Review: Netflix's "BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F" is a Delightful Surprise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 of 2024 (No. 1973) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Running time:  118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)

MPA – R for language throughout, violence and brief drug use

DIRECTOR: Mark Molloy

WRITERS:  Will Beall and Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten; from a story by Will Beall (based on characters created by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach)

PRODUCERS:  Jerry Bruckheimer, Eddie Murphy, and Chad Oman

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Eduard Grau (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Dan Lebental

COMPOSER:  Lorne Balfe

COMEDY/ACTION/CRIME

Starring:  Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Damien Diaz, Kyle S. More, Luiz Guzman, and Kevin Bacon

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is probably the closest in spirit and tone to the 1984 original film.  It is one of Eddie Murphy's better recent efforts.

--The members of the original cast that manage a return in this new film work quite well and don't seem to be hear for nostalgic purposes.

--The new characters are quite good and are worthy of returning

--Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is surprisingly really good and certainly worth a original fan's time and viewers new to franchise may end up wanting to go back and discover the original after this film.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a 2024 American buddy-cop film and action-comedy directed by Mark Molloy and starring Eddie Murphy.  It is the fourth entry in the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise, and it began streaming July 3, 2024 on Netflix as a “Netflix Original.”  Axel F finds Axel Foley returning to Beverly Hills after his estranged daughter's life is threatened.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F opens in Detroit, Michigan.  After more than four decades on the job, Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) of the Detroit Police Department is still wrecking cars and tearing up the city via his maniacal car chases in his bid to capture criminals.  He has managed to remain on the job under the supervision of his friend, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser).  Axel's latest antics, however, leads to Jeffrey's retirement.

As Axel contemplates this situation, he gets a call from his old friend, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), former Beverly Hills Police Department detective turned private investigator.  Axel has a daughter, Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), from whom he is estranged.  She has taken on the case of a young drug dealer, Samuel Enriquez (Damien Diaz), who has been accused of murdering an undercover cop.  Billy informs Axel that Jane is in grave danger

Axel flies to Beverly Hills, but he quickly discovers that Jane doesn't want to have anything to do with him.  He also learns that the young policeman, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), investigating the Enriquez case, also has a complicated relationship with Jane.  Although Axel's other old BHPD buddy, former detective and now, Chief John Taggart (John Ashton), is happy to see him, Taggart is reluctant to take on the Enriquez case.  He seems to have deferred most of it to Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon), a well-dressed cop who acts mighty suspiciously.  It will take a mix of old pals and new friends to help Axel Foley unravel a dangerous conspiracy, but will Axel do more harm than good?

This year (2024) is the 40th anniversary of the original theatrical release of Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which I recently watched for the first time in over thirty years.  Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F succeeds where the other sequels came up short, but it successfully replicates the best moments from the original film.  There are four spectacular car chases that hold the viewer's attention and don't at all seem contrived or desperate to capture the spirit of what came before it.  Plus, the “Axel F” theme (composed by Harold Faltermeyer) dominates the film's soundtrack in so many different ways that I could not help but think of the original film, which usually makes me feel good.

Director Mark Molloy gets the best out of the supporting cast, even the old guys, who look really old forty years after their debut in the original film.  Still, the script gives the classic characters much to do so that they don't seem extraneous.  Kevin Bacon is Kevin Bacon, and that usually means something quite good, as it does here.  The new characters – Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Bobby Abbott and Taylour Paige's Jane Saunders – are good enough to carry a fifth film – if that becomes a necessity.

Of course, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is about Axel Foley, and that means Eddie Murphy, who doesn't need a director to tell him how to be him.  Still, I think Mark Molly helps.  Eddie was Eddie in the Coming to America (1988) sequel, 2021's Coming 2 America (which originally streamed on Amazon Prime Video), and that time, Eddie being Eddie yielded tepid comedic results.  So I'm giving credit to the director and the screenwriters, Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten, for making Axel F something more than just another nostalgic sequel.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is surprisingly entertaining and delightful.  It is way better than I thought it would be, and I must say that I won't wait thirty years to watch it again.  I have never attempted to watch Beverly Hills Cop III (1984), of which I've heard bad things, but Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F makes this third shot at a sequel a charm.

