Showing posts with label Justin Lin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Lin. Show all posts

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Star Trek Beyond to Make IMAX Debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2016


WORLD PREMIERE OF “STAR TREK BEYOND” TO DEBUT IN IMAX® AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON®

THE FIRST-EVER OUTDOOR IMAX PREMIERE EVENT WILL INCLUDE APPEARANCES BY THE FILM’S CAST AND CREW, AND A LIVE CONCERT PERFORMANCE BY THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Paramount Pictures, Skydance, Bad Robot and director Justin Lin today announced that the world premiere of “STAR TREK BEYOND” will play in the immersive IMAX® format at Comic-Con International: San Diego, in partnership with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and IMAX Corporation, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016, at the Embarcadero Marina Park South.

The red carpet event at San Diego Comic-Con, which marks the first-ever open-air IMAX world premiere, will feature special appearances by Lin and the “STAR TREK BEYOND” filmmakers and cast, as well as a live concert performance of Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s film score by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Lin made the announcement at the STAR TREK FAN EVENT, where all fans in attendance were invited.

“I am thrilled to celebrate the premiere of the film together with the fans at Comic-Con and excited for everyone there to experience Michael Giacchino’s incredible score played live,” said Lin.

Added David Glanzer, spokesperson for Comic-Con International: “We are both privileged and excited that Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Bad Robot have chosen to honor fans by having the world premiere of the next chapter of Star Trek at Comic-Con this summer.”

“What better way to show appreciation for the constant support of IMAX fans worldwide than by partnering with our friends at Paramount, Skydance, Bad Robot and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra on this ultimate Comic-Con world premiere,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment.

As a special event for this year's Comic-Con attendees, fans will have the chance to attend the world premiere of “STAR TREK BEYOND.” Details about ticket distribution will be announced prior to the 2016 convention.

“STAR TREK BEYOND,” the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In “Beyond,” the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

From Paramount Pictures and Skydance, “STAR TREK BEYOND” is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production. The film stars John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Directed by Justin Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber, and Justin Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Simon Pegg & Doug Jung.

The IMAX® release of “STAR TREK BEYOND” will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

“STAR TREK BEYOND” opens in theaters and IMAX® beginning July 22, 2016.


About Paramount Pictures Corporatio
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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Tuesday, May 3, 2016

"Go Beyond" With "Star Trek Beyond" and Win

STAR TREK FANS AROUND THE WORLD ARE INVITED TO “GO BEYOND” FOR A CHANCE TO ATTEND A FAN EVENT IN HOLLYWOOD IN HONOR OF THE FRANCHISE’S 50THANNIVERSARY

“STAR TREK BEYOND” DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN, ALONG WITH CAST AND CREW, WILL PREVIEW THE FINAL TRAILER AND PRESENT EXCLUSIVE FIRST-LOOKS OF FOOTAGE, SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCES AND OTHER SURPRISES

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Justin Lin and Paramount Pictures invite Star Trek fans to “Go Beyond” with a chance to attend an exclusive STAR TREK FAN EVENT in celebration of the series’ milestone 50th Anniversary this year and the release of “STAR TREK BEYOND” this summer.

Beginning today through Friday, May 6, 2016 fans can submit a 50-second video to the official “STAR TREK BEYOND” Facebook page and Twitter account to share how Star Trek has inspired them to “Go Beyond.” Each day, the best 50 entries will be selected to receive a ticket to the STAR TREK FAN EVENT on May 20, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the historic Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood. The highest judged video of each day will be awarded the grand prize, a fully paid trip to the event.

The one-time-only event will include the premiere of the newest “STAR TREK BEYOND” trailer, an exclusive first-look of never-before-seen footage from the upcoming film, a Q&A with director Justin Lin and the cast and crew, special guest appearances, and other surprises.

How to enter the Star Trek Beyond Fan Event Contest:

On Facebook: Fans can share their videos as a comment on the Star Trek Movie Facebook Page with the hashtag #StarTrekContest. (For the US/Canada:www.facebook.com/StarTrekMovie; Australia: www.facebook.com/startrekAU; UK: www.facebook.com/startrek.UK)

On Twitter: Fans can share their videos and tag @startrekmovie with the hashtag #StarTrekContest.

Videos must be no longer than 50 seconds. The contest is open to residents in participating countries, while fans in other countries will have other opportunities. For more information and official contest rules, visit http://bit.ly/TrekContestRules.

“STAR TREK BEYOND,” the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In “Beyond,” the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

From Paramount Pictures and Skydance, “STAR TREK BEYOND” is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production. The film stars John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Directed by Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber, and Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Pegg & Doug Jung.

“STAR TREK BEYOND” opens in theaters beginning July 22, 2016.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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Sunday, April 17, 2016

First Ever "Star Trek" Fan Event Set for May 20th

DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN INVITES STAR TREK FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO JOIN HIM, ALONG WITH CAST AND CREW, FOR A FIRST-EVER FAN EVENT ON MAY 20 IN CELEBRATION OF THE SERIES’ 50TH ANNIVERSARY AND “STAR TREK BEYOND”

SNEAK PREVIEW EVENT WILL INCLUDE A PREMIERE OF THE FINAL TRAILER, EXCLUSIVE FIRST-LOOKS OF FOOTAGE, SPECIAL GUESTS APPEARANCES AND OTHER SURPRISES

LIN TO ANNOUNCE SHORTLY HOW FANS CAN WIN A CHANCE TO BE THERE IN-PERSON AT PARAMOUNT’S HISTORIC STUDIO LOT

HOLLYWOOD, CA – "Star Trek Beyond" director Justin Lin announced today a first-ever fan event to take place on May 20, 2016 in celebration of the series’ milestone 50th Anniversary this year and the film's release this summer.

The one-time only special event, taking place at the historic Paramount Pictures studio lot, will include the premiere of the newest “Star Trek Beyond” trailer, an exclusive first-look of never before seen footage from the upcoming film, a Q&A with Lin and the cast and crew, special guests appearances, and other surprises. The Q&A will be streamed via Facebook Live.

Said Justin Lin, "As a lifelong fan of Trek, we wanted to do something special for the fans and we couldn't think of a better way to do that than creating an event dedicated to them in the year that we also come together to celebrate the series’ amazing 50th year.” 

