Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 7th to 13th, 2025 - UPDATE #5

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

SCANDAL - From Variety:  After more than 3,900 industry figures - including Oscar winners Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix - signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions, Paramount released a statement condemning the widespread boycott.  Basically, Paramount says that silencing artists does not promote peace.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav says the company's split into Warner Bros. (with a new name) and "Discovery Global" will be completed by April 2026.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  It seems that Warner Bros. has joined Disney in hating on Sling TV for offering its day, week, and weekend programming passes.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Ten years after its bombed at the box office, 2015's "The Last Witch Hunter" is reportedly getting a sequel.  Lionsgate is moving forward with "The Last Witch Hunter 2."  Friends Vin Diesel and Oscar-winner Michael Caine are returning for their respective roles from the first film.  In fact, Caine, at 92, is coming out of retirement for this one.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/5 to 9/7/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Conjuring: Last Rites" with an estimated take of 83 million dollars.

DISNEY - From Variety:  Disney and BBC Studios will release the "Bluey" movie on August 6, 2027.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 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:

MOVIES - From THR:  Martin Scorsese's new film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," is a historical drama about the "Osage Reign of Terror."  However, in 1926, Hollywood's first Native American director, James Young Deer, released his film on the subject, "Tragedies of the Osage Hills."  It is one of thousands of silent films that are lost or no longer exist.

CELEBRITY - From THR:  Two-time Oscar-winning actor, Michael Caine (Cider House Rules) has made it official that he is retiring from acting.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has released a second trailer for its upcoming film, "Wonka," a prequel to Roald Dahl's beloved novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which has been adapted into film twice in 1971 and 2005.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Miramax has won the television rights to the Halloween film franchise, which is controlled by Malek Akkad's Trancas International Films.  Miramax sees this new "Halloween" franchise as potential launch of a cinematic universe spanning film and TV.  The franchise began with director John Carpenter's 1978 film, Halloween.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  In his new self-help book, "Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life," Hollywood legend and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger says that director John Milius made him do "terrible shit" on the set of his breakthrough movie, Conan the Barbarian (1982), including biting into a real, dead vulture.

ANIMATION - From Variety:  Paramount+ has set an Oct. 27th date from the U.S. and Canadian streaming debut of its exclusive feature, "South Park: Joining the Panderverse."

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Netflix will stream the second season of the animated series, "Star Trek: Prodigy" beginning in 2024. Paramount cancelled the series earlier this year. The first season will arrive on Netflix later this year.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Jerry Seinfeld teases a possible reunion of his beloved former NBC sitcom, "Seinfeld" (1989-98).  He teased "something is going to happen" related to series final episode.

CELEBRITY - From THR:  Emmy winner Jada Pinkett Smith says that she and her husband, Oscar-winner Will Smith, have been living separate lives since 2016, in an interview with NBC's "Today" show.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Currently promoting his new film, "Ferrari," starring Adam Driver, director Michael Mann says his next film will be a sequel to his 1995 classic, "Heat."

WRITERS STRIKE - From Deadline:  This afternoon (Mon. Oct. 9th), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) membership ratified its contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), bringing to a final end to the strike that lasted for nearly five months.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Pablo Larraín (Jackie) has revealed the first two photos of Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in his new film, "Maria," that will explore the life of the legendary singer, often described as the original diva.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  DreamWorks Animation is laying off four precent of its staff (about 70 positions). The reasons apparently have to do with a business slowdown, rising production costs, and the recent Hollywood strikes.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 10/6 to 10/8/2023 weekend box office is Universal Pictures' "The Exorcist: The Believer" with an estimated take of 27.2 million dollars.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Acclaimed actor and "Star Trek: The Next Generations," star, Patrick Stewart ("Captain Jean-Luc Picard"), explains why he thought that, Tom Hardy, his then young co-star in the film, Star Trek: Nemesis, would not last long in the acting profession.  In "Nemesis," Hardy plays "Shinzon," a clone of Picard produced by the Romulans.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American television and stage actor, Mark Goddard, has died at the age of 87, Tuesday, October 10, 2023.  Goddard is best known for his role as "Major Don West" in the former CBS sci-fi series, "Lost in Space" (1965-68).  He was a rising young star in the early to mid-1960s and was also a regular cast members of such series as the former CBS Western, "Johnny Ringo" (1959-60), the former ABC-NBC crime drama, "The Detectives" (1960-62), and the former CBS sitcom, "Many Happy Returns" (1964-65), before joining "Lost in Space."

From Deadline:  British film director and screenwriter, Terence Davies, has died at the age of 77, Saturday, October 7, 2023.  He is best known for his films, "Distant Voice, Still Lives" (1988), "The Long Day Closes" (1992), and "The House of Mirth" (2000), to name a few.

From Deadline:  American costume designer, Shawna Trpcic, has died at the age of 56, Wednesday, October 4, 2023.  She is best remembered for her work on the Disney+ Star Wars series:  "Anakin," "The Book of Boba Fett," and "The Mandalorian."  Trpcic was also known for her work on Joss Whedon's television series, "Angel," Firefly," and "Dollhouse," as well as on Whedon's 2012 film, "Much Ado About Nothing."  She received three Primetime Emmy Nominations for her work on the "Star Wars" series.

ISRAEL:

From CNN:  The news network's website has published a "Here's what to know" article on the unprecedented attack the Hamas has launched against Israel.

From TheGuardian:  from Patrick Wintour at "The Guardians UK": Hamas' attack has abruptly altered the picture for Middle East diplomacy. Iran wants to make it impossible for Saudi Arabia to strike deal with Israel, while others in region cannot afford mayhem in Gaza.