B+

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, July 7, 2024

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

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Review: Original "BEVERLY HILLS COP" is Still Crazy and Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 of 2024 (No. 1972) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: Martin Brest

WRITERS:  Daniel Petrie, Jr.; from a story by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach

PRODUCERS:  Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bruce Surtees (ASC)

EDITORS:  Arthur Coburn and Billy Weber

COMPOSER:  Harold Faltermeyer

Academy Award nominee

COMEDY/ACTION/CRIME

Starring:  Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, Jonathan Banks, James Russo, Stephen Elliot, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Bronson Pinchot, Paul Reiser, Michael Champion, and Damon Wayans

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy-cop film and action-comedy directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy.  This year (2024) makes the 40th anniversary of Beverly Hills Cop original theatrical release (specifically December 1984).  The film was the first entry in what would become the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise.  Beverly Hills Cop focuses on a cocky young Detroit cop who pursues a murder investigation in Beverly Hills where he must deal with a very different culture and a very different police department.

Beverly Hills Cop opens in Detroit, Michigan.  There, we meet Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), a plainclothes police detective.  As the story begins, his unauthorized sting operation goes sour resulting in a disastrous high-speed chase.  Axel's reckless behavior earns him the ire of his superior, Inspector Todd (Gilbert R. Hill), who threatens to fire him unless he changes his ways.

Axel returns to his apartment to find his childhood friend, Michael “Mikey” Tandino (James Russo).  After doing a stint in prison, Mikey got a job as a security guard in Beverly Hills, California via a childhood friend of both Axel and Mikey's, Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher).  However, Mikey has gotten into something dangerous, and it costs him his life.

In spite of threats from Inspector Todd, Axel travels to Beverly Hills and visits Jenny at her place of employment, the “Hollis Benton Art Gallery.”  There, he discovers that the gallery's owner, Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), is involved in something very shady, and that he also likely had Mickey killed.  Meanwhile, Axel runs afoul Lt. Bogomil (Ronny Cox) at the local precinct of the Beverly Hills PD.  Bogomil has two of his detectives,  Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Sergeant John Taggart, trail Axel.  Can the street-smart Axel convince Rosewood and Taggart to help him discover exactly what Victor Maitland is doing?  Or will Axel end up sharing the same tragic fate as Mikey?

It has been well over 30 years since I had watched Beverly Hills Cop in its entirety.  As far as I can remember, I definitely saw it in a movie theater sometime in December 1984, likely with some or all of my sisters.  I may have watched it once or twice more before the 1980s came to an end.  In anticipation of the just released sequel, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (a “Netflix Original”), I decided to watch the first film again.  Just for starters, the film's soundtrack is still perky, although a bit quaint.  Harold Faltermeyer's score, especially the instrumental title tune/theme, “Axel F,” still seems pitch perfect for this movie, as if nearly four decades had not passed.

I wondered if I would like it as much as I did the first time I saw it, and I absolutely loved it back then.  This film made Eddie Murphy, for a few years, the biggest star in Hollywood.  Watching Beverly Hills Cop now, I feel as if I have fallen in love with it again.  Beverly Hills Cop was originally meant to be a star vehicle for Sylvester Stallone and be a straight action film.  Instead, it became an Eddie Murphy star vehicle, and a comic action film that has numerous funny moments, most of them executed by Eddie Murphy.  Here, you can see what made Murphy a transcendent star; he has true movie star qualities and loads of charisma.  Still, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton have their chances to be funny as Rosewood and Taggart, respectively.  Of course, Bronson Pinchot as the museum employee, Serge, steals every scene in which he appears.  He would go on to use this role to launch himself into television stardom.