Opening July 22, 2016 from Paramount Pictures and Skydance, "Star Trek Beyond" is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production.  The film stars John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Directed by Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber, and Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Pegg & Doug Jung.

To learn about the movie, go to http://www.startrekmovie.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/StarTrekMovie


About Star Trek Beyond
"Star Trek Beyond," the highly anticipated next installment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew.  In “Beyond," the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

"Star Trek Beyond" Will be Released in IMAX Theatres July 2016

"STAR TREK BEYOND" FROM PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SKYDANCE AND BAD ROBOT WILL BE RELEASED IN IMAX® THEATRES GLOBALLY BEGINNING JULY 22, 2016

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Paramount Pictures, Skydance, Bad Robot, and IMAX Corporation today announced that "STAR TREK BEYOND," the third film in the blockbuster franchise, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format and released in IMAX® theaters worldwide beginning July 22, 2016.

"STAR TREK BEYOND" is directed by Justin Lin and reunites Jon Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban and Anton Yelchin. Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Lydia Wilson and Joe Taslim are joining the cast. Based upon "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry, the film’s writers are Roberto Orci & John D. Payne & Patrick Mckay; and Douglas Jung & Simon Pegg. The film is produced by J.J. Abrams and Roberto Orci, and Justin Lin through his Perfect Storm Entertainment. The executive producers are Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Lindsey Weber.

"IMAX provides a one-of-a-kind movie going experience to audiences all over the world," said Lin. "I am excited to bring the newest journey into the 'STAR TREK' universe to its screens."

"'STAR TREK' is an iconic franchise and IMAX is delighted to once again be a part of its world and to partner for the third time with Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Bad Robot on 'STAR TREK BEYOND,’" said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "This space epic is exactly the type of event film that our exhibitor partners and fans around the world eagerly anticipate, particularly as it is so ideally suited to the IMAX format."

The "STAR TREK" franchise has earned more than $850 million since the release of J.J. Abram’s "STAR TREK" in 2009.

The IMAX® release of "STAR TREK BEYOND" will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Skydance Media
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create elevated, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across platforms, including feature film, television, gaming and digital. Among Skydance Media’s commercially and critically successful feature films are Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, World War Z, Jack Reacher, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Star Trek Into Darkness and True Grit. Its 2015 feature films, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Terminator Genisys, together grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Skydance’s future feature film slate includes Star Trek Beyond, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Geostorm. The Company’s current television series are the Emmy-nominated Grace and Frankie on Netflix and the Emmy-winning Manhattan on WGN America.

About Bad Robot
Bad Robot was formed by filmmaker J.J. Abrams in 2001. The company has produced television series such as ALIAS, LOST, FRINGE, PERSON OF INTEREST, feature films such as CLOVERFIELD, STAR TREK, SUPER 8, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS,  MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION, the upcoming STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, STAR TREK: BEYOND, and interactive content including the mobile app ACTION MOVIE FX. Bad Robot’s first foray into publishing, S., a novel conceived by Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, was a New York Times Best Seller. Bad Robot is based in Los Angeles and can be followed at twitter.com/bad_robot.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX), an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of September 30, 2015, there were 1,008 IMAX theatres (887 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 102 institutions) in 66 countries. On Oct. 8, 2015, shares of IMAX China, a subsidiary of IMAX Corp., began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

"Star Trek Beyond" Cast Announce a Chance to Win a Walk-on Role

STAR TREK BEYOND CAST UNITES TO BRING AUDIENCES THE ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE: A CHANCE TO APPEAR IN THE UPCOMING FILM
Cast Members Announce “STAR TREK: TO BOLDLY GO” Campaign Benefitting the Cast’s Choice of Nine Global Causes

Beginning Today, Fans Can Visit Omaze.com/StarTrek to Enter for a Chance to Win!

View Cast Launch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-COeaGn5x0


HOLLYWOOD, CA – In an unprecedented event, the cast of the Star Trek film franchise has created a unique philanthropic initiative in partnership with Omaze. The Star Trek: To Boldly Go campaign will support the cast’s personal selection of nine global causes, which will each receive equal portions of the funds raised when fans enter for a chance to win a walk-on role in director Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond, the third film in the blockbuster franchise, released on July 8, 2016. The campaign runs from 12:01 a.m. PST on July 14th until 11:59 p.m. PST September 1st.

To coincide with the campaign’s launch, cast members John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba recorded a special video message on the iconic Starship Enterprise bridge set. The video, released today, kicked off production and features the cast inviting fans to make franchise history as the first fans to ever win a walk-on role in a Star Trek movie. For each $10 contribution made through the Omaze fundraising platform, eligible participants will be automatically entered for a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Check out the launch video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-COeaGn5x0

The Star Trek: To Boldly Go Grand Prize winner and a guest will:

  • Fly to Vancouver and stay in a 4-star hotel
  • Go behind the scenes of Star Trek Beyond, hang with the cast, and experience the filming of the movie
  • Be transformed by hair, makeup and costume teams into a Star Trek character and filmed for a scene in Star Trek Beyond

In addition to the Grand Prize Winner, six additional winners will be randomly selected throughout the campaign to form the honorary “Star Trek: To Boldly Go” crew. Star Trek: To Boldly Go is the first Omaze campaign to have winners every week.

The Star Trek: To Boldly Go Crew will:

  • Visit the closed set and meet the cast of Star Trek Beyond
  • Be among the first to see scenes from the latest film
  • Travel to Vancouver

“Omaze is excited to bring this truly once-in-a-lifetime experience to Star Trek fans around the world,” said Ryan Cummins, Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “We are proud to give fans the chance to live out their dream experience while simultaneously helping nine great causes. By allowing anyone to enter for just $10, we are seeing the power our community has in making an impact around the world.”

