Saturday, August 9, 2014

Negromancer News Bits and Bies for the Week of August 3rd to July 9th 2014 Update #20


NEWS:

From EntertainmentWeekly:  Marvel won the May 6, 2014 showdown, when Warner Bros. moved "Batman Vs. Superman" to March 25, 2016, giving Captain America 3 the May release date.  EW says everyone is a winner.

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From THRUniversal Pictures and Image Entertainment have acquired the rights to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicle books, which includes Interview with a Vampire.  The deal will reportedly encompass future books in the series.

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From YahooSingapore: Julia Roberts once felt prettier than Halle Berry.

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From ChristianScienceMonitor:  A nice piece on Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek's Uhura) and "micro-mentoring."

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From YahooMoviesGuardians of the Galaxy helps to take Disney over $1 billion in domestice box office.

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From YahooMovies:  A nice article about the surprise hit franchise, Step Up.

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From YahooMovies:  80s rock star, Rick Springfield, to join Meryl Streep in new Jonathan Demme film.

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From DenofGeek:  "Avengers: Age of Ultron" has wrapped up production.  So have two other Summer 2015 potential blockbusters.

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From TheWeek:  Yeah, that is a bad title for "Terminator 5.

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From InquisitrVince Vaughn may replace Woody Harrelson in "True Detective" Season 2.

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From THR:  Entire cast of "The Big Bang Theory" gets raises.  Everybody got PAID!

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From DeadlineHollywood2015 (72nd) Golden Globe nominations will be announced Thursday, December 11, 2014.  Winners will be announced, Sunday, January 11, 2015.

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From TheHollywoodReporter:  Before there was the American version of "The Office," with Steve Carrell, there was the original U.K. version starring the excellent Ricky Gervais.  Now, Gervais is apparently making a film featuring his character from "The Office," David Brent.  The title is announced as "Life on the Road."

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From EOnlineTim Burton provides a look at Amy Adams in Big Eyes, his upcoming biopic about American artists, Margaret Keane.


COMIC BOOKS: Movies and Books:

From YahooTV:  Kyle MacLachlan joins "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for this upcoming season. [Article contains spoiler.]

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From HitFix via YahooTV:  A list a dates for which superhero movies are scheduled to be released.

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From Variety:  Superhero movie overload in 2017?

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From VarietyWarner Bros. has announced release dates for nine superhero movies from DC Entertainment (DC Comics).  They have blinked on the May 6th 2016 showdown with Marvel Comics (the planned release date for a third Captain America movie.  "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" now moves to March 25, 2016.

From Forbes:  What price did Sony pay to reboot Spider-Man?  Scott Mendelson tells us.

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From Forbes:  More on Spider-Man spinoffs.

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From DeadlineSony's Spider-Man franchise to include a movie headlined by a female superhero, due in 2017.  Sinister Six movie due November 2016.

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From IGN:  Marvel's Kevin Feige talks about the questions that "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" will answer, including who is Peter Quill/Star-Lord's father.

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From CBR's Robot6:  How Captain America: The Winter Soldier should have ended.

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From ScreenRant:  "Batman Vs. Superman" may indeed be an adaptation of some sort of Frank Miller's seminal Batman comic book, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  A photo from the set of the film, shows Ben Affleck with gray temples (included in this article) is adding new fuel to the rumors.  Elements from Kingdom Come make also be used in the film, including Batman's use of an army of fighting "Bat" drones.  I'll let the article and its links tell you more.

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From ScreenRant:  Test footage for a "Deadpool" movie, produced a few years ago.

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From Variety:  Why Guardians of the Galaxy might be the most important Marvel movie ever. The author of that article once dismissed Walt Disney's purchase of Marvel.

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From HitFixGuardians of the Galaxy wins the August 1st to 3rd 2014 weekend box office.  With an estimated take of $94 million, the is the largest opening weekend in the month of August, beating out previous champ, The Bourne Ultimatum ($74).  Guardians grossed $160.4 million worldwide.

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From TheWrapGuardians of the Galaxy has a big and surprising opening day on Friday, August 1st, 2014.

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From Stack:  GotG director James Gunn says that there will be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy.

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From Inquisitr:  How 'bout an Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy team-up?  It could happen.


STAR WARS:

From ScreenRant:  A 7-minutes preview of the Fall-debuting, "Star Wars Rebels."

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From Yahoo:  A photo of an IMAX camera at work on the set of Episode VII.  Plus, a funny story about the Georgia Bulldogs' Star War-themed video.


