Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 19th to 28th, 2017 - Update #47

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MOVIES - From Variety:  "Moonlight" to expand to 1500 theaters after its "Best Picture" win at Sunday's 89th Academy Awards.

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STAR TREK - From THR:  CBS CEO Les Moonves says that "Star Trek Discovery" will debut late summer or early fall.

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OBIT - From YahooMovies: The 7-foot-7 actor Neil Fingleton has died at the age of 36.  Great Britain's tallest man, he was best known for playing "Mag the Mighty" on "Game of Thrones."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  "Bright" is Will Smith's new film, and it has a trailer.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/24 to 2/26/2017 weekend box office is "Get Out" with an estimated total of $30.5 million.

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OSCAR:

From THR:  A closer look at the 89th Oscar that were overshadowed by the Best Picture fiasco.

From YahooMovies:  And the winner isn't... "La La Land"  "Moonlight" correctly announced as "Best Picture" Oscar winner after a historic gaffe.

From YahooCelebrity:  This picture is worth a thousand words... the look on their faces over the "Best Picture" Oscar fiasco.

From YahooMovies:  No, "Moonlight" won.

From YahooMovies:  Warren Beatty explains his part in the "Best Picture" Oscar fiasco.

From Polygon:  Yeah, "Suicide Squad" has an Oscar.

From Variety:  Stars make political statements on the Oscar red carpet, including support for the ACLU and in remembrance of Trayvon Martin.

From YahooNews:  "Good Morning America" offers an extended video interview with Viola Davis.

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OBIT - From Variety:  The actor Bill Paxton has died at the age of 61, Saturday, February 25, 2017.  Paxton's long career included appearing in several James Cameron films, including "Aliens" and "Titanic."  He was one of my favorites; I send my prayers to his family.

From THR:  Hollywood mourns acclaimed film and television actor, Bill Paxton.

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OBIT - From TheWrap:  Judge Joseph Wapner has died at the age of 97, Sunday, February 26, 2017.  Wapner was the original judge on the long-running, syndicated courtroom series, "The People's Court."

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  President Trump skipping annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner on April 29th.  Heat-kitchen, man.

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BLM - From YahooCelebrity:  Muhammad Ali's son, 44-year-old Muhammad Ali, Jr. was detained at at a Florida airport for several hours... because of his Arabic-sounding name.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The winners of the Frances's 2017 Cesar Awards announced.

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ANIME - From CBR:  Hayao Miyazaki comes out of retirment... again.  He is apparently directing a film entitled "Boro the Caterpillar."

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COMICS-FILM - From ComicsAlliance:  X-Men writer-producer Simon Kinberg says that "Gambit" moving could begin filming in 2018.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Batman will meet "Rorschach" of "The Watchmen."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Freddie Highmore ("Bates Motel") to star in ABC pilot, "The Good Doctor."

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Starz TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's seminal novel, "American Gods," is set for April 30th, 2017.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  After various swings of fortune, Matt Reeves has signed a deal to direct "The Batman" movie starring Ben Affleck.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Angelina Jolie is still hot, landing acting and directing gigs.  Her latest directorial endeavor, "First They Killed My Father," has had its premiere.

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OBIT - From THR:  Leah, the mother director Steven Spielberg, has died at the age of 97, Tuesday, February 21, 2017.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Jamie Chung has been cast as "Blink" in Fox/Marvel's X-Men themed pilot.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Another "Game of Thrones" star has a new job.  Alfie Allen is part of "The Predator" reboot.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  "Game of Thrones"star Iwan Rheon has been cast as the lead in ABC/Marvel's "Inhumans."

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Demi Moore will have a recurring role in Season 4 of FOX's "Empire."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  While filming in Europe, Jamie Foxx is apparently the target of racial slurs at a restaurant.

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  A dinner and hints at shooting a new X-Men flop starting Summer 2017.

From Movieweb:  Will Simon Kinberg make his directorial debut with this next X-Men movie a.k.a. "X-Men 7?"

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OBIT - From THR:  Cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld died at the age of 95, Monday, February 13, 2017.  Hirschfeld may be best known for his beautiful black and white photography on Sidney Lumet's "Fail-Safe" and Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein."

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HISTORY - From DemocracyNow:  George Takei speaks on the 75th anniversary of the order to place Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II.  Takei, then 5 years-old, was placed in a camp with his parents and siblings.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Shane Black reveals the cast to his film, "The Predator," which is some kind of reboot of / not-a-sequel-to 1987's "Predator."  It looks like Arnold Shwarzenegger will not be part of the film...

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/17 to 2/19/2017 weekend box office is "The LEGO Batman Movie" with an estimated take of $34.2 million.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  Cinema Audio Society Awards announced with "La La Land" and "Game of Thrones" leading wins.

From Variety:  "Golden Reel Sound Editing Awards" winners announced

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MUSIC - From Vulture:  Drake does not want his two weird "Grammy" wins from the 2017 Grammys a week ago.