As funny as Beverly Hills Cop is, it retains some of the edge that was probably in the early versions of its screenplay.  The beginning of the film shamelessly displays the inner city ruins of Detroit.  There are also multiple violent deaths, beginning with Mikey's, but I find that the excellent car chase scenes and gun battles are a bit of pop movie fun that balance out the poverty, deprivation, and violent firearm deaths that pepper this film.

Director Martin Brest, who made a career out of turning plain genre films into something just a bit more special, eagerly keeps his camera on his star.  Brest records every last bit of Murphy's talent, star power, and comedy modus operandi on the way to making Beverly Hills Cop a cop movie like nothing audiences had seen before or have seen since.  In spite of its sequels, Beverly Hills Cop remains one of a kind, and is surprisingly (at least to me) still crazy as heck and funny as hell.

A

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, July 4, 2024

NOTES:

1985 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Daniel Petrie Jr.-screenplay/story and Danilo Bach-story)

1985 Golden Globes, USA:  2 nominations:  “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Eddie Murphy)

1986 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Score” (Harold Faltermeyer)

The text is copyright © 2024 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 16th to 22th, 2024 - UPDATE #15

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Kevin Costner announces that he is not returning for the final season of "Yellowstone."

SPORTS - From TheNewYorkTimes:  It's okay, fellow Lakers fans. We do have 18 titles, too.

AMAZON - From THR:  Josh Gad will star in and produce with Mel Brooks a sequel to Brooks' "Star Wars" satire film, "Space Balls" (1987). Amazon MGM Studios is behind the project.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will Smith has joined Sony Pictures and Escape Artists on the sci-fi film, "Resistor."  It is based on Daniel Suarez's novel, "Influx."

MOVIES - From Variety:  Lionsgate has landed the North American rights to Francis Ford Coppola's divisive new film, "Megalopolis."  Lionsgate currently plans a Sept. 27th, 2024 release date.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 6/14 to 6/16/2024 weekend box office is Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out 2" with an estimated take of 155 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  As the final episodes of "Yellowstone," film without him, star Kevin Costner says he would return to the series "under the right circumstances.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jason Patric has joined the cast of the "Terrifier 3," the sequel to the 2022 hit cult film, "Terrifier 2."  Film on the third entry wrapped in NYC last week.

TONY AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners at the 2024 / 77th Annual Tony Awards were announced last night (Sun., Jun 16th). "The Outsiders" wins for "Best Musical."

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy provides some updates on the fourth "Beverly Hills Cop" film, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." Much of it has to do with working with Taylour Paige, who plays Axel Foley's daughter. The film is due July 3rd on Netflix.

MOVIES - From TheNewYorkTimes:  There is a chilling reason American audiences might not get to see "The Apprentice," the new movie about Donald Trump (played by Sebastian Stan) and his mentor, the late Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Canadian film and television actor, Donald Sutherland, has died at the age of 88, Thursday, June 20, 2024.  His seven-decade film career contains too many great films to name, but among them are M*A*S*H (1970), "Klute" (1971), "Don't Look Now" (1973), "Invasion of the Body Snatcher" (1978), "Ordinary People" (1980), and "The Hunger Game" franchise.  He won a Primetime Emmy for his work in the HBO TV movie, "Citizen X" (1995). Some consider Sutherland to be the best actor never to be nominated for an Oscar, but he did receive an "Academy Honor Award" in 2017.  Among Sutherland's five children is actor, Kiefer Sutherland.

From Deadline:  Keifer Sutherland remembers his father, actor Donald Sutherland, who has died at the age of 88.

From Deadline:  Remembering Donald Sutherland, a career in photos

From Deadline:  Hollywood reacts to the death of Emmy-winning actor, Donald Sutherland. Among the comments are President Joe Biden, and Oscar-winners, Ron Howard and Michael Douglas.

From Deadline:  Donald Sutherland's last major role was as "Judge Isaac Parker" (a.k.a. "the Hanging Judge") on the Paramount+ miniseries, "Lawmen: Bass Reeves."  Series executive producer and star, David Oyelowo, talks about working with Sutherland.

