New Poster for xXx: Return of Xander Cage Poster - December 19th

xXx: Return of Xander Cage is in-theaters January 20, 2017

Directed By: DJ Caruso

Starring: Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Toni Collette, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Tony Jaa, Kris Wu, Michael Bisping, Rory McCann, Nicky Jam, Neymar Jr., Samuel L. Jackson

The third explosive chapter of the blockbuster franchise that redefined the spy thriller finds extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) coming out of self-imposed exile and on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora’s Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments. Packed with the series’ signature deadpan wit and bad-ass attitude, “xXx: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” will raise the bar on extreme action with some of the most mind-blowing stunts to ever be caught on film.

Watch the Trailer: https://youtu.be/-ziu6JzJTZ0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReturnofXanderCageMovie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xXxMovie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xXxMovie

Official Website: http://www.returnofxandercage.com

#xXxTheMovie

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 24th to 31st, 2016 - Update #56

Support Leroy on Patreon.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 7/29 to 7/31/16 weekend box office is "Jason Bourne" with an estimated gross of $60 million.

From Variety:  "Jason Bourne" makes a $60 million debut at the box office.

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HARRY POTTER - From TheWrap:  The boy wizard is done says J.K. Rowling.

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Trump asserts that the NFL is on his side because both are against two presidential debates that are the same time as NFL games.

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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  Will Smith totally starstrck by Batman on set of "Suicide Squad."

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OBIT-COMICS - From MADMagazine:  Jack Davis, one of the founders of "Mad Magazine," has died at the age of 91, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

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MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  John Carpenter and his fellow plaintiffs won a lawsuit against French filmmaker, Luc Besson, claiming that Besson's film, "Lockout" was plagiarized from Carpenter's cult 1981 film, Escape from New York.

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump insult Khizr and Ghazala Kahn, the couple who appeared at this past weeks 2016 DNC.  Khizr spoke and castigated Trump.  the Kahns' son, Humayun was an Army captain and a Muslim who was killed in Iraq in 2004.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  "Season 8" will be the final season of HBO's Emmy-winning "Game of Thrones."

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Women feeling empowered by Hillary Clinton's nomination.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Rising acting talent, Paul Dano, is making his directorial debut with the film, "Wildfire," based on the 1990 Richard Ford novel.

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MOVIES - From HitFix:  "Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Part II" get title changes.  "Avengers: Infinity War Part I" is not just "Avengers: Infinity War."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Danny Trejo wants Betty White to be in his next movie.

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POLITICS - From NYPost:  Malia Obama, Barack and Michelle's older daughter, skips the DNC and goes to Lollapalooza instead, and conservatives, Obama-haters, and racists freak out.

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SPORTS/CRIME - From YahooSports:  Former Boston Red Sox pitcher and World Series champion, Curt Schilling, won't face criminal charges for his video game company scam which cost Rhode Island tax payers $112 million.

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice:  John Waters' "Multiple Maniacs" (1970) is back.

----------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  30 years of "Stand By Me," so we have an oral history of the film that almost didn't make it into theaters.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Sometimes actors do cosplay, too.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Oprah Winfrey is in final negotiations to appear in the film, "A Wrinkle in Time," which is being directed by Ava DuVernay ("Selma").  Winfrey appeared in "Selma."

From EntertaimentWeekly:  5 things we want to see in Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" adaptation.

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COMICS/FILM - From ThePlaylist:  Disney is developing a reboot/sequel of its 1991 film, "The Rocketeer."

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OBIT - From TheWrap:  The actor and radio talk show host, Jerry Doyle, has died at the age of 60, Wednesday, July 27, 2017.  He was probably best known for his role as "Michael Garibaldi" on the cult TV show,  "Babylon 5."

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Kanye still pushin' the Taylor Swift message.

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POLITICS - From CNN:  President Barack Obama's entire Democratic convention speech at the 2016 DNC.

From CNN:  Some GOP are feeling jelly about President Obama's speech.

From YahooTV:  People loved First Lady Michelle Obama's DNC sppech, but the designer of her dress is in awe that she chose to wear it.

---------------
POLITICS - From CNN:  Bradley Cooper was at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, and now, some Republicans are angry.  Why?  Read on...

---------------
TELEVISION - From PopSugar:  6 teaser photos from "American Horror Story" Season 6.

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TELEVISION - From PopSugar:  The Netflix reboot of the "Gilmore Girls," which is called "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" has a premiere date:  November 25, 2016.

----------------
MOVIES - From YahooCelebrity:  Kim Ledger talks about the tragic death of his son, Heath Ledger.

From YahooMovies:  Jared Leto will play "The Joker" in the upcoming "Suicide Squad."  He talks about playing the character after Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in "The Dark Knight," and won a posthumous Oscar for his performance.

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CRIME - From YahooNews:  In 1981, John Hinkley shot and injured President Ronald Reagan and 3 others, during an assassination attempt on Reagan.  He will be freed by August 5th, 2016 from a government psychiatric hospital.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Charlie Hunnam, the lead in "Pacific Rim," will not return for the sequel.  He's not enough of a star for this to be considered a big lost.  There must be at least 20 young white actors of his age and talent and overblown status that could take Hunnam's place.

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HARRY POTTER - From YahooMovies:  What critics are saying about the stage play, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Eddie Murphy, his current girlfriend (Paige Butcher), and ex-wife (Nicole Murphy), make nice on the red carpet.

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OBIT - From TMZ:  The website is reporting that Youree Harris, best known as the iconic TV psychic, "Miss Cleo," has died at the age of 53, after a battle with cancer.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Michael Moore has five reasons Donald Trump will win the presidency.

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COMICS - From Variety:  Kiersey Clemons (a breakout in "Dope") is in talks to star as "Iris West" in Warner Bros. and DC Comics' "Flash" movie next to Ezra Miller as "Flash."  Rick Famumiya, the director of "Dope," is directing "Flash."

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COMIC-CON - From Refinery29:  Zendaya to play a character named "Michelle" in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

From BusinessInsider:  The lead villain in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is "Vulture."

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews:  First Lady Michelle Obama delivers a soaring powerful speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

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CULTURE - From YahooSports:  After years of relative silence, Michael Jordan is speaking out on the issues of police shootings and police shooting people.  Cop killers buy sneakers, too, eh, Mike?

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COMIC-CON - From BleedingCool:  The links to 300 Bleeding Cool articles on the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International in one place.

---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 7/22 to 7/24/2016 weekend box office is "Star Trek Beyond" with an estimated take of $59.6 million.

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SDCC-COMICS-FILM - From YahooNews:  It did not take much convincing for Michael Rooker to appear in blue makeup for a Marvel Studios panel discussion "Guardians of the Galaxy 2."

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SDCC-COMICS-FILM - From LATimes:  Ben Affleck confirmed as director of standalone "Batman" film.

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SDCC-TV - From YahooTV:  The Comic-Con trailer for "Sherlock Holmes" Season 4 shocks viewers.

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POLITICS - From NYT:  Donald Trump, Jr. has said that his father, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, would turn over foreign and domestic affairs to his vice-president, if Trump were be elected president...

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SDCC-COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Marvel vs. DC - comic book movies at Comic-Con.

---------------
SDCC-COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Comic-Con debuts a new trailer for "LEGO Batman."

---------------
SDCC-COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  A new, longer "Doctor Strange" trailer debuts at Comic-Con.

---------------
SDCC-COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Oscar-winner Brie Larson ("Room") officially announced as Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel."  Her solo film arrives in 2019.
--  Also, Danai Gurira, "Michonne" of "The Walking Dead," was introduced as the latest member of the "Black Panther" squad.