From Vulture:  Black artists don't win Grammy "Album of the Year," not often - been 10 years.

From Vulture:  And Neil Portnow loves his head in the sand.  Grammys are overrated anyway.

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COMICS - From Vulture:  Warren Ellis talks about the rebirth of Jim Lee's WildStorm as "The Wild Storm."

From Patreon:  Here is my review of "The Wild Storm #1."

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COMICS - From THR:  Trailblazing editor Karen Berger, who brought Neil Gaiman (The Sandman) to DC Comics, has signed a deal with Dark Horse Comics, trailblazing independent comics publisher.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  So maybe Matt Reeves won't direct Ben Affleck-Batman movie.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  He's playing young Lando and now, Donald Glover will play "Simba" in a live-action version of "The Lion King."

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:   "Prologue: Last Supper"  from "Alien: Covenant," which is due May 19, 2017.

"Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season Two" Arrives on Blu-ray and DVD in August 2016

The Epic Battle to Defeat the Evil Empire Continues in Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season Two

Available in Your Galaxy on Blu-ray™ and DVD August 30, 2016

BURBANK, California –– Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season Two delivers all 22 action-packed episodes of the hit CG animated series’ second season, plus exclusive, never-before-seen bonus material on DVD and even more exclusive footage on Blu-ray! Available August 30, 2016, this thrilling continuation of the Star Wars Rebels saga depicts the continued efforts of the crew of the starship Ghost to defeat the evil Empire.

Amid growing Imperial oppression on Lothal, the rebels are forced to seek out new allies throughout the galaxy and additional resources to sustain their fight against the Empire. With the help of Ahsoka Tano, the crew of the Ghost bands together with a secret rebel cell and ex-soldiers from the Clone Wars to join a fledgling alliance determined to restore peace and freedom to the galaxy.

As Ezra continues his journey to become a Jedi under Kanan’s guidance, the threat of the dark side looms large over the fate of the growing rebellion. Darth Vader himself will dispatch new Inquisitors to snuff any spark of resistance, setting the stage for a climactic showdown in which past lives will be revealed, terrible truths will be discovered, and the lives of our heroes will be changed forever.

Star Wars Rebels was created by Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”), Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”), and Carrie Beck. The Lucasfilm Animation production is also executive-produced by Filoni and Kinberg.

Featuring the voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”) as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall (TV’s “Young Justice”) as Hera, Steve Blum (“The Boxtrolls”) as Zeb, Tiya Sircar (“The Internship”) as Sabine, Taylor Gray (TV’s “Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures”) as Ezra, Ashley Eckstein (Her Universe apparel) as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker (“American Dad,” “Phineas and Ferb”) as Captain Rex and all the clones, David Oyelowo (“Selma” and “The Butler”) as Agent Kallus and Sarah Michelle Gellar (“The Crazy Ones,” “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) as the Seventh Sister Inquisitor.

Bonus Features:

Blu-ray:
·      From Apprentice to Adversary: Vader vs. Ahsoka (Exclusive to Blu-ray) – Executive Producer Dave Filoni reflects on the climactic ending of the season, when Ahsoka Tano finally confronts Darth Vader in a long-awaited, fierce and epic lightsaber battle.
·      All DVD Bonus (see below)

DVD:
·      Connecting the Galaxy: Rebels Season Two – Uncover hidden references, easter eggs and connections to the Star Wars universe found throughout the season.
·      Rebel Recons – Blast off with 20 fun, fast-paced episode recons, featuring behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with cast and crew, and more!

Disc Specifications:
Release Date:              August 30, 2016
Format:                       Blu-ray (3-Disc) & DVD (4-Disc)
Rating:                         TVY7 FV; CE: PG; CF: G (Bonus Material Not Rated)
Run Time:                   Approximately 485 minutes (not including bonus)
Closed Captioned:      Yes
Aspect Ratio:              1:78 (Widescreen)
Audio:                         5.1 Dolby Digital
Languages/ Subtitles:   English, French, German & Spanish

About the TV Show:
The third season of  the critically acclaimed series (Star Wars Rebels)  will premiere this fall on Disney XD.


ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS:
For over 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel Studios; Lucasfilm; and Touchstone Pictures, the banner under which live-action films from DreamWorks Studios are distributed. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production. In addition to its motion-picture and television production, the company's activities include visual effects and audio post-production, cutting-edge digital animation, interactive entertainment software, and the management of the global merchandising activities for its entertainment properties including the legendary STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES franchises. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 1st to 4th, 2016 - Update #26

Support Leroy on Patreon.

OBIT - From RollingStone:  Boxing legend, world icon, and American legend, Muhammad Ali, has died at the age of 74, Friday, June 3, 2016.

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COMICS - From WeGotThisCovered:  The title of Warner's "Justice League" movie is "Justice League."

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COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Chris Evans (Captain America) like the idea of Oscar-winner Brie Larson as Captain Marvel.  Marvel is reportedly in talks with Larson to play the role.

