleep and to eat.  Using a “Sark autopsy module,” Caprice performs surgery on Saul before an audience as an act of performance art, performances which have made the duo world renown.

Saul and Caprice's performances have started to draw official, governmental, and law enforcement interest.  They meet Wippet (Don McKellar) and Timlin (Kristen Stewart), the two bureaucrats in charge of the “National Organ Registry,” which catalogs and stores newly developed and evolved organs.

Not everyone is excited about “body-growth” and consider it a “body-crime.”  Cope (Welket Bungué), a detective with the “New Vice Unit,” a governmental police agency, wants Tenser to infiltrate the worlds of evolutionists, the people that want to accept and encourage “accelerated evolution syndrome.”  After he meets Lang Dotrice (Scott Speedman), a grieving father, Saul goes so deep into the world of this new human evolution that he might discover something about himself.

Some consider Crimes of the Future to be both a science fiction and horror film, but I consider it to be only a science fiction film.  However, I do recognize how much the film travels into the realms of the genre of “body horror.”  In that, Crimes of the Future does share many similarities with David Cronenberg's last science fiction-horror film, eXistenZ (1999).  Both are set in a world where biotechnology invents new machines that can directly interface with human bodies and control those bodies.  In both films, public performances of man-machine interfaces are both popular and controversial, and a diverse group of entities:  law enforcement, fetishists, secretive agencies, rebels, dissidents, and subcultures seek to control the future and future-tech.

In Crimes of the Future, Cronenberg presents a world in which the evolutionary change is spurred on by technology and other man-made efforts.  Once this new evolution starts, it is free to do as it pleases, outside the considerations of humanity.  As in many of his films, a lead character, group of characters, and/or society and the world at large struggle to adapt to that change.  To one extent or another, they are against it, afraid of it, and some ultimately, even if reluctantly, embrace that change.

Two things hold this film together, David Cronenberg's vision and his muse, actor Viggo Mortensen as Saul Tenser.  Cronenberg and his collaborators have created a world in which biotechnological and evolutionary changes take place in drab and rundown settings.  In Crimes of the Future, Cronenberg does not need flying cars and off-world colonies in order to communicate to his audience that the world and mankind are in a future undergoing radical transformation.  True to his ways, Cronenberg is both provocative and exploitative and visionary and elegant as he executes a story of a world in which evolution forces humanity to live in the world it made.

Crimes of the Future has a number of eccentric performances.  Lea Seydoux makes Caprice grow … and evolve, and Kristen Stewart is impish and mysterious as Timlin.  However, Viggo Mortensen is both the center of this film's narrative and the outer boundaries of its ideas and ambitions.  He holds it together both as one afflicted by evolution and as an explorer of the world of evolution and new humans.  Mortensen's gift is to make people buy into the idea that he is indeed the character he plays and that what he does as that character is authentic and not a contrivance of a really talented actor.

Once again, David Cronenberg offers a film that examines horrifying change, and he does it without nostalgia and sentiment, but with a superb score by the great Howard Shore.  Yeah, Cronenberg is a genius, and Crimes of the Future is his latest masterpiece.  The ending, which feels like a quick wrap-up, is the only reason I won't call this film perfect, but it would be a crime of the present for me to quibble about that.

9 of 10
A+
★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Thursday, August 25, 2022


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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 22nd to 31st, 2022 - Update #41

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  In the final tally, the Memorial Day holiday weekend domestic box office take for "Top Gun: Maverick" is a record 160.5 million dollars.

From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/27 to 5/29/2020 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Top Gun: Maverick" with an estimated take of 124 million dollars.

From TheWrap:  With an estimated 156 million dollars at the domestic box office, "Top Gun: Maverick" has broken the Memorial Day weekend box office record. The surpasses "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" which grossed 153 million dollars during the 2007 Memorial Day weekend.

From Here:  Here is my review of "Top Gun: Maverick."

From THR:  On review aggregator, "Rotten Tomatoes," "Top Gun: Maverick" has tied "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018) as the best reviewed Tom Cruise movie of all time.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Indie entertainment company, A24's horror films ranked from best to worse.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Here is a first look at Oscar-nominee, Bradley Cooper, as legendary Broadway composer, Leonard Bernstein, "Maestro."

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  David Cronenberg says that he has an idea for a movie starring "Twilight Saga" costars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster will appear in the fourth season of HBO's anthology series, "True Detective."  Entitled, "True Detective: Night Country," it will be Foster's first major adult TV role.

SCANDAL - From CNN:  Former reality TV star, Josh Duggar ("19 Kids and Counting") was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and 20 years of supervised release, during which he cannot have contact with minors.  In December 2021, Duggar was found guilty of "receipt of child pornography" and "possession of child pornography"

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Samuel L. Jackson will join Chris Pratt's in Alcon Entertainment's animated "Garfield" film.

TRAILERS - From TheWrap:  Paramount Pictures has debuted the first trailer for "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (the seventh film).  The film is due July 14, 2023.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 5/20 to 5/22/2022 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" with an estimated take of 31.6 million dollars.

From Here:  My review of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

NETFLIX - From TheWeek:  Netflix is apparently trying to end its "war" with movie theaters, but the streamer will have to make deals with its adversaries, AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas.

POLITICS - From WashPost:  Russia has permanently banned 963 U.S. citizens from entering the country.  The list includes President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris and even actor Morgan Freeman.

CANNES - From Variety:  "Three Thousand Years of Longing," the new film from director George Miller ('Mad Max" series), received a six-minutes standing ovation during its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.  The film stars Tilda Swinton as a solitary academic and Idris Elba as the genie she finds.

OBITS:

From Deadline:   Tytyana Miller, the daughter of rapper Master P, has died at the age of 29.  Paramedics found her unresponsive early Saturday, May 28, 2022.  She had appeared in the WE TV series, "Growing Up Hip Hop."

From Deadline:  The television and film actor, Bo Hopkins, has died at the age of 84, Saturday, May 28, 2022.  He was best known for appearing in films such as "The Wild Bunch" (1969), "American Graffiti" (1973), and "Midnight Express" (1978).  I remember him for his appearance in two mid-1970s films, "White Lightning" (1973), with Burt Reynolds, and "Posse" (1975), which was led by Kirk Douglas. A prolific TV actor, Hopkins appeared in over 100 films and TV series.