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From ESPN:  Professional baseball legend and Major League Baseball centerfielder, Willie Mays, has died at the age of 93, Tuesday, June 18, 2024.  Known as "the Say Hey Kid," Mays is considered by some to be the greatest all-around baseball of all time.  Mays is best known for his time with the New York/San Francisco Giants, with whom he won the 1954 World Series.  He was the National League Rookie of the Year (1951) and was a two-time National League Most Valuable Player.  Mays finished his career with the New York Meets in 1972 and 1973.  Mays also played one season in the Negro Leagues.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Dec. 24th to 31st, 2023 - Update #26

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 BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/28 to 12/31/2023 New Year's Day weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Wonka" with an estimated take of 23.9 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety: (Former) President Barack Obama has named his favorite movies of 2023.  The list includes three films produced by Higher Ground, which he founded with his wife, Michelle Obama.  Those films are "Rustin," "Leave the World Behind," and "American Symphony."  His list also includes "Oppenheimer" and "American Fiction."

MUSIC - From Variety: (Former) President Barack Obama has named his favorite songs of 2023.  The list includes "America Has a Problem" by Beyonce featuring Kendrick Lamar; "Water" by Tyla, and "My Love Mine All Mine" by Mitski.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "The Color Purple" tops the box office on Christmas Day with an estimated take of 18 million dollars.  That is the largest Christmas Day opening since 2009, and the second largest of all-time.

From Deadline:  According to updated figures published by "Deadline," "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" won the four-day Christmas holiday weekend - 12//22 to 12/25/2023 - at the box office with an estimated take of 38.8 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" (starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role) has crossed 200 million dollars at the global box office - 141.1 million at the international box office and 59.6 million at the domestic box office.

From Variety:  There won't be any official numbers for the 12/22 to 12/24/2023 weekend box office until Christmas Day at the earliest.  However, it seems that Warner Bros.'s "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" will win the weekend with an estimated take of 28.1 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy says that reprising his role as "Axel Foley" for "Beverly Hills Cop 4" was a "hard one."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate will split from Starz.  It will take its TV studio, motion picture group, and film and television libraries with it into a merger with Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp., a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company).

OBITS:

From THR:  The British stage, film, and television actor, Tom Wilkinson, has died at the age of 75, Saturday, December 30, 2023.  Wilkinson was nominated twice for an Academy Awards, "Best Actor" ("In the Bedroom") and Best Supporting Actor" ("Michael Clayton"). He won a British Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor" ("The Full Monty") and nominated three other times.  He won an Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the HBO TV miniseries, "John Adams" (2008) and was nominated three other times.  He was an acclaimed character actor in such films as "Sense and Sensibility" (1995), "Shakespeare in Love" (1998), "Batman Begins" (2005), and "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011), to name a few.

From Deadline:  The comedian, actor, musician, songwriter and composer, Tom Smothers, has died at the age of 86, Tuesday, December 26, 2023.  Tom was best known for teaming up with his younger brother, Dick Smothers, to form the musical comedy duo, "the Smothers Brothers."  The brothers are best known for their controversial comedy and variety series, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967-69), which CBS abruptly cancelled in April 1969.  Tom received two Primetime Emmy nominations, shared with other writers, including his brother, Dick.  In 2008, Tom received an honorary Emmy Awards.

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AWARDS:

From AwardsWatch:  The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture."  It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch:  The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch:  The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch:  The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards.  "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch:  The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture."  Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards.  "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture."  "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards.  "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won.  "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations.  The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023.  Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 1

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 1

Killers of the Flower Moon: 6

Oppenheimer: 5

Past Lives: 3

Poor Things: 2

The Zone of Interest: 2

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

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

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

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

MPA – PG for language throughout and some suggestive references

DIRECTOR: Reginald Hudlin

WRITER:  Kelly Younger

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

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Newton Thomas Sigel (ASC)

EDITORS:  Kenny G. Krauss and Jim May

COMPOSER:  Marcus Miller

COMEDY/FANTASY

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

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

B+

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, December 10, 2023

The text is copyright © 2023 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 Dec. 1st to 9th, 2023 - Update #24

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OBITS:

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

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

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

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

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AWARDS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 21st to 31st, 2023 - Update #29

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SCANDAL - From Variety:  Actor Danny Masterson, best known for Fox's former sitcom, "That '70s Show" (1998-2006), has been convicted on two counts of "forcible rape," seeming from incidents back in 2003.  He faces 30 years in prison, with a sentencing hearing set for August 4th.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/26 to 5/28/2023 three-day Memorial Day weekend box office is Disney's "The Little Mermaid" with an estimated total of 95.5 million dollars.

