Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 15th to 21st, 2021 - Update #18

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  "Free Guy" looks to repeat as weekend box office champ, while "Paw Patrol" looks to make a strong debut. 

TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO's series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers loses actor Bo Burnham, who was to play NBA great Larry Bird, but gains five more cast members, including Sean Patrick Small as Burnham's replacement to play Bird.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:   Roddenberry Entertainment is quietly working on a biographical film about the late Gene Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek" and a television writer-producer whose career spanned decades.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From Variety:  Actor Anthony Mackie has reportedly signed a deal to star in "Captain America 4."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The BBC and Miramax are developing a television series based on Michael Ondaatje's novel, "The English Patient."  The novel was previously adapted by the late Anthony Minghella into a 1996 film that won nine Oscars, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director."

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions expands with multiple promotions across the company.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Spencer," the film starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, will hit theaters November 5th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   AMC Networks has set fall premiere dates for new and returning series across its AMC, AMC+, Acorn TV, AllBlk, BBC America, Shudder, Sundance Now, SundanceTV and WeTV.  Newly revealed dates include the new seasons of "Doctor Who" and "Creepshow "and new series such as "Ragdoll," "Kin," and "Ultra City Smiths.

STAR TREK - From YahooLATimes:   There is a three-battle to be the conservator of Nichelle Nichols, legendary "Star Trek" actress, and it is ugly.

STREAMING - From THR:   In a brewing 100 million dollar deal, Sony Animation's "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" could bypass its theatrical run and stream on Amazon Prime

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 8/13 to 8/15/2021 weekend box office is "Free Guy" (starring Ryan Reynolds) with an estimated take of 28.4 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Sylvester Stallone has appeared in a movie that was #1 at the box office in six consecutive decades.  Stallone is a voice actor in last weekend's number one film, "The Suicide Squad."

POLITICS - From YahooTheWeek:   It turns out a minor actor participated in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol building.  Michael Aaron Carico, 33, was arrested Wed., August 11th in Burbank, California.

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:   In his first interview since loosing his libel suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, Johnny Depp speaks out about the "Hollywood boycott" of him.

DISNEY - From GiantFreakingRobot:   The site is reporting that the Walt Disney Company has cut all ties and projects with actress Scarlet Johansson, who is suing Disney over profit sharing for the film, "Black Widow."

NETFLIX - From WeGotThisCovered:   Director Leigh Janiak wants her "Fear Street" three-piece to develop into the Marvel Cinematic Universe of horror.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Apple is closing in on a mega-deal to obtain director Paolo Sorrentino's biopic about Sue Mengers, the legendary female Hollywood agent who broke barriers in what had largely been a boys' club.  Oscar-winner, Jennifer Lawrence, is slated to play Mengers.

OBITS:

From Variety:   The Japanese actor and martial artist, Sonny Chiba, has died at the age of 82, Thursday, August 19, 2021 from complications of COVID-19.  American audiences will remember him for his roles in "Kill Bill Volume 1" (2003) and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006).

From MeTV:  The English actress and producer, Patricia "Pat" Hitchcock, has died at the age of 93, Monday, August 9, 2021.  Pat was the only child of famed director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, the English screenwriter and film editor.  Pat appeared in 10 episodes of the TV series, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."  She also appeared in several of her father's films, including "Stage Fright" (1950) and "Psycho" (1960).  Her most substantial role in a Hitchcock film was playing "Barbara Morton" in "Strangers on a Train" (1951).

Review: Idris Elba Drives James Gunn's "THE SUICIDE SQUAD"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 of 2021 (No. 1787) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Suicide Squad (2021)
Running time:  132 minutes (2 hours, 12 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity
DIRECTOR:  James Gunn
WRITER:  James Gunn (based on characters appearing in DC Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Charles Roven and Peter Safran
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Henry Braham (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner
COMPOSER:  John Murphy

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION and COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring:  Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Daniela Melchior, David Dastmalchian, Storm Reid, Sylvester Stallone (voice), Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, Nathan Fillion, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Peter Capaldi, Juan Diego Botto, Joaquin Cosio, Lynne Ashe, Taika Waititi, and Viola Davis

[Overview:  Yes, The Suicide Squad 2021 is the entertaining film that Suicide Squad 2016 should have been, but was not.  And that has as much to do with star Idris Elba as it does with writer-director James Gunn.]

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 superhero and action-fantasy film from writer-director James Gunn.  It is a sequel to the 2016 film, Suicide Squad, and is based on the DC Comics team of antiheroes, Suicide Squad.  The Suicide Squad the film focuses on a team of imprisoned super-villains who are forced to invade a South American island where a deadly creature supposedly resides.

As The Suicide Squad opens, intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has activated her “Task Force X,” a team composed of dangerous criminals.  Imprisoned in Louisiana's Belle Reve penitentiary, these individuals either possess super-powers, have special abilities, or are some kind of meta-human, humanoid, animal hybrid, or mutant.  All of them are “super-villains.”  Waller chooses thirteen of these inmates and divides them into two teams (unbeknownst to the inmates) and sends them to the small island nation of Corto Maltese, off the coast of South America.

The first team is led by Army Special Forces Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and is comprised of  former psychiatrist and Joker boy toy, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie); Australian thief and super-boomerang thrower, Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney); animal hybrid and child killer, Weasel (James Gunn), meta-human, T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion); long-haired computer hacker, Savant (Michael Rooker); overeager mercenary, Blackguard (Pete Davidson); possessor of a special javelin ... Javelin (Flula Borg); and the alien warrior, Mongal (Mayling Ng).

The second more serious team is comprised of five super-villains.  It is lead by a mercenary and hit man with an advanced technological suit and weapons, Bloodsport (Idris Elba), and is comprised of the former military officer who kills for peace, Peacemaker (John Cena); a man who can emit polka-dots, Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian); a female thief who controls rats, Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior); and a man-eating, human-shark hybrid, Nanaue a.k.a. “King Shark” (Sylvester Stallone).

Once on Corto Maltese, Task Force X has to reach a structure called “Jötunheim.”  It houses a laboratory built on the island decades ago by exiled Nazi scientists so that they could continue their monstrous experiments.  Now, Jötunheim apparently houses a secret program known as “Project Starfish.”  At the heart of this project is something referred to as “the beast,” and to destroy this project, the members of this squad will show why the nickname for Task Force X is “The Suicide Squad.”