From Deadline:   Actor Ray Liotta has died at the age of 67, Thursday, May 26, 2022.  Liotta was best known for playing mobster Henry Hill in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film, "Goodfellas."  He was also known for playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in "Field of Dreams" (1989) and "Ray Sinclair" in "Something Wild" (1986).  He was currently experiencing a career resurgence.

From Deadline:  Hollywood mourns and remembers Ray Liotta.  This article includes comments from co-star Robert De Niro ("Goodfellas").

UVALDE, TEXAS MASS SHOOTING:

From YahooAP:  An 18-year-old gunman slaughtered 19 children and two teachers on Tues., May 24th, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas.  All 21 victims were in the same 4th grade classroom at Robb Elementary.

From DallasNews:  Joe Garcia, the husband of Irma Garcia, one of the two teachers killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, has died of a heart attack two days after the murder of his wife.  They had been married for 24 years and had been high school sweethearts.

From Axios:  Texas gubernatorial candidate, Beto O'Rourke, interrupted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's gaslighting press conference on the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting.

From USAToday:  Beto O'Rourke's outburst at Gov. Greg Abbott's Uvalde news conference shows the spine Democrats need.

From BostonGlobe:  Steve Kerr, head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, asks "When are we going to do something?"

From NBCNews:  A Robb Elementary teacher describes "the longest 35 minutes of my life" and the terror she now feels.

From NBCNews:  The Uvalde school district had an extensive safety plan, but 19 children were killed at Robb Elementary anyway.  Even security plans that appear to be up to the latest research-based standards may have gaps and fall short of preventing the worst-case scenario, experts said.

From MSN:  Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who was handcuffed outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, was able to get inside the school and rescue her two children.

From YahooNews:   Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifles used by the Uvalde massacre killer, has used "incendiary ads" in the past, including one in which a toddler holds one of its rifles.

From TheIntercept:  The police aren't obligated to protect anyone NOT in their custody, as the Supreme Court has ruled twice.

From RollingStone:  Right wing lies about the Second Amendment and why they tell them are killing America's childrne.

From Vice:  The law enforcement personnel in Texas that arrived at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on Tues., May 24th did the opposite of what their own training documentary videos show.

From Vox:  Uvalde police keep changing their story.

From TheDailyBeast:  The families in Uvalde, Texas who lost loved one in the Robb Elementary massacre say that the cops there are "Nothing more than cowards" and that they need to pay for doing nothing while a gunman rampaged through the school last Tues, May 24th.

From TheNewYorker:  Thoughts and prayers, Uvalde, Texas. This is the America that Republicans and the right wing have being thinking about and praying for all these decades.

BLM-BUFFALO:

From ABCNews:  A 18-year-old white MAN shot 13 people, killing 10 at a Buffalo, New York Tops Friendly Markets supermarket on Saturday, May 14, 2021.

From Truthout:  The racist attack in Buffalo at the Tops Friendly supermarket was crafted to terrorize us.  We can fight back, and here’s how we fight back.

From WGRZ:  Who are the victims of the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets grocery store shooting. This comes from local station WGRZ Channel 2 and includes video and some victim photos.

From BuffaloNews:  One of the 10 Black murder victims of the Buffalo massacre was Katherine "Kat" Massey.  She was a leader in her community and civil rights activist and advocate for education.

From NewYorkPost:  One of the 10 Black murder victims of the Buffalo massacre was Andre Mackniel. He was at TOPS Supermaket to pick up a birthday cake for his son.

From Truthout:  The racist attack in Buffalo, NY at the Tops supermarket was crafted to terrorize us, so here is how we fight back.

From CNN:  What is known about the 18-year-old MAN, Payton Gendron.

From NPR:  198 mass shooting this year ... so far.

From Truthout:  White supremacist massacre of 10 people in Buffalo, NY shows that the “Alt-Right” ideology leads to murder.

From RollingStone:  Buffalo rampage killing is "Straight Up Racially Motivated Hate Crime."

From InformedComment:  Rene Binet, the originator the "great replacement" was a French Nazi, and he saw all American as "Negroes," an "impure mestizo 'race'."

From WashPost:  Only 22 people saw the live-stream of a white terrorist kill Black shoppers at the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets supermarket, but millions have seen it since...

From GuardianUK:  Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets shooter may have been motivated by "eco-fascism," a focus on overpopulation and environmental degradation.

From RSN:  "What Lessons Have We Learned From the Buffalo Shooting?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

From Truthout:  “Innocent” White People Are Also Complicit in the Anti-Black Murders in Buffalo by George Yancy.

From Truthout:  "Black Lives Matter" cofounder discovered that Alicia Garza has learned that her name is mentioned in the Buffalo Tops supermarket killer's manifesto.

From GuardianUK:   Cornell West says, "Trump isn't out there with a gun, but he's enabled this war against Black people.

From Slate:  From the Tulsa Race Massacre to the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets shootings: the legacy of anti-Black violence.

From Truthout:  After mass shootings, Republicans shield white supremacists from scrutiny

UKRAINE:

From TheDailyBeast:  Russian soldiers allegedly raped and killed a 1-year-old Ukrainian boy and have reportedly raped or sexually abused children as young as 9 months old.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 10th to 16th, 2022 - Update #26

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman's production company, Playtone, has signed a multiyear development deal with Apple TV+.  The deal includes a sequel to Tom Hanks' 2020 World War II thriller, "Greyhound."

MOVIES - From NBC:  In the wake of multiple controversies, is the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise still magical, as the third installment, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."

MOVIES - From Variety:  Warner Bros. Discovery is planning an overhaul of DC Entertainment and they want "creative and strategic czar" similar to Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios.

MOVIES - From THR:  In a wide-ranging interview, Mads Mikkelsen, talks about the new "Fantastic Beasts" movie and replacing Johnny Depp and a little about "Indiana Jones 5."

STREAMING - From Variety:  Salma Hayek will replace Thandiwe Newton in HBO Max's "Magic Mike's Last Dance." Newton is reportedly stepping away in order to "deal with family issues."