---------------
TRAILERS:

From BleedingCool:  The trailer for Zhang Yimou's "The Great Wall" with Matt Damon.

From YouTube:  Teaser trailer for "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage," due in January 2017.

From YahooMovies:  First teaser trailer for "T2: Trainspotting," the sequel to the film, "Trainspotting."

COMICS - From YahooMovies:  First full "Wonder Woman" trailer, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con International 2016.

COMICS - From YahooMovies:  Warner Bros. unleashes footage from its "Justice League" movie.

MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  King Kong is massive in "King: Skull Island."

New "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" Trailer is Triple Popular

“xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” TRAILER RECEIVED MORE THAN 100 MILLION

ONLINE VIEWS IN ITS FIRST WEEK, THE FASTEST FOR ANY PARAMOUNT PICTURES FILM

HOLLYWOOD, CA – The new trailer for Paramount Pictures and Revolution Studios’ “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” generated more than 100 million views across Facebook and YouTube in its first week of release, the fastest to reach that number for any Paramount Pictures film. The trailer, which offers fans a sneak peek at Vin Diesel reprising his iconic role as an extreme athlete-turned-superspy, debuted online July 19, 2016. “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” opens in theaters January 20, 2017.

The third explosive chapter of the blockbuster franchise that redefined the spy thriller finds extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) coming out of self-imposed exile and on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora’s Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments. Packed with the series’ signature deadpan wit and bad-ass attitude, “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” will raise the bar on extreme action with some of the most mind-blowing stunts to ever be caught on film.

The film is directed by D.J. Caruso and produced by Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent.

View the trailer here.


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

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Donnie Yen Joins "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage"

INTERNATIONAL ACTION ICON DONNIE YEN JOINS THE CAST OF “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE”

Martial Arts Icon and “Ip Man” Star to Face Off Against Vin Diesel in Sequel to Revolution Studios Blockbuster

HOLLYWOOD, CA – International martial arts star Donnie Yen (“IP MAN”) will square off against Vin Diesel in “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE.” Yen will play an alpha-warrior named Xiang in the hotly anticipated sequel, which is shooting in Toronto and the Dominican Republic this month for Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films, One Race Films and Paramount Pictures.

Yen co-stars with  producer and star Diesel in a cast that also includes Bollywood star Deepika Padukone (“TAMASHA”), Tony Jaa (“ONG-BAK,” “FURIOUS 7”), Ruby Rose (“Orange Is the New Black”), mixed martial-arts sensation Conor McGregor, Nina Dobrev (“The Vampire Diaries”), Kris Wu (“SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW”), Hermione Corfield (“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION”), with Toni Collette (“THE SIXTH SENSE”) and Samuel L. Jackson (“THE HATEFUL EIGHT”).

D.J. Caruso (“I AM NUMBER FOUR”) is directing “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE.”  The film is written by Chad St. John (“LONDON HAS FALLEN”) with current revisions by F. Scott Frazier (“COLLIDE”).

Yen is coming off the New Zealand-based shoot of the upcoming “CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: SWORD OF DESTINY,” in which he stars opposite Michelle Yeoh. One of the world’s top martial-arts film stars, Yen is best known in the U.S. for his role opposite Jet Li in director Zhang Yimou’s “HERO,” the third-highest-grossing foreign-language release of all time in the U.S. He co-starred in the Jackie Chan-Owen Wilson action-comedy “SHANGHAI KNIGHTS” and performed the title role in the hugely influential “IP MAN” franchise, one of the highest grossing film series in Chinese history.

Yen’s numerous other films include “DRAGON,” which premiered to acclaim at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and the Chinese blockbuster “THE MONKEY KING” as the Monkey King, opposite Chow Yun-fat. Yen, who was born in Canton, China, and raised in Boston, is one of the top action choreographers and has served as action director in dozens of films and has won numerous awards. He is currently developing a series of films for his own companies, Bullet Group Ltd and Bullet Films Productions, including the epic crime drama “DRAGON CITY.”

“There are only a handful of martial-arts stars who have crossed over to worldwide fame and Donnie Yen is the top of that elite cohort,” said Revolution CEO Vince Totino, who is executive producing the film along with Chief Operating Officer Scott Hemming.

“Donnie’s fighting skill and on-screen charisma make him a perfect foil for Vin,” said producer Joe Roth, who recently partnered with Jeffrey Kirschenbaum in their new venture, Roth Kirschenbaum films. “We are all excited to see these two great action stars go toe to toe.”

Donnie Yen just completed co-starring in “ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY” for Lucasfilm and Disney.


About Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios, originally established by Joe Roth in 2000, was purchased in June 2014 through funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, moving forward with Vince Totino as CEO and Scott Hemming as COO.  Since its founding, Revolution Studios has created a library of 46 films, including the Academy Award®-winning Black Hawk Down, Maid in Manhattan, Anger Management, Daddy Day Care, America’s Sweethearts, XXX and White Chicks, which collectively earned more than $3.7 billion in box office receipts. Most recently, Revolution has developed and produced multiple syndicated television series, including “Are We There Yet?” for TBS; “Anger Management,” starring Charlie Sheen, with Lionsgate for FX; and “Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza” for GSN. In 2014, Revolution acquired the 64-title Morgan Creek International library, and in 2015, the eight-film Cold Springs Pictures Library among others, totaling 120 films to date in the Studio’s library.

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

About Roth Kirschenbaum Films
Roth Kirschenbaum Films is an independent film production company formed by Joe Roth and Jeff “Kirsch” Kirschenbaum in late 2015.

Roth, before Kirsch arrived, was the founder of Roth Films.  He produced ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which grossed over $1 billion, and at the time of release, was the sixth highest grossing film of all time.  He most recently produced THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR, ALICE: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, MALEFICENT, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and more.  Roth was also Chairman of 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios.

Kirsch, before partnering with Roth, was a 15-year veteran of Universal Pictures.  He was most recently the President of Production, shepherding the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise for over the past decade, as well as some of the studio’s biggest tent pole releases, including the MUMMY franchise, the SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN franchise and WANTED.  Prior to Universal, he worked at CAA and Mace Neufeld Productions.

About Vin Diesel and One Race Films
One Race Films, founded in 1995 by writer, director, producer and actor Vin Diesel, has produced the four highest-grossing films in the “Fast” franchise — “Furious 7,” “Fast and Furious 6,” “Fast Five” as well as “Fast & Furious.” He has directed “Multifacial,” “Strays” and “Los Bandoleros.” Previously, One Race launched multiple franchises in the action genre, including the science-fiction thriller “Pitch Black” and the two follow-up films, “Chronicles of Riddick” and “Riddick,” along with the hit “xXx.”  Diesel’s business acumen also extends to the gaming universe, where his Tigon Studios produced three critically acclaimed console titles including “Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” and original property “The Wheelman.”  One Race Television has partnered with Universal Television on a multi-year, first-look production deal.

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Paramount Pictures to Distribute's Vin Diesel's "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage"

REVOLUTION STUDIOS, ROTH KIRSCHENBAUM FILMS AND VIN DIESEL’S ONE RACE FILMS PUT ‘xXx’ BACK INTO ACTION WITH PARAMOUNT PICTURES

PARAMOUNT TO RELEASE DIESEL'S “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE”

HOLLYWOOD, CA – It was jointly announced today that the new Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films and Vin Diesel’s One Race Films will produce, and Paramount Pictures will distribute worldwide, the next film in the blockbuster “xXx” franchise. Producer and star Vin Diesel will reprise his iconic role as an extreme athlete-turned-superspy in the sequel, “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE.”

