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NEWS:
TELEVISION - From Variety: Gayle King has been the face of CBS News‘ morning show, "CBS Mornings," for more than a decade. Now, she is expected to depart as an anchor of that program next year, according to four people with knowledge of the situation. With the news division of CBS under a major overhaul by the new Skydance regime and with her current contract ending in May 2026, King could still return in a new role..
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Paramount is losing its most prolific TV creator as Taylor Sheridan has signed a long term deal with NBCUniversal. Sheridan is the mastermind behind such series as "Yellowstone," "Landman," and "Lioness." Sheridan's producing partner, David Glasser, is also moving to NBCUniversal. The deal begins in early 2026.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: ABC is putting work into finding the next big TV music competition series and it has turned to Simon Cowell, a maestro of the genre to test a new format. ABC and Cowell are working on a series called "Who's In The Band." Cowell will sit on a panel of judges that includes Joe Jones, Mel B of the "Spice Girls," songwriter Savan Kotecha, and Rei Ami, who provided the singing voice for the character, "Zoey" in Netflix's animated film, "KPop Demon Hunters."
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 10/24 to 10/26/2025 weekend box office is Sony Pictures/Crunchyroll's "Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc" with an estimated total of 17.25 million dollars.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Oscar-nominated actor, Austin Butler, is in talks to play "Sonny Crockett" in Universal Pictures' new film based on the former NBC crime drama, "Miami Vice" (1984-90).
OBITS:
From THR: American actress and daytime soap opera writer, Margaret DePriest, has died at the age of 94, Monday, September 29, 2025. As a woman, DePriest was a pioneering head writer or co-head writer of such soap operas as "The Doctors" (NBC, 1976), "General Hospital" (ABC, 1980-81), "Days of Our Lives" (NBC, 1982-84), "Another World" (NBC, 1986-89, 1996-97) and "All My Children" (ABC, 1989), to name a few. In 1969, DePriest co-created with Lou Scofield the former CBS soap, "Where the Heart Is" (1969-73). She was nominated five times for the "Daytime Emmy Award" in the category of "Best Writing." She was also a soap opera actress and appeared in former CBS soap opera, "The Edge of Night" (for which she was also the co-head writer) and in "The Doctors."
From Deadline: English actress, Prunella Scales, has died at the age of 93, Monday, October 27, 2025. Scales was best known for her portrayal of "Sybil Fawlty," the bossy wife of rude and put-upon hotel owner, "Basil Fawlty" (John Cleese), in the beloved for BBC sitcom, "Fawlty Towers" (1975-79). She received a British Academy Television Award nomination for "Best Actress" for the role of "Queen Elizabeth II" in the 1991 TV movie, "A Question of Attribution." Scales was also a presenter on the British documentary TV series, "Great Canal Journeys" (Channel 4), from 2014 to 2019.
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 216 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux
The Road to Halloween 2025
The Grudge (2004)
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality
DIRECTOR: Takashi Shimizu
WRITER: Stephen Susco (based upon the Japanese film Ju-On: The Grudge, written and directed by Takashi Shimizu)
PRODUCERS: Taka Ichise, Sam Raimi, and Robert G. Tapert
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hideo Yamamoto (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jeff Betancourt
COMPOSER: Christopher Young
HORROR with elements of thriller and mystery
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, William Mapother, Clea DuVall, KaDee Strickland, Grace Zabriskie, Bill Pullman, Rosa Blasi, Ted Raimi, Ryo Ishibashi, Yoko Maki, Yuya Ozeki, Takako Fuji, and Takashi Matsunaga
The Grudge is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu. The film is a remake of Shimizu's 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge, and it is the first installment in The Grudge film series. The Grudge focuses on an American nurse living and working in Tokyo who is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse.
When a person dies in the grip of a powerful rage, a curse is born. If that person dies in his house, then, the curse stays in the house like a stain making the house death itself. Any person who goes into the house is touched by death and will be killed by the curse, usually in the form of an angry spirit. So goes The Grudge, the latest American remake of a Japanese horror film, but unlike 2002’s The Ring, the writer/director of the original Japanese film, Ju-On: The Grudge, Takashi Shimizu helms the remake. Does that make a difference? Very likely, it does.
The Ring and its forefather, Ringu, were similar, but The Ring clearly showed American sensibilities, as well as being set in the U.S. The Grudge, like the original, is set in Japan, and Shimizu apparently treats the film as a sequel rather than as a remake. And The Grudge certainly comes across as a kooky, as weird, and as very, very creepy horror movie, fitting right in with other Japanese horror films.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is Kare Davis, an American exchange student who somewhat reluctantly moved to Japan with her boyfriend Doug (Jason Behr), also a student. When a fellow student who is working as a nurse doesn’t show up for work, Kare gets the fill-in assignment of going to a home in a Tokyo suburb to care for an invalid older woman. What she doesn’t know, nor apparently does anyone else, is that the house has a horrible curse on it due to a double murder and suicide committed within its walls. The curse touches anyone who enters the house, and Kare unwittingly unleashes a diabolical supernatural killing machine.
The Grudge is one of the scariest pure horror films that I’ve seen in awhile. It’s unabashedly about the evil dead, wicked spirits, and mysterious supernatural curses that come and go with no explanation. Some audiences may be put off by the fact that the curse doesn’t really follow the rules. That’s because humans are explaining something they only halfway understand; like explaining the unknown and unknowable in human terms. The may not be steadfast rules to how the curse in The Grudge works, and Japanese filmmakers seem to understand that capricious nature of the supernatural, or at least they aren’t always trying to order it like Western filmmakers.
There’s almost zero characterization in this film, and the fact that the audience doesn’t really get to know the characters keeps this from being a great horror movie. Ms. Gellar, however, is now without a doubt, a great screen star of horror and thriller genres. She centers this film and keeps the kookiness from getting out of hand.
The Grudge is certainly peculiar. As frightening as I found it, I can easily see where some people might find the concept of the curse and the film itself farcical and utterly hilarious. Be warned; it could be your cup of tea or have you rolling your eyes in disgust.