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ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  The movie studios via AMPTP have suspended their talks with striking actors via SAG-AFTRA.  The snag seems to be that actors want "2 precent of potential profits" on streaming.

From Variety:  SAG-AFTRA (the actors) and AMPTP (the studios) are to resume strike talks Wed., Oct. 11th, as the actors strike enters Day 88.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood studios CEOs met for strike talks for the first time since the actors went on strike July 14th. They plan to meet again, Wed., Oct. 4th.

BREAKING - From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels.

From WGAContract:  The WGA contract page has additional information on the settlement.

From WGAContract:  A summary of the new agreement.

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From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 17th to 23rd, 2023 - Update #12

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning legend, Michael Caine, is retiring again.  He says that his upcoming film, "The Great Escaper," is his final film before retiring.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Deadline:  Saban Films has released a trailer for Amber Heard's first film since 2021. Entitled "In the Fire," the film is set in late 19th century Columbia and finds a New York doctor (played by Heard) taking on misogyny, small-town superstition, and maybe the Devil.

TECH - From Variety:  Indian actor Anil Kapoor ("Slumdog Millionaire) has won a landmark judgement against artificial intelligence (AI).  He had filed a suit in the Delhi High Court through his lawyer Ameet Naik for protection of his personality rights including his name, image, likeness, voice and other attributes of his personality against any misuse including on digital media. The suit also provided various instances of misuse of his attributes.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  AMC has renewed its crime drama, "Dark Winds," for a third season, just a few weeks after the second season concluded.  The third season is scheduled to arrive in early 2025, instead of Summer 2024, likely because of the ongoing strikes.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  FXX's animated series, "Archer," which is now in its 14th and final season, will also air on the cable network, FX.  Customers of the Spectrum cable service had lost access to FXX.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/15 to 917/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "The Nun II" with an estimated take of 14.7 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO has cancelled the acclaimed series, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," after two seasons.

TIFF - From Deadline:  Director Cord Jefferson's film, "American Fiction," has won "The People's Choice" award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.  The film, starring Jeffrey Wright, is a satire of the American publishing industry its treatment of serious works by Black authors.

MUSIC/FILM - From RollingStone:  Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese offers a tribute to his friend and collaborator, Robbie Robertson, the Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and recording artist who died this past August (2023).

AI - From Deadline:  English actor, comedian, and writer, Stephen Fry, says that he has discovered that a historical documentary is using an AI version of his voice as the film's narrator - without his permission.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Peacock has released a trailer for "John Carpenter's Suburban Screams." John Carpenter, the director of "Halloween" and "The Fog," returns to the director’s chair for the first time in 13 years with this six-episode unscripted horror anthology series.  It premieres Friday, October 13, on Peacock and is an exploration of true tales of terror that took place in seemingly perfect American hometowns.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Television director and producer, Stan Harris, has died at the age of 92, Monday, September 18, 2023.  Harris was known for directing and producing live and recorded television specials for recording artists such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton, to name a few.  His TV episodes and events for Jack Benny, Milton Berle, George Burns, and the Smother Brothers, to name a few.  He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work.

From Deadline:  American television and soap opera actor, Billy Miller, has died at the age of 43, Friday, September 15, 2023. He was best known for his roles on the ABC soap, "General Hospital" and CBS' "The Young and the Restless."  Miller had received six Daytime Emmy Award nominations and won three of them.

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WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  A meeting between leading television showrunners, including Kenya Barris and Noah Hawley, and WGA leadership has been cancelled.

From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  The AMPTP says that the Writers Guild's claims that their is division in the ranks of the studios about the strike are false.

From Deadline:  The WGA (Writers Guild of America) told its members Friday (Sept. 8th) that despite the united front the streamers and studios (via the AMPTP) have shown in public during the guild’s 130-day strike, several of the legacy companies privately have expressed “both the desire and willingness to negotiate an agreement that adequately addresses writers’ issues.”

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  The writers of MTV’s "Ridiculousness" are coming closer to being unionized. The show’s writing team, which was behind over 230 episodes last year, has been going through the process to unionize over the last few months, hoping to join the WGA.

From THR:  As talks with the Writers Guild of America stall, the studio trade association, AMPTP, has retained D.C.-based firm, The Levinson Group, to pursue a fresh messaging strategy.

From Deadline:  Regarding the Hollywood writers strike, the AMPTP (representing the studios) released the details of a proposed labor agreement that it made to the WGA (the Writers Guild) on August 11th.

From Deadline:  A pair of former production assistants-turned-assistant directors have created a nonprofit in hopes of providing financial aid to PAs (production assistants) who’ve been put out of work due to the strike.

From Deadline:  Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline:  Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

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.

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Review: "TENET" May Have Been 2020's Best Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 of 2023 (No. 1928) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tenet (2020)

Running time:  150 minutes (2 hours, 30 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Christopher Nolan

PRODUCERS:  Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Hoyte Van Hoytema (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Jennifer Lame

COMPOSER:  Ludwig Goransson

Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/ACTION/SPY

Starring:  John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Dimple Kapadia, Himesh Patel, Denzil Smith, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Clémency Poséy, Fiona Dourif, Laurie Shepherd, Martin Donovan, and Kenneth Branagh and Michael Caine

Tenet is a 2020 science fiction, secret agent, and action-thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.  The film, Nolan's eleventh as a director, is a co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States.  Tenet focuses on a CIA operative on a mission to save the world, armed with only one word, “Tenet.”