FROM TheSun:  The UK newspaper "The Sun" is saying that Thandie/Thandiwe Newton is gone from "Magic Mike's Last Dance" because she got in a terrible "row" with producer/star Channing Tatum over the Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars slap.

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CANNES - From Variety:  A completely unexpected David Lynch film will appear at 75th Cannes Film Festival (May 17th to 28th).  David Cronenberg's new film, "Crimes of the Future" will also screen at the festival.

From Deadline:  David Lynch says that he does not have a film for Cannes 2022, although he seems evasive as to whether he is currently working on a film.

DEPP V. HEARD - From LATimes:  The lawsuit explained:  Johnny Depp (58) is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard (35), over a 2018 Washington Post piece she wrote that Depp believes falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser.  Heard is counter-suing Depp accusing his lawyers of defaming her.

From Deadline:  Oscar-nominee Johnny Depp's 50 million dollar defamation law suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, has begun in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia.

From PerezHilton:  Amber Heard lawyer says that Heard's ex, the Oscar-nominated actor, Johnny Depp, held her hostage in Australia for three days. This is one of many claims made in Depp's defamation law suit that has gone from 50 million dollars to 100 million.

From Deadline:  James Franco, "WandaVision" star Paul Bettany, Elon Musk, and representatives of the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, and the LAPD could end up in the court in Johnny Depp's defamation case against his former wife, Amber Heard.

From WeGotThisCovered:  Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard is in its first day and already there are allegations of sexual assualt.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will Ferrell is the latest to join director Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" film for Warner Bros. and Mattel. Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken) are the film's stars.

MOVIES - From THR:  Ayo Edebiri and former Super Bowl champion, Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks), have joined the Orion Pictures high school sex comedy, "Bottoms."

DISNEY+ - From THR:  Walker Scobell will take the role of "Percy Jackson" in the Disney+ series, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 4/8 to 4/10/2022 weekend box office is "Sonic The Hedgehog 2" with an estimated take of 71 million dollars.

From CNN:  "Sonic the Hedgehog 2's" 71-million dollar opening is the largest ever for a video game film adaptation at the North American box office.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  "Fast Saga" star Vin Diesel says that Marvel Cinematic Universe star, Brie Larson, has joined "Fast & Furious 10,"which is due in theaters, May 19, 2023.

MOVIES - From TheGate:  In an interview about the iconic film, "The Godfather," which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, actor Robert Duvall says that he thinks Christian Bale has been cast in Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming film, "Megalopolis."

DWAYNE HASKINS:

From USAToday:  Dwayne Haskins, an NFL quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, died after he was struck by a dump truck on Saturday morning, April 9th.  Haskins was 24 and would have made 25 in early May.

From SteelerWire:  Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool shares an emotional moment over the passing of his teammate, Dwayne Haskins.

From TheWrap:  Former NFL executive Gil Brandt said some really shitty things about Dwayne Haskins after he died. Now, the old bastard is apologizing...

OBITS:

From Variety:  Stand-up comedian, actor, and voice performer, Gilbert Gottfried, has died at the age of 67, Tuesday, April 12, 2022.  Gottfried is best known for his exaggerated loud, screeching, shrill and obnoxious voice.  His best known roles may be that of "Iago" the parrot in Disney's "Aladdin" films and animated television series and of "Degit LeBoid" on the PBS animated series, "Cyberchase."

From NBC:  Comedian Gilbert Gottfried died at the age of 67 of a rare genetic muscle disorder, "type II myotonic dystrophy," that is often overlooked.

From Deadline:  Gilbert Gottfried's comedy career - a photo gallery.

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From Deadline:  Veteran television actress, Liz Sheridan, has died at the age of 93, Sunday, April 10, 2022.  Sheridan was best known for her TV work, especially for playing Jerry Seinfeld's mother, "Helen Seinfeld" on the former NBC comedy, "Seinfield."  She was also the nosy neighbor, "Raquel Ochmonek" on the former NBC sitcom, "ALF."

From Deadline:  Actress Kathy Lamkin has died at the age of 74, Monday, April 4, 2022.  She was known for her scene-stealing turns in the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men" and the terrible 2003 remake, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and its sequel/prequel, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning."

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WILL SMITH/CHRIS ROCK/THE SLAP:

From Deadline:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has banned recent Oscar-winner Will Smith from attending its programs and events - virtually or in-person - including the Academy Awards ceremony for a period of 10 years.  This is his punishment for bitch-slapping Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, Sun., March 27th.

From Variety:  Actor Harry Lennix comes off the porch to tell Will Smith that he should ... voluntarily give back his recent "Best Actor" Oscar in order to restore the awards honor ... saying this with a straight face.

From TMZ - Celebrities keep weighing in - Grammy Award-nominated rapper and recording artist, Fat Joe, says that Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy awards "makes minorities look bad."

From Variety:  Netflix has slowed its development of a Will Smith action-thriller, "Fast and Loose," in the wake of the Oscar slap.

From Variety:   Will Smith has announced that he is withdrawing his membership from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

From Variety:  Will Smith walks onstage at the 94th Academy Awards and slaps Chris Rock in the face for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

From Variety:  The Academy has said that Will Smith was asked to leave the 94th Academy Awards ceremony after slapping presenter Chris Rock, but he refused.  The Academy has started disciplinary proceedings against Smith.

From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Will Smith formally apologizes to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him during the 94th Academy Awards show.

From Variety:  Chris Rock says that he is "still kind of processing what happened."

From Variety:   "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe says that he is "dramatically bored" with hearing people's opinion about "THE SLAP."

From Variety:  Will Smith won the "Best Actor" Oscar for portraying the father of tennis stars, Venus and Serena Willaims, Richard Williams, in the biopic, "King Richard."  In regards to Smith slapping Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Academy Awards, Richard says, "We don't condone anyone hitting anyone else."

From Variety:  The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has confirmed that Chris Rock has declined to file a police report regarding Oscar-winner Will Smith slapping him during the 94th Academy Awards.

From THR:  The actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, calls Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock to be "unacceptable."