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NEWS:
APPLE - From Deadline: Director Martin Scorsese is eyeing "What Happens at Night" as his next film, with Apple Original Films looking to finance and produce the film. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are set to star.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Director Joseph Kosinski's (F1) "Miami Vice" film is due from Universal on August 6, 2027. The new film is set in the 1980s.
EMMYS - From THR: The winners at the 2025 / 77th Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced. "The Studio" (AppleTV+) won "Outstanding Comedy Series." "The Pitt" (HBO Max) won "Outstanding Drama Series." "Adolescence" (Netflix) won "Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series."
From Deadline: And then there was the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards weekend before last.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 9/12 to 9/14/2025 weekend box office is Sony and Crunchyroll's "Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle" with an estimated take of 70 million dollars.
BUSINESS - From Variety: Why does David Ellison and Skydance want Warner Bros. Discovery now... when waiting could mean taking on less of WBD's debt?
OBITS:
From Variety: American film actor, director, and producer and Hollywood icon, Robert Redford, has died at the age of 89, Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Redford's career is so long and his list of credits is so massive, that I'll just hit some of the highlights. Redford won the Best Director Oscar for "Ordinary People" (1980), and he directed other films including, "Quiz Show" (1994), which earned him a Best Director Oscar nomination, and also "Lions for Lambs" (2007). Redford received a Best Action Oscar nomination for "The Sting" (1973), but he other acclaimed roles occurred in such films as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "The Candidate" (1972), "The Way We Were" (1973), "The Great Gatsby" (1974), "All the President's Men" (1976), "The Natural" (1984), and a personal favorite, "Sneakers" (1992). Redford is also known for founding the "Sundance Film Festival," the largest film festival for independent films in the United States. In 2001, Redford received the "Academic Honorary Award."
From Deadline: American television writer, producer, and creator, John Masius, died at the age of 75, Saturday, September 13, 2025 from complications of ALS (also known as "Lou Gehrig's disease). He first came to prominence working on the former CBS drama, "The White Shadow" (1978-81). He is best known for his work on the acclaimed former NBC medical drama, "St. Elsewhere" (1982-87). He was nominated for 14 Primetime Emmy Awards. Masius won "Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series" twice for his work on "St. Elsewhere." He is also known for creating such TV series as "Touched by an Angel" (CBS), "Providence" (NBC), and "Hawthorne" (TNT).
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).
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NEWS:
MOVIES/MUSIC - From THR: The site has an update on director Sam Mendes four biographical films about "The Beatles." Each movie focuses on one of the four members, Paul, John, George, and Ringo. Sony Pictures will release all four films in April 2028.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Following her monumental film directing debut, "Blink Twice," Zoe Kravitz is negotiating to direct "How to Save a Marriage," from Sony Pictures and producer Robert Pattison. Pattison who co-starred with Kravitz in "The Batman" (2022) is thus far only producing the film.
POLITICS - From THR: Former MSNBC host, Chris Matthews, has revealed that he will revive his former MSNBC politics talk show, "Hardball," on Substack.
CELEBRITY - From Deadline: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Gossip Girl" star, Michelle Trachtenberg, 39, was found dead in her apartment on February 26, 2025. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has now listed Trachtenberg's cause of death as natural as the result of complications from diabetes mellitus.
MOVIES - From Variety: Notorious wino and accused wife beater, Johnny Depp, makes his Hollywood return as he begins filming the thriller, "Day Drinker," for Lionsgate.
TELEVISION - From THR: HBO has just officially announced the actors that will play six adult leads in its upcoming "Harry Potter" TV series. John Lithgow will take on the critical role of Hogwarts’ wise and warm, "Headmaster Albus Dumbledore." Janet McTeer will take on the role of stern "Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall." Paapa Essiedu will take on the role of the sneering "Potions Professor Severus Snape." Nick Frost will play the lumbering Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid." Luke Thallon will play "Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Quirinus Quirrel" and Paul Whitehouse has been cast as the curmudgeonly caretaker "Argus Filch." The main children's characters, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco, have not yet been cast.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 4/11 to 1/13/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Pictures' "Minecraft" with an estimated take of 80.6 million dollars.
From Deadline: Angel Studio's animated film, "The King of Kings," makes an estimated 19 million dollars at the weekend box office. This is the largest opening for a "faith-based" animated film.
CANNES - From WorldofReel: Cannes Film Festival 2025 has rejected Jim Jarmusch's new film, "Father Mother Sister Brother," which stars Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver (among others). Just a month ago, "Variety" reported that the film was a lock to compete at the festival, which runs from May 13th to May 24th, 2025.
OBITS:
From Variety: Canadian-Bulgarian film and television director, Ted Kotcheff, has died at the age of 94, Thursday, April 10, 2025. Kotcheff may be best known for directing the first film in the "Rambo" series, "First Blood" (1982), starring Sylvester Stallone. Kotcheff also directed such well-known films as "Fun with Dick and Jane" (1977), "North Dallas Forty" (1979), and "Weekend at Bernie's" (1989). He also directed such acclaimed films as "Wake in Fright" (1971), "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" (1974), and "Joshua Then and Now" (1985). Kotcheff was also an executive producer and director on NBC police drama, "Law & Order: SVU" from 1999 to 2012.
From Variety: The film and television actor, Nicky Katt, has died at the age of 54, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Katt began his career as a child actor in NBC's former Western drama, "Father Murphy," and NBC's former sci-fi series, "V." Eventually, he would have a prominent role in the former Fox legal drama, "Boston Public." He appeared in such films as "Dazed and Confused" (1993), "A Time to Kill" (1996), "The Limey" (1999), and "Insomnia" (2002), to name a few.
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 164 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux
Ultraviolet (2006)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of violent action throughout, partial nudity, and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kurt Wimmer
PRODUCERS: John Badecchi and Lucas Foster
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Arthur Wong Ngok Tai and Jimmy Wong
EDITOR: William Yeh
COMPOSER: Klaus Badelt
SCI-FI/ACTION and MARTIAL ARTS/MYSTERY
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright, Nick Chinlund, Sebastien Andrieu, Ida Martin, and William Fichtner
Ultraviolet is a 2006 American science fiction action film from writer-director Kurt Wimmer. The film focuses on a woman infected with a virus that gives her superhuman and vampire-like powers who has to protect a boy thought to carry antigens that would destroy others like her.