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COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Marvel Studios may have recovered the film rights to Namor the Sub-Mariner.

From CinemaBlend:  and actor Brian Tee has started campaigning to be Namor.

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  Bryan Singer, the director of several X-Men movies, wants there to be a Mystique movie.  Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence currently plays the character.

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OBITS - From YahooSports:  Donny Everett, a freshman pitcher for Vanderbilt University, has died at the age of 19, Thursday, June 2, 2016.  He apparently drowned while fishing with friends.

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POLITICS - From the LATimes:  Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick on the unnecessary atomic bombing of Japan during WWII.

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COMICS - From SlashFilm:  Ben Affleck's solo Batman movie will tell an original story.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Bill Skarsgard will play "Pennywise the Clown" in the new 2-part film adaptation of Stephen King's "It."

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COMICS - From THR:  Warner Bros. has picked Rick Famuyima to replace Seth Grahame-Smith as director of its "Flash" movie.  Famuyima earned acclaim for his film, "Dope."

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MUSIC - From YahooNews:  Tests show Prince OD'd on opiods.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From Slate:  Rich white Oklahoma man who shot and killed a Black man while playing deputy sentenced to four years in prison.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Indiana man has been accused of killing three people in attacks modeled after the 2013 film, "The Purge."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Stefano Sollima named the director of the "Sicario" sequel, which is entitled "Soldado."

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COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Simon Kinberg, one of the problems with the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot, talks about what went wrong with the film.

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COMICS - From CBR:  Marvel cannot use the classic Avengers villain, Kang, in Marvel movies.

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COMICS - From Variety:   Oscar-winner Brie Larson (Room) is the frontrunner to play "Captain Marvel" in the Marvel Studios film of the same name.

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MOVIES - From DarkHorizons:  Danish director Susanne Bier has made a shortlist of directors who may helm the next James Bond film.  Bier directed "In a Better World," the winner of a "Best Foreign Language Film" Oscar.

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COMICS - From CourtoftheDead:  The "Court of the Dead" merchandising line will be a comic book.

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COMICS - From THR:  FX orders 8 episodes of "Legion," an X-Men television series.

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COMICS - From ScreenRant:  Set photos from "Wolverine 3" reveal that the film may be adapting the popular "Old Man Logan" story from the comic book.

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HARRY POTTER - From BBC:  Photos of the actors in the stage play, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," have been released.  Previews of the show begin June 7, 2016.

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TELEVISION - From YahooCelebrity:  The actor Michael Jace, who appeared on the television series, "The Shield," was convicted by a jury of the second degree murder of his wife.

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COMICS - From Collider:  The third "Thor" film will integrate the "Planet Hulk" storyline, including the character, The Gamemaster.

COMICS - From JoBlo:  A "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" villain is revealed.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  Here is the new trailer for the film, "Monster Trucks."  Yeah, it's come to this.

Review: New "Fantastic Four" is Fantastically Problematic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Fantastic Four (2015)
Running time:  100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and language
DIRECTOR:  Josh Trank
WRITERS:  Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater, and Josh Trank (based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCERS:  Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, Robert Kulzer, Hutch Parker, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Matthew Jensen
EDITORS:  Elliot Greenberg and Stephen E. Rivkin
COMPOSER:  Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring:  Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kata Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey, Tim Blake Nelson, Owen Judge, Evan Hannemann, Don Yesso, and Dan Castellaneta

Fantastic Four is a 2015 superhero movie and science fiction film from director Josh Trank.  It is the third film in 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four film franchise, and it is also a reboot of that franchise.  Fantastic Four 2015 follows four young people whose physical forms are changed in shocking ways after being exposed to energy from an alternate and dangerous universe.

Reed Richards (Miles Teller) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) have been friends since childhood, when Ben started helping Reed build his prototype teleportation device.  It is in high school when they attract the attention of Professor Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), who is the director of the Baxter Foundation, a government-sponsored research institute for young prodigies.

Reed joins the foundation and begins working with Storm's adopted daughter, Susan “Sue” Storm (Kate Mara), and eventually his son, Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan).  Reed also gets to work with Professor Storm's wayward protege, Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell).  Together, this quartet builds a device called the “Quantum Gate,” which opens a way to “Zero,” a planet in an parallel dimension.  Awaiting those who travel to “Zero,” however, is energy that will change them in unimaginable and fantastic ways.

Fantastic Four isn't a good movie, but it isn't a terrible movie.  It is like flavorless chewing gum.  The gum might start with a lot of promise, but pretty soon you're just chewing for the sake of chewing and the flavor is gone.  That is this Fantastic Four reboot.  It starts off with promise, but pretty soon, the story seems to be just going through the motions, and I was simply watching it out of habit, waiting for the end credits to roll.

Fantastic Four 2015 is mostly build-up.  In some ways, it is like a long teaser for another movie, the real Fantastic Four (or “FF”) movie that is “coming soon.”  What we get with this new movie is something akin to a prologue or an overly long introductory act.  In fact, this film's big villain, called “Doom,” rather than Doctor Doom, does not show up until the last 10 or 15 minutes of the movie.