From People:  Of the Oscar slap, "Aquaman" Jason Momoa says that he is shocked that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock and that "There's a tipping point for everyone."

From Variety:  Celebrities react to the Oscar bitch slap heard around the world.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 13th to 19th, 2019 - Update #27

Support Leroy on Patreon:

TELEVISION - From Variety:  One of the pilots that NBC has ordered is a comedy, "Saving Kenan," starring "Saturday Night Live" veteran, Kenan Thompson."

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PIXAR - From Deadline:  Two-time Oscar-winner, Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 3," "Coco") is leaving Pixar.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix and Shawn Levy are rebooting the true crime/paranormal TV series, "Unsolved Mysteries."  The original series ran for 14 seasons between 1987 and 2010, and the late Robert Stack is the host most associated with the series.

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CELEBRITY - From HuffPost:  Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodybuilding son, Joseph Baena, recreates his father's iconic 1976 bodybuilding pose.

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BOX OFFICE - Newsarama:  The winner of the Wednesday, January 16, 2019 daily box office is "Dragon Ball Super: Broly" with an take of just over $7 million.

From BoxOfficeMojo:  The box office chart for Wednesday, January 16, 2019, the day "Dragon Ball Super: Broly."

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COMICS-FILM - From Newsarama:  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson challenges Chris Hemsworth to a Marvel Studios/"Fast & Furious" crossover film.

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MUSIC - From Variety:  Sony Music has parted ways with controversial R&B recording artist, R. Kelly, who has been dogged by sexual misconduct allegations for the past two decades plus.  Kelly's catalog/back list will remain with Sony/RCA.

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OSCARS - From Variety:  Kristopher Tapley offers his final Oscar nominations predictions ahead of the Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019 announced of the nominations for the 91st Academy Awards.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  The J.R.R. Tolkien biographical film, "Tolkien," is set for release May 10, 2019.  Nicholas Hoult will play Tolkien, the creator of "The Lord of the Rings."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate and Hasbro's film based on the game, "Monopoly," will star Kevin Hart and be directed by Tim Story, who directed Hart in the "Ride Along" films.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  The race to win J.J. Abrams and his "Bad Robot" company may be close to an end.

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Jason Reitman reportedly will direct the next installment of the "Ghostbusters" franchise, this one set in the "original universe" of the 1983 and 1989 films.

From Newsarama:  Jason Reitman's "secret Ghostbusters" project already has a teaser trailer.  Reitman's father, Ivan Reitman, who directed the original 1980s "Ghostbusters" films, will produce the new film (which is set for 2020), which is apparently set in the "original universe" of films.

----------
AWARDS - From Variety:  2019 USC Libraries Scripter Award nominations have been announced.  "Black Panther" is one of the nominees.

----------
TECH - From Wired:  MacKenzie Bezos and the Myth of the Lone Genius Founder

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Jon Bernthal ("The Punisher") and Vera Farmiga ("The Conjuring") joins "The Sopranos" prequel, "The Many Saints of Newark."

----------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Director David Cronenberg is prepping a sequel to his most excellent 2007 film, "Eastern Promises," with star Viggo Mortensen returning.

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO is rebooting the classic TV series, "Perry Mason," and have tapped Matthew Rhys ("The Americans") to play Mason.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Liza Minnelli giver a rare endorsement of the biographical musical about her mother, Judy Garland, entitled "Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz."  Of course you know that Garland was Minnelli's mother.

----------
STAR TREK - From Deadline:   "Star Trek: Discovery's" Philippa Georgiou (played by actor Michelle Yeoh) is getting her own "Star Trek" TV spin-off.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/11 to 1/13/2019 weekend box office is "The Upside" with an estimated box office haul of $19.59 million.

From Variety:  "Bumblebee" leads the international box office with a $35.6 million.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  HBO announces that April 14, 2019 will be the premiere date for first episode of the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones."

----------
AWARDS - From Variety:  The winners of the 24th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced.  "Roma" wins "best picture" and "best director" awards.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Craig Brewer ("Hustle & Flow") is set to direct Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America 2,"  Brewer just completed "Dolemite is My Name," which also stars Murphy.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Tony Mendez, the CIA officer portrayed by Ben Affleck in the Oscar-winning best picture, "Argo," has died at the age of 78, Saturday, January 19, 2019.

From People:  Iconic Broadway star, Carol Channing, has died at the age of 97, Tuesday, January 15, 2019.  Channing is known for her role in iconic Broadway musicals, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Hello, Dolly!" (for which she won a Tony Award).  She received an Oscar nomination for her role in the film, "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

From Variety:  Filmmaker and choreographer, Jo Andres, died at the age of 64, Monday, January 7, 2019.  Andres, who was married to acclaimed actor Steve Buscemi for 31 years, choreographed actor Stanley Tucci's directorial effort, "The Imposters" (1998) and directed the film, "Black Kites" (1996).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 24th to 30th, 2017 - Update #31

Support Leroy on Patreon.

LGBTQ - From Reuters:  Egypt's government is hunting down gay men and performing forced anal exams, according to Amnesty International.

----------
CRIME - From YahooNews:  O.J. Simpson is due to be released from a Nevada prison Sunday, Oct. 1st, and he is apparently moving to the state of Florida.  But Florida's state attorney general does not want him.

----------
TELEVISION - From SlashFilm:  The TV series based on David Cronenberg's infamous film "Scanners" (1981) is in development again.

----------
MOVIES - From SideshowToys:  There is a new poster for "Pacific Rim Uprising" starring John Boyega ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Early reviews on "Blade Runner 2049" are glowing.

----------
CELEBRITY - From CNN:  Emmy-winning actress and producer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, reveals that she has breast cancer.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Cesar-winner Kristen Stewart and Oscar-winner are circling Sony's "Charlies Angels" reboot, which Elizabeth Banks will direct.

----------
BLM - From APNews:  One of two lawsuits that Black Lives Matter and DeRay Mckesson are facing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been dismissed.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  The Disney Channel will produce a TV movie remake of Disney's popular 1993 film, "Hocus Pocus."  The long-rumored "Hocus Pocus 2" is apparently not happening.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Spike is cancelling its TV series adaptation of the Stephen King novella, "The Mist," after one season. [I found the show unwatchable. - Ed.]