First, I can say that The Suicide Squad is a much better film than its predecessor, Suicide Squad (2016), which was probably made problematic by Warner Bros. Pictures executives making bad decisions about it.  In The Suicide Squad, writer-director James Gunn offer his audience gleeful and extreme violence, insane set pieces, and snappy dialogue.  However, Gunn is also very good at creating engaging character drama that allows even the most troubling characters to have a journey in which he or she experiences a poignant or uplifting heroic arc.  In this case, Bloodsport (kinda) transforms from selfish, killer asshole into an anti-hero who cares … about a few things and people … and a rat.

Other characters more or less have a similar arc, although Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is as crazy, as homicidal, and as sweet as ever.  Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag, a holdover from the first film, is a much more interesting and likable character.  Viola Davis' Amanda Waller is darker, maybe even more … evil than ever, and Storm Reid delivers a surprisingly deft turn in a small role as Tyla, Bloodsport's daughter, who appears in two scenes.  David Dastmalchian steals a few scenes as the surprisingly endearing Polka-Dot Man.  Overall, the characters are both more interesting and much more appealing and fun than the characters in the first film.  I say that although in the new film, the Suicide Squad is much more homicidal.

Gunn makes sure The Suicide Squad feels irreverent and outrageous and pours on the ultra-violence, and most of the time, it works.  Sometimes, however, it feels like Gunn is trying too hard, and the violence is either gross or is so over the top as to come across as lame.  Gunn is known for writing and directing Disney/Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy films.  However, I think Gunn was trying to make The Suicide Squad like 20th Century Fox's Deadpool films, which are gleefully violent and shameless and infused with droll humor.  However, the Deadpool movies have Ryan Reynolds, who has mastered his own brand of (sometimes) endearing comedy that is witty, sarcastic, sardonic, silly, and stupid.  There is no Ryan Reynolds om The Suicide Squad, so the film can seem a little desperate in its bid to be crazy and cool.

However, The Suicide Squad does have Idris Elba, and if not for him, James Gunn would have ended up with a Suicide Squad film that works about as well as David Ayers' Suicide Squad film.  Elba, as the world-weary, but supernaturally skilled killer, Bloodsport, plays the complicated anti-hero turned action hero with his usual understated grace and commanding screen presence.  The Suicide Squad is bonkers, inventive, and imaginative – thanks to James Gunn.  However, it is a superhero fantasy and action thrill machine because of Idris Elba.

7 of 10
A-

Friday, August 6, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 1st to 5th, 2019 - Update #22

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MY REVIEW OF "JOKER" IS here.

BOX OFFICE - From TheWrap:  "Joker" made an estimated 13.3 million dollars in Thursday night preview shows.  That is a record for the month of October, surpassing the previous record holder, "Venom" (2018).

From THR:  "Joker" looking at a weekend box office debut of 90 million dollars.

----------
JAMES BOND - From DigitalSpy:  An new poster for the next James Bond film, "No Time to Die," has bee release.

----------
MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Is there a feud between legendary TV actor and Emmy Winner, Henry Winkler, and legendary film actor and Oscar-winner Tom Hanks?  Well, Winkler was fired as director of Hanks 1989 film, "Turner and Hooch."

----------
SCANDAL - From 5280:  The true story of the saga of the "Balloon Boy Hoax."

----------
BOOKS - From ComicBook:  Novelist Suzanne Collins has announced the title of the first prequel novel to her bestselling series, "The Hunger Games," which was turned into a billion-dollar film franchise.  "The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes," due May 2020, will reveal how society fell and led to "The Hunger Games."

----------
SCANDAL - From Variety:   Two former students of Oscar-nominated actor James Franco’s now-closed acting school ("Studio 4") filed a lawsuit Thurs., Oct. 3rd, alleging that the classes existed principally to create a way for Franco and his associates to take advantage of young women.

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren's hour-long action drama, "The International," has been picked up by CBS as a "put pilot," which means it will become a series or CBS pay out a lot of money.

----------
TRAILER - From BET:  BET has released a new thirty second promo trailer for its two new Tyler Perry series, "Sistas" and "The Oval," that are debuting Wed., October 23rd.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Stuntwoman, Joi Harris, a stunt rider, was killed on the set of "Deadpool 2" on August 14, 2017, when she lost control of her motorcycle and crashed into the side of a building in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  A British workplace safety investigation says  Twentieth Century Fox committed several safety errors that contributed to the fatal motorcycle crash on the set of "Deadpool 2."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  "How to Train Your Dragon's" Dean DeBlois to direct a new take on the classic novel, "Treasure Island," for Universal Pictures.

----------
DISNEY - From Variety:  Walt Disney Animation has appointed four directors to work on four new projects.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From TheWrap:  James Franco's film, "Zeroville," is being called a bomb after it box office debut of $8900 on 80 screams - an average of about $111 per theater.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  "The Terminator" and "Beetlejuice" are among the films in which the original writers have filed "copyright termination" notices.  In the case of "The Terminator," it is original writer, Gale Anne Hurd."

----------
MOVIES - From YahooAP:   Comedy legend and Oscar-nominated actor, Eddie Murphy, talks about being rejuvenated by his new Netflix film, "Dolemite."

----------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Guillermo del Toro praises Martin Scorsese's new masterpiece, "The Irishman."

-----------
COMICS-FILM - From Yahoo:  During an interview to promote Netflix's "Dolemite is My Name," Wesley Snipes says that he has moved on from playing Marvel Comics character, Blade, which he did in three films, beginning with 1998's "Blade."

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix renews "Stranger Things" for a fourth season.  Series creators, The Duffer Brothers, sign an overall development deal with Netflix.

TRAILERS-VIDEO:

From CNN:  New York Comic Con 2019 sees the release of a new trailer for CBS All Access's "Star Trek: Picard."

From DigitalSpy:  New York Comic Con also sees the release of the first-look trailer for CBS All Access' "Star Trek: Discovery."

OBITS:

From THR:  Pioneering African-American actress, Diahann Carroll, has died at the age of 84, Friday, October 4, 2019.  Carroll played the first non-stereotypical black female character to lead a TV series in NBC's "Julia" (1968 to 1971).  Carroll was the first black woman to win a Tony Award for best actress in a musical.  Carroll also received a best actress Oscar nomination for her role in Claudine (1974).  From 1984 to 1987, Carroll appeared in over 70 episodes of the ABC primetime soap opera, "Dynasty."  Her Dynasty character, Dominique Deveraux, was the first prominent African-American character on a primetime soap opera.

From Deadline:  The character actor, Lewis Dauber, has died at the age of 70, Thursday, October 3, 2019.  He was known for playing in the roll of a priest in numerous TV series, including "The Bernie Mac Show" and "Diagnosis Murder."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 10th, 2019 - Update #24

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES - From DigitalSpy:  This article is a list of films that 20th Century Fox had planned to make, but Disney has cancelled since buying Fox.