Ultraviolet opens in the late 21st century. The Hemoglophagic Virus has infected the human population – a disease causing symptoms that many associate with vampires. Those afflicted gain enhanced intelligence, fantastic stamina, and lightning-fast speed (like the vampires in Blade). The world is divided into those who don’t have it (normal humans), and those who do (called “hemophages”).
The government, led by the powerful scientist, Vicecardinum Ferdinand Daxus (Nick Chinlund), hunts hemophages in hopes of wiping them out. One woman, a highly-skilled hemophage warrior named Violet Song jat Shariff (Milla Jovovich), infiltrates a governmental research station. Violet steals a case containing a secret weapon that will reportedly wipe out the infected. However, Violet finds herself on the run and protecting a mysterious child, called “Six” (Cameron Bright), who may or may not be infected with a virus dangerous to hemophages. Now, Daxus and his entire military force is out to get her and the child.
From writer/director Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium), Ultraviolet is non-interactive entertainment (a movie) trying to act like interactive entertainment (a videogame). Awash in bright colors (computer-generated neon), the film looks like a comic book, especially when Milla Jovovich poses – standing still and trying to look badass before she begins a fight sequence. It’s the only time her performance can be said to be anything near good. Most of the time, she is so dreadful that it’s impossible to believe that she’s been acting for nearly two decades.
Ultraviolet has a lot of potential, but ultimately it’s just a poorly developed and disastrously executed movie that a computer made all gooey with color and the filmmakers filled with an electronics expo full of fancy gadgets.
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 of 2025 (No. 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language
DIRECTOR: Kelly Marcel
WRITERS: Kelly Marcel; from a story by Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Matt Tolmach, Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel, and Hutch Parker
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Fabian Wagner (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Mark Sanger
COMPOSER: Dan Deacon
SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION
Starring: Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, Alanna Ubach, Hala Finley, Dash McCloud, Cristo Fernandez, Jared Abrahamson, Jack Brady, Reid Scott, and Andy Serkis
SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:
Venom: The Last Dance is the least of the three films in this series in terms of quality.
The entire point of the movie seems to be to end the series as soon as possible, so it is strictly for fans of this series
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Venom: The Last Dance is a 2024 superhero fantasy-action film directed by Kelly Marcel. The film is based on the Marvel Comics super-villain/anti-hero characters, Eddie Brock/Venom. Several comic book writers, artists, and editors contributed in the development of this duo, and artist Todd McFarlane and writer David Michelinie are the creators of Venom. This is also the third entry in the Venom film series. In Venom: The Last Dance, Eddie Brock and Venom are on the run from both an alien monster and a mysterious military officer, and they may be forced to break up their symbiotic partnership.
Venom: The Last Dance opens on Klyntar, the home world of the symbiotes. Knull (Andy Serkis), the creator of the symbiotes, seeks a way to escape the prison made for him by his rebellious creations. To that end, he has discovered a key – some thing called a “Codex” – that will free him. What and where is the codex?
Well, it is on Earth, and the Codex exists because of the relationship between the symbiote, Venom, and his human host, the former investigative reporter, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy). They have just returned to Earth after their short stay in the multiverse (as seen in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home) and has landed in the Mexico of their own Earth. While there, Eddie and Venom learn that Eddie is being blamed for the death of Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham).
Mulligan is not dead. He was infected by a symbiote (as seen in 2021's Venom: Let There Be Carnage). He has been imprisoned in an underground facility at “Area 55” (which is beneath “Area 51”), and is being held in captivity by the “Imperium Program.” There, Mulligan and his symbiote are under the watchful gazes of Imperium scientist, Dr. Teddy Paine (Juno Temple), and the Imperium's military commander, General Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Eddie and Venom are headed for New York City in a bid to clear Eddie's name, unaware that General Strickland is hunting them. The duo, however, is soon made aware of an even more dangerous hunter. Knull has sent a creature known as a “Xenophage” to capture the Codex within Eddie and Venom. Now, a year into their symbiotic relationship, Eddie Brock and Venom may have to make a most devastating and heart-wrenching decision in order to save the Earth and at least one of their lives.
Venom: The Last Dance is the fifth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” line of films. It follows Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Morbius (2022), and Madame Web (2024). The Last Dance arrived in movie theaters a little more than a month before the series' sixth film, Kraven the Hunter (2024). This film series stars characters and properties commonly associated with Marvel Comics' character, Spider-Man. Sadly, media reports indicate that Kraven the Hunter will be the last entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.
Anyway, just before the halfway mark in Venom: The Last Dance, the Venom symbiote enters a horse, and “venomizes” it, creating a “Venom horse.” The sequence featuring Venom as a horse, which becomes a wild ride across the desert with Eddie on its back, is probably the liveliest moment in this movie. Venom does not venomize any more animals the rest of the way, but strangely, the beginning of the film's end-credits is a montage of venomized animals, everything from insects and birds to mammals and amphibians. A Venom movie featuring the Venom symbiote venomizing countless different insects and animals?! – now, that would be a Venom movie I'd love and a lot of people would watch. Sadly, that is what we get in Venom: The Last Dance.
Yes, there are some genuine character moments – such as Eddie/Venom's relationship with the Moon family – but even that is overwhelmed by Venom: The Last Dance's need to end. Yes, this isn't so much a movie as it is an execution or suicide pact. Venom is a trilogy and Venom: The Last Dance must be the end of it: that's what this movie feels like – a race to the end.
I found myself unable to really enjoy this movie. I really didn't connect with the film's best action scenes, and there were a few really good ones. Also, I feel like the Knull subplot was woefully underutilized. There are some good moments here, and by the end of the film, I thought the good things had been downplayed in favor of this movie's fatalistic mood. Ultimately, I think Venom: The Last Dance is only for fans of the series who will want to see it through to the end.
5 of 10
C+
★★½ out of 4 stars out of 4 stars
[This film has one mid-credits scene and one scene that occurs at the end of the credits.]