Tenet introduces a CIA operative known only as "The Protagonist" (John David Washington).  The Protagonist leads a covert CIA extraction during a staged terrorist siege at the National Opera House in Kyiv., Ukraine.  After he is injured and the mission goes badly, the Protagonist is recruited by a secretive organization known only by the word, “Tenet.”  He is told that with a gesture, Tenet can “open the right doors and the wrong doors.”

He is briefed about bullets with “inverted” entropy that move backwards through time.  It seems that the man who possesses the technology to invert entropy is a Russian oligarch named Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh).  The technology has been given to Sator from mysterious forces in the future, and those forces are also sending Sator the pieces of something called the “Algorithm,” which is a threat to the present world.

Suddenly, the Protagonist finds himself surrounded by a menagerie of people he cannot quite trust or really know.  That includes the Mumbai-based arms dealer, Priya Singh (Dimple Kapadia), and Sator's estranged and abused wife, Katherine “Kat” Barton (Elizabeth Debicki).  Another is Ives (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a Tenet military commander.  Most mysterious of all is Neil (Robert Pattinson), who is supposed to be the Protagonist's “handler” from Tenet, and Neil seems to know the Protagonist in ways he does not know Neil.  Now, the Protagonist must uncover the secrets of inversion, the secrets of the Algorithm, and perhaps, even the secrets of himself.

Christopher Nolan gained many fans for his series of films starring DC Comics' Batman, known as “The Dark Knight Trilogy”: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).  However, Tenet is closer to Nolan's films such as Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), The Prestige (2006), and Inception (2010), which, like Tenet, have some combination of complex plots and character time lines, ambiguous elements, and cleverly hidden details that are open to many theories and interpretations.

Tenet freely plays with the themes of free will and determinism.  Do people really have free will, or is it better that people think that they have free will?  In the end, I think the narrative ultimately decides that free will and determinism are compatible, which is one of many reasons that I love this film.  Many secret agent and spy films offer the illusion that the hero (or the protagonist) is in control.  From the first movie in Eon Productions' “James Bond film series, Dr No (1962), the hero, James Bond, seems to have a measure of control or at least force of will to save the day or often, the world.  One can say the same of Universal Pictures' “Jason Bourne” film series.  It starts with The Bourne Identity (2002), and Matt Damon's Jason Bourne seems to exert free will all the more with each film, although his fate was determined and settled before the narrative of the first film begins.  In Tenet, free will is a work in progress, exercised within the settled plots of determinism.

I love Tenet's cast.  Either The Protagonist was tailor-made for actor John David Washington, or he was the perfect casting.  I feel the same way about Robert Pattison's Neil, and Kenneth Branagh is such a fine actor that he can make any role seem like a real person.  Elizabeth Debicki, honestly, is Oscar-worthy as Kat Barton, and Dimple Kapadia adds a delightful flavor as Priya Singh.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson is all fire, menace, and masculinity as Ives.

I had not seen a Christopher Nolan film since Inception, although I'd planned to see Tenet in a theater.  However, I was really wary of returning to movie theaters during the 2020 year of COVID-19 movie theater shutdowns, even after they reopened.  In a way, that worked out.  I got to savor Tenet on DVD as a way of prepping for eventually seeing his most recent film, Oppenheimer.

I like Tenet's trippy, surreal, time-shifting, inscrutable nature, and I like that Nolan is willing both to throw out a lot of ideas and to engage them.  For me, it is mysterious, a mystery worth losing myself in every chance I get.  As far as my opinion is concerned, Tenet is Christopher Nolan's best, most imaginative, and truly most inventive film.

10 of 10

Sunday, August 27, 2023

NOTES:

2021 Academy Awards, USA:   1 win: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, and Scott R. Fisher); 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Production Design”

{Nathan Crowley-production design and Kathy Lucas-set decoration)

2021 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Scott R. Fisher, Andrew Jackson, and Andrew Lockley)

2021 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Ludwig Göransson)

2021 Black Reel Awards:  2 nominations: “Outstanding Cinematography” (Hoyte Van Hoytema) and 1 nomination: “Outstanding Production Design” (Nathan Crowley)

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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"Tenet" Early Access Screenings Begin Aug. 31st

“Tenet” Early Access Screenings Bring Christopher Nolan’s New Sci-Fi Action Spectacle to the Big Screen, August 31st – September 2nd, 2020 Where Theaters Are Open

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In support of theater reopenings, Warner Bros. Pictures is offering moviegoers in select U.S. cities a preview program for the first global release of the summer: Christopher Nolan’s hugely anticipated action spy thriller “Tenet.” “Tenet” Early Access Screenings will begin on August 31st, 2020, three days ahead of its official September 3rd, 2020 domestic release. The announcement was made today by Jeff Goldstein, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Domestic Distribution.

    “Warner Bros. is proud to support our partners in exhibition as they reopen their doors. And there could be no better film to welcome audiences back to a true big-screen experience than ‘Tenet.’”

“Tenet” Early Access Screenings will be scheduled on the evenings of August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd, 2020 in U.S. markets where theaters are open. Tickets for those shows will go on sale on Friday, August 21st. Go to www.tenetfilm.com for available cities and showtimes.

“Tenet,” which Nolan filmed using a mixture of IMAX® and 70mm film, will be made available in large-format and premium theaters, providing audiences with the most immersive moviegoing experience.

In making the announcement, Goldstein said, “Warner Bros. is proud to support our partners in exhibition as they reopen their doors. And there could be no better film to welcome audiences back to a true big-screen experience than ‘Tenet.’”

John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi action spectacle “Tenet.” Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. Not time travel. Inversion.