----------
TELEVISION - From THR:  Robert Kirkman, the co-creator of "The Walking Dead" comic book, is suing AMC over profits concerning "The Walking Dead" television series.  That trial may begin sooner than expected.

----------
DISNEY - From SlashFilm:  Disney's live-action remake of its animated classic, "Lady and the Tramp," will feature real dogs.  Here is a first look at those dogs.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From SlashFilm:  Multiple Oscar-nominee, Michelle Williams, is returning for the Venom sequel, "Venom 2," to play "Anne Weying."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Wesley Snipes joins Eddie Murphy and Craig Brewer's "Coming to America" sequel.

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Disney CEO Bob Iger says that the Disney+ streaming service will include reboots of 20th Century Fox movie properties like "Home Alone," "Night at the Museum," and "Cheaper by the Dozen."

----------
COMICS-TV - From Deadline:  ABC is looking for its next series based on a Marvel Comics property as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to an end. They are looking for a mostly brand new female superhero.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Andy Serkis has closed a deal with Sony Pictures to direct "Venom 2."  Sexy Tom Hardy will return as the film's star.

----------
TELEVISION - From THR:  On the heels of "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons", ABC has ordered two more "live" specials from producers Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel.  No word on which classic Norman Lear TV series will get the live treatment.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/2 to 8/4/2019 weekend box office is "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" with an estimated 60.8 million dollars.

From Patreon:  My review of "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw."

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Actress Afton Williamson recently quit ABC's TV series, "The Rookie" (starring Nathan Fillion).  She announces that the reasons were sexual misconduct and racist behavior towards her.  Deadline has a dedicated page to follow this controversy which is heating up.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have signed a first-look production deal with Universal Pictures.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  In a rare public appearance, Lilly Wachowski (formerly Andy Wachowski), talks about the visibility of trans-people.  Lilly and her sister, Lana, (formerly Larry), are best known for directing "The Matrix" trilogy.

----------
MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  "Fragile masculinity: why no one in the Fast and Furious films can lose a fight" by Stuart Heritage.

-----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Former costars Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren are reuniting for an hour-long action drama series, and it is a hot property with broadcast and streaming companies.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  The eighth and final season of Showtime's Emmy-winning series, "Homeland," will begin February 2020.

----------
TELEVISION - From TVLine:  Gal Gadot will star in Showtime's biopic of famed Golden Age of Hollywood actress, Hedy Lamarr (who was also an inventor).

----------
MOVIES-TELEVISION - From Variety:  CBS and Viacom's reunion moves closer as both companies agree to an executive structure.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Cate Blanchett looks to join Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley," opposite Bradley Cooper.

----------
MOVIES - From Jezebel:  An analysis by Rich Juzwiak: "Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood Doubles Down on Shittiness Toward Women."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Robert De Niro is in talks to join director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the film adaptation of the book, "Killers of the Flower Moon."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The American author, Toni Morrison, has died at the age of 88, Monday, August 5, 2019.  Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, the first Black woman to win the award.  Ms. Morrison was known for such novels as Sula, The Song of Solomon, and Beloved.

From ReviewJournal:  Sports reporter Don Banks has died at the age of 56, Sunday, August 4, 2019.  Banks was known for his work covering the National Football League (NFL).  He wrote for "Sports Illustrated" for 17 years and had recently joined "The Las Vegas Review-Journal. "

From IndieWire:  Documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker died at the age of 94, Thursday, August 1, 2019.  He was known for his focus on arts ("Don't Look Back" and "Monterey Pop") and politics ("The War Room") and was a pioneer of "Direct Cinema."  He was only nominated for one Oscar (for "The War Room"), but he won an "Honorary Oscar" for Lifetime Achievement.

From NFL:  Former National Football League (NFL) player, Nick Buoniconti, died at the age of 78, Tuesday, July 30, 2019.  Buoniconti played middle linebacker for the Boston Patriots and the Miami Dolphins.  He was on two Super Bowl winning Dolphins teams, including the 1972 "Perfect Season" Dolphins.  He was named to the "Pro Football Hall of Fame" in 2001.  Known for his charitable work, he co-founded Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and he raised hundreds of millions of dollars for research into brain and spinal cord injuries.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 1st to 6th, 2018 - Update #22

Support Leroy on Patreon:

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Trailer for "Star Trek: Discovery" Season 2 provides first look at Spock.

----------
DISNEY - From Deadline:  Janelle Monae joins the voice cast of  Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" reboot, which already has Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  AFI, the American Film Institute, will present actor Denzel Washington with its "AFI Life Achievement Award," making Washington the 47th recipient.

----------
STREAMING - From THR:  TV super-producer Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy") and director Matt Reeves (Fox's recent "Planet of the Apes" films) are united for a Netflix a film and TV series based on Blake Crouch's sci-fi novel, "Recursion."

----------
DISNEY - From TheWrap:  The producers behind the live-action remake of Disney's "Aladdin," will produce a live-action remake of Disney's delightful animated hit, "Lilo & Stitch."

----------
POLITICS/CELEBRITY - From YahooET:   Actresses Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski are apparently among the people being detained for the protests at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington DC.  There have been vigorous protests against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Paramount Network will air the "Heathers" television series.  It is a reboot of the Michael Lehmann-directed and Daniel Waters-written 1998 dark comedy.  However, Episode 10 of the reboot will not be aired because of its controversial ending.  There will be some re-editing to make Episode 9 to be the last episode.

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix will produce films and TV series based on "The Chronicle of Narnia" books.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Damon Wayans has announced that he is leaving the Fox TV series, "Lethal Weapon," after filming the 13 episodes of the Warner Bros. produced series that Fox ordered.  The series' other star, Clayne Crawford, was fired after Season 2.

----------
MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  "Bad Boys 3" is apparently close to being greenlit by Sony.  Will Smith is reportedly officially on board, and Martin Lawrence is close.  The oft-delayed film currently as the title "Bad Boys for Life."

----------
BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  "Venom" estimated to have a $175 million debut at the worldwide box office.

----------
MOVIES - From MSNMoviefone:  "Rambo 5" begins filming, and Sylvester Stallone has a new look.

----------
COMICS-FILM -From IndieWire:  Critics divided over Sony Pictures' "Venom," starring Tom Hardy.

----------
SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Illeana Douglas talks about her claims against former CBS chairman Les Moonves, which include allegations of sexual assault.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Singer-actress Janelle Monae joins Fox Searchlight's film, "Harriet," a Harriet Tubman.