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 57 of 2024 (No. 2001) by Leroy Douresseaux
Kraven the Hunter (2024)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – R for strong bloody violence, and language
DIRECTOR: J.C. Chandor
WRITERS: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway; from a story by Richard Wenk (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, David B. Householter, and Matt Tolmach
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Chris Lebenzon and Craig Wood
COMPOSERS: Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine, and Benjamin Wallfisch
SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Levi Miller, Billy Barratt, Tom Reed, Diaana Babnicova, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Damola Adelaja, and Russell Crowe
SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:
“Kraven the Hunter” has already established itself as having the lowest opening weekend debut of any film carry the Marvel brand, but it is a lot better than many of the other comic book films that came before it
Star Aaron Taylor-Johnson is indeed a star as he carries this film to victory, and he maximizes several intense scenes with co-star, Oscar-winner Russell Crowe
You don't have to be a fan of comic book movies to enjoy “Kraven the Hunter” because its intensity and its extreme and extremely violent action scenes and sequences are exceptionally entertaining
Kraven the Hunter is a 2024 action movie and superhero film from director J.C. Chandor. The movie is based on the Marvel Comics character, Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter, that was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (cover dated: August 1964). This is also the sixth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” (SSU) series. The film focuses on a hunter of men and his complex relationship with his father, a ruthless Russian crime lord, which starts him down the path to becoming the greatest hunter of men in the world.
Kraven the Hunter opens in Northern Russia at a prison. Of particular interest is Prisoner #0864, but soon, prison security and imprisoned Russian gangster, Semyon Chorney (Yuri Kolokolnikov), will learn that this prisoner is really a legendary assassin known as “The Hunter.” Who is “The Hunter?”
He is really Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the elder son of brutal Russian crime lord, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe). Sixteen years before The Hunter killed Chorney, Nikolai took Sergei and his younger son, Dmitri, on a hunting expedition in Northern Ghana. A terrible accident leaves Sergei near death until a local young woman intervenes in a manner that changes Sergei in ways he never imagined.
In the present day, Sergei goes by the name “Kraven.” His activities as “The Hunter” have earned him the ire of many criminals. Kraven has a kill-list, and once someone is on it, they don't get off until he kills them. Kraven reunites with Calypso (Ariana DeBose), the young woman who saved him sixteen years earlier. Now, an adult, Calypso is an attorney, and Kraven asks her to assist him in his activities as “The Hunter” by finding information on his targets.
However, Kraven himself is now being hunted. Wannabe Russian crime boss, Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola), and his ally, “The Foreigner” (Christopher Abbott), have targeted Kraven's brother, Dmitri (Fred Hechinger), now an adult, as a way to trap their prey. Kraven will have to prove to his enemies that he is indeed the world's greatest hunter and also its most dangerous apex predator.
Kraven the Hunter is sixth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” line of films. It follows Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Morbius (2022), Madame Web (2024), and the recently release, Venom: The Last Dance (2024). This film series stars characters and properties commonly associated with Marvel Comics' character, Spider-Man. Sadly, media reports indicate that Kraven the Hunter will be the last entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, and that's a shame because Kraven the Hunter deserves a sequel.
Most movie actors could not have saved Kraven the Hunter, if it did indeed need saving, as industry and fan gossip indicated. If we accept those arguments, dear readers, that Kraven the Hunter needed saving, then Aaron Taylor-Johnson is indeed this film's savior. Taylor-Johnson is a talented young actor, and he can certainly portray the tough-guy hero or antihero in a way that seems genuine, if not outright real.
Without Taylor-Johnson, I think Kraven the Hunter would still be a really entertaining film. The screenplay, regardless of whatever number of writers contributed to it, intrigued me. Director J.C. Chandor deftly weaves the film's story across continents and through shifts in plot that keeps things so interesting and involved that I didn't have time to search for plot holes and inconsistencies. Also, Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff makes his scenes with Taylor-Johnson's Kraven feel ultra edgy and especially dangerous.
With Taylor-Johnson, however, Kraven the Hunter, is not only a really entertaining film, but it is also an exceptional superhero spin-off comic book film. As comic book and superhero movies go, Kraven the Hunter is kind of like a B-movie or, at least, a B-list film, but you, dear readers, don't have to be a comic book fan to enjoy the film or its star. As Kraven, Taylor-Johnson has such animal magnetism; I wanted to see him be in action-mode and be violent. Taylor-Johnson has true movie star qualities, such as charisma and presence, and girl, the camera absolutely loves him. Seriously, Taylor-Johnson carries Kraven the Hunter past what most other actors would have done – all the way to whatever kind of cinematic glory a Spider-Man-adjacent film can have.
Marvel Comics fans will likely enjoy the fact that several Spider-Man-related characters appear in the film, some of them surprisingly so. Still, this film is about Kraven the Hunter, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes every subplot, setting, and the other character bow down to his “king of the jungle” performance. Kraven the Hunter is good, surprisingly and shockingly good, because its leading man knows how to be a beast.
Sony Pictures has released a teaser poster for 28 Years Later, the follow-up to the zombie apocalypse films, 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).
28 Years Later is directed by Danny Boyle, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Garland. Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy reprises his role from the first film and stars alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman, and Edvin Ryding.
Sony Pictures has released a mysterious teaser trailer for 28 Years Later, the follow-up to the zombie apocalypse films, 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007).
28 Years Later is directed by Danny Boyle, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Garland. Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy reprises his role from the first film and stars alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman, and Edvin Ryding.
The film is due June 20, 2025. The morse code in the teaser apparently indicates "Tuesday." I've posted the teaser below for your amusement:
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NEWS:
JAMES BOND - From Deadline: Regarding the casting of the next cinematic James Bond, series producer Barbara Broccoli said the next Bond will be a man, in his 30s, and not necessarily white.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Film director and Oscar-winning film producer, Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), talks about his private cancer diagnosis and his "full recovery." He also speaks on his new historical epic, "Blitz."
MOVIES - From Variety: "Stranger Things" star, Finn Wolfhard, and his partner, Billy Bryk, will re-imagine the 1999 horror movie, "Idle Hands," for Sony. Jason Reitman, who has directed Wolfhard in two "Ghostbusters" films, will produce.
MOVIES - From THR: "The Hollywood Reporter" is confirming that Oscar-winning actress, Lupita Nyong'o, is joining the cast of Christopher Nolan's secret 2026 film project.
AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon is shutting down Freevee and is folding it into Prime Video. Non-Prime members will still be able to access free streaming content. The phase out will continue over the next couple of weeks.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Hulu offers a first-look at the sixth and final season of "The Handmaid's Tale."
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/8 to 11/10/2024 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "Venom: The Last Dance" with an estimated take of 16.225 million dollars.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Sources tell "Deadline" that Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway and Emmy-winner Zendaya have been added to Oscar-winner Christopher Nolan's next film project, which is super-secret and due 2026. The film already includes Tom Holland, Matt Damon, and reportedly Lupita Nyong'o.
GODZILLA - From Variety: Director Takashi Yamazaki will embark on another "Godzilla" film, following his 2023 Oscar-winner, "Godzilla Minus One."
MOVIE AWARDS:
From Deadline: The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film. Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.
From Deadline: The nominations for the 2024 British Independent Film Awards have been announced. The Irish film, "Kneecap," leads with 14 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, December 8, 2024.
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:
MOVIES - From Deadline: "Gladiator II" director Ridley Scott and star Paul Mescal will reunited in the film, "The Dog Stars." The film is due to start filming next spring.
GRAMMYS - Deadline: The nominations for the 2025 / 67th annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Beyonce leads the pack with 11 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 2, 2025.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/1 to 11/3/2024 weekend box office is Sony Picture's "Venom: The Last Dance" with an estimated take of 26.1 million dollars.
From Deadline: Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer speaks on the box office bomb that was the "Borderlands" movie. "Everything that could go wrong did go wrong."
MOVIES - From Variety: Actress-producer Eva Longoria reveals that she has made over 12 million dollars off her 6 million dollar investment in the 2014 film, "John Wick." She says that she is still getting checks off the film a decade after her six million dollar investment saved the film from being cancelled. She says her only regret is not investing in the "John Wick" sequels.
MOVIES - From ScreenRant: The site offers a first-look at actor Billy Zane as legendary actor Marlon Brando in the biopic, "Waltzing with Brando."
MOVIES/CELEBRITY - From THR: Tom Cruise is very busy, including developing a sequel to his 1990 racing movie, "Days of Thunder." Meanwhile, he and Paramount have some disagreements about "Mission: Impossible 8," which apparently has cost... 400 million dollars.
MOVIES - From THR: Oscar-nominee William H. Macy has joined star Glen Powell in Edgar Wright's new film version of the Stephen King/Richard Bachman's novel, "The Running Man."
From Variety: American film and television actor and voice performer, Tony Todd, has died at the age of 69, Wednesday, November 6, 2024. He was best known for playing the title role in the original "Candyman" films (1992 to 1999, and a cameo in the 2021 film) and in the "Final Destination" film franchise. Todd also appeared in such films as "Platoon" (1986), the 1990 version of "Night of the Living Dead," and "Wishmaster" (1997), to name a few. His best known TV work was as "Kurn," the brother of series regular "Lt. Worf," on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" over four episodes. Todd was also a prolific voice actor whose work appeared in numerous video games and in animated films and TV featuring DC Comics' characters.
From Deadline: American singer and recording artist, Tyka Nelson, has died at the age of 64, Monday, November 4, 2024. Nelson was the late recording artist Prince's only full sibling. Nelson released four studio albums from 1988 to 2011 and had a Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1988 with "Marc Anthony's Song."
From Variety: American record producer, recording artist, songwriter, bandleader, and film and television composer, Quincy Jones, has died at the age of 91, Sunday, November 3, 2024. Jones may be best known for producing Michael Jackson's three most successful studio albums, "Off the Wall" (1979), "Thriller" (1982), and "Bad" (1987). He provided the musical score for numerous films, including "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "The Italian Job," and "The Color Purple" (1985), to name a few. He also provided the theme for the TV series, "Hey Landlord" and "Sanford and Son." Jones received 80 Grammy Award nominations and won 28 of them. He won an Primetime Emmy Award for his work on the ABC miniseries, "Roots." He won a Tony Award for the revival of the musical, "The Color Purple." Jones was nominated seven times for the Academy Award and received the "Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award."
From Deadline: Entertainment industry tributes continue to pour in for legendary producer and recording artist, Quincy Jones.
From Variety: "Variety" offers the 15 best examples of recording artists sampling the late Quincy Jones' music. The list includes Kanye West, The Weeknd, and Harry Styles.
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From THR: American television actor, Alan Rachins, has died at the age of 82, Saturday, November 2, 2024. Rachins was best known for playing attorney Douglas Brachman, Jr. on the former NBC legal drama, "L.A. Law" (1986-94) and for playing "Larry," Dharma's hippie father, on the former ABC sitcom, "Dharma & Greg" (1997-2002). He also appeared in the notorious 1995 film, "Showgirls." For his work on "L.A. Law," Rachins received a 1988 Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
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MOVIE AWARDS:
From Deadline: The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film. Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.
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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SPORTS - From ESPN: The Los Angeles Dodgers (National League) win the 2024 World Series, beating the New York Yankees (American League), four games to one.
MUSIC/DISNEY - From Deadline: Disney has snatched the rights to broadcast and stream the Grammy Awards ceremony from CBS, which has been broadcasting the Grammy Awards for 50 years. The 10 year deal will see the Grammy Awards broadcast on ABC and stream on Hulu and Disney+ beginning in 2027 and ending 2036.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Keenan Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Marlon Wayans are uniting for the first time in 18 years (since 2006's "Little Man") for a return to the "Scary Movie" franchise. The movie, which would shoot next year, is scheduled for a theatrical release.
SCANDAL - From YahooNews: Actor, comedian, and voice performer, Jay Johnston, was sentenced to federal prison for one year and a day for his activities during the U.S. Capitol attack and riot on January 6th, 2021. Johnston is best known for his work on such television comedies as "Mr. Show with Bob and David" (HBO), "The Sarah Silverman Program" (Comedy Central), and the Fox Network's "Arrested Development" and "Bob's Burgers."
MOVIES - From THR: Oscar-nominee Johnny Depp and Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz will team up for "Day Drinker," a thriller that is slated to be directed by Marc Webb ("The Amazing Spider-Man").