The film is shooting in Toronto, with additional filming in the Dominican Republic.

D.J. Caruso (“I AM NUMBER FOUR”) is directing “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE.” The film is written by Chad St. John (“London Has Fallen”) with current revisions by F. Scott Frazier (“Collide”).

The third explosive chapter of the blockbuster franchise that redefined the spy thriller finds extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) coming out of self-imposed exile and on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora’s Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments. Packed with the series’ signature deadpan wit and bad-ass attitude, “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” will raise the bar on extreme action with some of the most mind-blowing stunts to ever be caught on film.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Vin, Samantha, Joe, Kirsch and Paramount to bring this fan-favorite franchise back to the screen,” said Revolution CEO Vince Totino, who is executive producing the film for the studio along with COO Scott Hemming. “’xXx’ is one of the jewels in Revolution’s rich library of commercially successful and acclaimed films, and now with Vin on board, a great script and director D.J. Caruso on hand, we are poised to deliver a worthy successor.”

“It’s great to be reteaming with Vin and Revolution on a long-anticipated sequel to this highly entertaining film,” said producer Joe Roth, who recently partnered with Jeffrey Kirschenbaum in their new venture, Roth Kirschenbaum Films. “Kirsch and I are looking forward to collaborating with Vince and Scott on this project and we’re all excited to be able to bring the fans what they’ve been asking for.” 

Diesel is one of the most successful movie stars of the 21st century. In addition to the “xXx” franchise, which has earned nearly $350 million worldwide, he has starred in two other top-grossing action franchises: the three “RIDDICK” films, which together took in $267 million worldwide, and “THE FAST & THE FURIOUS” franchise, which has grossed nearly $3.5 billion worldwide.

The Dominican Republic portion of the shoot will make use of Lantica Media’s Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios, production services and its state-of-the-art horizon water tank. 


About Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios, originally established by Joe Roth in 2000, was purchased in June 2014 through funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, moving forward with Vince Totino as CEO and Scott Hemming as COO.  Since its founding, Revolution Studios has created a library of 46 films, including the Academy Award®-winning Black Hawk Down, Maid in Manhattan, Anger Management, Daddy Day Care, America’s Sweethearts, xXx and White Chicks, which collectively earned more than $3.7 billion in box office receipts. Most recently, Revolution has developed and produced multiple syndicated television series, including: “Are We There Yet?” for TBS; “Anger Management,” starring Charlie Sheen, with Lionsgate for FX; and “Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza” for GSN. In 2014, Revolution acquired the 64-title Morgan Creek International library, and in 2015, the eight-film Cold Springs Pictures Library among others, totaling 120 films to date in the Studio’s library.

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

About Roth Kirschenbaum Films
Roth Kirschenbaum Films is an independent film production company formed by Joe Roth and Jeff “Kirsch” Kirschenbaum in late 2015.

Roth, before Kirsch arrived, was the founder of Roth Films.  He produced ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which grossed over $1 billion, and at the time of release, was the sixth highest grossing film of all time.  He most recently produced THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR, ALICE: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN, MALEFICENT, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and more.  Roth was also Chairman of 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios.

Kirsch, before partnering with Roth, was a 15-year veteran of Universal Pictures.  He was most recently the President of Production, shepherding the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise for over the past decade, as well as some of the studio’s biggest tent pole releases, including the MUMMY franchise, the SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN franchise and WANTED.  Prior to Universal, he worked at CAA and Mace Neufeld Productions.

About Vin Diesel and One Race Films
One Race Films, founded in 1995 by writer, director, producer and actor Vin Diesel, has produced the four highest-grossing films in the “Fast” franchise — “Furious 7,” “Fast and Furious 6,” “Fast Five” as well as “Fast & Furious.” He has directed “Multifacial,” “Strays” and “Los Bandoleros.” Previously, One Race launched multiple franchises in the action genre, including the science-fiction thriller “Pitch Black” and the two follow-up films, “Chronicles of Riddick” and “Riddick,” along with the hit “xXx.”  Diesel’s business acumen also extends to the gaming universe, where his Tigon Studios produced three critically acclaimed console titles including “Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” and original property “The Wheelman.”  One Race Television has partnered with Universal Television on a multi-year, first-look production deal.

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

Review: "Furious 7" is Furious and Bittersweet

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review first appeared on Patreon.]

Furious 7 (2015)
Running time: 137 minutes (2 hour, 17 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language
DIRECTOR: James Wan
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, and Michael Fottrell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon and Marc Spicer
EDITORS: Christian Wagner, Leigh Folsom Boyd, Dylan Highsmith, and Kirk Morri
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou, Lucas Black, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Brotherton, Tony Jaa, Ali Fazal, Ronda Rousey, Iggy Azalea, Sarah Sohn, Noel Gugliemi, T-Pain, Luke Evans, and Sung Kang

Furious 7 is a 2015 action movie from director James Wan and released by Universal Pictures.  It is the seventh installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise.  Furious 7 is set after the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but follows the events of Fast & Furious 6.  In Furious 7, a new enemy seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family.

Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), and their friends are trying to live a normal life, but that is a bit more complicated than they imagined.  Dom is troubled that his longtime girlfriend and ride-or-die chick, Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), is having trouble regaining her memories.  Brian struggles with domestic life as a husband to Mia (Jordana Brewster), who is also Dom's sister, and as a father to their small son, Jack.

Meanwhile, trouble is brewing overseas.  Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the older brother of Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), swears revenge against Dom and his racers who defeated Owen (in Fast & Furious 6), leaving him in a coma.  Deckard infiltrates the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service) office in Los Angeles to get information on Dom and company.  In the process, Deckard severely injures Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who brought Dom and his race team into his hunt for Owen Shaw.

After Deckard launches a series of attacks on his friends and family, Dom reunites Brian, Letty, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), to find Deckard.  They get help from Frank Petty (Kurt Russell) a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” the leader of a covert ops team.  However, Deckard finds an ally in Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou), a mercenary and terrorist who leads a private military company.  Now, all parties are chasing Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), a computer hacktivist and her creation, God's Eye.

One cannot talk about Furious 7 without making note of the death of actor Paul Walker in November of 2013.  Walker and Vin Diesel were the face of The Fast and the Furious franchise.  Walker was only half-finished with the scenes he needed to film for Furious 7 when he died.  Stand-ins for Paul, including his brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, and the judicious application of computer-generated imagery were used to finish the rest of Walker's scenes.

Other than for a few scenes and some dialogue/audio, I could not tell the difference between Paul and the Paul stand-ins.  Besides, Furious 7 is so full of over-the-top, eye-popping, and breath-taking action scenes and sequences that my focus was on taking it all in and not on detecting real-Paul vs. faux-Paul.  Yes, Paul's death hangs over Furious 7, but not in a morbid way.  This film is a celebration of the work for which Walker is best known and for which he will be best remembered.

I do find Furious 7 to be a little too long, but there is no point in talking about the art of filmmaking when it comes to Furious 7.  Yes, it is well acted, surprisingly so.  James Wan seems superfluous as director; any of the three directors who have helmed previous installments of this franchise could have directed this film.  The script is half well-written, in terms of drama, and half-ridiculous, as the screenplay for a movie like Furious 7 must be.