----------
MOVIES - From Collider:  Director Simon Kinberg talks about "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" reshoots and the recent release date change from Feb. 14, 2018 to June 2019.

----------
MOVIES - From Collider:  Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie talks about his involvement with the "Green Lantern" reboot and "Man of Steel 2."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Ansel Elgort will star as "Tony" in Steven Spielberg's version of "West Side Story."

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Movieweb:  40 minutes worth of scenes has been cut from Sony's "Venom," some of which Tom Hardy says are his favorite scenes.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/28 to 9/30/2018 weekend box office is "Night School," with an estimated take of $28 million.

----------
CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Samuel L. Jackson Reacts To Viral ‘Pulp Fiction’ Kavanaugh Hearing Video Mashup

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  First official trailer for Marvel/Netflix's "Daredevil" Season 3

From YouTube:  Aquaman Official Extended Trailer.

OBIT:

From TheWrap:  Screenwriter and director, Audrey Wells, has died at the age of 58, Thursday, October 4, 2018.  She wrote and directed the romantic comedy, "Under the Tuscan Sun" (2003).  She wrote the screenplay adaptation of the just released, "The Hate U Give."

From THR:  Film set decorator, John M. Dwyer, died at the age of  83, September 15, 2018.  Dwyer earned an Oscar for his work on "Coal Miner's Daughter."  He was an Emmy winner for his work on "The Gangster Chronicles."  Dwyer did extensive work on the original "Star Trek," TV series, and worked on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" for one season.  He also worked on several "Star Trek" films, beginning with 1986's "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 1st to 5th, 2018 - Update #8

Support Leroy on Patreon:

From BleedingCool:  Sylvester Stallone wants to take on the "Mexican cartel" in "Rambo 5."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Broke-ass Relativity Media has found a buyer, an investor group.

----------
MOVIES - From SlashFilm:  J.J. Abrams will team with director Julius Avery ("Overlord") for a superhero movie.

----------
OSCARS - From Variety:  The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has voted to expel Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski from its membership ranks.  Cosby was recently convicted of three counts of "aggravated indecent assault" and Polanski has been on the run from a "statutory rape" conviction for 40 years.

----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Amazon orders a Meek Mill documentary from Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Brad Pitt's Plan B and A24 reunite for "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."  Plan B and A24 teamed up on the Oscar-winning "Moonlight."

----------
MUSIC - From TheNewYorker:  Two new books examine the lives of Donna Summer (the "Queen of Disco") and Grace Jones, the reigning queens of Disco.

----------
COMICS-FILM -From Collider:  Michael B. Jordan will reunite with "Black Panther" co-writer, Joe Robert Cole, for a film adaptation of the comic book, "Failsafe."

From BleedingCool:  5 New Posters for Teen Titans Go! to the Movies Plus a New Trailer.

OBIT:

From NPR:  The Reverend James H. Cone died at the age of 79, Saturday, April 28, 2018.  Cone was the founder of "Black Liberation Theology."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 18th to 28th, 2018 - Update #32

Support Leroy on Patreon:

COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  First look at the Zachary Levi's costume in Warner Bros./DC Entertainment's "Shazam: film.

-----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Netflix plans 700 original series and movies for 2018.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  Significant reshoots for Fox's X-Men spinoff, "The New Mutants."

----------
CELEBRITY - From Variety:  In a wide-ranging interview, legendary Barbra Streisand talks sexism in Hollywood, the Oscars, and wanting to direct films again.  She also reveals that she has had her dogs cloned.

----------
OSCARS - From Yahoo:  Oscars so scandalous: leading movies hit with backlash

----------
CELEBRITY - From Variety:  Kevin Smith tweets that he suffered a heart attack.

---------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/23 to 2/25/2018 weekend box office is Marvel Studio's "Black Panther" with an estimated take of $108 million.

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Ryan Coogler explains why he isn't directing "Creed 2," the sequel to his hit film, "Creed."

------------
MOVIE - From ShadowandAct:  See photographic image of three generations of Shaft from the upcoming film, "Son of Shaft."

----------
STREAMING - From TVSeriesFinale:  Amazon is developing a TV series based on Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" book series.

----------
MOVIES - From Vulture:  "The First Great Movie of the Trump Era" By Jada Yuan and Hunter Harris (about Jordan Peele's "Get Out")

----------
MOVIES - From Collider:   Alex Garland is a hot filmmaker and is currently promoting his second film, "Annihilation."  He began as a noted novelist and revealed that there may be another film adaptation of his debut novel, "The Beach."  There was a 2000 film adaptation from director Danny Boyle and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

----------
TELEVISION - From TVSeriesFinale:  Walter Goggins will star in CBS's reboot of the Oscar-winning film, "L.A. Confidential."

---------
CELEBRITY - From GQ:  Whatever happened to actor Brendan Fraser (The Mummy franchise)

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  "Jurassic World 3" has been scheduled for a 2021 release.

----------
ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Larry Fishburne is producing an animated TV series based on Marvel Comics' "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur" comic book, which is apparently popular with young readers.

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Jessica Chastain is in talks to star as "Beverly" in the sequel to the smash hit, "It."

----------
#PARKLANDSHOOTING - From StandardUK:  George and Amal Clooney donate $500,000 to gun control march after Florida shooting.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/16 to 2/18/2018 (President's Day) weekend box office is Disney/Marvel's "Black Panther" with an estimated take of $192 million, the fifth largest box office opening to date.

From BleedingCool:  Black Panther's three-day weekend total is actually $201.8 million instead of $192 million.

From Variety:  "Black Panther's four-day President's Day weekend may hit $235 million.

From THR:  All this fuss over a superhero movie? by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

----------
MOVIES - From CBR:  The "Transformers" film franchise may end as an unresolved film series.  Paramount has reportedly cancelled what was to be the sequel to "Transformers: The Last Knight," which apparently had an open ending. [I didn't see that film.]

----------
AWARDS - From Variety:  A complete list of winners at the 2018 BAFTAs.  "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" wins two best film awards.

From TheGuardian:  Bafta film awards 2018: Three Billboards triumphs as Time's Up dominates

----------
MOVIES - From EW:  Anne Hathaway joins Dee Rees ("Mudbound") for an adaptation of Joan Didion's 1996 novel, "The Last Thing He Wanted," a political thriller.

----------
CRIME-POLITICS - From Justice.gov:   Read Robert S. Mueller III's indictment against 13 individuals (Russians and one American).

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Sylvester Stallone reveals the first poster for "Creed II."