I think that there are a kernel or two of good ideas in this new Fantastic Four that could become something good... in a second movie... produced by an entirely different group of people.  I think that the special effects for Reed Richards' (Mr. Fantastic) stretching powers is much better than it was in the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four films.  Ben Grimm (The Thing) looks better in this reboot than in the earlier films.  Hard as it is to believe, Kate Mara as Sue Storm  is worse than Jessica Alba as Sue in the first two films.  I like Michael B. Jordan, but his Johnny Storm (Human Torch) is stiff compared to Chris Evans' rascally Human Torch from the earlier films.

Overall, director Josh Trank has made a Fantastic Four film that is actually less entertaining than Tim Story's uneven 2005 and 2007 FF films.  I wouldn't recommend this even to comic book fans.  It is so mediocre and uninspiring that it isn't even awful enough to be an enjoyable “bad movie.”  It is like the ultimate average and bland film.  This Fantastic Four makes it clear that 20th Century Fox should just stop making Fantastic Four movies.

4 of 10
C

Saturday, August 8, 2015


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

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

ACADEMY INVITES 322 TO MEMBERSHIP

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

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

The 2015 invitees are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Josh Trank Departs (is Fired from) "Star Wars" Anthology Film

Josh Trank Departs Star Wars Anthology Film
Josh Trank, who was attached to direct the second Star Wars Anthology film, has decided to depart the project.

Trank said, “After a year of having the incredible honor of developing with the wonderful and talented people at Lucasfilm, I’m making a personal decision to move forward on a different path. I’ve put a tremendous amount of thought into this, and I know deep down in my heart that I want to pursue some original creative opportunities. That said, the Star Wars universe has always been one of my biggest influences, and I couldn’t be more excited to witness its future alongside my millions of fellow Star Wars fans. I want to thank my friends Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, Simon Kinberg, and everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney for the amazing opportunity to have been a part of this. May the Force be with you all.”

Lucasfilm VP of Development Kiri Hart said “It was a privilege to collaborate with Josh.  We are grateful for the energy and love of Star Wars that he brought to the process, and we wish him all the best.”

The Star Wars team is continuing to develop the project.

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

IMAX to Screen Disney's Live-Action "Cinderella" Film

Disney's Live-Action Cinderella To Be Released In IMAX® Theatres Globally Starting March 13

SANTA MONICA, Calif., /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced that the highly anticipated live-action Cinderella - directed by Academy Award(®) nominee Kenneth Branagh and starring Academy Award(®) winner Cate Blanchett as the Stepmother and Lily James in the timeless title role - will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX(®) format and released in IMAX(®) theatres globally beginning March 13, 2015.

A live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale, Cinderella is written by Chris Weitz and produced by Simon Kinberg, Allison Shearmur and David Barron. Tim Lewis served as executive producer.

"Based on the timeless classic, Cinderella now is a visually breath-taking live-action gem from the hugely talented Kenneth Branagh, with whom we're thrilled to partner again, as well as the wonderful team at Disney," said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. "Having been fortunate to see the movie several weeks ago, we believe Cinderella will resonate with movie-goers from around the globe, and we can't wait to share it with IMAX audiences worldwide."

The IMAX(®) release of Cinderella 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.

For more information about Cinderella, please visit Disney's official website at http://disney.com/cinderella/.

About CINDERELLA:
The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella's father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother's dying words and to "have courage and be kind." She will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an apprentice at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella's hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit (Richard Madden). Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand, and a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham-Carter) steps forward and - armed with a pumpkin and a few mice - changes Cinderella's life forever.

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

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.  As of September 30, 2014, there were 880 IMAX theatres (751 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 110 institutions) in 60 countries.

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

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: "X-Men: Days of Future Past" - Why So Serious?

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Running time:  131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity and language
DIRECTOR:  Bryan Singer
WRITERS:  Simon Kinberg; from a story by Jane Goldman, Simon Kinberg, and Matthew Vaughn 
PRODUCERS:  Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Bryan Singer
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Newton Thomas Sigel
EDITOR/COMPOSER:  John Ottman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring:  Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Bingbing Fan, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, and Anna Paquin

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a 2014 superhero movie from director Bryan Singer.  It is 20th Century Fox’s seventh film based Marvel Comics’ X-Men comic book franchise.  This new movie is a sequel to 2011’s X-Men: First Class and a kind of sequel to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.  X-Men: Days of Future Past finds the X-Men of the future sending one of their own into past in a desperate effort to change history and to prevent the destruction of the world for both humans and mutants.

The film opens (apparently) sometime in the third decade of the 21st century.  By this time, mutant-hunting machines called Sentinels have wiped out nearly all mutants and also the humans that supported them.  The last of the X-Men are about to make a desperate bid to change their apocalyptic future.  Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart) concocts a plan that sends the mind of Logan/The Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back into the past and into the body of his younger self in the year 1973.