The film also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, with Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Nolan wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Emma Thomas and Nolan. Thomas Hayslip served as executive producer. Nolan’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Jennifer Lame, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, and special effects supervisor Scott Fisher. The score was composed by Ludwig Göransson.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Syncopy Production, a Film by Christopher Nolan, “Tenet.” Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing “Tenet” in theaters and IMAX worldwide. The film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and brief strong language.

www.Tenetfilm.com

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 1st to 11th, 2020 - Update #43

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

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CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 and Hollywood and Beyond:

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From THR:  Universal test the bounds of premium on-demand (VOD) with the release of DreamWorks Animation, "Trolls World Tour," the sequel to its 2016 animated hit, "Trolls."  The film will also be released in the few movie theaters that remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Truthout:  Venture capitalist says that we should let "hedge funds" and billionaire CEOs get wiped out by the COVID-19 economic meltdown.  And that venture capitalist is himself a billionaire.

From Deadline:  The COVID-19 production shutdown of Hollywood has also halted production on the "Friends" reunion special that was set to debut with the streaming service, HBO Max's launch.

From YahooNews:  Veteran big rig truck driver describes the "chaos" after COVID-19.

From TheDailyBeast:  Filmmaker Tyler Perry payed for senior citizens' groceries in more than 70 stories combined in Georgia and Louisiana.  These were people who shopped during the time reserved for seniors to avoid COVID-19.

From YahooSports:  With the NBA shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard, CJ McCollum, says that some NBA players are living paycheck to paycheck.

From YahooEntertainment:  "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling, says that she is fully recovered from having COVID-19 symptoms.

From YahooNews:  U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who revealed on March 27th that he had tested positive for COVID-19, recently entered the hospital.  Now, he has been moved to intensive care.

From YahooGMA:  Disney has launched a new free website for quarantined family, DisneyMagicMoments.com.

From Truthout:  In the age of COVID-19, is it time to abolish all debt?  It's time for a "Jubilee Year."

From YahooEntertainment:  Recording artist, John Taylor, bassist for the legendary British pop band, "Duran Duran," reveals that he tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago, and he reminds fans that testing positive doesn't not always mean death.

From PageSix:  On Friday (April 3rd), Grammy-winning recording artist, Pink, revealed that both she and her three-year old son had tested positive for COVID-19

From Variety:  U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who revealed on March 27th that he had tested positive for COVID-19, has entered the hospital.

From YahooNews:  President Donald and the federal government's 14 biggest failures in response to COVID-19.

From TheWeek:  President Donald is incapable of taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously.

From YahooTheWeek:  In having Navy Captain Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt removed, President Donald is playing with "revolutionary fire" in how he handles COVID-19 among military members.

From ShadowandAct:  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Universal Pictures and MGM to move their "Candyman" remake from its June 12th release date to September 25, 2020.

From CNN:  CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin announced today (Fri., April 3rd) that she has tested positive for COVID-19.  She said that she experienced symptoms on Thursday afternoon, when "chills, aches, fever," suddenly came on her.

From Deadline:  British television writer, Dominic Minghella, creator of the comedy series, "Doc Martin" (ITV), says that he was hospitalized for five days with COVID-19 symptoms.

From CBSNews:  Daniel Newman, a 38-year-old film and TV actor who appeared in 10 episodes of AMC's "The Walking Dead" across Seasons 6, 7, and 8, has said that he was billed $9,000 for a coronavirus test.  However, the Georgia hospital that performed the test said that they could not process the test, but still billed Newman.

From YahooSports:  NFL player agent, Buddy Baker, has announced that both his parents died Sunday (March 29, 2020), six minutes apart from complications of COVID-19.

From Variety:  The All England Lawn Tennis Club has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament (which was to be the 134th edition of the tournament), the first time the tournament has been cancelled since World War II.  The 134th edition of the tournament will now be staged from June 28 to July 11, 2021.

COVID-19 OBITS:

From Deadline:  Veteran actor Allen Garfield has died at the age of 80, Tuesday, April 7, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  He impressive resume includes performances in such films as "The Conversation," "The Candidate," and "Nashville."

From Deadline:  Country folk singer-songwriter, John Prine, has died at the age of 73, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, of complications of COVID-19.  A two-time Grammy Award winner, Prine was considered one of the most influential songwriters of his generation.

From YahooEntertainment:  The actor Jay Benedict has died at the age of 68, Saturday, April 4, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Although born in the United States, Benedict worked mainly in the United Kingdom and Europe after moving there in the 1960s.  He best known work includes an appearance in James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986) and two episodes in the Brit TV drama, "Foyle's War."

From YahooSports:  Former NFL placekicker, Tom Dempsey, has died at the age of 73, Saturday, April 4, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Dempsey is best known for his time with the New Orleans Saints when he kicked a then-record 63-year field goal.

From Variety:  The actress Lee Fierro has died at the age of 91 of complications of COVID-19.  She is best known for playing the role of Mrs. Kintner, the mother of the second victim of the shark in "Jaws" (1975).

From CNN:  The American jazz pianist and educator, Ellis Marsalis, Jr., has died at the age of 85, Wednesday, April 1, 2020 from complications of COVID-19.  Marsalis was also the patriarch of a legendary musical family, which included sons, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis, who all became jazz musicians.  His two others sons are Ellis III and Mboya.  Ellis' noted students include Harry Connick, Jr. and Terrence Blanchard.

From Variety:  Singer, songwriter, and recording artist, Adam Schlesinger, has died at the age of 52, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.  Schlesinger was the co-founder of the rock band, "Fountains of Wayne."  He won three Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award.  He was also nominated for a best song Oscar for the song, "That Thing You Do," from the 1996 film, "That Thing You Do!"