OBITS:

From THR:  Oscar-nominated animator, Bud Luckey, has died at the age of 83, Saturday, February 24, 2018.  An early Pixar employee, Luckey, designed the cowboy "Woody" for the original "Toy Story."  He also created "counting cartoons" for "Seasame Street."  He received an Oscar nominations for his animated short film, "Boundin'."

From Variety:  The India actress, Sridevi Kapoor, has died at the age of 54, Saturday, February 24, 2018.  Best known by her mononym, Sridevi, was the first Bollywood superstar actress.

From TheGuardian:  British actress, Emma Chambers, has died at the age of 53, Wednesday, February 21, 2018.  Chambers was best known for her roles in the British comedy TV series, "The Vicar of Dibley," and in the 1999 film, "Notting Hill," playing "Honey," the sister of Hugh Grant's character.

From YahooNews:  Famed evangelist and ordained Southern Baptist minister and preacher, Billy Graham, has died at the age of 99, Wednesday, February 21, 2018.  Known as "America's Pastor," Graham provided spiritual counsel to every U.S. President from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.  Graham was also a supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and began "racial integration" for his revival and crusades beginning in 1953.  [Of course, he's resting in peace.]

From Deadline:  African filmmaker Idrissa Ouedraogo, has died at the age of 64, Sunday, February 18, 2018.  A native of the West African nation of Burkina Faso, Ouedraogo won the Cannes Jury Prize for his 1990 film, "Tilai."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 12th to 18th, 2017 - Update #39

Support Leroy on Patreon.

CELEBRITY - From ETCanada:  Musician and former "Partridge Family" star, David Cassidy, has been hospitalized with organ failure.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Box office for "Justice League" looks to be less than forecasted.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis joins director Malcolm D. Lee for the film adaptation of "I Almost Forgot About You."

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali will star in and executive produce the crime thriller, "Burn."

From TheWrap:  "Selma" star, Carmen Ejogo, joins Mahershala Ali in Season 3 of HBO's "True Crime.

----------
TERMINATOR - From Variety:  Screenwriter Billy Ray ("Captain Phillips") joins the writing room of the upcoming "Terminator" film.

----------
BUSINESS - From Variety:  Comcast expresses interest in buying parts of 21st Century Fox, a week after news comes that Disney was in brief talks with Fox.  Verizon is apparently also interested.

-----------
SCANDAL - From TheDailyMail:  Back in 1988, a 16-year-old girl filed a police reported accusing Sylvester Stallone and his bodyguard of sexually misconduct.

From YahooEntertainmentET:  Stallone says the incident never happened.

----------
CELEBRITY - From THR:  Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone, both Oscar winners, are working on a secret project together.

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  The seventh and final season of "Veep" has been postponed as star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is battling breast cancer.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  James Franco in talks to join Fox's "X-Men" universe as "Multiple Man" in a self-titled film.

----------
HARRY POTTER - From Variety:  Here is the first cast photo from "Fantastic Beasts 2."

----------
SCANDAL - From YahooGMA:  Terry Crews finally names the Hollywood player who groped him in February 2016.

---------
MOVIES - From Variety:  "Girls Trip" scene stealer, Tiffany Haddish is hot.  She became the first African-American stand-up comic to host, "Saturday Night Live" in its history (WTF!).  Now, she has landed lead roles in two film.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Taraji P. Henson to star in a female take on the 2000 hit film, "What Women Want," which was directed by Nancy Myers and starred Mel Gibson.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From ThePlaylist:  15 to 20 percent of Justice League is from Joss Whedon reshoots.

----------
SPORTS/BLM - From ThePlayersTribune:  Stephen Curry pens "The Noise," about peaceful protests, Veterans Day, and accusing protesters of being against the military.

---------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Zendaya will star in and produce the thriller, "A White Lie," playing the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From ComicBook:  Wonder Woman Gal Gadot does not want Brett Ratner (via his company RatPac-Dune Entertainment) involved with "Wonder Woman 2" because of sexual misconduct accusations against him... at least that what the Internet is reporting.

From LATimes:  Because of an issue of timing, Gadot's alleged demands may be moot.  Warner Bros.'s "Wonder Woman 2" is due in 2019, and Brett Ratner's arrangement with Warner Bros. will expire in 2018.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Sony Pictures is developing a film based on Spider-Man antagonist, Morbius, the Living Vampire.

----------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  Co-writer Danny McBride confirms the timeline and other information concerning the 2018 reboot of John Carpenter's horror film classic, "Halloween."

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Amazon sets "The Lord of the Rings" TV series with a multi-season commitment.  The series will apparently be a prequel to "The Fellowship of the Ring."

----------
SOCIAL - From GQ:  "GQ" names blacklisted NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, "Citizen of the Year."

From FoxNews:  And Fox News is so bitter about that honor for Kaepernick.

----------
JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  MGM and Annapurna to unite to distribute the next James Bond, which will star Daniel Craig.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  The cast is set for "Deadly Class," the TV series from Syfy that is based on the comic book series published by Image Comics.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/10 to 11/12/2017 weekend box office is "Thor: Ragnarok" with an estimated haul of $56.6 million.

----------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard, Lonzo Ball, became the youngest NBA player to record a statistical "triple-double."  At the age of 20 years and 20 days old, he beat the previous recorder holder, LeBron James by five days.

From YahooSports:  Lonzo really don't give a...

From LakerNation:  And LeVar Ball is handling the China situation.

----------
STAR TREK - From YahooEntertainment:   George Takei says that he is "shocked and bewildered" by the sexual assault acclaim against him by a former model and actor.

SCANDAL - From TheSun:  "Smallville" actress Allison Mack is involved in some kind of "sinister sex cult."

OBITS:

From YahooGMA:  Malcolm Young, guitarist and co-founder of legendary rock band, AC/DC, has died at the age of 64.  Malcolm founded the band with his brother, guitarist Angus Young, in 1973.  Malcolm had been suffering from dementia for several years.

From MLB:  Former Major League Baseball player and coach, Bobby Doerr, has died at the age of 99, Monday, November 13, 2017.  Doerr played 14 seasons for the Boston Red Sox and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and its only member to live to 99 years old.  He played for the Red Sox from 1937 to 1951, but missed the 1945 season for military service.

From TheWrap:  Legendary newspaper gossip columnist, Liz Smith, has died at the age of 94, Sunday, November 12, 2017.  Her column ran for more than three decades and she was credited with helping to bring forth the era of celebrity journalism.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The first official trailer for the film, "Rampage," starring Dwayne Johnson and is due April 2018.