When talking about Furious 7, we must talk about the action.  I loved the Predator drone; the multi-million dollar sports car driven through three skyscrapers; the Caucasus Mountains sequence that begins with five vehicles dropped from an airplane; the Tony Jaa-Paul Walker fights; and the awesome Dwayne Johnson-Jason Statham fisticuffs, to name a few.  This is not a great film, but it is fast and furious.  So why let Furious 7 be the last one?  Keep 'em coming.

6 of 10
B

Friday, October 30, 2015


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 13th to 19th, 2015 - Update #21

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From TheWrap:  The Tom Hanks biopic, "Sully" will be released in September 2016.

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From RSN:  The difference between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

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From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" could have a 100+ million opening day when adding in the $57 million from Thursday night.

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From YahooMusic:  N.W.A. is a 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee - along with Steve Miller, Cheap Trick, Chicago, and Deep Purple.

---------------
From Polygon:  Justin Lin is ignoring "Star Trek Into Darkness" for the making of the third film, "Star Trek Beyond."

From Deadline:  Chadwick Boseman to star as Thurgood Marshall for Reginald Hudlin's "Marshall."

---------------
From FlickeringMyth:  Vin Diesel announces that Samuel L. Jackson will return for "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage."

---------------
From THR:  Spielberg and Jeff Skoll talk about their partnership.

---------------
From Variety:  "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premieres in three Hollywood theaters.

---------------
From YahooSports:  Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated's "Sportsperson of the Year."

---------------
From YahooSports:  NBA referee Bill Kennedy announces that he is gay, after NBA player, Rajon Rondo, was suspended for using a gay slur to attack Kennedy.

---------------
From Deadline:  2015 screenplay "Black List" has been announced.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" wins the 12/11 to 12/13/2015 weekend box office, after Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea" under-performs. This is the fourth straight week at #1 for this final film (for now) in "The Hunger Games" franchise.

---------------
From TVLine:  This may be the last season for CBS sitcom, "Mike & Molly."

---------------
From Vulture:  So once again, it seems that Beyonce will be in that "A Star is Born" remake.  Bradley Cooper will reportedly direct and star as the male lead.


COMICS - Movies and Books:

From YahooMovies:  Ben Affleck's Batman is frustrated and anger.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Ben Affleck posts photo of cool Batman armor from "Batman v. Superman."


TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The official trailer for "Ice Age: Collision Course."

---------------
From YouTube:  "Star Trek Beyond" trailer.

---------------
From YouTube:  First trailer for "Independence Day: Resurgence," which is due next year.  Trailer looks good; makes me want to see this movie (cause I was NOT interested).

---------------
From YouTube:  First "Captain America: Civil War" trailer.


OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actress Rose Siggins has died (Saturday, December 12, 2015).  She played "Legless Suzi" on "American Horror Story: Freak Show."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 22th to 30th, 2015 - Update #35

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From BoxOfficeMojo:  The 2015 Thanksgiving weekend box office champ is "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" with an estimated take of $51.6 million.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Inside Pixar's tech evolution.

---------------
From YahooTV:  35 years of "Bosom Buddies"

---------------
From Deadline:   This time "Peter Hammond's Notes" concern the award season.

---------------
From Deadline:  Lionsgate and Alex Proyas release statements concerning the all-white casting of "Gods of Egypt."

---------------
From Adele:  12 mind-blowing facts about Adele's smash hit album 25.

---------------
From Variety:  Roman Polanski will not be extradited to the United States from Poland to face sex crime charges.

---------------
From LATimes:  Stars talk about the appeal of made-for-TV Christmas movies.

---------------
From YahooMusic:  Sole copy of Wu-Tang album, "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," sells for at least one million dollars.  The owner cannot, an unnamed American collector, cannot be released for 88 years.

---------------
From GuardianUK:  Garrison Keillor is retiring.

---------------
From Fox:  "War of the Planet of the Apes" contest announces.

---------------
From Time:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the special effect of Hollywood diversity.

---------------
From Slate:  See Adele prank some fans/impersonators.

From Variety:  Chiwetel Ejiofor will be honored at the British Independent Film Awards on Dec. 6, 2015, where he will receive the "Richard Harris Award," which recognizes an outstanding contribution to British film by an actor.

---------------
From IndieWire:  Universal apparently financed Angelina Jolie's vanity film, "By the Sea," so that she would agree to "Wanted 2" (why, Lord, why?) and a "Bride of Frankenstein" remake/re-imagining.

---------------
From TheReelWord:  Netflix is reportedly behind a new "Lost in Space" television series.

---------------
From TheReelWord:  Vin Diesel announces a new "Riddick" film and television series set in the "Riddick" universe.

---------------
From YahooMusic:  Adele talks about the song "Hello" and its importance to her new album, "25."

---------------
From HitFix:  "Toy Story" is 20 years old, and it is as wonderful as ever.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  The #1 movie at the 11/20 to 11/22/2015 weekend box office is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 with an estimated haul of $101 million.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Brad Pitt is involved in a new sci-fi film.


HARD NEWS:

From RSN:  Native Hawaiians rise.

From InformedConsent:  White terrorism and abortion clinics.

---------------
From RollingStone:  Matt Taibbi: America is too dumb for TV News.

---------------
From TalkingPointsMemo:  President's state on Planned Parenthood shooting.

---------------
From WashPost:  Anne Frank and her family were immigrants who were turned away.

---------------
From TheVox:  Perfect response to the black-on-black crime meme.

---------------
From Outlook:  John Cusack talks to Arundhati Roy.

---------------
From Slate:  The shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago... the video.

---------------
From Slate:  Go John Bel!

---------------
From RollingStone:  Yeah, what the hell is going on with Ben Carson?

---------------
From ThinkProgress:  Donald Trump retweets racist lies; media cowers before calling him a liar and a racists.

---------------
From YahooFinance:  McDonald's is lowering prices, including bringing back more $1 menu items.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From YahooNews:  "The Green Lantern Corps." movie might be a Lethal Weapon-styled buddy movie.

---------------
From CNET:  More details on Doctor Strange film.

From YahooMovies:  You can get Joker's "Suicide Squad" car.

---------------
From Negromancer:  The first issue of "The Dark Knight III" is in comic book stores today.

---------------
From Slate:  On Netflix's "Jessica Jones" and its relation to "Gamergate."

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Remember George Miller (Mad Max) had planned to direct a Justice League movie (Justice League: Mortal)?  It was cancelled, but here is a look at that film's Wonder Woman (Megan Gale).


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  Katherine Timpf had to play with Roger Ailes' "little space nerd stick" to get a job at Fox.


TRAILER:

From YouTube:  First trailer for a creepy upcoming movie, "The Other Side of the Door."


MISC:

From GoodHousekeeping:  An amazing story about an adopted young woman who discovered that her biological father was a deceased 9/11 hero.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 27th to 30th, 2015 - Update #15

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From Deadline: A new label will distribute Michael Moore's doc, "Where to Invade Next."

---------------
From Vulture:  A spinoff of the smash hit FOX television series, "Empire," is apparently happening.

---------------
From DeadlineTV:  Amazon has plans for a "Jack Ryan" television series.

---------------
From Variety:  "Pacific Rim 2" has been delayed; some think the film has been scrapped all together.

---------------
From THR:  Jim Carrey's girlfriend, Cathriona White, found dead of an apparent suicide.

From Variety:  Jim Carrey releases a statement about the apparent drug overdose death of his girlfriend, Irish makeup artist, Cathriona White.

---------------
From YahooTV:  5 reasons not to worry about "The Daily Show" under Trevor Noah.

From YahooTV:  Ken Tucker reviews Noah's first show.