TRAILERS:

From 20thCenturyFox:  Official Trailer #2 for DreamWorks' Penguins of Madagascar.  Film is due November 2014.


OBITS:

From TheWrap:  A friend of mine once said that when he saw a movie, certain names told him that the movie was going to be awful.  Two of them were Golan-Globus and Cannon PicturesMenahem Golan, the man behind those names, died Friday, August 8, 2014 at the age of 85.

From DeadlineHollywoodMarilyn Burns, the star of the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, has died at the age of 65.  Burns played "Sally Hardesty," the only one of five friends to survive an unfortunate meeting with a family of cannibals, that includes "Leatherface."  Negromancer sends condolences to Burns' family and friends.


MISC.:

From RSN and AlterNet:  Right-wing militias are thriving...

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From Yahoo:  "Impossible" space engine could make space flight cheaper and speedier.


Thursday, August 7, 2014

DreamWorks Animation Sued!

[If I understand this press release correctly, the suit has to do with the writedown (or write off) DreamWorks took because of the 2013 film, Turbo, which was a box office disappointment. - Leroy/Editor]

Investor Alert: Holzer & Holzer Announces Class Action Filed on Behalf of Investors in Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc.
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Holzer & Holzer, LLC announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of investors who purchased Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc. (“Dreamworks” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: DWA) securities between October 29, 2013 and July 29, 2014. The complaint alleges that during the relevant time period, Dreamworks issued false and misleading statements regarding its income during the relevant period. On July 29, 2014, Dreamworks revealed that it was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for a $13.5 million dollar writedown taken in connection with its movie, Turbo. The price of Dreamworks stock fell dramatically following the announcement.

If you purchased Dreamworks securities between October 29, 2013 and July 29, 2014 and suffered substantial losses on those transactions, you are encouraged to contact Marshall P. Dees, Esq. via email at mdees@holzerlaw.com, or via toll-free telephone at (888) 508-6832, regarding your legal rights. There is a deadline of September 30, 2014 for interested investors to ask the court to be appointed as lead plaintiff for the case.

Holzer & Holzer, LLC is an Atlanta, Georgia law firm that dedicates its practice to vigorous representation of shareholders and investors in litigation nationwide, including shareholder class action and derivative litigation. More information about the firm is available through its website, www.holzerlaw.com and upon request from the firm. Holzer & Holzer, LLC has paid for the dissemination of this promotional communication, and Corey D. Holzer is the attorney responsible for its content.


Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Warner Bros. Pictures Over the Billion-Dollar Mark in Domestic Box Office... Again

Warner Bros. Pictures Crosses Billion-Dollar Mark at the Domestic Box Office

WB Remains the Only Studio in History to Surpass $1 Billion Domestically for 14 Consecutive Years

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, August 4, Warner Bros. Pictures became the only film studio in history to earn more than $1 billion at the domestic box office for 14 years in a row. In fact, the division has crossed the billion-dollar mark for 15 of the past 16 years. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures’ President of Domestic Distribution.

The studio passed the billion-dollar threshold thanks to a huge first quarter, featuring the box office success of New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in Peter Jackson’s Trilogy, which opened in late 2013 but which enjoyed substantial returns in the first quarter of this year. 2014 continued to build with Warner Bros. Pictures’, Village Roadshow Pictures’ and LEGO® System A/S’s blockbuster animated feature “The LEGO Movie”—which was the #1 movie for the first half of 2014—and “300: Rise of an Empire,” the heavy-hitting follow up to Zack Snyder’s groundbreaking “300,” from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Summer started with a bang thanks to the monster hit “Godzilla,” from Warner Bros. and Legendary, IMAX®’s largest opening this year, followed by Doug Liman’s action thriller from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, and one-of-a-kind comedy from Melissa McCarthy as New Line’s “Tammy.”

In making the announcement, Fellman said, “This is a proud day for our studio. To cross such an extraordinary milestone once again is a direct reflection of the high standards and incredible efforts of the dedicated and creative individuals at work here, both on and off the screen. We still have an exciting roster of films yet to open this calendar year and, together with the talented teams bringing them to the theater, we look forward to continued success.”