By donating directly to Omaze.com/StarTrek, fans will be supporting these nine global causes:

  1. Brave Beginnings, an organization dedicated to ensuring that ventilators and life-saving neonatal equipment are always available to newborns in critical need. Nominated by Zoë Saldana.
  2. Camp Sunshine, a place where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families can regroup, reenergize, and restore hope for the future. Nominated by Anton Yelchin.
  3. Direct Relief International, one of the premiere disaster relief organizations that operates world­wide. Nominated by Zachary Quinto.
  4. Heaven Homes, an organization helping establish children's homes and centers, while providing secure, safe and loving environments where children can be nurtured to realize their full potential. Nominated by Idris Elba.
  5. KidsCan, an organization that provides food, clothing and healthcare to disadvantaged youth in New Zealand. Nominated by Karl Urban.
  6. Koreatown Youth & Community Center, an organization serving the evolving needs of the Korean American population in the greater Los Angeles area as well as the multiethnic Koreatown community. Nominated by John Cho.
  7. Make-A-Wish, whose remarkable work is making wishes come true every day for children suffering from life­threatening illnesses. Nominated by Chris Pine.
  8. Time is Precious, an organization helping to create a more comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for children, which in return helps assist with their treatment and recovery. Nominated by Simon Pegg.
  9. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an organization that is leading the way in advancing cures for childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Nominated by Susan Nimoy in honor of Leonard Nimoy.

In addition, fans who donate set amounts larger than $10 can receive special limited edition Star Trek rewards including t-shirts, posters, a cast-autographed red shirt, an advanced private screening of Star Trek Beyond, and a replica Captain’s chair.

Visit Omaze.com/StarTrek to learn more about this new initiative. “Live long and prosper.”


ABOUT OMAZE
Founded by writer/filmmakers and friends from college, Matt Pohlson and Ryan Cummins, Omaze is an online social good platform that gives anyone the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences that also support social missions. Omaze offers its community of donors transformative experiences, remarkable causes and compelling content. For more information, please visit www.omaze.com.

ABOUT PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

Star Trek: To Boldly Go Restrictions and Limitations
No purchase necessary to enter or win.  Void where prohibited.  Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age or the age of majority in your domicile, to enter and a resident of Argentina, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, USA, or the UK, and not a resident of Belgium, Italy, Malta, Singapore, or Thailand.  Residents of Australia, Brazil, China and the Republic of Korea are not prohibited from participating, but local rules and laws may restrict or prohibit the award of certain prizes or impose additional restrictions on participation.

Rewards are separate from sweepstakes prizes.  Rewards are limited in quantity. Odds of winning depend on number of entries. For free entry: (i) send post card to Sponsor at P.O. Box 866, 9942 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA, USA 90232 by applicable mail date; or (ii) visitwww.Omaze.com/StarTrek.  Entrants may receive additional entries via Facebook.  Maximum number of entries: 1,000,000 per Entrant.  Travel and accommodations are at Sponsor’s discretion and subject to availability and change.  Winner and Guest may be required to pass a background screening or security check, to receive the prize and/or reward. Visa conditions may apply. All taxes are Winner’s responsibility. Not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook®.  Residents of certain territories may be required to successfully complete a trivia question to qualify.  For full entry requirements, details, limitations and restrictions see Official rules at www.Omaze.com/StarTrek. Sole Sponsor: Omaze, Inc., P.O. Box 866, 9942 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA, USA 90232.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

322 People Invited to Join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

ACADEMY INVITES 322 TO MEMBERSHIP

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 322 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.  Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2015.

“It’s gratifying to acknowledge the extraordinary range of talent in our industry,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.  “This year, our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization.”

The 2015 invitees are:

Actors
Elizabeth Banks – “Love & Mercy,” “The Hunger Games”
Choi Min-sik– “Lucy,” “Oldboy”
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Martin Freeman – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Hot Fuzz”
Heather Graham – “The Hangover,” “Boogie Nights”
Tom Hardy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Inception”
Kevin Hart – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Ride Along”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything,” “Like Crazy”
Stephen Lang – “Avatar,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats”
Jodi Long – “A Picture of You,” “Beginners”
John Carroll Lynch – “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Beyond the Lights,” “Belle”
Denis O’Hare – “Milk,” “Michael Clayton”
Michael O’Neill – “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Transformers”
David Oyelowo – “Selma,” “A Most Violent Year”
Dev Patel – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl,” “Pride & Prejudice”
Chris Pine – “Into the Woods,” “Star Trek”
Daniel Radcliffe – “Kill Your Darlings,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything,” “Les Misérables”
Jason Segel – “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Muppets”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash,” “Juno”
Sonny Skyhawk – “Geronimo: An American Legend,” “Young Guns II”
Song Kang-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “The Host”
Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Help”

Casting Directors
Lucy Bevan – “Cinderella,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Victoria Burrows – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “King Kong”
Aisha Coley – “Selma,” “Beyond the Lights”
Patricia DiCerto – “Blue Jasmine,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Mary Hidalgo – “The Lego Movie,” “The Incredibles”
Roger Mussenden – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Get Smart”
Lucie Robitaille – “Incendies,” “The Barbarian Invasions”
Luis San Narciso – “The Skin I Live In,” “The Sea Inside”
April Webster – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek”
Tricia Wood – “Woman in Gold,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”

Cinematographers
Christopher Blauvelt – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “The Bling Ring”
Adriano Goldman – “August: Osage County,” “Jane Eyre”
Ben Kasulke – “Laggies,” “Safety Not Guaranteed”
Ryszard Lenczewski – “Ida,” “Margaret”
Jody Lee Lipes – “Ballet 422,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Sharone Meir – “Whiplash,” “Mean Creek”
Rachel Morrison – “Cake,” “Fruitvale Station”
Tristan Oliver – “ParaNorman,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Hoyte Van Hoytema – “Interstellar,” “Her”
Roman Vasyanov – “Fury,” “End of Watch”
Łukasz Żal – “Ida,” “Joanna”

Costume Designers
Kasia Walicka Maimone – “Foxcatcher,” “Moonrise Kingdom”
Francesca Livia Sartori – “Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy,” “When the Night”
Jany Temime – “Gravity,” “Skyfall”