MOVIE NEWS:

From Variety:   Director Luca Guadagnino says that actors Timothy Chalamet and Armie Hammer are returning for a sequel to his Oscar-winning film, "Call Me by Your Name."

From THR:  How the 1918 Spanish flu shut down Hollywood.

From YahooEntertainment:  Michael Caine said that Christopher Nolan is so secretive about his new film, "Tenet," that Nolan did not give him a full script, but only the pages he needed for his scenes.  Caine said that he shot for only a day and acted with the film's lead, John David Washington.

TELEVISION NEWS:

From Deadline:  The sixth and final season of Fox's "Empire" will end early.  The 18th episode was the last filmed before production was shutdown because of COVID-19, and it will now serve as the series finale.  It will air April 21st.

STREAMING NEWS:

DISNEY - From Newsarama:  The streaming service Disney+ has surpassed 50 million subscribers worldwide.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Late last week Disney announced that its big-budget fantasy film, "Artemis Fowl" would move to the streaming service, Disney+, although it had been meant for a post-Memorial Day theatrical release.  Disney executive chairman, Bob Iger, says a few more movies might be going directly to Disney+

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Showrunner Michael Chabon is glad that his CBS All Access series, "Star Trek: Picard" is so divisive.

From BET:  Will Smith has two comedy shows, "This Joka" and "Will From Home," to entertain in these difficult times.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actor James Drury has died at the age of 85, Monday, April 6, 2020.  Drury is best known for playing the nameless title character on the long-running Western TV series, "The Virginian" (NBC, 1962 to 1971).

From BBC:  The British actress Honor Blackman has died at the age of 94, Sunday, April 5, 2020.  Blackman is best known for several roles.  She was "Cathy Gale" on the first two seasons of the cult British TV series, "The Avengers."  She was the classic Bond girl, "Pussy Galore," in the 1964 James Bond film, "Goldfinger."  She was also the goddess, "Hera," in "Jason and the Argonaunts" (1963)

From Variety:  R&B singer and songwriter, Bill Withers, died at the age of 81, Monday, March 30, 2020.  Withers actively recorded music from 1970 to 1985, and his biggest success came in the 1970s with such timeless hits as "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Lean On Me" (1972), and "Use Me" (1972), all or which he wrote.  Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for another four.  Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 (by Stevie Wonder).

From TheWrap:  The actor Logan Williams has died at the age of 16, Thursday, April 2, 2020.  Williams was best known for his role on The CW's superhero TV series, "The Flash."  He also appeared in Hallmark's "When Calls the Heart."

From Deadline:  Visual effects producer, Rebecca Ramsey, died at the age of 53, Saturday, March 7, 2020.  Among her dozens of credits are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "The Hunger Games," and "Watchmen."

Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" Begins Filming

Filming is Underway on “Tenet,” a New Film from Christopher Nolan

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filming has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Tenet,” being directed by Christopher Nolan.

“Tenet,” which is being filmed on location across seven countries, is an action epic evolving from the world of international espionage.

Nolan is directing from his own original screenplay, utilizing a mixture of IMAX® and 70mm film to bring the story to the screen.

The international ensemble cast is led by John David Washington and also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, with Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh.

The film is being produced by Nolan and Emma Thomas. Thomas Hayslip is serving as executive producer.

Nolan’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Jennifer Lame, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson. The score is being composed by Ludwig Göransson.

Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing “Tenet” worldwide and has slated the film for a July 17, 2020 release.

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"The Dark Knight" Returns to Theaters for Tenth Anniversary

Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” Celebrates Its Tenth Anniversary with an Exclusive Limited Engagement in 70mm IMAX® Film in Select Cities

IMAX theatres in Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Toronto will showcase the film for one week only, beginning August 24th

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ten years ago, Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight” was released. Commemorating the 10-year anniversary, Warner Bros. Pictures is bringing the film to four select IMAX® locations for an exclusive, one-week engagement, beginning Friday, August 24, 2018. The announcement was made by Jeff Goldstein, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

With “The Dark Knight,” Nolan broke new ground—shooting select sequences of the movie with IMAX film cameras—making “The Dark Knight” the first major feature film to utilize IMAX 70mm film and take advantage of the format’s massive scale and increased resolution. The movie was hailed by both critics and audiences and went on to be the top-grossing release of 2008. In the years since, Nolan has continued to pioneer the use of IMAX film cameras, employing them on an even greater scale in “The Dark Knight Rises,” as well as “Interstellar” and, most recently, “Dunkirk.”

The exclusive limited engagement will offer the public an extremely rare opportunity to see “The Dark Knight” on the biggest screens possible, as it was intended to be seen—in IMAX 70mm film—offering a uniquely immersive cinematic experience.

Tickets for the opening day went on sale Friday, July 20th, with showtimes only announced for August 24th. The theatres will list additional showtimes for subsequent dates closer to release.

“The Dark Knight” will be playing for one screening a day at the following theatres:

AMC Universal Citywalk IMAX, Universal City
AMC Lincoln Square IMAX, New York City
AMC Metreon IMAX, San Francisco
Ontario Place Cinesphere IMAX, Toronto

“The Dark Knight” stars Christian Bale in the title role and Heath Ledger, who won an Oscar for his performance as The Joker. The ensemble cast also includes Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman.

Nolan directed “The Dark Knight” from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan produced the film. Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull served as executive producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film. “The Dark Knight” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane. The film is being re-released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. It was rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

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Detroit Film Critics Name "Spotlight" Best Film of 2015

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

The winners of the 2015 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards were Monday, December 14, 2015.