From YouTube:  First official trailer for "The Strangers: Prey at Night," the sequel to "The Strangers" and which is due March 2018.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 8th to 14th, 2017 - Update #40

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From THR:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which bestows the Academy Awards (Oscars), has expelled Harvey Weinstein in the wake of sexual harassment and sexual assault charges.

From THR:  Harvey's brother, Bob Weinstein, who cofounded The Weinstein Company with Harvey, gives an interview to "The Hollywood Reporter."

----------
CULTURE - From BoingBoing:  A white guy tries to blow up a plane and hardly anyone noticed... this is not a joke.

----------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Amazon severs ties with The Weinstein Company and that means that it cancels its involvement with David O. Russell and his TV series to star Robert DeNiro and Julianne Moore.

----------
MOVIES - From IndieWire:  The title of the Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis film is "Phantom Thread."

----------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Actress Amber Tamblyn releases a statement for her friend, Quentin Tarantino, about his friend, Harvey Weinstein.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Collider:  "X-Men" spinoff "Gambit," with Channing Tatum, is back on and has a Feb. 2019 release date.  Gore Verbinski is supposed to direct the film.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Even if its changes its name, The Weinstein Company may not be able to survive the still-growing Harvey Weinstein scandal.

---------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Beetlejuice 2" is apparently really happening, and has a new writer.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From JoBlo:  The first teaser for Fox's "X-Men" spinoff, "New Mutants," arrives some time after midnight, Fri., Oct. 13th.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  Marvel Studios will publish an official time line of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so that viewers can figure out what happened and when it happened.

----------
CULTURE - From TheNewYorker:  From a story by Ronan Farrow, Harvey Weinstein's victims tell their stories.

----------
MOVIES:  From THR:  Gal Gadot ("Wonder Woman") is in talks to star in the Nazi revenge thriller, "Ruin."  Gadot is a citizen of Israel.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Fox has cast "Ralphie" in its live musical version of "A Christmas Story."  He is 11-year-old Alex Walken.

----------
ANIMATION - From Variety:  Walt Disney Animation Studios has stopped development on "Gigantic," its adaptation of the fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk."

----------
POLITICS - From YahooAOL:  LeBron James and Colin Kaepernick have perfect reactions to Eminem's freestyle diss of President Trump during Tuesday night's BET Hip Hop Awards.

----------
MOVIES - From YahooUKMovies: - A film fan "mansplains" Indiana Jones' costume to the woman who designed it, Deborah Landis.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Ben Affleck expressed disgust at the sexual harassment behavior of movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein, but actress Rose McGowan says Affleck knew years ago about Harvey's behavior... because she told him about it!

From YahooUKMovies:  Plus, former MTV host, Hilarie Burton, says Ben Affleck once groped her when she "was a kid."

----------
RELIEF - From Remezcla:  Here is how you can keep helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Apple is nearing a deal with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and NBCUnivesal to revive the 1980s anthology series, "Amazing Stories."

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  When Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed Gwyneth Paltrow, she was dating Brad Pitt.  Pitt reportedly threatened to beat up Weinstein over the incident with Paltrow.

---------
CELEBRITY - From YahooNews:  Actor and celebrity host Terry Crews recounts a recent experience with sexual harassment, which sounds more like sexual assault.

----------
MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  Dwayne Johnson says that he wants to use his "Hobbs" "Fast & Furious" spinoff to expand the franchise.

----------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Sylvester Stallone wants to produce and direct "Creed 2," the sequel to "Creed," which was directed by Ryan Coogler.

----------
SPORTS - From TheNation:  In light of former NFL player and coach, Mike Ditka's latest racist rants, here is another classic from sports writer, Dave Zirin, "The Unbearable Bigotry of Mike Ditka."

From TheChicagoTribune:   And if Mike Ditka can't see oppression during the last 100 years [Didn't know he was that old! - Ed.], medicines like Viagra (for which he once famously shilled) may cause injury to one's eyesight.

----------
EMMY - From Emmys:  This Microsoft Word PDF is a detailed list of the winners of the 38th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  The late actor, Anton Yelchin (who died in June 2016) is honored in an emotional celebration of life.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/6 to 10/8/2017 box office weekend is "Blade Runner 2049."

----------
HUMAN RIGHTS - From Truthout:  This Holocaust survivor is more afraid of Neo-Nazi than Antifa activists.

----------
CELEBRITY - From THR:  And The Weinstein Company terminates Harvey Weinstein.

From RSN:  Harvey Weinstein losing supporters, including his advisor Lisa Bloom, as controversy around sexual harassment allegations mounts.

From HuffPost:  And Harvey ejaculated into a potted plant.

----------
HARRY POTTER - From Variety:  Jessica Williams, formerly a correspondent on "The Daily Show," are among the new announced cast members of the "Fantastic Beasts" sequel.

----------
MOVIES - From BusinessInsider:  Jennifer Lawrence wants to explain her film, "mother," to you.

----------
CELEBRITY - From TheGuardian:  How weird does a movie star have to be before we stop watching their films.

----------
MOVIES - From NPR:  National Public Radio offers 16 Fall movies they think we should pay attention to.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  There is a fight over who will have the final cut on the film, "The Professor and the Madman," starring Mel Gibson.

----------
FILM FESTIVALS - From Wired:  The best films from the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival to look forward to.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  14-year-old Jaeden Lieberher talks about his hit movie, "IT."

TRAILERS:

From YahooEntertaiment:  Here is the first trailer for Fox's "X-Men," spinoff, "The New Mutants."

From YouTube:  The second official trailer for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."

From Kottke:  Here is the trailer for the documentary, "Score: A Film Music Documentary."

OBITS:

From TheNewYorkTimes:  Basketball Hall of Fame member, Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins, has died at the age of 75, Friday, October 6, 2017.  Hawkins played seven seasons in the NBA.  As a freshman, Hawkins was expelled from Iowa and later barred for awhile from the NBA because his name was connected via unsubstantiated rumors that he was involved in a New York City point shaving scandal.

From ESPN:  Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Y.A. Tittle, has died at the age of 90, Sunday, October 8, 2017.  He was on the 1963 MVP.  He played his college football at Louisiana State University, which he led to the 1947 Cotton Bowl, known as the "Ice Bowl."  He played most of his career for the San Francisco 49ers, but had his greatest success at the end of his career with the New York Giants.

Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2" Reaches New Heights

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2017) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Running time:  136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive content
DIRECTOR:  James Gunn
WRITERS:  James Gunn (based on the comic book created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Henry Braham (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Fred Raskin and Craig Wood
COMPOSER:  Tyler Bates

SCI-FI/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring:  Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sylvester Stallone, Stan Lee, Michelle Yeoh, Ving Rhames, and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 science fiction-action film and adventure comedy.  It is written and directed by James Gunn and is produced by Marvel Studios.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics title, Guardians of the Galaxy (2008), which was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and is a sequel to the 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy.  This second film finds the Guardians of the Galaxy trying to unravel the mystery of the origins of one of their own while evading an unhappy client intent on killing them.

In 2014, Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Drax (Dave Bautista), Baby Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) are renowned throughout the galaxy as the Guardians of the Galaxy.  They have been hired by Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), the leader of the Sovereign race, to stop a monster from stealing valuable batteries from the Sovereign world.  That mission is successful, but also goes slightly awry, making the Guardians targets for destruction.

While on the run, the Guardians meet a mysterious man, who calls himself Ego (Kurt Russell), and his assistant, Mantis (Pom Klementieff).  Ego claims that he is Peter Quill's father, and he takes Peter, Gamora, and Drax with him to his home world.  Rocket and Baby Groot find themselves stuck with Gamora's vengeful sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan).  Things get worse when Peter's surrogate father and Ravager leader, Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker), shows up to claim a bounty on the Guardians.  Meanwhile, on Ego's planet, Gamora begins to suspect that there is something ominous about Peter's alleged biological father.

The original Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the surprise hits of 2014, if not the surprise hit of the year.  Although I was interested in a sequel to the film, I could not imagine what a Guardians of the Galaxy 2 would like.  What we gets is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a fun sci-fi action movie and a surprisingly thoughtful character melodrama.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the acting is really good; the special effects are impressive; the CGI-created environments, backdrops, sets (interiors and exteriors), spaceways, worlds, etc. are so dazzling in scope, color, and imagination.  The songs on the soundtrack are just the inspired choices they were for the first film.  The make-up and costumes are worthy of receiving Oscar nominations next year.

But Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 turns on the inventive and reflective storytelling of writer-director James Gunn.  I thought that Gunn might be a potentially top-notch filmmaker when I saw his film Slither (2006), one of the few horror movies that is genuinely scary while also being droll and witty.  And I have to admit that I also liked Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), for which Gunn was the credited screenwriter, so that was also a point in his favor.

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gunn delivers his best screenplay.  He takes what could have been a silly, frivolous, and mildly entertaining sequel to a surprising outer space, action-adventure film (the original Guardians of the Galaxy), and instead, delivers a shockingly moving rumination on what a family is, what it can be, and what forms it may take.  Vol. 2 says that family members fight and yell at each other because they care so damn much about one another – even if each individual in the family is loathed to admit how much he cares about another family member and how much she cares about the family as a group.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is just as wild and entertaining and out-there as the first movie.  It is a science fiction/space fantasy pop confection with the delightful fizz of the first film.  However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is not just a follow-up to a hit film, nor is it just the next installment in a franchise.  It is an evolution or at least it is evidence that this franchise can grow, and James Gunn is the guy with the notion that he could really, really improve on the original with a film that engages the characters – both the leads and the supporting players – in character drama and character development.  I honestly wonder if Gunn can top himself in a third Guardians movie.

9 of 10
A+

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 5th, 2017 - Update #29

Support Leroy on Patreon.

TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  FOX News "personality" Eric Bolling is the latest FOX white male in trouble for sexual harassment of female co-workers.

----------
TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Scripps Network  has bought Black-oriented television network, "Bounce TV."

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Whoopi Goldberg is returning this fall for Season 21 of "The View."

----------
COMICS-FILM - From TheTrackingBoard:  Jeff Robinov's Studio 8 has optioned the independent comic book series, "Black," for film.  The series is set in a world where only African-Ameicans have super powers.

----------
TELEVISION - TheTrackingBoard:  Teagan Croft is the first cast member of "Titans," based on the comic book from DC Comics.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC's "Will & Grace" revival has been renewed for a second season before the first season makes it debut (set for September 28th).

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Jaden Smith to star in director Crystal Moselle's film about female skateboarders in New York City.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Sylvester Stallone will appear in the upcoming season of NBC's much talked about series, "This is Us."

----------
TELEVISION - From Vulture:  The "Divergent" novel series is comprised of three books.  The third book, "Allegiant," was supposed adapted into two films.  The first film, also entitled "Allegiant," was a box office disappointment, and it seems that Lionsgate is not making the second part, to be called "Ascendant."  Starz is developing "Ascendant" as a TV series, instead.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Vin Diesel's One Race Television is working on a reboot of NBC's classic TV series, "Miami Vice."

----------
COMICS-FILM - From CinemaBlend:  Dave Bautista, who plays "Drax" in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, says he will appear in a film adaptation of Valiant Comics' "Eternal Warrior" comic books.

----------
DISNEY - From THR:  Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks to voice "Scar" in Disney's live-action remake of its animated classic, "The Lion King" (1994), which will be directed by Jon Favreau.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooStyle:  President and Mrs. Obama send newlywed couple a moving note of congratulations.

----------
JAMES BOND - From YahooCelebrity:  Halle Berry does not think that James Bond should be played by a woman.  Berry was a co-star in the 2002 Bond film, "Die Another Day."

----------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Scott Cooper to write and direct "Hellhound on His Trail," about the hunt for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

----------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  NBA Legend/G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan says that Kobe is higher on the all-time list than LeBron James.

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  ABC's long-running sitcom, "The Middle," will end after this coming season, its ninth.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" begins production and releases a teaser video.

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Ian McShane joins the "Hellboy" film franchise reboot, "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen."

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Amazon is developing a TV series from Aaron McGruder (creator of "The Boondocks") and super-producer Will Packer ("Girls Trip") that will deal with a post-slavery reparations America.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Leah Remini is reuniting with her "King of Queens" cast mate, Kevin James, on his recent CBS comedy, "Kevin Can Wait."  In order to do that, the character played by Erinn Hayes in "Kevin Can Wait" will be killed off.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  50 Cent is threatening to take his hit show, "Power," from Starz.

---------
TELEVISION - From Vulture:  Jason Bateman says Season 5 of "Arrested Development" begins next week for Netflix.

---------
ANIMATION - From YahooMovies:  Sony's "The Emoji Movie" may be the worst reviewed movie of the year.

----------
LGBTQ - From YahooNews:  A federal judge orders the FBT to probe records of a 1950 program to purge LGBT federal workers from their jobs, as per Executive Order 10450 by then President Dwight Eisenhower.