Designers
Ramsey Avery – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Gae Buckley – “The Book of Eli,” “He’s Just Not That into You”
Keith Brian Burns – “The Best Man Holiday,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”
Lester W. Cohen – “Fading Gigolo,” “Cop Land”
Suzie Davies – “Mr. Turner,” “The Children”
John F. Fenner – “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Darren Gilford – “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy”
Derek R. Hill – “Southpaw,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
Bryn Imagire – “Cars 2,” “Up”
Dina Lipton – “Baggage Claim,” “Love Hurts”
Tatiana Macdonald – “The Imitation Game,” “The Invisible Woman”
Dominic Masters – “Woman in Gold,” “Casino Royale”
Doug Meerdink – “Jurassic World,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”
Chris Spellman – “Paper Towns,” “This Is the End”
Patrick Tatopoulos – “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Total Recall”
Charlotte Watts – “Mr. Holmes,” “Mr. Turner”

Directors
Michael Binder – “Black or White,” “Reign over Me”
Bong Joon-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “Mother”
Niki Caro – “North Country,” “Whale Rider”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Simon Curtis – “Woman in Gold,” “My Week with Marilyn”
François Girard – “Silk,” “The Red Violin”
F. Gary Gray – “The Italian Job,” “Friday”
James Gunn – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Super”
Im Kwon-taek – “Chi-Hwa-Seon (Painted Fire),” “Chunhyang”
Stan Lathan – “Beat Street,” “Amazing Grace”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Justin Lin – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Better Luck Tomorrow”
François Ozon – “Young & Beautiful,” “Swimming Pool”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Kelly Reichardt – “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Wendy and Lucy”
Ira Sachs – “Love Is Strange,” “Keep the Lights On”
Lynn Shelton – “Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Fernando Trueba – “Chico & Rita,” “Belle Epoque”
Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game,” “Headhunters”
Zaza Urushadze – “Tangerines,” “The Guardian”
Wayne Wang – “Anywhere but Here,” “The Joy Luck Club”
Edgar Wright – “The World’s End,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
Joe Wright – “Anna Karenina,” “Atonement”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”

Documentary
Richard Berge – “The Island President,” “The Rape of Europa”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “The Invisibles”
Emad Burnat – “5 Broken Cameras”
Guy Davidi – “5 Broken Cameras,” “Interrupted Streams”
Geralyn Dreyfous – “The Square,” “The Invisible War”
Lewis Erskine – “Free Angela: And All Political Prisoners,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple”
Shana Hagan – “Misconception,” “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”
Tony Hardmon – “Detropia,” “Semper Fi: Always Faithful”
Leonard Retel Helmrich – “Position among the Stars,” “Shape of the Moon”
Pirjo Honkasalo – “The 3 Rooms of Melancholia,” “Atman”
Judy Irving – “Pelican Dreams,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”
Robert Kenner – “Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.”
Marc Levin – “Mr. Untouchable,” “The Last Party”
Jesse Moss – “The Overnighters,” “Full Battle Rattle”
Pratibha Parmar – “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth,” “A Place of Rage”
Paula DuPre’ Pesmen – “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “The Cove”
Gordon Quinn – “Life Itself,” “Hoop Dreams”
Kim Roberts – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Lost Boys of Sudan”
Richard Rowley – “Dirty Wars,” “The Fourth World War”
João Moreira Salles – “Santiago,” “Entreatos (Intermissions)”
Ondi Timoner – “We Live in Public,” “Dig!”

Executives
Carolyn Blackwood
Robbie Brenner
Lia Buman
Steve Burke
David Fenkel
Mellody Hobson
Brian Keane
Steven Paul O’Dell
Jim Orr
Mark Rachesky
Ted Sarandos
Jeff Shell

Film Editors
Craig Alpert – “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pineapple Express”
Mick Audsley – “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Dirty Pretty Things”
Pablo Barbieri – “Wild Tales,” “La Antena (The Aerial)”
Nadia Ben Rachid – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Kristina Boden – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Cake”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “Run Lola Run”
Julian Clarke – “Chappie,” “District 9”
Douglas Crise – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Babel”
Tom Cross – “Whiplash,” “Any Day Now”
Jinx Godfrey – “The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire”
Robert Grahamjones – “Brave,” “Ratatouille”
Masahiro Hirakubo – “Virunga,” “The Duchess”
Jarosław Kamiński – “Ida,” “Aftermath (Pokłosie)”
William Kerr – “Bridesmaids,” “I Love You, Man”
Nico Leunen – “Lost River,” “The Broken Circle Breakdown”
Mike McCusker – “Get On Up,” “3:10 to Yuma”
Tim Mertens – “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Barney Pilling – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “An Education”
David Rennie – “22 Jump Street,” “Office Space”
Gary D. Roach – “American Sniper,” “Prisoners”
Michael L. Sale – “We’re the Millers,” “Bridesmaids”
Stephen Schaffer – “Cars 2,” “WALL-E”
Job ter Burg – “Borgman,” “Winter in Wartime”
Peter Teschner – “St. Vincent,” “Horrible Bosses”
Tara Timpone – “Friends with Kids,” “Bad Teacher”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Frida S. Aradottir – “August: Osage County,” “A Serious Man”
Victoria Down – “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Frances Hannon – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The King’s Speech”
Todd Kleitsch – “Run All Night,” “Black Swan”
Dennis Liddiard – “Foxcatcher,” “Jobs”
Jerry Popolis – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Noah”
Janine Rath-Thompson – “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Bridesmaids”
Johnny Villanueva – “The Gambler,” “The Fighter”
David White – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “La Vie en Rose”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “An Education”

Members-at-Large
Andy Armstrong
Wayne Billheimer
Kevin Brownlow
Simon Crane
Debbie Denise
Jeff Habberstad
Andy Hendrickson
Elissa M. Rashkin Loparco
Guido Quaroni
Nicole Scalise
Steven J. Scott
Leon D. Silverman
Gregg Smrz
Lynda Ellenshaw Thompson
Steve Venezia

Music
Tyler Bates – “John Wick,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Alex Gibson – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight”
Jonny Greenwood – “Inherent Vice,” “The Master”
Dave Grusin – “Skating to New York,” “The Firm”
Alex Heffes – “Love and Honor,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Lisa Jaime – “Annie,” “Rock of Ages”
Jóhann Jóhannsson – “The Theory of Everything,” “Prisoners”
Laura Karpman – “States of Grace,” “Black Nativity”
Christopher Lennertz – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Horrible Bosses”
Lonnie Lynn – “Selma,” “Freedom Writers”
Chris McGeary – “Jersey Boys,” “RoboCop”
Sergio Mendes – “Rio 2,” “Rio”
Daniel Pinder – “Big Hero 6,” “Captain Phillips”
Trent Reznor – “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Atticus Ross – “Love & Mercy,” “The Social Network”
John Stephens – “Selma,” “Django Unchained”
Marc Streitenfeld – “Poltergeist,” “Prometheus”
Erica Weis – “Spy,” “The Heat”
Gary Yershon – “Mr. Turner,” “Another Year”