2015 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards winners:

BEST FILM
Spotlight

BEST DIRECTOR
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

BEST ACTOR
Michael Caine, Youth

BEST ACTRESS
Saroise Ronan, Brooklyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Liev Schreiber, Spotlight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

BEST ENSEMBLE
Spotlight

BREAKTHROUGH
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, The Danish Girl (actress)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Amy

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Paolo Sorrentino's "Youth" Named "Best European Film of 2015"

The European Film Awards recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements.  The awards are are presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy and are given in over ten categories, of which the most important is “European Film,” the best film of the year award.  The European Film Awards are restricted to European cinema and European producers, directors, and actors.

The winners of the 28th European Film Awards were announced at a ceremony on Saturday, December 12, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.

The 2015/28th European Film Awards winners:

EUROPEAN FILM 2015
Youth, dir: Paolo Sorrentino

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2015
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2015
Michael Caine, Youth

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2015
Paolo Sorrentino, Youth

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2015
Marshland, dir: Alberto Rodríguez

EUROPEAN COMEDY 2015
A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence, dir: Roy Andersson

EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2015
Amy, dir: Asif Kapadia

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY – PRIX FIPRESCI
Mustang, dir: Deniz Gamze Erguven

EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2015
Song Of The Sea, dir: Tomm Moore

EUROPEAN SHORT FILM 2015
Picnic, dir: Jure Pavlovic

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2015
Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou for The Lobster

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED:

EFA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2015
Charlotte Rampling

EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD 2015
Andrea Occhipinti

EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER 2015
Vasco Pimentel & Miguel Martins for Arabian Nights – Vol I-III

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2015
Cat’s Eyes for The Duke Of Burgundy

EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER 2015
Sarah Blenkinsop for The Lobster

EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2015
Sylvie Olivé for The Brand New Testament

EUROPEAN EDITOR 2015
Jacek Drosio for Body

EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER 2015
Martin Gschlacht for Goodnight Mommy

EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA (Honorary Award)
Christoph Waltz

HONORARY AWARD OF THE EFA PRESIDENT AND BOARD
Michael Caine

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2015 European Film Award Nominations; Paolo Sorrention's "Youth" Leads

The European Film Awards recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements.  The awards are are presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy and are given in over ten categories, of which the most important is “European Film,” the best film of the year award.  The European Film Awards are restricted to European cinema and European producers, directors, and actors.

The nominations for the 28th European Film Awards were announced in early November.  The winners were announced at a ceremony on December 12, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.

The 2015/28th European Film Awards nominations:

EUROPEAN FILM:

A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Sweden, France, Germany, Norway
Written & Directed by Roy Andersson
Produced by Pernilla Sandström

MUSTANG
France, Germany, Turkey
Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Written by Deniz Gamze Ergüven & Alice Winocour
Produced by Charles Gillibert

RAMS
Iceland, Denmark
Written & Directed by Grímur Hákonarson
Produced by Grímar Jónsson

THE LOBSTER
UK, Ireland, Greece, France, Netherlands
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou
Produced by Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey & Yorgos Lanthimos

VICTORIA
Germany
Written & Directed by Sebastian Schipper
Produced by Jan Dressler

YOUTH
Italy, France, UK, Switzerland
Written & Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Produced by Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima & Carlotta Calori

EUROPEAN COMEDY 2015
A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Sweden, France, Germany, Norway
Written & Directed by Roy Andersson
Produced by Pernilla Sandström

THE BÉLIER FAMILY
France
Directed by Eric Lartigau
Written by Eric Lartigau, Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg & Thomas Bidegain
Produced by Eric Jehelmann, Philippe Rousselet & Stéphane Celerier

THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT
Belgium, France, Luxembourg
Directed by Jaco Van Dormael
Written by Jaco Van Dormael & Thomas Gunzig
Produced by Jaco Van Dormael, Olivier Rausin & Daniel Marquet

EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2015
A SYRIAN LOVE STORY
UK
Directed by Sean McAllister
Produced by Elhum Shakerifar

AMY
UK
Directed by Asif Kapadia
Produced by James Gay-Rees

DANCING WITH MARIA
Italy, Argentina, Slovenia
Written & Directed by Ivan Gergolet
Produced by Igor Princic, David Rubio & Miha Cernec

THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Denmark, Norway, Indonesia
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Produced by Signe Byrge Sørensen

TOTO AND HIS SISTERS
Romania, Hungary
Written & Directed by Alexander Nanau
Produced by Valeriu Nicolae, Hanka Kastelicova, Alexander Nanau, Catalin Mitulescu & Marcian Lazar

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2015
Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Yorgos Lanthimos for THE LOBSTER
Nanni Moretti for MY MOTHER
Sebastian Schipper for VICTORIA
Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH
Małgorzata Szumowska for BODY

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2015
Margherita Buy in MY MOTHER
Laia Costa in VICTORIA
Charlotte Rampling in 45 YEARS
Alicia Vikander in EX MACHINA
Rachel Weisz in YOUTH

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2015
Michael Caine in YOUTH
Tom Courtenay in 45 YEARS
Colin Farrell in THE LOBSTER
Christian Friedel in 13 MINUTES
Vincent Lindon in THE MEASURE OF A MAN

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2015
Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Alex Garland for EX MACHINA
Andrew Haigh for 45 YEARS
Radu Jude & Florin Lazarescu for AFERIM!
Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou for THE LOBSTER
Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH

 Best European Animated Feature
“Adama”
“Shaun the Sheep Movie”
“Song of the Sea”