----------
TELEVISION - From EOnline:  Meghan McCain, a TV political commentator, is reportedly joining the ABC morning talker, "The View."  McCain is the daughter of United States Senator and former Vietnam prison of war, Sen. John McCain.

----------
SPORTS - From TVGuide:  Justin Timberlake will reportedly headline the halftime show for Super Bowl 52.

----------
LGBTQ - From ViceNews:  Trump's Department of Justice wants to make being gay a fireable offense.

----------
SPORTS - From Truthout:  NFL quaterback Colin Kaepernick has won a "long victory."

----------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  James Cameron says "Terminator 6" will be a direct sequel to 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Action movie star turned Vladimir Putin-toady, Steven Seagal, criticizes NFL players for "National Anthem" protests.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  A sequel to the smash hit horror film, "IT," is scheduled to land in theaters September 2019.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  The super-team of Leo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese reunite for a film about Teddy Roosevelt.

----------
MOVIES:  From ThePlaylist:  "Avatar" sequels (#2 to #5) begin shooting with a $1 billion price tag.

----------
BLM - From YesMagazines:  A black woman explains "white privilege" to a white friend.

----------
TELEVISION - From TVLine:  Tyler Posey of "Teen Wolf" is joining Fox's "Scream" Season 3.

----------
STAR TREK - From TheWrap:  Early episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery" answer questions.

----------
BLM - From teleSUR:  Any white cop can kill a Black man at any time.

----------
BLM - From HuffingtonPost:  Trump Voters think that Black people are less deserving than average-American (white people).

From NewYorkTimes:  Charles M. Blow says that President Trump is a "race fiend"

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the the 9/22 to 9/24/2017 weekend box office is "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" with an estimated take of $39 million.

----------
MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard:  A screenplay about the young Oprah Winfrey is a hot read in Hollywood.

----------
SPORTS - From TheHill:  LeBron James calls President Trump "a bum." "Going to the White House was a great honor until you [Trump] showed up!"

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  The "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" sequel adds Danish-Japanese actor, David Sakurai, to the cast.

----------
ECO - From BusinessInsider:  Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation awards $20 million dollars in eco-grants to more than 100 organizations from around the world.

OBITS:

From TheWrap:  Monty Hall, game show host, has died at the age of 96, Saturday, September 30, 2017.  He was the creator and the original host of "Let's Make a Deal."

-----------
From TheNewYorkTimes:  Hugh Hefner, the creator of "Playboy" Magazine, died at the age of 91, Wednesday, September 27, 2017.

Review: "Videodrome" Still Dazzles (Happy B'day, David Cronenberg)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Videodrome (1983)
Running time:  87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
MPAA – R
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  David Cronenberg
PRODUCER:  Claude Héroux
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mark Irwin (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Ronald Sanders
COMPOSER:  Howard Shore

SCI-FI/HORROR/THRILLER with elements of fantasy

Starring:   James Wood, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry, Peter Dvorsky, Les Carlson, Jack Creley, and Lynne Gorman

The subject of this movie review is Videodrome, a 1983 Canadian science fiction and horror film from writer-director, David Cronenberg.  Possessing elements of the “body horror” genre, this film focuses on a sleazy cable television programmer who acquires a new kind of programming for his station then, watches as everything, including his life, spins out of control.  The film received eight Genie Award nominations (once Canada’s top film award), and won four, including a best director honor for Cronenberg (who shared the win with Bob Clark of A Christmas Story).

Although the term “visionary director” is bandied about so often (even more so now with so many movie reviewers and film critics crowding information space via the Internet, print, and televised media), Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg is truly a visionary as displayed in his film Videodrome.

Max Renn (James Woods) is a low-level cable TV operator who runs a television station and is looking for new material when he stumbles upon a kind of “snuff film” and porno TV broadcast called Videodrome.  Max wants to acquire the rights to Videodrome, but has a hard time finding out who owns the rights or from where exactly the program’s signal originates.  He finally discovers the creator of Videodrome, only to learn there is a larger conspiracy involved, and that watching Videodrome also causes the viewer to experience strange hallucinations.

The film has the usual characteristics of a Cronenberg production:  bodily invasion and penetration, body alteration, hallucinations, rape paranoia, and altered realities.  While certainly heavy with sci-fi and horror themes, Videodrome is firmly rooted in everyday reality.  The film deals with how television and video images can physically, as well as mentally, alter and affect the human body.  Cronenberg’s most successful experiment in this film is to make the viewer as totally lost and confused as Max Renn is.  We truly don’t know anymore than he does, and he holds no clues secretly in head from the viewer.

The film’s third act is one of the most brilliant film portrayals of altered perception, as it becomes almost impossible to say what is the real world and what is imagination and hallucination.  Even more brilliant, Cronenberg creates this sense of detachment from reality without loosing the viewer.  We may never know what is meant to be “real,” as this film draws to its shocking finale, but we can’t look away.

Videodrome does drag a little in the first act, but Cronenberg is a smart filmmaker of smart films that unveil slowly and intelligently before our eyes.  It is a dazzling examination of how TV has and is changing humanity – truly a movie masterpiece of the late 20th Century.

9 of 10
A+

Updated:  Saturday, March 15, 2014


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

Denis Villeneuve's "Enemy" Wins Canada's "Best Picture" Award

The Canadian Screen Awards honor achievements in Canadian film and television production, as well as achievements in digital media.  In 2012, the formerly separate Genie Awards (for film) and Gemini Awards (for television) merged into a single ceremony, the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Awards are presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.  This is a national, no-profit, professional association dedicated to the promotion, recognition and celebration of exceptional achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media.  The Academy describes itself as a “Unifying industry professionals across Canada, the Academy is a vital force representing all screen – based industries.”

The Academy’s Canadian Screen Awards is the annual awards show to celebrate the best in film, television and digital media.  They are part of Canadian Screen Week (March 3‐9, 2014).

The 2014 Canadian Screen Awards were presented at an awards gala on Sunday, March 9, 2014.  This two-hour live broadcast was presented on the CBC.  Actor Martin Short was the host.