Producers
Caroline Baron – “Capote,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Effie T. Brown – “Dear White People,” “Real Women Have Curves”
Terence Chang – “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” “Face/Off”
Wyck Godfrey – “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Twilight”
Jeremy Kleiner – “Selma,” “12 Years a Slave”
Pamela Koffler – “Still Alice,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Gina Kwon – “Camp X-Ray,” “Me and You and Everyone We Know”
Dan Lin – “The Lego Movie,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Eric Newman – “RoboCop,” “Children of Men”
Bruna Papandrea – “Wild,” “All Good Things”
Lydia Dean Pilcher – “Cutie and the Boxer,” “The Darjeeling Limited”
Rebecca Yeldham – “On the Road,” “The Kite Runner”

Public Relations
Jennifer Allen
Asad Ayaz
Dawn Baillie
Andrew Bernstein
Liz Biber
Mara Buxbaum
Lee Ginsberg
R. Jeff Hill
Michelle Hooper
Chris Libby
Susan Norget
Lewis Oberlander
Gordon Paddison
Elias Plishner
David Pollick
Weiman Seid
LeeAnne Stables
Ryan Stankevich
Bonnie Voland

Short Films and Feature Animation
Alan Barillaro – “Brave,” “WALL-E”
Kristine Belson – “The Croods,” “How to Train Your Dragon”
Darlie Brewster – “Curious George,” “The Prince of Egypt”
Roy Conli – “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”
Ronnie Del Carmen – “Up,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
Paul A. Felix – “Big Hero 6,” “Lilo & Stitch”
Michael Fukushima – “Me and My Moulton,” “Dimanche/Sunday”
Don Hall – “Big Hero 6,” “Winnie the Pooh”
Talkhon Hamzavi – “Parvaneh,” “Taub”
Hu Wei – “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” “Le Propriétaire”
Jin Kim – “Big Hero 6,” “Bolt”
Mat Kirkby – “The Phone Call,” “Hard to Swallow”
David Kneupper – “Alex and Sylvia,” “The Civil War in 4 Minutes”
Michael Lennox – “Boogaloo and Graham,” “The Back of Beyond”
Fabio Lignini – “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Puss in Boots”
James Lucas – “The Phone Call”
Patrick Osborne – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jerome Ranft – “Toy Story 3,” “Ratatouille”
Jim Reardon – “Wreck-It Ralph,” “WALL-E”
Kristina Reed – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jason Reisig – “Home,” “Shrek Forever After”
Nicolas Schmerkin – “Habana,” “Logorama”
Anthony Stacchi – “The Boxtrolls,” “Open Season”
Isao Takahata – “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Grave of the Fireflies”
Michael Thurmeier – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “No Time for Nuts”
Marlon West – “Frozen,” “The Princess and the Frog”

Sound
Ray Beckett – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”
Odin Benitez – “Frozen,” “Silver Linings Playbook”
Ron Bochar – “Mortdecai,” “Moneyball”
Jason Canovas – “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “World War Z”
Thomas Curley – “Whiplash,” “The Spectacular Now”
Michael Dressel – “American Sniper,” “Interstellar”
Mary H. Ellis – “Vacation,” “Prisoners”
Stephanie Flack – “Jupiter Ascending,” “Ender’s Game”
Martín Hernández – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dean Humphreys – “Taken 3,” “The Pianist”
William Johnston – Vice President of Engineering, Formosa Group
Shawn Jones – “Iron Man 3,” “Drive”
Daniel Laurie – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
David Lee – “Unbroken,” “The Matrix”
Craig Mann – “Dope,” “Whiplash”
Kyrsten Mate – “Tomorrowland,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Shannon J. Mills – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
Bryan K. Pennington – “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Promised Land”
Juan P. Peralta – “Tomorrowland,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
John Ross – “Danny Collins,” “American Hustle”
Peter Staubli – “San Andreas,” “Skyfall”
Mark Taylor – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Captain Phillips”
Addison Teague – “Big Hero 6,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”
Jon Title – “San Andreas,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent”
Thomas Varga – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Immigrant”
Ben Wilkins – “Whiplash,” “Star Trek”

Visual Effects
Nicolas Aithadi – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “X-Men: First Class”
Daniel Barrett – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Stephane Ceretti – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Cloud Atlas”
Paul Corbould – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Tim Crosbie – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”
Dan DeLeeuw – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3”
Sean Faden – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Let Me In”
Joe Farrell – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Hereafter”
Scott R. Fisher – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Chris Harvey – “Chappie,” “Fast & Furious 6”
Alex Jaeger – “Tomorrowland,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Matt Kutcher – “Focus,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Andrew Lockley – “Interstellar,” “Inception”
Gray Marshall – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Carl Miller – “Jurassic World,” “Elysium”
David Nakabayashi – “Tomorrowland,” “Avatar”
Rocco Passionino – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Spider-Man 2”
Lou Pecora – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Cary Phillips – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Ellen Poon – “Frozen,” “Inception”
Edwin Rivera – “22 Jump Street,” “Moneyball”
Cameron Waldbauer – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium”
Erik Winquist – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar”

Writers
Armando Bo – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Álex de la Iglesia – “El Crimen Perfecto,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope,” “The Wood”
Maya Forbes – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
E. Max Frye – “Foxcatcher,” “Something Wild”
Nicolás Giacobone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dan Gilroy – “Nightcrawler,” “The Bourne Legacy”
Jorge Guerricaechevarría – “Cell 211,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rita Hsiao – “Toy Story 2,” “Mulan”
Simon Kinberg – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Christopher Markus – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Stephen McFeely – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Graham Moore – “The Imitation Game”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Kessen Tall – “Timbuktu”
Tyger Williams – “The Perfect Guy,” “Menace II Society”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”

Associates
Victoria Belfrage
Josh Braun
Wayne Fitterman
Sharon Jackson
Patricia Keighley
Cliff Roberts
Elyse Scherz
James Toth
Bart Walker

Seven individuals (noted above by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches.  These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

Each year, each Academy member may sponsor one candidate for membership within their branch.  New member application reviews take place in the spring.  Applications for the coming year must be received by March 24, 2016.