Still to come in 2014 from Warner Bros. Pictures are: New Line Cinema’s and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Into the Storm,” opening this week; New Line’s and MGM’s “If I Stay”; Alcon Entertainment’s “Dolphin Tale 2”; the dramatic comedy ensemble of “This Is Where I Leave You,” starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda; “Annabelle,” another chapter in New Line’s highly successful “The Conjuring”; Alcon’s, Imagine Entertainment’s and Black Label Media’s tale of the Lost Boys of the Sudan, “The Good Lie,” starring Reese Witherspoon; David Dobkin’s “The Judge,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall in tour-de-force performances, from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow; New Line’s sequel to the hit comedy “Horrible Bosses,” “Horrible Bosses 2,” reuniting the stars from the original, including Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day; “Inherent Vice,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s “surf noir” adaptation of author Thomas Pynchon’s cult favorite novel; and from New Line and MGM, the much-anticipated finale to Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” Trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.”


Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Richard Linklater's "School of Rock" to Become Nickelodeon TV Series

Nickelodeon and Paramount Television Team up on New Live-Action, Musical Comedy Series School of Rock

Network Orders 13 Episodes of Series Based on 2003 Hit Film

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viacom Inc.’s (NASDAQ:VIAB and VIA) Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, and Paramount Television divisions are teaming up for the first time to produce the new live-action, musical-comedy series School of Rock, based on the 2003 hit film from Paramount Pictures.

    “With Dewey’s outrageous personality and rock star sensibilities taking center stage, School of Rock will be an irresistibly fun show for the whole family.”

Nickelodeon has ordered 13 episodes of the series, which is scheduled to begin production this fall and premiere in the spring of 2015. Casting for the series will be announced shortly. School of Rock will follow the adventures and misadventures of Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck rocker who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school as he teaches his eccentric, unconventional and overachieving students to play and love rock ‘n’ roll.

“We are thrilled our first foray into kids programming will be a straight-to-series order with our Viacom partners at Nickelodeon,” said Amy Powell, President, Paramount Television. “With Dewey’s outrageous personality and rock star sensibilities taking center stage, School of Rock will be an irresistibly fun show for the whole family.”

“School of Rock is one of those great movies that always felt quintessentially Nickelodeon in its tone and humor, and we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Paramount Television and bring it to life as a TV series,” said Russell Hicks, President, Content and Development, Nickelodeon. “Once again, kids will be able to laugh and rock!”

School of Rock will be written by Jim and Steve Armogida (Crash & Bernstein, My Family), who will also serve as executive producers and show runners. The movie’s director Richard Linklater and producer Scott Rudin will executive produce the television series.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA).

About Paramount Television
Paramount Television develops and finances a wide range of creative television programming across all media platforms. Paramount Television is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a division of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.

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Saturday, August 2, 2014

Review: "Son of Batman" Has a Star in Batman's Son

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Son of Batman (2013) – straight-to-video
Running minutes: 74 minutes (1 hour, 14 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for stylized violence including bloody images, and some suggestive material |
DIRECTOR:  Ethan Spaulding
WRITERS:  Joe R. Lansdale; from a story by James Robinson (based on the comic books written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Andy Kubert; and based on Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
EDITOR:  Christopher D. Lozinski
COMPOSER:  Frederik Weidmann
ANIMATION STUDIO:  The AnswerStudio

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION

Starring:  (voices) Jason O’Mara, Stuart Allen, Thomas Gibson, Morena Baccarin, Dee Bradley Baker, Xander Berkeley, Giancarlo Esposito, Sean Maher, David McCallum, Diane Michelle, Fred Tatasciore, Bruce Thomas, Kari Wahlgren, and Andrea Romano

Son of Batman is a 2014 direct-to-video superhero animated film from Warner Bros. Animation.  Starring DC Comics’ favorite dark knight detective, Batman, this is also the 19th feature in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.

Son of Batman is based on the 2006 comic book story arc, “Batman and Son,” by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert (published in Batman #655 to 658).  In Son of Batman the movie, Batman learns that he has fathered a child who is now an unruly pre-teen boy with a strong desire to ruthlessly kill his enemies.

Son of Batman opens in the secret mountain fortress of The League of Assassins.  There, Ra’s al Ghul (Giancarlo Esposito) and his daughter, Talia (Morena Baccarin), train the members of the league (who seem to be mostly ninja) in the art of terrorism and killing.  Without warning, Slade Wilson a/k/a Deathstroke (Thomas Gibson) leads an attack on the fortress.  Deathstroke, Ra’s al Ghul’s once chosen successor, has returned for revenge, and he succeeds in killing Ra’s.

Talia realizes that Deathstroke’s next target is her son, Damian (Stuart Allen), so she spirits the boy away to Gotham City.  There, she introduces him to his father, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Jason O’Mara), and leaves the boy in Bruce’s care.  However, Bruce Wayne and his loyal friend/butler, Alfred Pennyworth (David McCallum), soon learn that Damian is violent, disobedient, and unmanageable.