From Here:  This is a review of "The Little Mermaid" by Leroy Douresseaux.

From THR:  Actress-singer Stephanie Mills says that she can relate to the racist backlash fellow actress-singer Halle Bailey has face over playing the lead in "The Little Mermaid." When she was 17, Mills originated the role of "Dorothy" in Broadway's "The Wiz," a soulful re-imagining of "The Wizard of Oz."

STREAMING - From Variety:  Actress Kim Cattrall will return as "Samantha Jones" for the Season 2 finale of "And Just Like That," Max's revival of the beloved HBO series, "Sex in the City."  The new season of "And Just Like That" debuts June 22nd, but Cattrall's episode won't stream until August.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Prime Video Australia is remaking the British sitcom, "The Office" (2001-03) as a female-led series with comedian Felicity Ward in the role Ricky Gervais made famous in the original.  Of course, there was the NBC's American remake, also entitled "The Office" (2005-13).

ANIMATION/MOVIES - From THR: Mason Thames will star as "Hiccup" and Nico Parker will star as "Astrid" in Universal's live-action version of DreamWorks Animation's 2010 3D-animated hit, "How to Train Your Dragon." Thames starred in Universal’s horror hit The Black Phone, and Parker was last seen in HBO’s "The Last of Us."  Universal has set the films for a March 14, 2025 theatrical release.

MOVIES - From THR:  Director Penelope Spheeris talks about how falling out with star Mike Myers on "Wayne's World" cost her the gig directing "Wayne's World 2."

MOVIES - From Variety:  During his post-Cannes 2023 tour of Italy, famed film director Martin Scorsese meet with Pope Francis, and the result is that Scorsese is going to make a film about Jesus Christ.

CANNES - From Deadline:  As Cannes 2023 ends, the festival's top honor, the "Palme d'Or," goes to the film, "Anatomy of a Fall."  The film's director, Justine Triet, becomes only the third woman to win that honor.

From Deadline:  Jane Fonda gives a no-holds-barred interview at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

From Deadline:  In the first of a two-part Cannes interview with famed director Quentin Tarantino, Deadline gets a few more details about Tarantino's next film (and perhaps last), "The Movie Critic."

From Deadline: In the second of a two-part Cannes interview with famed director Quentin Tarantino, the Oscar winner talks about retirement, trying to make a James Bond movie, and working in television.

MOVIES - From ComicBook:  Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group chairman Joe Drake confirms that "John Wick 5" is in early development.

COMICS - From ImageComics:  Image Comics is pleased to announce a worldwide exclusive distribution deal with Lunar Distribution, effective with September on-sale titles (which will open for order on the Lunar site for retailers on Wednesday, June 14), for Direct Market/comic shop distribution.

CANNES - From Variety:  A white male can direct a 200-million dollar flop and get the chance to direct another film, but she as a Latina would not get that second chance says actress and now director Eva Longoria.

STREAMING - From Variety:  Today, "HBO Max" becomes just "Max." Of course, the transition is not without some glitches.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Variety:  On Christmas Day 2023, "The Color Purple" returns to theaters as a musical from director Blitz Bazawule and executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. Warner Bros. has debuted the film's first trailer.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/19 to 2/21/2023 weekend box office is Universal's "Fast X" with an estimated take of 67.5 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Fast X."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  According to Quentin Tarantino, "Rick Dalton," the character that Leonardo DiCaprio played in Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," has died - 1933 to 2023.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Where is the next generation of movie stars?