New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.

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Saturday, December 27, 2014

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of December 21st to 27th, 2014 - Update #10


NEWS:

From Vulture:  Idris Elba responds to Bond rumors with a clever tweet.

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From the NYPost:  Astrophysicist and "Cosmos" host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, angers with his Christmas tweet.

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From TheWrap:  "Unbroken" and "Into the Woods" explode on their Christmas Day 2014 debuts.

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From YahooTV:  Rush Limbaugh offers some clownish insight on Idris Elba (an "African-English" actor) as James Bond.

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From YahooMovies:  "Star Trek 3," the third film of the rebooted Star Trek film franchise, will arrive in theaters on July 8, 2016.  Justin Lin, of the Fast & Furious franchise will direct.

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From YahooMovies:  Sony lawyer responds to President Obama and suggests that "The Interview" will be released.

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From Variety:  The #1 movie for the 12/19 to 12/21/2014 weekend box office is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies with an estimated take of $56.2 million.  Since its debut on Wednesday, Dec. 17th, 2014, it has grossed an estimated $90.6 million.

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From YahooFinance:  Sony lawyer:  "We haven't caved."


COMICS BOOKS:

From io9:  Mike Colter is Luke Cage in Marvel/Netflix's A.K.A Jessica Jones.


STAR WARS:

From Inquisitr:  Photo purports to reveal Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys.


OBITS:

From YahooMusic:  Raspy voice singer, Joe Cocker, has died at the age of 70.  His two best known hits were a rendition of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" and the smash hit, "Up Where We Belong," which he sang with Jennifer Warnes.  The latter was the theme-song from the film, An Officer and a Gentleman, won Cocker his only Grammy Award win.


Monday, June 3, 2013

Review: "Fast and Furious 6" is Pure Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, and Clayton Townsend
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon
EDITORS: Greg D’Auria, Kelly Matsumoto, and Christian Wagner
COMPOSER: Lucas Vidal

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Elsa Pataky, Gina Carano, John Ortiz, and Shea Whigham

Two years ago, I started off my review of Fast Five, the fifth movie in The Fast and the Furious film franchise, by telling you, dear reader, that my beat up Random House dictionary defines the word “furious” as meaning full of fury, and defines the word, “fury,” as unrestrained or violent anger.

Fast & Furious 6 is a 2013 action movie from director Justin Lin and released by Universal Pictures. It is the sixth installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise. Justin Lin was able to add scenes he could not use in his previous franchise installments (for various reasons, including budget and technology), so Fast & Furious 6 is even more unrestrained than Fast Five. It is the first Summer 2013 movie I have seen that really made me say, “Wow!”

Following the successful Rio heist (shown in Fast Five), Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew have retired to different places around the world. That includes disgraced FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and his girlfriend, Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), who welcome the arrival of their first child, a baby boy.

Retirement is not to be. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) officer, Lucas “Luke” Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who was tasked with capturing Dom and company in Rio, arrives at Dom’s home with a shocker. He has a recent photograph of Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Dom’s former girlfriend and fellow street racer who is supposed to be dead. Letty is apparently working for Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a former British Special Forces soldier. Shaw leads a crew of professional criminals who steal military-grade technology.

Shaw plans to build a device that could leave an entire nation or region in the dark. Hobbs promises full pardons for Dom and his crew if they can help him capture Shaw and his gang. Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Ludacris), and Han Lue (Sung Kang) reunite with Dom and Brian in what may be their fastest and most furious heist yet.

Fast & Furious 6 takes the massive gun battles, bone-crunching fights, and reality-bending car chases of Fast Five and makes them even crazier. I thought that Fast Five proved the franchise could still surprise, but Fast & Furious 6 seems to declare that this movie franchise will always surprise. You may think you’ve seen the car chases through the city streets before in other Fast and Furious movies, but you’ve never seen them with these cars (especially the cool “flip car”), nor have you seen these crashes, with cars spinning through the air, as you will see in Fast & Furious 6.

Remember the body-slamming brawls between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson’s characters in Fast Five? Fast & Furious 6 offers the hot-chick version of that with Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano’s characters crashing into each other like angry bucks in two monster clashes of the lady titans.

But it comes down to this simply fact: Fast & Furious 6 is a joy to watch. It is another fine action movie from director Justin Lin. I laughed and cheered, and the audience that saw it with me did, too – almost as much as the audience that saw Marvel’s The Avengers with me liked that movie. Fast & Furious 6 is one of those movies that deserve to be called “the ultimate summer movie.” It has fights, non-stop action, car chases, tanks, gunplay, sleazy Euro-trash bad guys, girl fights, and guys who love cars probably more than they love girls (even if it’s just a little more). Fast & Furious 6 has all the low-brow stuff that makes an action movie good, and this action movie is quite good.

8 of 10
A

Monday, June 03, 2013

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Review: "Better Luck Tomorrow" Showed the Promise of Justin Lin

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 167 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, drug use, language and sexuality
EDITOR/DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITERS: Ernesto Foronda, Fabian Marquez, and Justin Lin
PRODUCERS: Julie Asato, Ernesto Foronda, and Justin Lin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Patrice Lucien Cochet
COMPOSERS: Michael Gonzales and Tobin Mori

CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Parry Shen, Jason T. Tobin, Karin Anna Cheung, Sung Kang, Roger Fan, John Cho, Ryan Cadiz, and Jerry Mathers

The script for Justin Lin’s film Better Luck Tomorrow attracted hip hop entertainer and current minister MC Hammer as a financial backer, and the finished film attracted MTV as a film distributor. Better Luck Tomorrow is the tale of over-achieving, but disenchanted Asian-American teens from middle class, upper middle class, and affluent backgrounds, and since early in the year, it’s gotten a lot of buzz as a cool indie flick. Predictably, however, the young male characters’ world-weariness leads to extreme violence, and isn’t that just so typical of indie films about young men.

Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) is an intelligent, bright boy with his eyes on getting into a really good college where he can study biology and perhaps later go to medical school. He’s so clean cut that he even does charity work at a hospital and heads a volunteer public clean up crew. He and his social group of upwardly mobile Asian-American teens have vague feelings of dissatisfaction. He and his buddies put their overachieving minds to the business of various criminal enterprises. They enjoy the power trip and attention their crimes bring as much if not more so than the cash they earn, but their immoral behavior soon has them stumbling into a plot that has deadly consequences.

As both editor and director, Justin Lin ably adds many filmmaking flourishes that keep his film riveting, kinetic, and mostly fun to watch. The script by Lin and his collaborators, however, isn’t very strong. The characters are cardboard cutouts, and they’re not helped by the actors’ lack of subtlety. The performers seem to have two settings – bored and (a few times) intense. Jason J. Tobin as Virgil Hu is the only actor who seems to get any mileage out of his character.

There is one thing that makes the film a bit of an oddity. It’s about Asian-Americans, and not (thankfully) about bored, spoiled rich white kids and the (tedious) dark underbelly of suburbia. A film about bored youths is almost always about young, white people. It’s as if young nonwhites don’t have lives, or at least don’t have interesting lives in this so called melting pot.

That novelty is actually not a bad thing. It actually makes the film more interesting and adds a lot to the visual flavor. It’s nice to see a film examine something from a new and different point of view. Lin deserves major credit for his willingness to bring this movie, Better Luck Tomorrow, to screen. Reservations aside, he looks, judging by the film, like he could be a very good director. Hopefully, he and his writing collaborators will also get better.

6 of 10
B

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Review: "Fast Five" Most Furious Yet


TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast Five (2011)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon
EDITORS: Kelly Matsumoto, Fred Raskin, and Christian Wagner
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Joaquim de Almeida, Elsa Pataky, and Michael Irby

My beat up Random House dictionary defines the word “furious” as meaning full of fury, and defines the word, “fury,” as unrestrained or violent anger. Fast Five is the fifth movie in The Fast and the Furious film franchise. It is unrestrained.

Fast Five picks up where the fourth movie, Fast and Furious (2009), left off. Former FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) leads an assault on a prison transport bus to free his pal, elite street racer and ex-con, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel). Brian and Dom’s sister, Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), go on the run to Brazil, where they reunite with Dom for a train heist of high-end cars. The heist goes badly, which earns them the ire and unwanted attention of drug lord, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).

Now, backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, Dom suggests they pull one last job in order to gain their freedom – steal 100 million dollars from Reyes. They assemble an elite team of racers, techs, mechanics, and weapons experts. These include Brian’s friends from his time in Miami, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Ludacris), and some of Dom’s associates like Han Lue (Sung Kang).

However, Reyes is not the only one hunting Brian and Dom. They are wanted by the FBI, which has assigned a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) officer, Lucas “Luke” Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), to apprehend Brian and Dom. The hard-nosed Hobbs never misses his target, and he leads an elite strike team on an all-out mission to capture the two men. As his men tear through Brazil and he gets closer to his targets, Hobbs learns that he is caught between desperate forces – Dom and Brian on one side and Reyes on the other.

Fast Five takes the best of the previous four movies and crams that into an action movie extravaganza that runs at just over two hours of massive gun battles, bone-crushing fights, and reality-bending car chases. I give director Justin Lin some credit because this movie does have some moments of genuine character drama with a smattering of poignancy. Still, Lin, his crew, and creative collaborators know what this franchise is about – street racing.

But Fast Five gives us more than mere street racing. This film is furious and unstrained, offering loud, over-the-top, absurd action set pieces. Why just have pretty girls when you can have pretty girls with their butt cheeks hanging out? Why have a car chase when you can have a car chase with two cars dragging a giant safe? Everything is bigger, louder, and sleeker, and much of it defies the laws of physics. This movie made my breath catch a few times.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are as cool as ever, even if they aren’t the best actors. I’m sure readers want to know if this movie is as good as or even better than the others. Whether Fast Five is better is matter of taste, and I think it is. I can say one thing for sure. Fast Five is bigger, more outrageous, and more furious than anything else in The Fast and the Furious franchise.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, May 01, 2011
 
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Friday, January 14, 2011

42nd Image Awards Nominees for Writing and Directing in Film and TV

The nominees for the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards were recently announced. The press release is long, so I’m breaking it up over several posts:

WRITING

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
• Aaron McGruder - "The Boondocks" -The Fund-Raiser (Cartoon Network)
• Daniel Chun - "The Office" -Nepotism (NBC)
• Kenny Smith - "Pair of Kings" -Where the Wild Kings Are (Disney XD)
• Myra J. - "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns" -Meet the Racist (TBS)
• Vali Chandrasekaran - "30 Rock" -Khonani (NBC)

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series
• Alexander Woo - "True Blood" - It Hurts Me Too (HBO)
• Janine Sherman Barrois - "Criminal Minds" -Remembrance of Things Past (CBS)
• Judith McCreary - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" -Disabled (NBC)
• Leyani Diaz, Vanessa Rojas - "The Event" -Loyalty (NBC)
• Shonda Rhimes - "Private Practice" -Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King? (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture -(Theatrical or Television)
• Mary King, Anna Waterhouse, Joe Shrapnel, Marko King, Jonathan Watters, Cheryl Edwards - "Frankie & Alice" (Freestyle Releasing)
• Michael C. Martin - "Brooklyn's Finest" (Overture Films)
• Michael Elliot - "Just Wright" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Rodrigo Garcia - "Mother and Child" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Tyler Perry - "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?" (Lionsgate)

DIRECTING

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
• Joe Morton - "Eureka" -Stoned (Syfy)
• Justin Lin - "Community" -Modern Warfare (NBC)
• Ken Whittingham - "30 Rock" -Anna Howard Shaw Day (NBC)
• Kevin Rodney Sullivan - "Modern Family" -Game Changer (ABC)
• Michael Schultz - "Chuck" -Chuck vs. "The Couch Lock" (NBC)