---------------
From BleedingCool:  Idris Elba talks about his Star Trek villain as "groundbreaking."

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  "Trainspotting 2" is moving forward, but with a title change.  The sequel novel to the original Trainspotting novel is entitled "Porno," so no, that will not be the title of the film.

---------------
From TheWrap:  "Flight 462" is a web series that will tie into "Fear the Walking Dead."

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 9/25 to 9/27/2015 weekend box office is "Hotel Transylvania 2" with an estimated take of $47.5 million.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Did Vin Diesel reveal the end of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise?

---------------
From THR:  Denzel Washington talks about his son's career, diversity, and more in a talk held on Sept. 17th.

---------------
From THR:  Rose McGowan still on spittin' fire.


COMICS: Books and Films:

From CBR:  The creators of the infamous manga, "Death Note," debuted a color illustration from their upcoming manga.

---------------
From BleedingCool:  When Black comic book fans avoid Black comic book creators...


TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  A second trailer for the film, "The Revenant," with Leonardo DiCaprio, which looks really good.

From BleedingCool:  See Marvel/Netflix's "Jessica Jones" teaser trailer.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for August 23rd to August 31st, 2015 - Update #16

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From THR:  Famed film writer/director, Wes Craven, has died of brain cancer, Sunday, August 30, 2015.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Straight Outta Compton" is the #1 movie at the box office for the 8/28 to 8/30/15 weekend.  This is the film's third consecutive week at #1.

---------------
From DigitalSpy:  Tid bits on "Jurassic World" sequel.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Woody Allen replaces Bruce Willis with Steve Carell.

---------------
From Deadline:  Lee Daniels' Richard Pryor biopic is apparently a go with a list of hot stars.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Six actors who sabotaged their own careers.

---------------
From Variety:  Amazon preps TV series based on "Galaxy Quest."

---------------
From InformedComment and IReadsYou:  Natalie Portman on genocide.

---------------
From SlashFilm:  Vin Diesel confirms xXx sequel to start filming in December.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Straight Outta Compton" wins the 8/21 to 8/23/15 weekend box office with an estimated take of $26.8 million dollars.

---------------
From Variety:  Universal and Disney dominate Summer 2015 box office, leaving not much for the other studios.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From CinemaBlend:  Guardians of the Galaxy spinoffs.

---------------
From Variety:  In an exclusive story, Variety is reporting that Marvel is courting Mads Mikkelsen to play a villain in Doctor Strange.

---------------
From SlashFilm:  The "Blade" film franchise may be revived, but focus on Blade's daughter, Fallon Grey.  Grey is supposed to be the lead in an upcoming Blade comic book revival from Marvel Comics.


REVIEWS:

From VillageVoice:  A review of "Z for Zachariah" by Stephanie Zacharek.


OBITS:

From ESPN:  Former NBA basketball player, Darryl Dawkins, died Thursday, August 27, 2015.  Known as "Chocolate Thunder," Dawkins is remembered for his backboard-shattering dunks and also for the naming of the dunks.  I thought that he was so cool and that he remained cool in retirement.  Negromancer sends condolences to his family.  R.I.P. Mr. Dawkins.

Brad Bird's "The Iron Giant" to Return with New Scenes

Director Brad Bird’s Classic Animated Family Feature ‘The Iron Giant: Signature Edition’ Comes Back to Theaters from Warner Bros. and Fathom Events Remastered with New Scenes

See the Special Event Screening on September 30

Encore to Follow on October 4

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events are proud to announce that the animated action adventure “The Iron Giant” will be re-released in theaters for a limited engagement this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as “The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.” This special screening comes to U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. local time.

    “’The Iron Giant’ is meant to be seen and heard in movie theaters and this is a great chance for fans new and old to enjoy this classic, remastered with new scenes.”

The ticket on-sale date and theater locations for “The Iron Giant” will be announced this August online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network.

When “The Iron Giant” arrived in theaters, it was hailed as an “instant classic” (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal). “Imagine E.T. as a towering metal man, that’s the appeal of this enchanting animated feature” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). And the world soon learned another “giant” had arrived as well: filmmaker Brad Bird, who made his stunning directorial debut with this film and has gone on to win two Oscars, as well as worldwide acclaim for his work on both animated and live-action features.

Winner of nine Annie Awards, “The Iron Giant” is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a rebellious boy named Hogarth (voiced by Eli Marienthal) and a giant robot, voiced by a then little-known actor named Vin Diesel. The voice cast also included Jennifer Aniston and Harry Connick Jr.

“The Iron Giant” was produced by Allison Abbate and Des McAnuff from a screenplay written by Tim McCanlies. Adapted from poet Ted Hughes’ book, The Iron Man, “The Iron Giant” was first released in the summer of 1999 by Warner Bros.

Following the re-release in theaters, a high-definition version of “The Iron Giant: Signature Edition” will be available to purchase from digital retailers in the fall of 2015.

“We can’t wait to bring this family favorite back its home on the big screen,” said Fathom Events CEO John Rubey. “’The Iron Giant’ is meant to be seen and heard in movie theaters and this is a great chance for fans new and old to enjoy this classic, remastered with new scenes.”


About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Fathom Events takes audiences behind-the-scenes and offers unique extras, creating the ultimate entertainment experience. It is owned by a consortium called AC JV, LLC., comprised of AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States. In addition, Fathom Events’ live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to 820 locations in 177 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of June 14th to 20th, 2015 - Updated #13

Support this writer on Patreon.

NEWS:

From CinemaBlend:  Vin Diesel as "Kojack" apparently is happening.

---------------
From Vulture:  First look at leads from Ghostbusters reboot.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  The Blind Side hurt Michael Oher's NFL career?

---------------
From YahooStyle:  Yeah, there are several things "wrong" with this photo.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Season 5 finale of "Game of Thrones" killed it.

---------------
From Deadline:  Box office updates this morning say that Jurassic World passed Marvel's The Avengers for the highest 3-day weekend box office gross - with $208 to $210 million haul.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the June 12th to 14th, 2015 box office is Jurassic World, with an estimated take of $204.6 million.  That is the biggest June opening weekend ever, the biggest opening weekend of the year (ahead of Avengers: Age of Ultron's $191.2 million last month), and the second largest opening weekend ever (behind Marvel's The Avengers $207.4 million in May 2012).

---------------
From HuffingtonPost: "A Suite Life of Zack & Cody" mini-reunion" because they stars, twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse, graduated from New York University.  I love that show.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From YahooMovies:  A history of the ill-fated proposed Batman films leading up to Chris Nolan's Batman Begins in 2005.


TRAILERS and REVIEWS:

From Apple:  New Peanuts trailer.

From DreamWorks:  New Kung Fu Panda 3 trailer.

From TheVillageVoice:  Amy Nicholson reviews Inside Out.


OBITS:

From YahooMovies:  Kirk Kerkorian has died.  A Hollywood wheeler-dealer, he is best known for his association with MGM and United Artists.

---------------
From Deadline:  Film producer Robert Chartoff died Wednesday, June 10, 2015.  Along with his partner, Irwin Winkler, he won the best picture Oscar for producing Rocky.

"Furious 7" to Make Biggest Global IMAX Release Ever

Universal Pictures' Furious 7 Poised To Ignite Worldwide Box Office With Widest-Ever Global IMAX® Release Beginning April 1

IMAX to Debut New Laser Projection Technology at Furious 7 Worldwide Premiere Event

LOS ANGELES, PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), today announced that Furious 7 will receive the widest-ever IMAX release globally. The film begins its global launch on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 before rolling out domestically and in the majority of overseas markets on Friday, April 3, 2015. Throughout its global run, Furious 7 will screen at more than 800 IMAX® theatres, including approximately 445 international and 365 domestic IMAX locations.