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy is circling the lead role of "Inspector Clouseau" in MGM's currently in development new "Pink Panther" movie.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Film and television actor, John Beasley, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, May 30, 2023.  Beasley appeared in such films as "Rudy" (1993), "The General's Daughter" (1999), and "The Purge: Anarchy" (2014).  He was both a regular and a recurring character in TV Land's "The Soul Man" (2012-16) and also appeared in such TV series as "Millennium," "Treme," and "The Mandalorian," to name a few.

From RollingStone:  Singer, dancer, recording artist, actress, and author, Tina Turner, has died at the age of 83, Wednesday, May 24, 2023.  Born in America (Tennessee, USA), Turner was a naturalized citizen of Switzerland, where she died.  Born Anna Mae Bullock, she rose to prominence as "Tina Turner," half of the musical duo, the "Ike and Tina Turner Revue."  As part of this duo, she was nominated for four Grammy Awards and won one.  In 1976, Tina broke away from Ike, and began her solo career.  As a solo act, she was nominated for a Grammy 21 times and won seven of them.  Turner was a hugely successful touring act as a solo artist, and she also co-authored books and appeared in several films, most famously in 1985's "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome."

From Deadline:  Remembering Tina Turner, a career in photos.

From THR:  Angela Bassett, who portrayed Tina Turner in the film, "What's Love Got to Do With It," released a statement about Turner to "The Hollywood Reporter."

From Deadline:  On her website, Beyonce posted a tribute message to Tina Turner, with whom she once performed at the Grammy Awards ceremony.

From Variety:  Irish film and television actor, Ray Stevenson, has died at the age of 58, Monday, May 22, 2023.  He portrayed "Frank Castle/The Punisher" in the film, "Punisher: War Zone" (2008).  He played "Volstagg" in Marvel Studios' first three "Thor" films.  He is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Lucasfilm Disney+ series, "Ahsoka." 

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WRITERS STRIKE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 8th to 14th, 2023 - Update #20

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "Snowpiercer," TNT's last remaining original scripted drama, is also leaving the cable network.  Season 4 of "Snowpiercer" has been completed and was to be the series' finale.  It will be shopped around to other networks.

MOVIES - From Variety:  "Variety" has a revealing Q&A with the great horror and science fiction filmmaker, John Carpenter ("Halloween," "They Live," "The Fog").

MOVIES - From ScreenGeek:  Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again ... and visit movie theater comes word that Mel Gibson will begin filming the sequel to his 2004 mega-hit, "The Passion of the Christ," sometime this coming spring.  The title is apparently "The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection."

GOLDEN GLOBES - From Deadline:  For those who care (and I don't care as much as I once did), the winners of the 2023 / 80th Golden Globes Awards were announced last night (Tues., Jan. 10th).  "The Fabelmans" won for "Best Motion Picture-Drama" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" won for "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 80th Annual Golden Globes on Tuesday night (Jan. 10th). Murphy ended his speech with the “blueprint” for up-and-coming actors to achieve success in the industry.  “I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind,” he said. “There’s a blueprint and I followed it my whole career. It’s very simple.” Murphy continued, “Just do these three things: Pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f*cking mouth.”

NETFLIX - From THR:  Netflix debuts a trailer for "You People," the new film from Kenya Barris, the creator of ABC's former sitcom hit, "black-ish."  The film stars Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, and Jonah Hill.

MOVIES - From THR:  Halfway through its production in Atlanta, Georgia, director Francis Ford Coppola's new film, "Megalopolis," is in trouble with the loss of key creative talent and the exit of its entire visual effects team.

From Deadline:  Hold up, boo!  Francis Ford Coppola says that there is no truth to the rumors of "Megalopolis" being in trouble.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: TV super-producer, Greg Berlanti, has signed a new four-year exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.  Berlanti was the architect of DC Comics' live-action TV series on The CW broadcast network.