The following list of winners is only a partial list, which excludes the television and new media categories, as well as most of the 2014 Special Award winners.  For a full list of winners and nominees, go here:
http://www.academy.ca/Canadian-Screen-Awards/2014-Nominees-Winners/Film

2nd / 2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS Winners (for the year in film 2013):

Feature Film Winners:

Best Motion Picture / MEILLEUR FILM (Sponsor / Commanditaire | William F. White International and Comweb Group):

ENEMY – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry, Miguel A. Faura, Niv Fichman, Sari Friedland

Best Director: ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION / MEILLEURE RÉALISATION (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Pinewood Toronto Studios):

DENIS VILLENEUVE – Enemy

Best Actor: PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION MASCULINE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE

GABRIEL ARCAND – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement

Best Supporting Actor: PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION MASCULINE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN

GORDON PINSENT – The Grand Seduction

Best Actress: PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE

GABRIELLE MARION‐RIVARD – Gabrielle

Best Supporting Actress: PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE /INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN

SARAH GADON – Enemy

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY / MEILLEUR SCÉNARIO (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Harold Greenberg Fund):

SHANNON MASTERS – Empire of Dirt

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY / MEILLEURE ADAPTATION

ELAN MASTAI – The F‐Word

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN / MEILLEURE
DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE

MICHEL PROULX – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN / MEILLEURS COSTUMES

CARMEN ALIE – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY / MEILLEURES IMAGES:

NICOLAS BOLDUC CSC – Enemy

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | The PostMan):

MATTHEW HANNAM ‐ Enemy

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE‐UP / MEILLEURS MAQUILLAGES (Sponsor / Commanditaire | M•A•C Cosmetics)

JO‐ANN MACNEIL, KAROLA DIRNBERGER, PAUL JONES – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC ‐ ORIGINAL SCORE / MEILLEURE MUSIQUE ORIGINALE

DANNY BENSI, SAUNDER JURRIAANS – Enemy

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC ‐ ORIGINAL SONG / MEILLEURE CHANSON ORIGINALE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Slaight Music)

JIMMY HARRY, SERENA RYDER – The Right Kind of Wrong – “It’s No Mistake”

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND / MEILLEUR SON D'ENSEMBLE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Deluxe Toronto):

ANDREW TAY, DAVID DRAGE, DAVID GIAMMARCO, GREG CHAPMAN, MATT MCKENZIE, PETER PERSAUD – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE SONORE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | IMAX):

ALEX BULLICK, CHRISTIAN SCHAANING, J.R. FOUNTAIN, JILL PURDY, KEVIN BANKS, NATHAN ROBITAILLE, NELSON FERREIRA, STEPHEN BARDEN, STEVE BAINE – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS / MEILLEURS EFFETS VISUELS:

ANDY ROBINSON, DENNIS BERARDI, EDWARD J. TAYLOR IV, JAMES COOPER, JASON EDWARDH, JO HUGHES, LEANN HARVEY, SEAN MILLS, STEPHEN WAGNER, TREY HARRELL – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Docs & Short Film Winners:

Best Documentary: TED ROGERS BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR LONG MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE TED ROGERS

WATERMARK – Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Daniel Iron

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Hot Docs)

CHI – Anne Wheeler, Yves J. Ma, Tracey Friesen

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DRAMATIQUE

NOAH – Patrick Cederberg, Walter Woodman

BEST ANIMATED SHORT / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE D'ANIMATION

SUBCONSCIOUS PASSWORD – Chris Landreth, Marcy Page, Mark Smith

Lifetime Achievement Award - For Exceptional Contribution to the Canadian Film & Television Industry: DAVID CRONENBERG

Earle Grey Award – For Acting: COLM FEORE

Claude Jutra Award: Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, Whitewash

Golden Reel Award:  The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones


http://www.academy.ca/awards/

2014 Canadian Screen Award Nominations Are Announced

by Leroy Douresseaux

The Canadian Screen Awards honor achievements in Canadian film and television production, as well as achievements in digital media.  In 2012, the formerly separate Genie Awards (for film) and Gemini Awards (for television) merged into a single ceremony, the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Awards are presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.  This is a national, no-profit, professional association dedicated to the promotion, recognition and celebration of exceptional achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media.  The Academy describes itself as a “Unifying industry professionals across Canada, the Academy is a vital force representing all screen – based industries.”

The Academy’s Canadian Screen Awards is the annual awards show to celebrate the best in film, television and digital media.  They are part of Canadian Screen Week (March 3‐9, 2014).

The 2014 Canadian Screen Awards will be presented at an awards gala on Sunday, March 9, 2014.  This two-hour live broadcast will be presented at 8pm on the CBC.  Actor Martin Short will be the host.

The following list of nominations is only a partial list, which excludes the television and new media categories, as well as most of the 2014 Special Award winners.  For a full list of nominees, go here:
http://www.academy.ca/Canadian-Screen-Awards/2014-Nominees-Winners/Film

2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS Nominations:

Feature Film Nominations:

BEST MOTION PICTURE / MEILLEUR FILM (Sponsor / Commanditaire | William F. White International and Comweb Group):

• LE DÉMANTÈLEMENT / THE DISMANTLEMENT – Bernadette Payeur, Marc Daigle
• EMPIRE OF DIRT – Jennifer Podemski
• ENEMY – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry, Miguel A. Faura, Niv Fichman, Sari Friedland
• THE F‐WORD – Andre Rouleau, David Gross, Macdara Kelleher
• GABRIELLE – Kim McCraw, Luc Déry
• THE GRAND SEDUCTION – Barbara Doran, Roger Frappier
• MAÏNA – Karine Martin, Michel Poulette, Yves Fortin
• TOM À LA FERME / TOM AT THE FARM – Charles Gillibert, Nathanaël Karmitz, Xavier Dolan