Fipresci Prize – Best European Discovery
“Goodnight Mommy”
“Limbo”
“Mustang”
“Slow West”
“Summers Downstairs”

Best European Short
“Dissonance”
“E.T.E.R.N.I.T.”
“Field Study”
“Kung Fury”
“Listen”
“Our Body”
“Over”
“Picnic”
“The Runner”
“Smile, and the World Will Smile Back”
“Son of the Wolf”
“Symbolic Threats”
“This Place We Call Our Home”
“The Translator”
“Washingtonia”

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED HONOREES:

EFA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2015
Charlotte Rampling

EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD 2015
Andrea Occhipinti

EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER 2015
Vasco Pimentel & Miguel Martins for Arabian Nights – Vol I-III

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2015
Cat’s Eyes for The Duke Of Burgundy

EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER 2015
Sarah Blenkinsop for The Lobster

EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2015
Sylvie Olivé for The Brand New Testament

EUROPEAN EDITOR 2015
Jacek Drosio for Body

EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER 2015
Martin Gschlacht for Goodnight Mommy

EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA (Honorary Award)
Christoph Waltz

HONORARY AWARD OF THE EFA PRESIDENT AND BOARD
Michael Caine


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Review: Villains Rule "Kingsman"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review first appeared on Patreon.]

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  U.K.
Running time: 129 minutes (2 hours, 9 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of strong violence, language and some sexual content
DIRECTOR:  Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS:  Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (based on on the comic book, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons)
PRODUCERS:  Adam Bohling, David Reid, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  George Richmond    
EDITORS:  Eddie Hamilton and Jon Harris
COMPOSERS:  Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson

COMEDY/ACTION/SPY/SCI-FI

Starring:  Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Caine, Sofia Boutella, Sophie Cookson, Hanna Alstrom, Samantha Womack, Geoff Bell, and Mark Hamill

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a 2015 British spy movie and action-comedy from director Matthew Vaughn.  It is based on the 2012 comic book, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, who are also both executive producers on the film.  Millar co-created the comic book, Kick-Ass, and Gibbons co-created the Watchmen comic book.  Kingsman: The Secret Service follows a street kid who is recruited into a secret spy organization.

Kingsman: The Secret Service opens in 1997 during a raid in the Middle East, in which an agent sacrifices himself to save his team.  Feeling guilt, agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth), code-named “Galahad,” visits the agent's wife and young son.  Seventeen years later, Galahad comes to the rescue of the son, Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), who is now an unemployed adult.

Galahad introduces Eggsy to the “Kingsman,” a secret intelligence agency comprised of the members of the British upper crust.  Galahad convinces Eggsy to join the Kingsman's ultra-competitive training program, but only one member of a recruiting class will become a member of the Kingsman.

Meanwhile, billionaire tech genius, Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), has hatched a plan to save the world from environmental catastrophe.  His activities draw the attention of the Kingsman, especially Galahad.  Because Galahad is his benefactor, Eggsy gets a close-up look of the Kingsman in action, but does this unrefined “street kid” have what it takes to be in this “secret service?”

As a spy movie, Kingsman: The Secret Service is more like some of the early James Bond movies, especially the ones that featured weird sci-fi gadgets.  Or maybe Kingsman: The Secret Service is what would happen if Roger Moore's James Bond became the leader of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) of the old television series, “Mission: Impossible.”

I must admit to enjoying Kingsman: The Secret Service quite a bit, but it is mostly a substance-free past-time.  As much as I enjoyed the film, I had mostly forgotten about it a few hours after seeing it.  If I watched it again, I would only watch certain scenes – mostly the fight scenes, especially the ones featuring the blade-legged Gazelle (Sofia Boutella).  There is not enough of her in this movie.

There are moments in Kingsman when it seems obvious to me that Colin Firth would make a good movie secret agent, not James Bond, but someone like Galahad.  [Or maybe that can be said about most quality British male actors.]  However, Samuel L. Jackson, as Valentine, seems to be the actor who most bought into the scenario.  He and Boutella make a great team and do a lot to make Kingsman a good movie; I wish their characters could return.

On the other hand, Taron Egerton may be an up-and-coming, young British actor, but as Eggsy, he lacks spark and charisma.  He is as flat as Sam Jackson is charismatic.  Kingsman's concept and story is ridiculous and contrived, but fun.  As the villain, Jackson is the one who most sells the movie, even more so than the actors playing the good guys.

A sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service has already been announced.  As much as I enjoyed this movie, I can't imagine the sequel working without another great villainous pair like Jackson and Boutella.  I hope they find one.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, July 14, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Production Begins on Zach Braff's Remake of "Going in Style"

Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin to Headline Director Zach Braff’s Comedy “Going in Style”

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Production is now underway on location in New York City on the New Line Cinema comedy “Going in Style,” directed by Zach Braff (“Garden State”) and starring Oscar winners Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”), Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules,” “Hannah and Her Sisters”) and Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”).

Freeman, Caine and Arkin team up as lifelong buddies Willie, Joe and Al, who decide to buck retirement and step off the straight-and-narrow for the first time in their lives when their pension fund becomes a corporate casualty. Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, the three risk it all by embarking on a daring bid to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money.

The film also stars two-time Oscar nominee Ann-Margret (“Tommy,” “Carnal Knowledge”) as Annie, a grocery cashier who’s been checking Al out in more ways than one; Peter Serafinowicz (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Joe’s former son-in-law, Murphy, whose pot clinic connections may finally prove useful; John Ortiz (“Silver Linings Playbook”) as Jesus, a man of unspecified credentials who agrees to show them the ropes; Joey King (“Wish I Was Here”) as Joe’s whip-smart granddaughter, Brooklyn; Christopher Lloyd (“Back to the Future” trilogy) as the guys’ lodge buddy, Milton; and Oscar nominee Matt Dillon (“Crash”) as FBI Agent Hamer.