MOVIES - From THR:   Actor Tim Blake Nelson has joined director Denis Villleneuve's "Dune: Part 2."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/6/2023 to 1/8/2023 weekend box office is "Avatar: The Way of Water" with an estimated take of 45 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Avatar: The Way of Water."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Eli Roth has not been fired as the director of Lionsgate's "Borderlands," a film based on the video game.  Instead Roth has hand reshoot duties on the film to director Tim Miller ("Deadpool") so that he can begin work on his next film, "Thanksgiving."

STREAMING - From Variety:   After premiering on Dec. 22, 2022, “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” became NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock’s first original project to make it onto Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings.  It is at #5 in an early version of the Dec. 19th to 25th, 2022 chart.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Singer-songwriter, Lisa Marie Presley, has died at the age of 54, Thursday, January 12, 2023.  She was the only child of rock 'n' roll icon, Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.  Presley recorded three studios albums, including the gold-certified "To Whom it May Concern" (2003).

From BBC:  English rock guitarist, Jeff Beck, has died at the age of 78, Tuesday, January 10, 2023.  One of the most influential rock guitarists ever, Beck was best known for his association with the bands, "The Yardbirds" and "The Jeff Beck Group."  He was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards and won eight of them.

From Deadline:  The great American cinematographer, Owen Roizman, has died at the age of 86, Friday, January 6, 2023.  He received five "Best Cinematography" Oscar nominations, including for his work on "The French Connection" (1971) and "The Exorcist" (1973).  He received the "Academy Honorary Award" in 2017.

From Variety:  Film and television actor and voice performer, Earl Boen, has died at the age of 81, Thursday, January 5, 2023.  Boen was best known for playing criminal psychologist, Dr. Peter Silberman, in three film in the "Terminator" film series, beginning with 1984's "The Terminator."  However, Boen appeared in numerous other films, including "9 to 5" (1980) and "To Be or Not to Be" (1983).  Boen also appeared in guest roles on multiple TV series, including "Seinfeld," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and "The West Wing," to name a few.  From 1988 to 2004, Boen was a voice actor, performing in almost 40 animated TV series in various genres.

AWARDS:

From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2023 / 34th Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced in both film and TV categories.  The winners will be announced Sat. Feb. 25th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 26th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The National Society of Film Critics has named "Tar" its "Best Picture" of 2023 and its star, Cate Blanchette, as "Best Actress."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "The Woman King" have tied for the lead in nominations with 14 apiece.  The winners will be announced February 6, 2023.

From Deadline:  The Black Film Critics Circle named "The Woman King" the "Best Film" of 2022.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tar" tie for "Best Picture" award.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 80th annual Golden Globes Awards were announced today (Mon., Dec. 12th).  "The Banshees of Inisherin" led the film field with eight nominations. ABC's "Abbot Elementary" lead the TV side with five nominations.  The winners will be announced January 10, 2023.

From Deadline:  The American Film Institute (AFI) has named its "AFI Awards Film" list of "Top 10 Films of 2022."  The list includes "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "The Woman King."

From THR:  The African-American Film Critics Association name "The Woman King" the "Best Film of 2022."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the "2023 Critics Choice Awards" in the television categories have been announced.  ABC's sitcom, "Abbot Elementary" leads the nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, January 15, 2023 and broadcast on The CW.

From Variety:  The 2022 / 88th Annual New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards have been announced.  Todd Field's "Tar" wins "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Cate Blanchett).  Keke Palmer wins "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in "Nope."

From Deadline:  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the "Best Feature" award at the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, one of two wins for the film.

From IndieWire:  The nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.   "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leads with eight nominations.  The winners will be announced March 4th, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards were announced a month ago.  Todd Field's "Tar" leads with five nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, November 28th.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From CBSNews:  WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from her Russian imprisonment in a one-for-one prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 17th to 23rd, 2022 - Update #17

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SDCC - From Variety: "John Wick 4" has a new trailer and a release date, March 24, 2023.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jordan Peele's latest film, "Nope," grosses 6.4 million dollars in Thursday night preview sales.  The film opens wide today (Fri., July 22nd).