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN / MEILLEURE
DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE
• MARIO HERVIEUX – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• PATRICE VERMETTE – Enemy
• MICHEL PROULX – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest
• Man in the World
• JEAN BÉCOTTE – Maïna
• ANTHONY IANNI, FRANÇOIS SEGUIN – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN / MEILLEURS COSTUMES
• LEA CARLSON – The Colony
• CARMEN ALIE – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man
• in the World
• VÉRONIQUE MARCHESSAULT – Maïna
• SARAH MILLMAN – Molly Maxwell
• GERSHA PHILLIPS – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY / MEILLEURES IMAGES
• NICOLAS BOLDUC CSC – Enemy
• ALLEN SMITH – Maïna
• ANTONIO RIESTRA – Mama
• FRANÇOIS DELISLE – Le Météore / The Meteor
• PIERRE GILL, CSC – Upside Down

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION / MEILLEURE RÉALISATION (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Pinewood Toronto Studios):
• SÉBASTIEN PILOTE – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• DENIS VILLENEUVE – Enemy
• MICHAEL DOWSE – The F‐Word
• XAVIER DOLAN – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm
• PEDRO PIRES, ROBERT LEPAGE – Triptyque

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | The PostMan):
• CARINA BACCANALE – Amsterdam
• EVAN MORGAN, MATT JOHNSON – The Dirties
• JORGE WEISZ – Empire of Dirt
• MATTHEW HANNAM ‐ Enemy
• RICHARD COMEAU – Gabrielle

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE‐UP / MEILLEURS MAQUILLAGES (Sponsor / Commanditaire | M•A•C Cosmetics)
• LOUISE MACKINTOSH, PEGGY KYRIAKIDOU, SHAUNA LLEWELLYN – The Colony
• FRANCOIS DAGENAIS, TRACI LOADER – Cottage Country
• BRIGITTE BILODEAU ‐ Maïna
• DAVID MARTI, LINDA DOWDS, MONTSE RIBE – Mama
• JO‐ANN MACNEIL, KAROLA DIRNBERGER, PAUL JONES – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC ‐ ORIGINAL SCORE / MEILLEURE MUSIQUE ORIGINALE
• DANNY BENSI, SAUNDER JURRIAANS – Enemy
• KIM GABOURY, MICHEL CUSSON – Maïna
• RAMACHANDRA BORCAR – Roche Papier Ciseaux
• MICHEL CUSSON – Rouge Sang
• GABRIEL YARED – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC ‐ ORIGINAL SONG / MEILLEURE CHANSON ORIGINALE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Slaight Music)
• COLLEEN RENNISON – Down River – “Molly”
• ELISAPIE ISAAC, OLIVIER AURIOL – La légende de Sarila / The Legend of Sarila – “Far Away”
• JIMMY HARRY, SERENA RYDER – The Right Kind of Wrong – “It’s No Mistake”
• MICHEL CUSSON – Rouge Sang – “À la Claire fontaine”
• MAERIN HUNTING – Stay – “Iva / Moses”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION
MASCULINE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
• GABRIEL ARCAND – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• JAKE GYLLENHAAL – Enemy
• DANIEL RADCLIFFE – The F‐Word
• BRENDAN GLEESON – The Grand Seduction
• RAJESH TAILANG – Siddharth

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION
MASCULINE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
• JAY BARUCHEL – The Art of the Steal
• ALEXANDRE LANDRY – Gabrielle
• GORDON PINSENT – The Grand Seduction
• PIERRE‐YVES CARDINAL – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm
• MARC LABRÈCHE – Whitewash

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION
FÉMININE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
• TATIANA MASLANY – Cas & Dylan
• CARA GEE – Empire of Dirt
• GABRIELLE MARION‐RIVARD – Gabrielle
• KAWENNÁHERE DEVERY JACOBS – Rhymes for Young Ghouls
• ISABELLE GUÉRARD – Rouge Sang

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE /INTERPRÉTATION
FÉMININE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
• FLORENCE BLAIN – L’Autre Maison
• JENNIFER PODEMSKI – Empire of Dirt
• SARAH GADON – Enemy
• MACKENZIE DAVIS – The F‐Word
• EVELYNE BROCHU – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND / MEILLEUR SON D'ENSEMBLE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Deluxe Toronto):
• ARNAUD DERIMAY, BENOÎT LEDUC, STÉPHANE BERGERON – Amsterdam
• BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL, PIERRE BERTRAND – Gabrielle
• ANDREW TAY, DAVID DRAGE, DAVID GIAMMARCO, GREG CHAPMAN, MATT MCKENZIE,
• PETER PERSAUD – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• JOE MORROW, LALIT MALIK, LOU SOLAKOFSKI ‐ Siddharth
• FRANCOIS GRENON, OLIVIER GOINARD, SEVAN KORYAN, SYLVAIN BRASSARD – Tom à la ferme/ Tom at the Farm

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE SONORE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | IMAX):
• CLAIRE POCHON, SIMON MEILLEUR, SYLVAIN BELLEMARE – Amsterdam
• CLAIRE POCHON, SIMON MEILLEUR, SYLVAIN BELLEMARE – Gabrielle
• ANTOINE MORIN, CHRISTIAN RIVEST, GUY PELLETIER, MARTIN PINSONNAULT, MIREILLE MORIN, PAUL COL – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde / Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World
• ALEX BULLICK, CHRISTIAN SCHAANING, J.R. FOUNTAIN, JILL PURDY, KEVIN BANKS, NATHAN ROBITAILLE, NELSON FERREIRA, STEPHEN BARDEN, STEVE BAINE – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• GUY FRANCOEUR, ISABELLE FAVREAU, SYLVAIN BRASSARD – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY / MEILLEUR SCÉNARIO (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Harold Greenberg Fund):
• JONATHAN SOBOL – The Art of the Steal
• SÉBASTIEN PILOTE – Le Démantèlement / The Dismantlement
• SHANNON MASTERS – Empire of Dirt
• RICHIE MEHTA – Siddharth
• EMANUEL HOSS‐DESMARAIS, MARC TULIN – Whitewash

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY / MEILLEURE ADAPTATION
• JAVIER GULLÓN – Enemy
• ELAN MASTAI – The F‐Word
• KEN SCOTT, MICHAEL DOWSE – The Grand Seduction
• MICHEL MARC BOUCHARD, XAVIER DOLAN – Tom à la ferme / Tom at the Farm
• ROBERT LEPAGE ‐ Triptyque