MOVIES/STAGE - From Deadline: George Clooney is bringing his 2005 film, "Good Night, and Good Luck," to Broadway. This time he will play legendary veteran journalist, Edward R. Murrow. Actor David Strathairn played Murrow in the 2005 which Clooney directed. Performances will begin March 2025.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 10/25 to 10/27/2024 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "Venom: The Last Dance" with an estimated take of 51 million dollars.
KAMALA - From TheAtlantic: Film and television impresario, Tyler Perry, has apparently made a better closing argument for why people should vote for VP Kamala Harris instead of disgraced former president, Trump. Perry says “It was so important for me to stand with a candidate who understands that we, as America—we are a quilt. And I could never stand with a candidate who wants America to be a sheet.”
From Variety: Oscar-winning actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, releases a video endorsement of VP Kamala Harris for President.
LGBTQ - From Deadline: Gay actor, Luke Evans, says he can't think of another gay star getting the kind of macho roles he plays. The Welsh actor has starred in "The Hobbit" and "Fast & Furious" films and is playing a tough, straight guy in Amazon's upcoming, "Criminal."
OBITS:
From Deadline: American film and television actress, Terri Garr, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. Garr was best known for appearing in such films as Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstine" (1974), Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), and Sydney Pollack's "Tootsie" (1982). She received a "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar nomination for her work in "Tootsie." In television, Garr appeared in multiple episodes of "McCloud," "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour," and "Friend," to name a few.
From Deadline: American television scriptwriter and producer, Jeri Taylor, has died at the age of 86, Thursday, October 24, 2024. Taylor was best known for her work on television series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Voyager." Taylor is credited with writing 13 episode of TNG; 3 episodes of DS9, and numerous episodes of "Voyager," which she co-created with Rick Berman and Michael Piller. Taylor shared a Primetime Emmy nomination as a producer on the final season of "The Next Generation." Taylor also wrote multiple episodes of such TV series as "Qunicy, M.E.," "Magnum P.I.," and "In the Heat of the Night," to name a few.
MOVIE AWARDS:
From Deadline: The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film. Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).
ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
MOVIES - From Variety: Oscar-winner Russell Crowe explains why he turned down the role of "Aragorn" in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Viggo Mortensen eventually won the role.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Longtime TNT sports broadcaster, Charles Barkley, says that he is going to retire after the 2024-25 NBA season. The news comes as it seems TNT's parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, is going to lose its NBA rights to NBC.
NETFLIX - From Deadline: Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson are circling roles in Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow's ("The Hurt Locker) next film for Netflix.
ANIMATION - From Variety: Warner Bros. Animation, New Line Cinema, and Sola Entertainment previewed 20 minutes of its upcoming anime feature “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.” Directed by Kenji Kemiyana ("Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex"), the footage received thunderous applause during the packed presentation on Tuesday at the Annecy Animation Festival.
MOVIES - From Variety: Director Henry Selick is once again interested in a film adaptation to Neil Gaiman's 2013 novel, "The Ocean at the End of the Lane." Selick also hopes to revive his failed Pixar project, "The Shadow King."
NETFLIX - From Deadline: Yahya Abdul Mateen II will star in Netflix's TV adaptation of the 2004 Denzel Washington film, "Man on Fire."
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 6/7 to 6/9/2024 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' Bad Boys: Ride or Die with an estimated total of 56 million dollars.
From Deadline: Bad Boys: Ride or Die leads the international box office with a debut of 48.6 million dollars. It's global box office haul is 104.6 million dollars.
AMAZON - From Deadline: Oscar-nominee Kristen Stewart will play ground-breaking American astronaut, Sally Ride, in the Amazon MGM Studios miniseries, "The Challenger."
MOVIES - From THR: The film that will follow the recent hit, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," has a director. It is Grant Sputore, who directed the 2019 Hilary Swank sci-fi flick, "I Am Mother."
OBITS:
From NBA: American basketball player, coach, scout, and executive, Jerry West, has died at the age of 86, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. He is best remembered for his association with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, including being a member of the 1971-72 NBA Championship team that went 69 wins and 13 losses. That won-loss record was an NBA season record that stood until the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls won 72 games and lost 10 on the way to an NBA title. West also won 8 titles as an executive, including five as a member of the Lakers front office and two as a member of the Golden State Warriors front office. West is a three-time member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. As a player, he was inducted as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Basketball team which won the gold medal and again as a player in 1980. Later, this year (2024), he will be inducted as an NBA executive. West's silhouette is the basis for the NBA's logo.
From Deadline: American journalist and television commentator, Howard Fineman, has died at the age of 75, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Fineman was best known for his work with the cable news network, MSNBC.
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POLITICS -
From TheRoot: "The Root" gives you "The Long Racist History of Donald Trump, from the 1970s to Now."
From YahooNews: In case you were wondering, even after being convicted of 34 felony counts in New York yesterday (5/30), Donald Trump can still run for President of the United States and he can still vote for himself in Florida.
From Truthout: On Thursday afternoon (May 30th, 2024), in "The People vs. Donald Trump" — the New York-based trial featuring, for the first time in United States history, an ex-president in a criminal proceeding— a jury of the former president’s peers delivered a unanimous verdict: that he was guilty of all crimes he was accused of committing. Trump becomes the first former President in US History to be convicted of a crime.
From NBCNews: Outside the courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial, legendary Oscar-winning actor, Robert De Niro, clashed with Trump supporters.
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 25 of 2024 (No. 1969) by Leroy Douresseaux
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
Running time: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPA – R for strong violence, language throughout and some sexual references
DIRECTORS: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
WRITERS: Chris Bremner and Will Beall (based on characters created by George Gallo)
PRODUCERS: Doug Belgrad, Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, and Will Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robrecht Heyvaert (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Dan Lebental and Asaf Eisenberg
COMPOSER: Lorne Balfe
ACTION/CRIME/COMEDY
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Paola Núñez, Alexander Ludwig, Jacob Scipio, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Melanie Liburd, Rhea Seehorn, Tiffany Haddish, John Salley, Quinn Hemphill, Dennis Mcdonald, Tasha Smith and Joe Pantoliano
SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the best entry in the series to date
The comic timing and humor of Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett is unleashed in his best work of comedy in ages. Lawrence gives this movie so much energy, and he kept the audience where I saw this film laughing almost the entire time.