In 1973, Logan must contact the younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and convince him that they must stop Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from committing an assassination that will lead to the creation of the Sentinels.  However, Wolverine finds that the younger Charles is a mess.  Xavier wants no part of his future self’s plan, especially when he discovers that he must cooperate with Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender), his dear friend-turned-bitter enemy.

Released in 2011, X-Men: First Class was a combination prequel to the original film, X-Men (2000), and a partial reboot of the franchise.  First Class was sparkly, fun, energetic, and even a bit sexy.  X-Men: Days of Future Past is ponderous and takes both its subject matter and its plot way too seriously.  I liked the film, but I only really enjoyed certain moments and a few characters.

Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic as Mystique, making the character’s emotions, mission, and anger seem real.  Nicholas Hoult is poignant as Hank McCoy/Beast; so much of his performance is restrained.  Hoult makes the most of subtle facial expressions, and his expressive eyes convey Beast in a way that gives him weight and depth.

What this film lacks is gravitas.  Days of Future Past pretends to be important serious because it metaphorically or symbolically deals with serious and important real world issues.  However, the movie is tedious instead of being weighty in any meaningful a way.  It is as if this film has so much to cover that it almost ends up sinking under the burden of its moralizing via multiple points of view, characters, and competing timelines.

In fact, after seeing Days of Future Past, I realized that Wolverine is not particularly consequential to the plot, or at least the screenplay does not make him seem so.  For what the character does, just about any other X-Men could have made that trip into the past.  [In The X-Men comic book story, “Days of the Future Past,” upon which this movie is based, Kitty Pryde travels into the past – the year 1983.]  I read a review of this movie in which the writer said that this was a movie about Mystique and Wolverine.  In a way, this movie is indeed most about what Mystique wants, and the movie would be better off if it stayed with Mystique longer than it actually does.

Although I like it, X-Men: Days of Future Past is my least favorite X-Men movie.  I found the future Sentinels particularly scary and chilling, and Evan Peters as Quicksilver is a blast.  Of all the X-Men movies, it has the best production values and the best special effects.  It is, however, full of sound and fury, and even in the universe of X-Men movies, it does not signify much of anything.

5 of 10
B-

Saturday, May 31, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Elysium" Makes Worldwide Landing in IMAX Theatres

Sony's Elysium Lands In IMAX® Theatres Worldwide Starting August 9

LOS ANGELES, PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX), along with TriStar Pictures and Media Rights Capital today announced that Elysium, filmmaker Neill Blomkamp's (District 9) futuristic action film starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format and released in IMAX® theatres worldwide beginning August 9.

"Neill Blomkamp is the kind of innovative, creative storyteller that moviegoers seek out, and we are thrilled to bring this highly anticipated film to IMAX audiences worldwide," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President IMAX Corp.

"Elysium is one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer, so we're pleased that audiences will have the chance to see Neill Blomkamp's vision for the future in IMAX's immersive format," said Rory Bruer, president, Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures.

The IMAX release of Elysium 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.

For more information about Elysium, please visit Sony's official website at http://www.itsbetterupthere.com/site/.

About Elysium
In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined planet. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the crime and poverty that is now rampant throughout the land. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission - one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces - but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.  Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp.  The QED International / Alphacore Studios / Kinberg Genre production is produced by Bill Block, Neill Blomkamp, and Simon Kinberg.

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 March 31, 2013, there were 738 IMAX theatres (606 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 113 institutions) in 53 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.

Disney's Official Statement on J.J. Abrams and Star Wars: Episode VII

This press release from Walt Disney Studios announcing J.J. Abrams as the director of Star Wars: Episode VII is a week old.  I waited to post it this month so that it would be on the post list for at least one entire month.  Since this release, I have read that Abrams is not sure if he will adhere to the announced 2015 release date for Episode VII - Leroy.

J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars: Episode VII

J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

"It's very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie," said Kennedy. "J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture."

George Lucas went on to say "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

"To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said. "I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid."

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney Lucasfilm banner.

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year's Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm's preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

Review: "X-Men: First Class" is at the Top of the Class

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

X-Men: First Class (2011)
Running time: 132 minutes (2 hours, 12 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS: Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz and Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn; from a story by Sheldon Turner and Bryan Singer
PRODUCERS: Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, and Lauren Shuler Donner, and Bryan Singer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Mathieson (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Eddie Hamilton and Lee Smith
COMPOSER: Henry Jackman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Till, Zoe Kravitz, Edi Gathegi, Oliver Platt, Alex Gonzalez, and Jason Flemyng

X-Men: First Class is a superhero movie and the fifth movie in the X-Men film franchise, following X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). X-Men: First Class is a combination prequel to the first film and partial reboot of the franchise, but whatever is it, First Class currently stands as the best film in the X-Men series.