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS / MEILLEURS EFFETS VISUELS
• LAETITIA SEGUIN, MARIE‐CECILE DAHAN, MATHIEU VEILLETTE, MATTHEW ROULEAU, MIKAEL DAMANT‐SIROIS, PATRICK DAVID, VINCENT POITRAS – Enemy
• AÉLIS HÉRAUD, ANTOINE WIBAUT, CATHERINE HÉBERT, CYNTHIA CARRIER, DAVID RAYMOND, JONATHAN LEGRIS, JOSÉE CHAPDELAINE, LOUIS‐ALEXANDRE LORD, PIERRESIMON LEBRUN‐CHAPUT, SARAH NEVEU – Louis Cyr, l’homme le plus fort du monde /Louis Cyr: The Strongest Man in the World
• AARON WEINTRAUB, AYO BURGESS, DENNIS BERARDI, EDWARD J. TAYLOR IV, JASON GOUGEON, KYLE YONEDA, MICHAEL BORRETT, MICHAEL RICE, SARAH MCMURDO, TAMARA STONE ‐ Mama
• ANDY ROBINSON, DENNIS BERARDI, EDWARD J. TAYLOR IV, JAMES COOPER, JASON EDWARDH, JO HUGHES, LEANN HARVEY, SEAN MILLS, STEPHEN WAGNER, TREY HARRELL – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• ANNIE NORMANDIN, DOMINIC DAIGLE, FRANÇOIS DUMOULIN, MARC MORISETTE, OLIVIER GOULET – Upside Down

Docs & Short Film Nominations:

TED ROGERS BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR LONG MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE TED ROGERS
• HI-HO MISTAHEY! – Alanis Obomsawin, Annette Clarke, Ravida Din
• MY PRAIRIE HOME – Chelsea McMullan, Lea Marin, Silva Basmajian
• PEOPLE OF A FEATHER – Joel Heath
• VANISHING POINT – Julia Szucs, Stephen Smith, David Christensen
• WATERMARK – Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Daniel Iron

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DOCUMENTAIRE (Sponsor / Commanditaire | Hot Docs)
• CHI – Anne Wheeler, Yves J. Ma, Tracey Friesen
• JUST AS I REMEMBER – Andrew Moir
• MARY + MYSELF – Sam Decoste, Annette Clarke
• BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DRAMATIQUE
• A GRAND CANAL – Johnny Ma
• INA LITOVSKI – Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, André Turpin
• MÉMORABLE MOI – Jean-François Asselin
• NOAH – Patrick Cederberg, Walter Woodman
• NOUS AVIONS – Stéphane Moukarzel

BEST ANIMATED SHORT / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE D'ANIMATION
• THE END OF PINKY – Claire Blanchet, Michael Fukushima
• GLORIA VICTORIA – Theodore Ushev, Marc Bertrand
• HOLLOW LAND – Michelle Kranot, Uri Kranot, Dora Benousilio, Marc Bertrand, Marie Bro
• IMPROMPTU – Bruce Alcock, Annette Clarke, Michael Fukushima, Tina Ouellette
• SUBCONSCIOUS PASSWORD – Chris Landreth, Marcy Page, Mark Smith

Lifetime Achievement Award - For Exceptional Contribution to the Canadian Film & Television Industry: DAVID CRONENBERG

Earle Grey Award – For Acting: COLM FEORE

http://www.academy.ca/awards/

-----------------------------

Review: "Nightbreed" Remains Unique (Happy B'day, Danny Elfman)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 91 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Nightbreed (1990)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Clive Barker
WRITER: Clive Barker (based upon his novella Cabal)
PRODUCER: Gabriella Martinelli
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robin Vidgeon
EDITORS: Mark Goldblatt and Richard Marden
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman

FANTASY/HORROR with elements of drama and thriller

Starring: Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, Hugh Ross, Doug Bradley, Catherine Chevalier, Malcolm Smith, Bob Sessions, Oliver Parker, Debora Weston, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford, and Kim Robertson

The subject of this movie review is Nightbreed, a 1990 fantasy and horror film from writer-director Clive Barker. The film is based on Barker’s 1988 novella, Cabal, which was originally published as hardback book along with some of Barker’s short stories. The film follows a young man wanted for murder who joins a tribe of monsters and outcasts, called the “Nightbreed,” that also hides from humanity.

Nightmares of a place called Midian haunt the dreams of Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer). His dreams tell him that Midian is the place of monsters, but his therapist, Dr. Philip K. Decker (David Cronenberg), tells Boone these dreams are the byproduct of a guilty conscience. You see, Decker insists that Boone is a serial killer, but the truth of the matter is that Decker is the real killer. He’s pinning the crimes on Boone, his vulnerable patient. A chance encounter with a raving madman, however, gives Boone directions to Midian, somewhere in rural Canada. What Boone finds is that Midian is a large and peculiar graveyard, and below its graves live strange and wondrous creatures and monsters. One of them attacks and bites Boone.

Decker’s deception leads to Boone’s death, but he arises to find himself back in Midian’s underworld, the lair of the Nightbreed. Now, he must save his new family and his girlfriend Lori Winston (Anne Bobby) from Decker’s elaborate fraud and murderous intensity. Meanwhile, the local law has gathered a gun-toting, bloodthirsty mob, and they’re on a hunt for Nightbreed trophies.

Clive Barker has stated in the past that his 1990 film, Nightbreed, was meant to be “the Star Wars of monster movies,” but disagreements with the studio producing the film meant that Nightbreed was not released to theatres in the version Barker wanted movie audiences to see. Still, what is on the screen is stylish and distinctive, and Danny Elfman’s score creates the perfect harmony for this dreamlike fairy tale. Barker’s vision of supernatural creatures and human freaks of nature living in a secret underground world (beneath a cemetery), right under the noses of normal human society is attractive to anyone with a vivid imagination or who feels vastly different from the mainstream.

The special effects and make-up effects seem dated 17 years later (as of this writing), but this concept’s blend of human drama, dark fantasy, weird horror, and social commentary (prejudice and intolerance) is worth a look by the adventurous, inspired movie lover.

6 of 10
B

Monday, June 11, 2007