----------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Legendary Major League Baseball player Pete Rose had sex with an underage girl, according to court documents.

----------
HEALTH - From Propublica:  Could "Agent Orange" exposure in Vietnam be behind Senator John McCain's (a Vietnam War prisoner of war) battle with brain cancer?

----------
CELEBRITY - From Mashable:  Mark Hamill sends a sweet DM to a fan trying to verify an old Hamill autograph.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooMovies:  Idris Elba would like to be in a third "Magic Mike" film, is one happens.  "Magic Mike" star, Matthew McConaughey, thinks so, too.

OBIT:

From People:  The British actor Robert Hardy has died at the age of 91, Thursday, August 3, 2017.  Harry Potter fans know Hardy for playing Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in four "Harry Potter" films.

From Variety:  The film and television music composer, Daniel Licht,  died at the age of 60, Wednesday, August 2, 2017.  He was best known for composing the music for all eight seasons of Showtime's serial killer drama, "Dexter."  He composed music for two of the films in the "Children of the Corn" series.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 7th, 2017 - Update #37

Support Leroy on Patreon.

ECO - From YahooNews:  A zombie apocalypse would wipe out humanity in 100 days.

----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Comedy duo, Key and Peele, bring back one of their most popular routines, the "Obama anger translator," for one last hurrah.

----------
LGBT - From Variety:  Sony Pictures Classics buys hot gay love story, "Call Me by Your Name," before it makes its Sundance 2017 debut.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  After battling a mysterious illness, Val Kilmer makes his first red carpet appearance in over a year.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Laurie are joining Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's "Holmes and Watson."

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Keegan-Michael Key joins the cast of "The Predator" (the reboot of the Predator film franchise).  The film is due February 2018.

----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Kirsten Dunst will star and executive produce with George Clooney a dark comedy for AMC, entitled "On Becoming a God in Central Florida."

----------
OBIT - From Variety:  The actress Francine York has died at the age of 80, Friday, January 6, 2017.  She has more than 150 film and TV credits.  That includes an appearance in the cult film, "The Doll Squad" and playing Lydia Limpet, the hench-woman of the Bookworm on the 1960s "Batman" TV series.

From Variety:  Veteran Indian actor, Om Puri, has died at the age of 66, Friday, January 6, 2017.  You might recognize a younger him in the Oscar-winning "Gandhi."

----------
POLITICS - From NYDailyNews:  Ann Coulter hits rock bottom, but at least we learn that she is a Nazi-Bitch.

----------
CELEBRITY-STAR WARS - From YahooCelebrity:  "People" offers details into the memorial for Carrie Fisher held, Thursday, January 5, 2016.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  In "Thor: Ragnarok," Thor and Hulk will fight in the gladiator ring.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Sterling K. Brown, who had a star-making turn in FX's "The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," has joined the cast of Marvel Studios' "Black Panther."

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The team behind the TV series, "Jane the Virgin," is working on a reboot of "Charmed," The WB TV series that ran from 1998 to 2006.

----------
CELEBRITY - From People:  Jessica Biel and husband Justin Timberlake's antics at a recent Los Angeles Lakers game cause a stir.

----------
AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Writers Guild of America has announced its WGA nominees for 2016.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Rachel McAdams and Jason Batemon are teaming for the comedy, "Game Night."

----------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Sylvester Stallone and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens") are teaming for the film project, "Tough as They Come."

----------
OBIT - From Variety:  George Kosana has died at the age of 81, Monday, January 2, 2017.  Kosana's most famous role was as "Sheriff McClelland" in "Night of the Living Dead."  He was also one of 10 investors originally involved in the film.

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Although Angelina Jolie has agreed to Brad Pitt's request to keep divorce documents concerning child custody sealed, she says that he is terrified that the truth will come out.  What truth, girl?

----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooNews:  There was apparently a fight at the funeral of comedian Ricky Harris on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.  Comedian/actress Sherri Shepherd filmed the bout.  Harris, known for his recurring role on "Everybody Hates Chris," died Monday, December 26, 2016.

----------
CELEBRITY - From CNN:  50-year-old Janet Jackson has given birth to a baby boy.

----------
LGBT - From YahooNews:  Anti-gay bigot, Kim Burrell, will not appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" as scheduled.

----------
NEWS - From YahooNews:  FOX News hosts Megyn Kelly is moving to NBC.

From YahooNews:  Is Kelly's departure a catastrophe for Fox?

----------
STAR WARS - From YahooNews:  Actress Joely Fisher, sister of Carrie Fisher, says "We lost our hero."

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Rogue One" won the three-day New Year's weekend box office, 12/30/2016 to 1/1/2017, with an estimated take of $49.5 million.  Over the four-day New Year's holiday weekend, which includes Monday, 1/2/2017, "Rogue One" took in $64.3 million.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  Leslie Jones, of "Saturday Night Live" and the recent "Ghostbusters" reboot, is campaigning to be Ryan Reynolds sidekick in "Deadpool" sequel.

----------
COMICS-ANIMATION - From BleedingCool:  Miles Morales (the "Black" Spider-Man) and Spider-Gwen are featured prominently in merchandising for upcoming Spider-Man Disney XD animated series.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Ben Affleck seems ambivalent about directing his superhero movie, "The Batman," according to some.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From SlashFilm:  Just two months off his big screen debut, Marvel's Doctor Strange has been confirmed to appear in Marvel Studios' "Thor: Ragnarok."

----------
MOVIES - ThePlaylist:  Ridley Scott worries about the future of cinema. Says that he has been asked several times to direct superhero movies.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Don Cheadle talks about his 10-year quest to bring the life of Miles Davis to the big screen.

----------
CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  A photo gallery of film, TV, and media people who died during 2016.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "Rogue One" ($50 million) and "Sing" ($41.4) are topping the New Year's Day holiday weekend so far.

----------
OBITUARY - From Variety:  The actor William Christopher has died at the age of 84, Saturday, December 31, 2016.  He was best known for playing "Father John Mulcahy" on the long-running TV series, "M*A*S*H."

----------
DISNEY - From BleedingCool:  Tyrus Wong, an acclaimed Disney artist, has died at the age of 106, Friday, December 30, 2016.  Named a "Disney Legend" in 2001, Wong's paintings were the inspiration for Walt Disney's animated feature film, "Bambi."

TRAILERS AND VIDEOS:

From YouTube: The video for "In My Foreign," the lead single from the "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" soundtrack.

From YouTube:  Just cause I like it, here is another chance to see A.O.A.'s "Afraid of Americans," a remake of a 1990s David Bowie song.