Braff will direct from a screenplay by Theodore Melfi (“St. Vincent”), based on the film by Martin Brest.

“Going in Style” is being produced by Donald De Line (“The Italian Job”). The executive producers are Tony Bill, who was a producer on the 1979 film “Going in Style,” Jonathan McCoy, and Andrew Haas.

The creative filmmaking team includes Emmy-nominated director of photography Rodney Charters (“24”), production designer Anne Ross (“Lost in Translation”) and costume designer Gary Jones (“New Year’s Eve”).

Scheduled for release on May 6, 2016, the film is a New Line Cinema presentation of a De Line Pictures Production. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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Saturday, Feb. 21st, 2015 is One More Chance to See "Interstellar" in IMAX

LAST CHANCE BEFORE THE OSCARS TO SEE “INTERSTELLAR” IN IMAX®

THE ONE-DAY-ONLY “AN ENCORE OF INTERSTELLAR: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE®” WILL PLAY IN AMC THEATRES® ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21st, 2015

Paramount Pictures, IMAX® Corporation and AMC Theatres are giving fans one last opportunity to see Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award®-nominated film “INTERSTELLAR.” The critically acclaimed film will play in the IMAX® format in select AMC Theatres in the U.S. on Saturday, February 21st, 2015.

The one-day-only “An Encore of Interstellar: The IMAX Experience®” showings will take place at 3:00 p.m. local times at participating AMC Theatres and will feature more than 12 minutes of never-before-seen exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Moviegoers who purchase a ticket at a participating AMC Theatres box office to see “An Encore of Interstellar: The IMAX Experience®” can receive an additional ticket free. This special offer is only available at participating AMC Theatres box offices; online purchases are not eligible.

Tickets are on sale now. For a list of participating theaters, please visit AMC Theaters here.

“INTERSTELLAR” is nominated for five Academy Awards®: Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.

The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars.

“INTERSTELLAR” is directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.

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 IMAX Corporation
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, 2014, there were 880 IMAX theatres (751 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 110 institutions) in 60 countries.

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 IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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"Interstellar" Gets an Early IMAX Release - Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” on Film November 5th, Two Days Before Its Wide Release

Tickets Are Now on Sale

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the highly anticipated “INTERSTELLAR” from Christopher Nolan will be released in 70mm IMAX® film, 70mm film and 35mm film formats on Wednesday, November 5th, two days ahead of its nationwide release. The advance showings will play in select theaters in more than 225 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

    “From IMAX to traditional film and digital projection, we are pleased that audiences will have the opportunity to see this awe-inspiring film in a wide variety of formats and we are very excited to be making the film available 2-days early for moviegoers.”

“To see Christopher Nolan’s ‘INTERSTELLAR’ on the big screen is an unforgettable movie going experience,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “From IMAX to traditional film and digital projection, we are pleased that audiences will have the opportunity to see this awe-inspiring film in a wide variety of formats and we are very excited to be making the film available 2-days early for moviegoers."

“INTERSTELLAR” was shot using a combination of 35mm anamorphic film and 65mm IMAX film to maximize the crispness and clarity of the image and give the audience a truly cinematic and immersive experience. These advance engagements highlight those theaters presenting “INTERSTELLAR” in its native formats.

On Wednesday, November 5th, 2014, “INTERSTELLAR” opens in the following film formats:

- Select IMAX theaters will be offering The IMAX Experience® featuring 15 perf/70mm film projection which combines the brightest, clearest images at almost 10 times the resolution of standard projection formats, with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theatre geometry to create the world's most immersive movie experience. Select sequences will expand to fill the entire screen and will deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity.

- INTERSTELLAR in the 70mm film format offers brighter, clearer image, with three times the resolution of standard projection formats, using the process of projecting light through celluloid to deliver clear images in rich analog color with state-of-the-art digital sound.

- The 35mm film presentations project light through the 35mm frame to deliver clear, high resolution images with rich analog color combined with state-of-the-art digital sound in most locations.

Tickets for these advance showings on November 5th are available today at https://interstellar.withgoogle.com and at participating theater box offices. Tickets are also available for the nationwide release on Friday, November 7th, 2014, when “INTERSTELLAR” opens in theaters everywhere including its digital engagements:

- IMAX digital projection uses dual projectors with sub-pixel alignment to produce clear, high contrast images with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theatre geometry, creating the world's most immersive digital movie experience. Select sequences will expand to fill the entire screen.

- The film in 4K digital projection produces a clear, bright, high resolution image with absolute stability and cleanliness, combined with uncompressed digital sound for a powerful movie-going experience.

- Digital projection presents a clear, bright, stable image that never degrades in terms of cleanliness or fidelity and uses uncompressed digital sound for a powerful movie-going experience.

“INTERSTELLAR” stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. With our time on Earth coming to an end, a team of explorers undertakes the most important mission in human history; traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars. Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, and produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Lynda Obst.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA) (NASDAQ: VIAB), 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 Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures meets worldwide tastes and demands with a diverse mix of filmed entertainment and is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of feature films. The International Division operates offices in 24 countries and releases films in over 125 international territories, either directly to theaters or in conjunction with partner companies and co-ventures. Internationally, the Studio has been the market leader in six of the last 13 years, having surpassed $1 billion in grosses a total of 15 years, 12 of which were consecutive years, and crossed $2 billion five times, including 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012.