SDCC - From Deadline:  What to expect at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, including a list of panels.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  A look at movie star salaries - from Tom Cruise's one million plus payday for "Top Gun: Maverick" to 20 million to Joaquin Phoenix for "Joker 2."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The sequel to the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" film (a reboot of the 1990s film series) is moving forward.  Director Simon McQuiod is returning for the sequel.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Paramount Pictures unveils first looks at actors in costumes for "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."

SCANDAL - From Variety:  The attorney for Oscar-winning director, Roman Polanski, has indicated that he will try to resolve the director's rape case (involving a then 13-year-old girl) that has dogged Polanski for 45 years.

MOVIES - From Variety:  The character, "John Wick," was originally supposed to be 75 years old ... then, came Keanu.

MOVIES - From Variety:  "Dune: Part Two" has begun filming.  Warner Bros. and Legendary have also released a synopsis and full cast list.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy will star in and Reginald Hudlin will direct the holiday comedy, "Candy Cane Lane."

BREAKING - From Deadline:  A crew member for the NBC series, "Law & Order: Organized Crime" was shot and killed early this morning (Tues., 7/19).

MOVIES - From LATimes:  Actor Sylvester Stallone tells the producers of his  Oscar-winning film, "Rocky," that he wants "what's left of my rights back."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/15 to 7/17/2022 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" with an estimated take of 46 million dollars.

From Here:  Negromancer's review of "Thor: Love and Thunder."

MOVIES - From THR:  The July 15th, 2022 issue of "The Hollywood Reporter" has a cover profile of Oscar-winning actor, Daniel Kaluuya.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple.

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 TexasTribune:  The Texas House of Representatives has released its "Robb Elementary Investigative Committee Report," concerning the massacre of 19 children at two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. They found that the "systematic failures" went far beyond the local police.

From RSN:  At a school board meeting, parents in Uvalde Texas demanded better school security and also demanded that Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo be fired.

From TheDailyBeast:  Texas's top law enforcement official, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McGraw, has said that the school shooter in Uvalde, Texas could have been taken down in three minutes.

From TheDailyBeast:  Police officers responding to last month’s mass shooting at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school never even tried to open the door to the classroom where young children were trapped with the gunman, according to a new report. 

From Jacobin:  "The Uvalde Massacre has exposed the lies that once justified police militarization" by Branko Marcetic

From Truthout:  We don’t need more evidence that police can’t be trusted.

From Truthout:   44 percent of GOP voters view mass shootings as part of living in “Free Society”

From ABCNews:  Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who survived the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, calls the local police "cowards" because of slow response to an active shooter at his school, Robb Elementary.  All of 11 students in his class were killed.

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.

From ABC:  Sources say that Uvalde police and school district no longer cooperating with Texas probe of shooting of the May 24th massacre of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

From GuardianUK:  Canada plans to freeze all handgun ownership.

From RSNWashPost:  Is it time to show the true horror of mass shooting - in pictures?

From MSN:  Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mother who rescued her two children from the Robb Elementary shooting massacre, says that a police officer threatened to arrest her if she did not stop telling her story.

From RSNTheAtlantic:  The Uvalde police chose dishonor. Where was there courage?

From RSNWashPost:  Brenda Bell:  I hid from the Texas Tower sniper (Charles Joseph Whitman) in 1966. His successors have found us all.

From RSNTheIntercept:  "AR-15s Were Made to Explode Human Bodies. In Uvalde, the Bodies Belonged to Children" by Murtaza Hussain

From RSNNPR:  The tragic history of police responding too late to active shooters.

From VICE:  There is likely bodycam footage of the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, but the public may never see it.

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 RSNAP:  The white male suspect in the Buffalo Tops Supermarket shooting, Payton Gendron, was charged with federal hate crimes on Wed., June 15th and could face the death penalty if convicted.

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

From MSN:  Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mom who rescued her children from the school shooting at Robb Elementary, says that local police have threatened to have her arrested if she does not stop telling her story.