Additionally, IMAX will be launching its revolutionary new laser projection system at the Furious 7 global premiere event to be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Los Angeles. This marks IMAX's U.S. debut of the new technology as well as the first film ever to receive a global premiere with laser projection. IMAX has undertaken a significant R&D investment to develop its next-generation projection and sound system, which incorporates the laser digital intellectual property IMAX exclusively licensed from Eastman Kodak and Barco's unique laser innovations. IMAX with laser represents a quantum leap forward in cinema technology - providing audiences with the sharpest, brightest, clearest and most vivid digital images ever, combined with a whole new level of immersive audio.

"Not only are we excited to be releasing Furious 7 globally in record-setting fashion, we are delighted to be partnering with Universal Pictures on the first-ever movie premiere event screened with laser," said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "As the most action-packed Fast and Furious installment yet, Furious 7 deserves to be seen in the most awe-inspiring and intense way possible across IMAX screens worldwide."

The IMAX(®) release of Furious 7 will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(®) with proprietary IMAX DMR(®) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.


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

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of Dec. 31, 2014, there were 934 IMAX theatres (809 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 106 institutions) in 62 countries.

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

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

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

Review: Imaginative "Guardians of the Galaxy" is Charming and Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 12 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Running time:  121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
DIRECTOR:  James Gunn
WRITERS:  James Gunn and Nicole Perlman (based on the comic book created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning)
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ben Davis
EDITORS:  Fred Raskin, Hughes Winborne, and Craig Wood
COMPOSER:  Tyler Bates
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring:  Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Peter Serafinowicz, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn, Wyatt Oleff, Gregg Henry, Christopher Fairbank, Stan Lee, and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel with Josh Brolin

Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2014 science fiction action film and adventure comedy from director James Gunn and is produced by Marvel Studios.  The film is based on the comic book, Guardians of the Galaxy (2008), which was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.  The film focuses on a human and a ragtag band of aliens who take on a warlord bent on galactic destruction.

Guardians of the Galaxy opens in 1988 where a young boy named Peter waits in a hospital where his mother is dying.  Shortly after she passes, the boy is abducted by the Ravagers, a group of space pirates.  26 years later, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is Star-Lord, and he is also a wanted man.  He arrives on the planet Morag, where he steals a mysterious orb that he is supposed to give to the leader of the Ravagers, Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker).

However, the orb holds incredible power, and a fanatical alien named Ronan (Lee Pace) wants to use the orb's power to destroy the planet Xandar.  Ronan sends an assassin to get the orb from Quill.  On the run, Quill unites a ragtag band of oddballs:  the assassin, Gamora (Zoe Saldana); the genetically-engineered raccoon, Rocket (Bradley Cooper); the tree-like humanoid, Groot (voice of Vin Diesel); and the revenge-seeking Drax (Dave Bautista).  They may be the only ones who can save the galaxy and maybe even the universe.

Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the surprise hits of the year, if not the surprise hit of the year.  It was the highest grossing film at the North American box office during the calendar year of 2014.  Some people joked that if Marvel Studios could make a hit of Guardians of the Galaxy, it could make a hit of anything.  That may be true.

Guardians of the Galaxy's production values rival and even exceed (in some cases) most recent science and space fantasy films, including the Star Wars prequels.  The artists behind this film's production design and art direction build an entire new galaxy filled with amazing worlds and places from the ground up, with eye-popping and dazzling results.  The costumes are as creative as what is worn in the kind of costume dramas that usually earn Oscar nods for their costume design.  The make-up, both effects and hair-styling, is probably the best ever seen in a film based on a comic book.

Visually, Guardians of the Galaxy is a most unusual and imaginative film, but it is also familiar.  It is thoroughly infused with the spirit of Star Wars (1977).  Like the original Star Wars film, Guardians of the Galaxy is a lavish sci-fi movie spectacle with elements of Western and pirate adventure films.  It is fun to watch, and by the end of it, I was eager for a sequel.

Maybe co-writer and director James Gunn has created Star Wars for a new generation.  He has a fine cast of actors; a cool universe populated with awesome beings, places, and things.  Gunn also has what seems like an imagination full of ideas that want to get out and sparkle on the big screen.  Gunn can do really good things with this film as the start of a new franchise.  In the meantime, we can enjoy this first film.  Like Men in Black and Independence Day, Guardians of the Galaxy is a sci-fi blast that thrills every viewer who can enjoy the wonder of a great space adventure.

7 of 10
A-

Wednesday, March 4, 2015


NOTES:
2015 Academy Awards, USA:  2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling” (Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White) and “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner, and Paul Corbould)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations:  “Best Make Up/Hair” (Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White) and “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, and Nicolas Aithadi)

2015 Black Reel Awards:  2 nominations: “Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture” (Zoe Saldana) and “Outstanding Voice Performance” (Vin Diesel for playing "Groot")


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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for December 28th to 31st, 2014 - Update #5

NEWS:

From RSN:  Bill Simpich is critical of The Interview.

------------------
From YahooTV:  Hollywood salaries revealed - an interesting article.

-------------------
From Variety: The winner of the Dec. 26th to 28th, 2014 box office is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies with an estimated take of $41.4 million dollars.  This is a repeat victory, as the film was also #1 in its opening week.  Seth Rogen and James Franco's controversial film, The Interview, earned an estimated $1.8 million in what is mainly an art-house release.


STAR WARS:

From YahooMovies:  Oscar Isaac says Star Wars rumors/theories are wrong.


COMICS BOOKS:

From YahooTV:  New promo art from "Ant-Man," featuring the character "Yellowjacket."

------------------
From FlickeringMyth:  Vin Diesel does more "Inhumans" teasing.


REVIEWS:

From AlterNet:  A review of Selma.

Vin Diesel Talks "Groot" and "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Walt Disney Home Entertainment provided the following question-and-answer interview with actor Vin Diesel as a promotion for its Blu-ray and DVD release of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.  "Q" is the anonymous questioner and "A" is Diesel:

AN INTERVIEW WITH VIN DIESEL (GROOT) FOR THE BLU-RAY AND DVD RELEASE OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Q: How was it working with a script where your only line is “I am Groot”?

A: I was lucky that I had a director [James Gunn] who was willing to indulge me. I told him: ‘We know that Groot is really saying any number of things when he says that line and most people are oblivious to the nuances of his speech because of his hardened larynx’. All you hear is the growl but he could be saying any number of things and we know that Rocket Raccoon understands him. He doesn’t always tell everybody he understands Groot and he plays on that, but he does understand him. So I asked James: ‘Can you give me a basic idea of what he’s trying to say when he’s saying “I am Groot”?’ James had a 50-page document waiting for me when I came in to do the voice. On the left-hand side of the page it said ‘I am Groot’ and on the right-hand side it had whatever the line really was if you could understand this floral colossus. That was the beginning of trying to go deep into a character like this. In many ways it was the most challenging thing to ask an actor to do. The thespian in me responded to the challenge of not being able to use facial expressions, physicality or a Golum-like vocabulary.

Q: Were there other actors in the recording booth with you?

A: No, there weren’t, but I did have the luxury of being able to watch the film. Both Bradley [Cooper, who plays Rocket] and I had the advantage of being able to play off the other actors by watching them in a rough cut of the film.

Q: Did you do any of the motion-capture for the character?