Damian is determined to find Deathstroke in order to avenge his grandfather, Ra’s, so it is up to Batman to help his son before he makes things worse or gets himself killed.  Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Sean Maher), who was once Batman’s original sidekick, Robin, returns to help Batman control his kid.

I find Son of Batman to be rather entertaining, mostly because of the character of Damian Wayne.  He’s a delightful, lovable brat, and his penchant for killing and maiming is scandalous in an appealing way rather than being edgy in a troubling way (although I guess that even a murderous fictional child should be troubling).  I wish Son of Batman had even more of the son of Batman; in fact, I wouldn’t mind watching a movie built around Damian Wayne.

The other characters are good, but, other than Batman, there aren’t enough of them.  Deathstroke, a most excellent villain, really exists at the periphery of the film’s story.  There also should have been more scenes depicting the obvious rivalry between Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Batman’s first “son,” and Damian, Batman’s “blood” son.  And Talia is a seriously messed up bitch; the movie needed more of her.

It is obvious that 74 minutes of runtime is not long enough for all the characters and subplots in Son of Batman.  This movie would be better if it were longer and little uncut.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, July 30, 2014


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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites for July 27 to August 2, 2014 - Update #14


NEWS:

From RadarOnline:  Friends are supposedly warning Charlize Theron against marrying fellow actor, Sean Penn.

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From BusinessInsiderWoody Allen won't cast black actors in his movies?  The famed actor responds.

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From UPIEmma Stone joins Joaquin Phoenix for Woody Allen's next film, an untitled murder mystery set on a college campus.

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From TheVillageVoice:  A review of the James Brown biopic, Get on Up.

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From CinemaBlend:  Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" gets a teaser poster; plus, more info on the film.

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From Yahoo:  7 new Avengers photos from the "Age of Ultron."

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From DeadlineQuentin Tarantino is moving ahead with his planned Western film, "The Hateful Eight."

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From YahooGMAFreddie Prinze, Jr. on working with Kiefer Sutherland.  The former thinks the latter is unprofessional.

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From THRLucy, starring Scarlett Johannson, leads the July 25th to 27th, 2014 weekend box office.


COMIC BOOKS - Movies, TV, and Comics:

From BusinessInsiderTom Hiddleston's email to Joss Whedon about Whedon's script for Marvel's The Avengers.

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From TheVillageVoice:  A "slight praise" review of Guardians of the Galaxy.

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From YahooFinance:  Guardians of the Galaxy's end-credits scene leaked; it apparently features Howard the Duck and The Collector (Benecio del Toro).

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From CinemaBlend:  Stereotyping almost derailed "Guardians of the Galaxy."

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From CinemaBlend:  Wesley Snipes wants "Blade 4."

LEROY SAYS: Although the original films were produced by New Line Cinema, the rights have reverted to Marvel.  I don't know if Blade is even on Marvel's radar.  I think if they relaunch that they will go with a new actor playing the character.  I want Snipes, of course, but I just have this feeling that Marvel will go in a different direction.

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From CinemaBlend:  Purported photos from set of "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

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From Stack:  "Avengers 2's" Quicksilver will be different from X-Men: Days of Future Past's Quicksilver.

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From THR:  Here are the details about Marvel Comics' new Star Wars comic books, as the company takes over the license.  Dark Horse Comics previously held the license for about 23 years or so.


TRAILERS:

Official trailer for new Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

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Official trailer for new SpongeBob SquarePants movie.

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New trailer for Chris Nolan's Interstellar.

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New trailer for The Maze Runner.


OBITS:

From Variety:  Make-up maestro, Dick Smith, has died at the age of 92.  He won an Oscar (with Paul LeBlanc) for his work on Best Picture winner, Amadeus (1984).  His other work includes The Godfather, The Exorcist, Scanners, and Death Becomes Her.  If you wonder why Smith only won one Oscar, the Academy Award for Makeup was not created until 1981.  Rick Baker, who has won an Oscar seven of the 11 times he has been nominated, was a protege of Smith's.  Negromancer sends condolences to Smith's family and friends.


MISC.

From PoliticoNick Hanauer says the pitchforks are coming.  Remember, he had an insane economic plan?

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Friday, August 1, 2014

An August (2014 Negromancer) Event

Welcome to August 2014!  Welcome to Negromancer 2.0.  This is the rebirth of Negromancer, the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news site.  Thanks for stopping by.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.