Will Smith as Mike Lowrey is a solid action-movie hero. Smith, who is also quite funny in this film, makes sure that Bad Boys is truly an explosive, violent action flick.
I unequivocally recommend this film to fans of the “Bad Boys” series and to fans of both Smith and Lawrence.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a 2024 American action, crime, and buddy cop film directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, better known as “Adil & Bilall.” It is the fourth entry in the Bad Boys film series, which began with 1995's Bad Boys, and it is a sequel to Bad Boys for Life (2020). In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Detectives Lowrey and Burnett, the “Bad Boys,” have to take on their own department and a group of professional killers in order to clear their late captain's name.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die opens four years after the event depicted in Bad Boys for Life, Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) marries his physical therapist, Christine (Melanie Liburd). However, at the reception, Detective Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) suffers a serious medical emergency, but worse is to come.
The FBI claims it has discovered a paper trail which proves that the late Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) was tied to drug cartels. Determined to stop the posthumous tarnishing of Capt. Howard, Mike and Marcus discover that Mike's imprisoned son, Armando Aretas (Jacob Scipio), has information that might help their case. Eventually, Mike, Marcus, and Armando must join forces with new Miami PD Captain Rita Secada (Paola Núñez) and the remains of her “AMMO” (Advance Miami Metro Operations) unit – Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and Dorn (Alexander Ludwig). In order to clear Capt. Howard's name, however, Mike and Marcus' crew will have to take on a vicious killer, James McGrath (Eric Dane), and his secret mole inside the Miami PD.
I'd seen Bad Boys (1995) and Bad Boys II (2003), so I had to see Bad Boys for Life in preparation for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. It is a good idea to see the 2020 film because quite a bit of its plot and many of its character carry over into the new film. Being somewhat familiar with the Bad Boys film franchise will make the already enjoyable Bad Boys: Ride or Die even more enjoyable.
I think the thing that makes Bad Boys: Ride or Die such a joy to watch is that the team of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence seems to be re-energized. In Bad Boys for Life, Lawrence looked a bit bloated and slow, but here in Ride or Die, he has recovered his comedy mojo. Now, we get a Martin Lawrence that is like the Marty-Mar who was at the height of his powers in the 1990s. He kept me and the audience with which I saw Ride or Die last night in stitches. Lawrence was a constant barrage of comedy one-liners and comic riffs, and none of them seemed contrived. I'm happy for him because Lawrence has not been this good in well over a decade.
Will Smith's notorious slap has apparently not delivered a knock out to his talents as a film actor and movie star. I can't speak for the rest of y'all, dear readers, by I ain't canceling Will over that. Smith is most solid as an action movie hero in the Bad Boys franchise, and he is at his best here. Smith is quite funny himself, but as a gun-totting, pop-capping deliverer of justice and vengeance, Smith is as good as any other movie star. In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Will Smith is as sturdy and as robust as Bruce Willis was in Die Hard and in its best sequels. As of right now, Smith is the king of action cinema.
Now, I won't act as if Bad Boys: Ride or Die is without problems. The plot strains credulity; honestly, it us obvious that Capt. Howard is being framed, but in order for the narrative to work, the audience has to act as if such a scenario as this would happen. Still, the directorial team of Adil & Bilall have made magic with their two entries in the Bad Boy series, and have delivered a new film that should thrill audiences throughout the summer movie season. Bad Boys: Ride or Die even has a cameo by the series' original director, Michael Bay.
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TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 of 2024 (No. 1968) by Leroy Douresseaux
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPA – R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use
DIRECTORS: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
WRITERS: Chris Bremner, Peter Craig & Joe Carnahan; from a story by Peter Craig & Joe Carnahan (based on characters created by George Gallo)
PRODUCERS: Doug Belgrad, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Will Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robrecht Heyvaert (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Dan Lebental and Peter McNulty
COMPOSER: Lorne Balfe
ACTION/CRIME/COMEDY
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Paola Núñez, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam, Joe Pantoliano, Jacob Scipio, and Theresa Randle
Bad Boys for Life is a 2020 American action, crime, and buddy cop film directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, better known as “Adil & Bilall.” It is the third entry in the Bad Boys film series, which began with 1995's Bad Boys, and it is a sequel to Bad Boys II (2003). In Bad Boys for Life, Detectives Lowrey and Burnett, the “Bad Boys,” face off against a mysterious killer whose campaign of revenge is centered on Lowrey.
Bad Boys for Life opens in Mexico at the Santa Maria Ixcotel Prison. There, Isabel Aretas (Kate del Castillo) escapes with the help of her son, Armando (Jacob Scipio). Isabel is the son of the late cartel kingpin, Benito Aretas, and she wants revenge against the men who helped take down her husband twenty-four years ago. Armando, a highly-skilled criminal, savvy fighter, and vicious killer, is the instrument of her revenge.
One of those men is Detective Lt. Michael “Mike” Lowrey (Will Smith), and Armando comes close to killing him. Mike is a hard man to keep down, and he wants payback. His boss, Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), wants Mike to let a new, tech-driven police unit, called “AMMO” (Advance Miami Metro Operations), hunt the shooter. Mike doesn't like that, especially as his former girlfriend, Lieutenant Rita Secada (Paolo Nunez), is head of AMMO. Even worse, Mike's longtime partner, Det. Lt. Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), has retired and wants to stay that way. But when things get worse, will the Bad Boys be forced to unite for one last ride?
I still laugh at the fact that the film that became 1995's Bad Boys was originally written for actor-comedians, Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. Bad Boys would go on to become a signature entry in the filmographies of both eventual Oscar-winning actor, Will Smith (King Richard), and Martin Lawrence, who would go on to star in such films as Big Momma's House (2000) and Wild Hogs (2007). The duo eventually reunited for 2003's Bad Boys II. Because the fourth entry in the Bad Boys series, Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), is about to be released, I decided to go back and watch and review the one film in the franchise that I had not seen in its entirety, Bad Boys for Life (2020).
A close friend told me that he thought Bad Boys for Life was bad. I did find the first hour to be rather poorly developed. After all, Lowrey and Burnett seem pretty slow in figuring out that the shootings of Lowrey and others are obviously related. All these veteran cops and young, smart, new-school law enforcement are working on this case, and they are as clueless as can be.