A: A lot of times in animation, what they’ll do is they’ll film you in the recording booth. So I went in there with stilts so I could actually be seven and a half feet tall. Don’t ask me why, but there was something about it that really helped with the character. In New York acting circles in the 1970s there was this legend that Robert De Niro didn’t know his character until he found that character’s shoes. Who knows how that works? But in its own way it did. For me, being seven and a half feet tall did something. I found myself dropping my shoulders, I was sometimes self-conscious about my height and sometimes I felt very powerful about my height, and it affected the character that way. Groot’s the most innocent character I’ve ever played. I don’t usually play characters who are that innocent.

Q: There’s something of Chewbacca from Star Wars in Groot. Was that deliberate?

A: The similarities are obvious and fun, but it wasn’t what I was thinking, going into it. It’s probably down to James Gunn.

Q: Was that you doing the dance moves for Baby Groot at the end of the film?

A: [Laughs] Yeah, it was.

Q: And what would be the first track on your own Awesome Mix tape?

A: It’d be When the Saints Go Marching In; The Beatles version, by the way, not Elvis Presley’s. I’d also have Rocky Raccoon on there, also by The Beatles. People don’t know that the Rocket Raccoon came from a Beatles song. Who’d ever think that a Marvel character would be inspired by a Beatles song? They just changed him from Rocky to Rocket.

Q: You have millions and millions of Facebook followers. Why do you think that is?

A: I think it’s because I share my thoughts. Remember that movie The Social Network where they showed the beginnings of Facebook? They didn’t even know what they had started because they thought their brilliant idea was to check people’s marital status. [Laughs] But that wasn’t so brilliant. What was so brilliant was the idea of interaction. If I could have interacted with Marlon Brando as a kid, wow! If I could have spoken to him, or written to him, or read from him, or followed him – that is what has made social media what it is, that interaction. When I started on Facebook there was only Obama who had a million fans and he got elected, in part, because of his social media presence. When I started talking on Facebook I was being real. It was almost more therapeutic for me because I’d always been reserved. I’m not out there that much and I’ve always protected and maintained my privacy. I felt detached from my audience in some way, unlike my younger years on stage where you get that immediate gratification and you’re able to see how you’re affecting the fans and the audience. With Facebook, suddenly I was able to interact with people all over the world and essentially create this community. It was a very powerful moment. It was something very special and very therapeutic to me, and it’s something that’s affected the last five years of my career. So much that’s happened and so many of the accomplishments have come from that. In fact, the reason I’m here now talking about this movie is because Facebook fans started creating fan art that put me in the Marvel universe or fantasizing about me as a Marvel character. Then when I met with Marvel we were talking about doing something in the Phase Three, 2017/2018 slot. But social media demanded we do something now and that’s when [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige called me two weeks after I’d been to Comic-Con last year, and he said he’d come from the Captain America press junket and the big question was ‘What are you doing with Vin?’ Then he told me ‘You’re a tree’ and all my childhood phobias came back to me. I had to face that fear of walking onto the stage as a seven-year-old and having the director say, ‘Vin, you’re playing the tree’. [Laughs] Now we face our fears!

Q: How do you see the character developing in the next film?

A: I think there’s something very fun in imagining how that might be. I expect we’ll learn more about him. He’s such a complex and fascinating character. He’s a scion of a noble family and probably one of the most intelligent Marvel characters of all. He loses his intelligence every time he dies but he never truly dies and it’s a small price to pay for immortality.

Q: Besides other actors like Marlon Brando, who are your real-life heroes?

A: Well, our mothers are our first heroes. Mine is MY superhero because when I was an infant she was a single mother to me and my twin brother in New York, traveling from the Bronx to Brooklyn with two seven-month-old babies. And now look where I am! She’s a hero in that respect. She’s a special woman. My father is a hero, too.

Q: What drew you to acting in the first place?

A: I started acting at a young age. I remember being five years old and watching my father do roadshow theatre. We went up to Maine and I watched him. He’d dyed his hair white – I remember that. Later I grew up in a government subsidized building for artists in New York and if you made more than $10,000 a year you’d be kicked out of the building. It was kind of a bohemian artists’ community that made art for the sake of art, but for me there was something very therapeutic about acting. I was a kid like everybody else, maybe with a heightened quest for identity. Whenever I would play a role, the parameters of my identity were clear. There was something comforting or therapeutic about that.


Guardians of the Galaxy is available on Blu-ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere December 9, 2014

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Writer-Director James Gunn Talks About His "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Walt Disney Home Entertainment provided the following question-and-answer interview with writer-director James Gunn as a promotion for its Blu-ray and DVD release of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.  "Q" is the anonymous questioner and "A" is Gunn:

AN INTERVIEW WITH WRITER-DIRECTOR JAMES GUNN FOR THE IN-HOME RELEASE OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Q: What were the biggest challenges in bringing Guardians Of The Galaxy to the screen?

A: The biggest challenge was definitely having to set up so many characters and so many foreign planets that nobody had ever heard of within the first 20 minutes and then get to the story. To have people feel comfortable with the plot and who the characters were while telling a fun, engaging story – that was the big challenge. I really look forward to doing the sequel because I won’t have to do all that heavy lifting. I can just focus on the characters and the adventures they go on.

Q: How would you sum up the movie yourself?

A: I see it as a space adventure but with a lot of comedy and a lot of heart. We didn’t restrain ourselves in any way, other than just keeping the characters as real as we possibly could.

Q: Was it tricky getting the tone of the film right in terms of not making the comedy too adult?

A: I was thinking that if I had kids, which I don’t - I have a dog but I don’t care what my dog sees – then what would I really care about them seeing? Would I care about them seeing a raccoon say ‘S**t’? Not really. There’s one risqué joke in there that no kid will understand and if they do they’ve been watching something else risqué, but mainly I was thinking about what would be OK for my nieces and nephews to see. But I don’t think I’ll ever write anything that’s not funny because it’s what comes naturally to me. I’m writing characters, I fall in love with those characters, and those characters make me laugh as they go about their lives. I’m just writing down what they’re doing as I see it happen in my brain.

Q: Were you heavily influenced by the Marvel comics when you made the movie?

A: Yeah, especially the 2008 team because Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning wrote the series. They’re the ones that chose the characters who are in the movie and the characters they chose were all sort of Z-grade comic book heroes, some of whom had been around for 30 years. Groot first appeared in 1963. So there was a lot of humor and a lot of interesting stuff in those comics, a lot of space fantasy, and so if there was anything that influenced us when we were making the movie it was Dan and Andy’s work. I’m very indebted to those guys. I’m also indebted to some of the Cosmic guys from the 1970s like Jim Starlin, who created whole universes that really began the Cosmic side of Marvel, and he created Thanos. There are a lot of those elements in the film.

Q: The humor in the film is very bold and brave, but did anybody try and rein you in?

A: It was the opposite, actually. There was a lot of humor in my first draft and I thought ‘This might be a little too out-there for Marvel and they might want to pull it back and make it a little straighter’. I actually brought that up in the first meeting because they really liked the script, which of course I was incredibly relieved to hear, and they actually said, ‘You can make it funnier if you want’. And that’s what I did.

Q: The film is sure to be a DVD and Blu-ray favorite. How do you think it will replay repeatedly?