Most of First Class is set in 1962. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) are the men who would take the names Professor X and Magneto, respectively. Both are young men and also mutants discovering the extent of their powers, as they embark on their respective missions in life. A telepath with mind control powers, Xavier has recently received his doctorate from Oxford University, and he wants to find more mutants like himself who have special powers. He has lived with one of them, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), since he was a child.

Meanwhile, Lensherr, who is a Holocaust survivor and mutant that can manipulate magnetism, hunts and kills Nazi and German war criminals. One of his targets is Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a mutant with tremendous powers. Now, a scientist and leader of a mysterious group known as the Hellfire Club, Shaw has launched a plot to start a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

After Lensherr makes a failed attempt on Shaw’s life, Xavier brings Lensherr into the CIA’s “Division X” facility. There, Xavier and Lensherr recruit young mutants they will train to stop Shaw, but both men see the world differently. As they race to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known, a rift grows between Xavier and Lensherr, one that threatens everything and maybe every human on the planet.

X-Men: First Class is everything good about the franchise: the mutant vs. mutant conflict, man vs. mutant conflict, the struggle against prejudice and bigotry, the action and intrigue, and the themes of family and brotherhood. But in this film, it is all presented in a more audacious and confident manner. There are a lot of things happening in this movie, and the story presents most of it awfully quickly. Director Matthew Vaughn guides it all with such brisk, efficient storytelling that makes most of it clear, clever, and engaging.

First Class is also a summer movie with something to say. With its Cold War setting, Cuban Missile Crisis sub-plot, and allusions to the Civil Rights movement, this movie places the plight of the mutants within a real world context. The film remains, however, cool and intense, even being sometimes playful about its dead serious elements. First Class’ last act does turn a little too much towards action movie mayhem and away from the emotional motivations, but in the end, this X-Men movie plays for keeps. These mutants want to do the right thing, but what is the right thing, the film asks? And what do you do when the people you are trying to protect and save want to kill you?

All the performances here have a youthful energy, and James McAvoy as Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Lensherr have great chemistry together. Fassbender is Oscar-nomination worthy as Lensherr/Magneto. X-Men: First Class is not just good; it is also one of the best superhero movies ever and, so far, the year’s best film.

9 of 10
A+

Saturday, June 04, 2011

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Sherlock Holmes Was Fresh for the Twenty-Oh-Nine

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images, and a scene of suggestive material
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
WRITERS: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg; from a screen story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson (based on the characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle)
PRODUCERS: Susan Downey, Dan Lin, Joel Silver, and Lionel Wigram
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Philippe Rousselot
EDITOR: James Herbert
COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer
Academy Award nominee

ACTION/MYSTERY

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Robert Maillet, Geraldine James, Kelly Reilly, William Houston, Hans Matheson, James Fox, and William Hope

At Christmas 2010, the film Sherlock Holmes brought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective back to the big screen. This new film features a Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson that are different from the most famous screen Holmes and Watson, actors Basil Rathbone (as Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (as Watson). Directed by Guy Ritchie, this Christmas 2009 Sherlock Holmes is something of an in-your-face buddy movie that is more event movie entertainment than it is detective film, but what fun it certainly is.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.), the renowned "consulting detective,” has made his reputation finding the truth at the heart of the most complex mysteries. That includes a recent case in which Holmes rescued a kidnapped young woman from the clutches of the murderous occultist, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). Without a new case, Holmes is bored and also fretting over the impending marriage of his trusted ally and physician, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly).

Then, a new storm gathers over London, one bringing a threat unlike anything that Holmes has ever confronted. Although hung from the gallows for a string of brutal, ritualistic murders, Lord Blackwood has reportedly returned from the dead. Seemingly connected to dark and powerful forces, Blackwood launches a plot to change the British Empire forever, and his apparent resurrection has sent London into a panic. Somehow, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), a woman from America with whom Holmes has a tempestuous relationship, is also involved in this madness. Holmes may have found just the challenge he has been looking for.

Dynamic would be a good way to describe Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. Everything well-mannered and traditional about Sherlock Holmes has been redone as rowdy and fast-paced. This primordial classical mystery has become the classic, loud, Hollywood blockbuster, event motion picture, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sherlock Holmes satisfies, going down like a Big Mac when you’re especially hungry (and you don’t remember them tasting so good). Writer Lionel Wigram, who received a “screen story” credit for this film, is actually the writer who fashioned this reinvention of Sherlock Holmes. Wigram merely emphasized Holmes’ less social tendencies and his martial arts prowess (both part of the original Holmes stories). Is there a better way to re-imagine a Victorian era character for modern movie audiences than as a smart ass outsider who kicks ass?

Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law make this movie. Of course, Downey plays the venerable sleuth as a master of deduction who sees what is invisible to everyone else. Downey’s Holmes also engages in heart-stopping, bare-knuckle brawls, dodges explosions that would kill most, and leaps from buildings like a mad acrobat. This is Holmes as Indiana Jones, a crowd pleaser and man of the people. With a wink and a nudge, this Holmes is scruffy and frumpy, and you will not see him in a coat and tie – and forget about the deerstalker hat.