However, in the film's second hour, directors Adil & Bilall make the most of their creative cohorts, especially their stunt coordinators, lighting department, and film editors in order to deliver a film that is fast-paced and slickly violent. The filmmakers also bring out all of the colors and life in both the Miami and Mexican locations Adil & Bilall do their best to summon the spirit of Michael Bay, the director of the first two films. I wonder what he thought of the new directors' homage to his style. I must say that Adil & Bilall eschew Bay's over-the-top theatrics for a slick visual, action style that is more focused on the characters than on sweeping shots and a deafening score and soundtrack.
In some ways, Bad Boys for Life is this series' best entry. Yes, Martin Lawrence looks a little pudgy in the face, but his comic timing and humor eventual rev up. Will Smith still looks lithesome and on the edge. While it starts clunky, Bad Boys for Life doesn't show its age, but it does show that – surprisingly – there is still life in these cinematic bad boys.
7 of 10
B+
★★★½ out of 4 stars
Saturday, June 1, 2024
NOTES:
2021 Image Awards (NAACP): 1 win: “Outstanding Motion Picture” and 1 nomination: “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Will Smith)
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TRASH IN MY EYE No. 114 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux
Bad Boys II (2003)
Running time: 147 minutes (2 hours, 27 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and action, pervasive language, sexuality and drug content
DIRECTOR: Michael Bay
WRITERS: Ron Shelton and Jerry Stahl; from a story by Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley and Ron Shelton (based upon the characters created by George Gallo)
PRODUCER: Jerry Bruckheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Amir Mokri (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Roger Barton, Mark Goldblatt, and Thomas A. Muldoon
COMPOSER: Trevor Rabin
ACTION/COMEDY/THRILLER/CRIME
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano, Theresa Randle, Jordi Molla, Gary Nickens, Jason Manuel Olazabal, John Salley, Henry Rollins, and Dan Marino
Bad Boys II is a 2003 American buddy-cop film and action-comedy from director Michael Bay. It is a sequel to the 1995 film, Bad Boys, and is also the second film in the Bad Boys film series. In Bad Boys II, loose-cannon Detectives Burnett and Lowrey investigate the flow of illegal drugs into Miami and end up on the middle of a battle for control of the ecstasy trade.
In a crowded field of auteurs, director Michael Bay (The Rock, Armageddon) strives to become the director god of action movies; indeed, he may already be there. He returns for the sequel to Bad Boys, the film that put him on the map as a big time director of insane gunfights, fiery explosions, and slow motion ballets of unabashed violence. And since we must not worship any god before the god, this Zeus of adrenaline films unleashes a film of wall-to-wall mayhem that overwhelms the audience to paranoiac exhaustion just to show us what he can do.
Bay is fortunate (if a god can ever be called fortunate) to have two talents who are very good at what they do, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. It’s ironic that these roles weren’t originally written for them, but the two actor/comedians have made the bad boys, Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Smith) of Bad Boys II, their own because Burnett and Lowrey could not exist without them.
The plot is a confused half-assed muddle involving stereotypical Russian, Cuban, Jamaican, and redneck drug dealers battling it out in Miami for control of the ecstasy trade. If that wasn’t addled enough, Marcus’s sister, Sydney (the beautiful and sexy Gabrielle Union), is an undercover DEA agent caught in the middle of some mismanaged surveillance operation of a Russian and Cuban money-laundering scheme.
Smith and Lawrence are absolutely wonderful as the bad boys. They have to be because they’re on a very short list of actors whom Michael Bay cannot overwhelm with his thunderous conflagrations of balls-to-the-walls violence. Smith is pure bravado, sweating confidence with cartoonish machismo. His physical bearing and rapid-fire delivery of his dialogue create a seamless presence in the film that leads you to believe that Smith is always Lowery, even when you know that a stunt guy has to step in every now and then. He’s no bossy director’s action marionette or pretty boy A-list actor frontin’ like he’s all that. Smith is all that.
When he has good material, Martin Lawrence is a riot act of physical and facial humor. He’s a comedian, born to make us laugh despite his own personal demons. Lately, he’s sold himself for movies that treat him like a minstrel, when he’s at his best skewering the mainstream. In Bad Boy II, he reveals himself to be the best graduate of the Richard Pryor school of facial contortions, which Lawrence uses to grand effect to make us believe that the film’s juggernaut of violence actually scares him.
Even the overwhelming performances of Smith and Lawrence are almost no match for the overwhelming violence of Bad Boys II, but the actors are game. They do an admirable job keeping up with the exploding body parts, flying corpses, decapitated corpses, defiled corpses, gunshot wounds, gratuitous ass shots, the bare breasts of a naked corpse, flying cars, disintegrating cars, exploding cars, car wrecks, car crashes, and flesh wounds to the buttocks. There was a point early in the film when I was sure that Michael Bay was a fabulous artist of the absurd, cinema his canvas, and wanton violence his raw materials. The action was great and invigorating, the violence was cathartic and deliriously funny, and I wanted to revel in the excess. Lawrence and Smith were so on that I screamed with the kind of laughter I reserve for classic Richard Pryor, Mel Brooks, Marx Brothers, Lenny Bruce, and Burns and Allen.
After awhile, I realized that this was as much popcorn cinema as it was art. I still believe that Bay is on to something. One day, we will see him a great filmmaker who pushed the envelope with his inventiveness and imagination, but in Bad Boys II, he went too far too soon. It’s more popcorn than an even an audience ravenously hungry for Circus Maximus bedlam can stomach. With this film, Bay made the mistake that Martin Scorsese did with Gangs of New York: end the picture early enough and he has a cinematic classic, a truly great film. Overstay his welcome, and the director spoils his film.
As mean-spirited as this film gets, I’d still recommend this to die hard action fans and fans of Smith and Lawrence. I’d only recommend that they just have a bib ready for when you spit up from overeating this cinematic pandemonium.
6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars
Edited: Monday, July 1, 2024
NOTES:
2004 Image Awards (NAACP): 3 nominations: “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Will Smith), and “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Gabrielle Union)
2004 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Film: Best Soundtrack”
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