A: There’s lots of little things in there that people might miss the first time round. There are all kinds of things from the Marvel universe. I was very specifically thinking of the R2-D2 model that Spielberg had on the spaceship in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind when I did the Collector’s Museum scene. If you freeze-frame it you’ll see all manner of references. We also have Cosmo popping up, who’s a character in the Guardians Of The Galaxy comics. He’s a Russian dog who speaks with a Russian accent and that was our nod to him. I really like Cosmo in the comics but he’s very hard to have in the movie because it’s difficult to have a live-action dog next to a CGI racoon due to the way fur looks on screen. In the comics they don’t get along at all, which is why they’re growling at each other in the film. Also, there are some deleted scenes and outtakes because we’d goof around on set a lot, and they’ll be on there.

Q: Did you already know Chris Pratt, who plays Peter Quill/Star-Lord, before making the movie?

A: No but through the process of making the film he’s the one I became closest to. We became very good friends and he moved next door to me when we were based in London so we could hang out all the time. I didn’t know him before but strangely we have a couple of close friends in common, which I think made us instantly trust each other because the friends in question are very good people. They’re guys that I like. They’re just good, basic dudes.

Q: When you’re working with a huge budget is it easy to get carried away and go ‘I want this and I want that’?

A: I don’t do that. I’m selective. For me having a big budget is definitely better than having a small budget simply because visually I can do what I want, but there are always strengths that come through limitations. On this movie, though, having the budget was great.

Q: How did you choose the songs for the soundtrack?

A: For me that was the most fun part probably of the entire film. When I first wrote my treatment for the movie I put a picture of a Sony Walkman on the top of it. That was probably the first sign that this was not the typical thing, but Kevin Feige [the producer and Marvel Studios president] loved that Sony Walkman and he was going, ‘I wonder if we can work that into the advertising somehow’. We didn’t do that in the end although it would have been cool. To me, the songs are the emotional center of the movie. They’re Peter Quill’s attachment to earth and his attachment to the mother he lost. The songs were very important and they were all baked into the script. The way I chose them is that I went and I made a playlist of 500 pop hits from the 1970s on my iTunes, then I whittled it down to about 100 songs that seemed tonally in line with what I saw in my head. With those 100 songs I would play them around the house and be inspired by them, then when I wrote the script I’d try to find the right song for the right moment, like when Peter is dancing through the temple. At first I wrote it with Hooked On A Feeling in mind then changed it to Come And Get Your Love halfway through. I’d try and find the right song for the right moment.

Q: Were there any instances where you were refused permission to use a song or it proved too expensive?

A: No, never. Part of it was probably the songs I was choosing. With the exception of David Bowie – and Moonage Daydream isn’t one of the more well-known David Bowie songs – they were mostly songs that people had probably heard but they probably didn’t know the title of the song and they probably didn’t know the artist. I wanted to get things that were familiar but not too familiar. It’s not like I was putting The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin on the soundtrack. Because of that fortunate aesthetic choice it meant that the songs were not unaffordable.

Q: Why do you think Guardians has been such a big hit with audiences?

A: The thing that makes it so much fun is taking these outlandish situations and these outlandish characters and then having these aliens act like they’re real people. The things they’re arguing about are things you’d argue about with your friends in your apartment. That’s a big part of the fun of it. I also think it’s a reaction to a lot of the other blockbuster movies. We’re not taking ourselves too seriously and we’re not adding a sheen of darkness and broodiness over the movie to cover up the fact there aren’t real characterisations in there, and we’re not adding a string of explosions with no character moments in between – we’re creating something that is, first and foremost, about those characters. I love those characters with all my heart and I’ve put them on screen to the best of my ability.

Q: What were the big movie influences for you?

A: I thought of the movies I loved as a kid, like Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back and Back To The Future. I wanted to create a movie that wasn’t necessarily like those movies but a movie that made me feel like those movies made me feel. That was the starting point.

Q: If you had the whole Marvel universe to choose from, who would you like to see in the sequel, even if it was just for a cameo?

A; [Laughs] I do have the whole Marvel universe to choose from. It depends on where we go with the sequel. At some point the Guardians will meet up with characters from other Marvel movies and that’s totally cool, but it’s not really my interest. My interest is to keep building Marvel Cosmic and to make Marvel Cosmic as cool as it possibly can be, and also to bring in other characters that I didn’t get to put in the movie. There are a lot of Marvel Cosmic characters I’m really into that I think would make great cinematic heroes or villains. The opportunity to create them for the screen is exciting to me.

Q: The cast has said you have a very definite idea of what you want. Is that something that stems from directing independent movies?

A: It’s just sort of how I create something. I need to have a very specific idea of where I’m going and [laughs] when I don’t, I fake it. It’s how I go about doing things and I really believe that Hitchcock idea that the movie is really made before you step on set. The majority of the filmmaking process is in pre-production. The more you’ve planned out the more freedom there is on set to find new stuff, to play around, find new jokes and let the actors kind of breathe – but it needs to come from a place where it’s completely structured.

Q: Hitchcock also said he preferred the preparation to the actual filming process, but it sounds like you had a great time making Guardians…

A: We had a great time and we really like each other. I always think back to something I heard Madeline Kahn say when I was really little. I don’t know why it stuck with me but it’s that Twinkies are delicious to eat but it doesn’t mean people who work in the Twinkie factory are having an especially great time. Obviously it meant something to me because I heard it when I was around seven years old and I still remember it. Maybe I even made part of it up. I don’t know. I think she said that. So making a movie is not easy but this one was fun.

Q: Chris Pratt says you had to tire him out to get what you wanted. Do you deliberately use tricks to get responses from your actors?

A: I don’t know if they’re tricks, it’s just a method and it isn’t necessarily true for everybody but Chris is such a cerebral guy. He doesn’t seem that cerebral, I know; he seems like a dummy. But he’s a really cerebral guy and he thinks a lot. One of the tricks with Chris is to keep pushing him and pushing him until he gets to the place where he’s just acting on instinct, then you capture this magic. Unfortunately I didn’t know that on the first day of shooting; it took me a little while to learn it. With Dave Bautista [who plays Drax The Destroyer], on the other hand, we understood each other from the moment we met each other so that was a little bit easier. With different actors at different times you get what makes them click.

Q: How important is it to cast name actors like Vin Diesel [Groot] and Bradley Cooper [Rocket] when they’re not actually appearing on screen?

A: I didn’t know Vin was going to be as important as he was. That’s the grace of God. We had other people doing the voice for a temporary track and it was fine and the character of Groot was really cool. Then Vin came in and what he did was kind of miraculous. The editor Fred Raskin and I were sitting in the room and we kept turning to each other because we couldn’t believe how much of a difference he made to that character. Suddenly Groot was complete and he was full and he was real, and that’s because of Vin’s voice. We had this secret script that had ‘I am Groot’ on one side and on the other side it had the lines he was actually saying. Sometimes he was cursing and sometimes he was saying a whole paragraph and at other times it was just one word. It’s amazing to me how when Vin says ‘I am Groot’ he gets across what he’s meant to be saying. We have Rocket in the movie interpreting what Groot’s saying and it’s funny, but we kind of get what he’s saying anyway. Having Bradley do Rocket was a little different because I knew Rocket was as important as anything in the movie. We auditioned a lot of people but it was difficult to find somebody who was able to do all the comedy that Rocket does and also be as emotionally grounded as Rocket needs to be. He really is a haunted little beast. He’s the least happy of all of the Guardians and I needed that on screen, and I also needed someone who was going to do a character, not just come in and do their celebrity voice over this animated raccoon. I needed someone who could create a character out of him and Bradley had the track record of being able to do all that. My first day of recording Bradley was maybe my happiest day making this movie, [laughs] and by happiness I mean relief because it’s pretty much how I experience pleasure.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is available on Blu-ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere December 9, 2014

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