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
• Felix Alcala - "Southland" -What Makes Sammy Run (TNT)
• Millicent Shelton - "Men of A Certain Age" -Go with the Flow (TNT)
• Paris Barclay - "In Treatment" -Sunil: Week 6 (HBO)
• Seith Mann - "Friday Night Lights" -Injury List (DirecTV/NBC)
• Stephen L. Williams - "Undercovers" -Instructions (NBC)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture -(Theatrical or Television)
• Geoffrey Sax - "Frankie & Alice" (Freestyle Releasing)
• George Tillman, Jr. - "Faster" (CBS Films)
• Tanya Hamilton - "Night Catches Us" (Magnolia Pictures)
• The Hughes Brothers - "The Book of Eli" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Tyler Perry - "For Colored Girls" (Lionsgate/34th Street Films)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Review: "Fast & Furious" Faster and More Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast & Furious (2009)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based upon characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Amir Mokri (director of photography)
EDITORS: Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner

ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso, Gal Gadot, John Conley, Shea Whigham, Liza Lapira, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Greg Cipes, Brandon T. Jackson, and Sung Kang

Fast & Furious is the fourth film in The Fast and the Furious franchise, but it is set before the events of the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The plot of Fast & Furious connects with the original 2001 film and actors Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez reprise their roles from the first movie. Having them return makes it feel as if this franchise got its mojo back.

Fast & Furious opens with Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his new crew, which includes Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. A shocking murder brings the fugitive ex-con Dom back to Los Angeles looking for payback against a mysterious drug lord named Arturo Braga. Meanwhile, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), the FBI agent who 5 years earlier infiltrated L.A.’s illegal street racing underground, of which Dom was part, is also after Braga. Although he is still feuding with Brian, Dom will have to forge a new trust with the lawman if they are to have a hope of outmaneuvering the wily Braga. As they cross international lines to foil Braga, Dom and Brian are also forced to do what they do best – push the limits of what is possible behind the wheel of an American muscle car.

Even with its explosive beginning and shocking turn of events, Fast & Furious starts off slow. The character drama and set up of the plot are clunky, but the stars rise to the occasion. Fast & Furious, for the most part, is exactly that – fast and furious, so viewers will get what they expect from this franchise, but not exactly. The car chases and races are so fast and crazy that computer generated images obviously played a part in making them. The story is, overall, darker and edgier than ever before. However, Fast & Furious doesn’t seem derivative, even as part of a franchise, and in spite of some occasionally uninspired character moments, it is just plain fun to watch.

I thought I knew how much I missed Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, but I really had no idea. When they’re blazing, these two stars show us why Fast & Furious had to be and why there will be more.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Review: "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is Extra Special Fast and Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 132 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Running time: 104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for reckless and illegal behavior involving teens, violence, language, and sexual content
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITERS: Alfredo Botello, Chris Morgan, and Kario Salem; from a story by Chris Morgan
PRODUCER: Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon
EDITORS: Dallas Puett and Fred Raskin

ACTION/CRIME/SPORTS

Starring: Lucas Black, Shad “Bow Wow” Gregory Moss, Nathalie Kelley, Brian Tee, Sung Kang, Brian Goodman, Lynda Boyd, and JJ Sonny Chiba

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is an Alabama-born teenager who defines himself as the hotheaded outsider – basically a loner at his suburban high school. He’s also a hotshot street racer, and it’s car racing that lands him in trouble with the law… again. To avoid going to jail, Sean’s mother (Lynda Boyd) sends him to Japan to live with his estranged father, Major Boswell (Brian Goodman), a gruff, career Navy officer living in Tokyo. Here, Sean’s also an outsider, a gaijin, but he eventually makes a new friend, Twinkie (Bow Wow), a fellow military brat who hustles American goods such as sneakers and electronics to local youths anxious to have hot American items. Twinkie introduces Sean to the underground world of drift racing. In Tokyo, the drag racing Sean loves is replaced by the rubber-burning, automotive art of balancing speed and gliding through a heart-racing course of hairpin turns and switchbacks – drifting.

His first night at a drifting event, Sean catches the eye of his classmate, Neela (Nathalie Kelley), but Neela has a boyfriend, a local self-styled crime kingpin, Takashi, better known as “DK” (Brian Tee) or Drift King. Sean’s attraction to Neela brings he and DK into immediate conflict. DK challenges Sean to a drift race, and Han (Sung Kang), a criminal associate of DK’s, loans his car to Sean. The race finishes in a disaster for Sean who has never drifted before. However, Han takes Sean under his wings, teaching Sean to drift while Sean pays Han back for the wrecked car by working as his driver and pickup man. However, things don’t cool off between DK and Sean, and DK also has a falling out with Han. Soon, matters escalate into violence, and DK’s uncle (Sonny Chiba), an authentic Yakuza boss gets involved. To settle the dispute, Sean challenges DK to a race in which resolution will be reached man-to-man and car-to-car in the ultimate drift.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is just as much fun to watch as the previous two films in the franchise. Although it isn’t quite as good as the original, The Fast and the Furious, it may be a technically better made film than 2002’s 2 Fast 2 Furious. Director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis) loves filming racing scenes way more than he concerns himself with developing characters and narrative. I lost count of the character moments in which half or all of a scene was out of focus. Still, Lin provides enough male bonding, teen romance, youth melodrama, and family dysfunction to make us at least somewhat interested in the character scenes that are just filler between racing sequences.

And that’s what this flick is – a racing movie. The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift exists to give us the vicarious thrill of living through underground, illegal, street racing – sexy cars and dangerous, mind-numbing, brain-freezing speed. This is one of those “ultimate summer movies,” made for all the young male demographics from nine (despite the rating) to 35. If you’re older than that and know how not to take every movie seriously, Tokyo Drift will make you feel young again and want to be with all those hot Asian chicks in the film.

Best thing about this movie is that none of the racing scenes are CGI; no computers were harmed in the making of these furious races through the night streets. Lin uses professional drift racers to deliver all the races, high-speed chases, and crashes you could want, and then throws in more. He also gives Tokyo’s night life: underground clubs, backroom parlors, and smoky dens of iniquity where criminals hide a glossy, candy coating that would be right at a home on MTV. Yes, indeed, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is pure summer fun: fast cars, fast girls, fast life, and dangerous hoods. It’s the high art of junk culture, and too bad there isn’t a special Oscar for movies like this.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, June 18, 2006

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