Jude Law’s genial Dr. John Watson is smart, has an eye for detail, and banters with Holmes as if the duo were an old couple. Law’s Watson, however, hides a thug beneath the whimsical, at-ease nature, and he looks as if his nice suit really hides a pair of brass knuckles and a blackjack.

Sherlock Holmes is not without its problems. One of them is that the director and the writers are so in love with their nouveau take on Holmes and Watson that they lose Lord Blackwood, an intriguing adversary whose potential is wasted. Ultimately, this film is like National Treasure with a Victorian James Bond, but is still Sherlock Holmes. Like many holiday crowd-pleasers, it is indeed forgettable. You will, however, remember that it was fun to watch, enough to want to see this Sherlock Holmes movie again – perhaps even enjoy repeated viewings on its eventual home, cable television.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, January 15, 2010

NOTES:
2010 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Art Direction” (Sarah Greenwood-art director and Katie Spencer-set decorator) and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Hans Zimmer)

2010 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Robert Downey Jr.)

Warner Bros. Announces Big Sherlock Holmes Box Office News

Sherlock Holmes Surpasses $500 Million at Worldwide Box Office

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective and Jude Law as his formidable ally Watson, has crossed the $500 million mark globally. The film, which began its worldwide rollout on Christmas day, earned $207.9 million in the United States, and is poised to cross $300 million internationally before week’s end (currently at $298.2 million), bringing its current global cumulative gross to $506.1 million.

The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures

“We’re thrilled that Sherlock Holmes has performed so spectacularly in territories around the world following its strong U.S. showing,” Kwan-Rubinek said. “These incredible results are a testament to the vision of Guy Ritchie, as well as the tremendous filmmakers and cast, led by Robert and Jude. It also speaks to the world’s continuing fascination with these indelible characters.”

Fellman added, “It’s amazing to reach this benchmark. The filmmakers, cast and crew put so much care into creating a film worthy of the name, and I think audiences have shown they succeeded across the board.”

In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, Sherlock Holmes. Ritchie directed the film from a screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg, screen story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson. Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin produced the film, with Michael Tadross and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers and Steve Clark-Hall co-producing. “Sherlock Holmes” stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly and Eddie Marsan. The film opened nationwide on Christmas Day, and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

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Review: "X-Men: The Last Stand" is a Mixed Bag of Good and Bad

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 115 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, some sexual content, and language
DIRECTOR: Brett Ratner
WRITERS: Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Ralph Winter
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dante Spinotti (with Philippe Rousselot)
EDITORS: Mark Goldblatt, Mark Helfrich, and Julia Wong

FANTASY (SUPER HERO)/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammar, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, Patrick Stewart, Ben Foster, Dania Ramirez, Michael Murphy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ellen Page, Josef Sommer, Bill Duke, and Daniel Cudmore

Warren Worthington III (Ben Foster) is a mutant; a pair of large, white angelic wings grows out of his back. His father, Warren Worthington II (Michael Murphy), through his pharmaceutical company, has created a “cure” for mutancy, one that will suppress the gene that makes them unique, take away their powers and make them normal humans. Worthington wants to use it on his son...

Meanwhile, the X-Men are in a state of flux. Ororo Munroe/Storm (Halle Berry) is now the X-Men’s leader, while Scott Summers/Cyclops (James Marsden) mourns the loss of the love of his life, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who was apparently killed in X2: X-Men United. Now, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), founder of the X-Men and a school for mutants on his palatial estate, wants Storm to take leadership of the X-Men. Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finds himself caught in the middle, counseling Storm, the Professor, and a teen mutant love triangle: Rogue (Anna Paquin), Bobby Drake/Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), and Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page). With all that drama, they find the issue of Worthington’s cure brought to their doorstep when an old colleague, the blue-furred Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast (Kelsey Grammar), visits to inform the X-Men of the cure’s existence.

A “cure” for mutancy threatens not only the status quo, but also threatens to alter history. For the first time, mutants have a choice. They can retain the thing that makes them unique and gives them their powers, although that also isolates them, alienates them from normal humanity, and marks them as targets for humans afraid of mutants. Or they can take the cure, give up their powers, and become humans. Magneto (Ian McKellen), the mutant mastermind and powerful adversary of the X-Men, believes that taking the cure won’t always be voluntary, and that one day mutants will be in internment camps where the government will force them to take the cure. Magneto gathers a mutant army, a brotherhood of mutants, including X-Men turncoat Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and such new faces as Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) and Callisto (Dania Ramirez), to wage war against humanity and any mutants that stand in his way. However, a powerful new ally, one even more powerful than Magneto, joins the brotherhood – a mutant with power to trigger the war to end all wars. Known as Phoenix, this mutant’s arrival also causes deep turmoil within the X-Men.

X-Men: The Last Stand is a very well made film. Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour franchise) directed a movie that doesn’t have many dry or dull moments. This is a graphic film in terms of violence, but it is also visceral and purposefully driven. Ratner visually captures the script’s rough interplay of ideas about bigotry, conformity, self-defense, and zealotry. It’s all about an “eye for an eye” and “get you before you get me.” The film also has especially high production values. In terms of cinematography, this is the best looking film in the X-Men franchise. It has a gritty futuristic look when necessary, but can also come across as a lifelike, moody drama and character piece when needed. The sets, costumes, and art direction are as good as those in any superhero film (except for maybe the Spider-Man films).

The acting is good, quite good in fact. The script and director allow Hugh Jackman to show a more dramatic and human side of Wolverine, he’s more a character than he is the cool, killing machine (as he was in the second X-Men film, X2), and Jackman, a fine actor, is more than up to the task of being a somber, stern, and sober actor. Halle Berry, who’d long demanded more screen time and more meat in her role as Storm, gets it here. Her Storm makes an effective leader, and though some of Storm’s dialogue sounds clumsy coming out of her mouth, Berry takes on her larger part with brazen confidence. Ian McKellen is masterful as Magneto; his words carry the force of a born leader, a king, and a master strategist. Proud and bold, he has his eyes on the prize, and he doesn’t waver even when his troops falter. The younger cast members, new mutants like Ashmore, Paquin, Stanford, and others add freshness to this dire third film.

However, for all that this flick is so well made, X-Men: The Last Stand is too dark and downbeat, and (considering that children are a big part of its intended audience) a bit too spicy with language and one almost-love-scene. Some of the action sequences are overdone, over the top, and some seem embarrassingly desperate, such as the one at the Golden Gate Bridge. The surprise new character seems like a fifth wheel/third leg – overdone, unnecessary, and maybe even misused and underutilized. At the end of the day, X-Men: The Last Stand just manages to outdo its gloom and doom with good acting and some surprisingly adroit wit and many clever asides. It’s sad to see this trilogy put forth such a dark final(?) piece, but this mosaic does have enough shiny pieces that I can at least give it a “B” with reservations.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, May 27, 2006

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Review: Pitt, Jolie Blaze in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 94 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Running time: 115 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of violence, intense action, sexual content, and brief strong language
DIRECTOR: Doug Liman
WRITER: Simon Kinberg
PRODUCER: Lucas Foster, Akiva Goldsman, Eric McLeod, Arnon Milchan, and Peter Wachsberger
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bojan Bazelli
EDITOR: Michael Tronick

ACTION/COMEDY/ROMANCE with elements of a thriller

Starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Kerry Washington, Adam Brody Chris Weitz, Rachael Huntley, Michelle Monaghan, and Keith David

The entertainment wing of the news media has been abuzz about the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie flick, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, directed by Doug Liman, for months now because many believe that the film shoot was where Pitt’s marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston (TV’s “Friends”) fell apart and his are-they/aren’t they relationship with Ms. Jolie began. For a while, it seemed as if the tawdry adultery angle would drown the film, but early favorable reviews kept any alleged hanky-panky from completely overshadowing the film. While Mr. & Mrs. Smith is an unusual mixture of several genres, it is a sassy, faux-witty, action flick with one great car chase scene and a lot of good chemistry between the stars, and I’m certainly glad I paid to see it in a theatre. Ignore the flimsy plot and the empty characters, which aren’t much more than plot props and targets for action violence. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a star vehicle that you see if you like the stars.

Married for five or six years (that’s a joke in the film), John Smith (Brad Pitt) and Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie) are bored with their quiet, domestic tranquility. The biggest secret that they’re keeping from each other is that they are both assassins for different espionage organizations and are globetrotting and killing for hire behind each other’s back. The couple’s separate lives collide when they bumble upon the same assassination assignment. That causes the spouses to end up as each other’s next hit, but when they chose reconciliation instead of mutually assured destruction, both of their former agencies come gunning for them.

While not as entertaining as Liman’s film Go! (1999) and certainly not on the level of the super-smart, super thriller, The Bourne Identity (2002), Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a unique hybrid. It’s an action comedy, but it also an action romance. It’s an action thriller, but it’s also a romantic, action thriller. Pitt and Ms. Jolie have fine screen chemistry, so the romance is works; some of the comedy comes from their chemistry and timing, but much of it also comes from the cartoonish violence of the shoot-em-up’s and gunplay and the explosions in the film that more often than not are done for comic effect. There is one great car chase in the film and a death match between John and Jane that give the film all the thrills it needs. However, the final battle between the Smith’s and a seemingly endless supply of special operations squads is a bit flat.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are lucky that Liman and writer Simon Kinberg, whose screenplay is a frothy and tasty confection, deliver summer cinematic fun, or the superstar movie duo would have suffered the same meltdown that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez experienced with their “romantically entangled” film, Gigili. Hardcore action junkies may not go for this film, but anyone who likes a different spin on big, loud action films will probably like this.

6 of 10
B

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