Friday, December 30, 2016

Dark Horse School Enrolls "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for Free Comic Book Day 2017

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES 2017 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY SILVER OFFERING

“Buffy: The High School Years” and “Plants vs. Zombies” Provide a Tale for All-Ages to Devour

MILWAUKIE, Ore.—Dark Horse Comics is excited to feature stories from Buffy: The High School Years and Plants vs. Zombies: Unrest in the Old West™ in our all-ages issue for Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 6, 2017.

Kel McDonald (Misfits of Avalon), Yishan Li (Buffy: The High School Years, Paradox Girl), Rod Espinosa (The Courageous Princess, Neotopia), and Tony Galvan (Gold Digger, Ghost Cop) show us that the #SlayerStruggleIsReal in a new Buffy: The High School Years story. The FCBD all-ages issue finds sixteen-year-old Buffy trying to reconcile her Slayer duties with typical teenage problems—bad luck and demon battling can really destroy a girl’s confidence.

Eisner Award–winning writer Paul Tobin (Bandette, The Witcher) and Plants vs. Zombies senior artist Rachel Downing deliver another sidesplitting tale from the hit series Plants vs. Zombies! Our favorite characters take a time-traveling journey to the past, where they learn they must work together to defeat the devious Sheriff Tarnation.

Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. Visit FreeComicBookDay.com to learn more!

Recently, Dark Horse announced a Gold Free Comic Book Day offering featuring James Cameron’s Avatar and Brian Wood’s Briggs Land.


For thirty years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

Plants vs. Zombies © 2017 Electronic Arts Inc. Plants vs. Zombies and PopCap are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.

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Image Comics Announces "Free Comic Book Day 2017" Titles

IMAGE COMICS FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2017

Image Comics is pleased to announce participation in Free Comic Book Day 2017 with these fun, vibrant, all-ages titles—KID SAVAGE by Joe Kelly and Ilya and I HATE IMAGE COMICS by Skottie Young. Free Comic Book Day will take place Saturday, May 6th, 2017 at participating comic book shops worldwide.

I HATE IMAGE COMICS will be the Gold Level free comic book from Image Comics and KID SAVAGE will be the Silver Level free comic book.

Readers can dive into the first chapter of another heartfelt adventure perfect for the whole family this Free Comic Book Day with KID SAVAGE. Enjoy this sweeping story of survival from Man of Action Entertainment (Big Hero 6, Ben 10) founder Joe Kelly—who first enchanted readers with the multiple-award winning, I KILL GIANTS—and illustrated by the lauded British cartoonist ILYA. Here readers meet the pioneering "First Family in Space" after they take a catastrophic wrong turn on their maiden voyage. When they crash on a dangerous alien planet their twenty-first century know-how is useless against the harsh environment and survival seems unlikely... Until they meet a strange ally: a mysterious orphan boy, short on temper but big on survival skills.

“Ilya and I have wanted to do this project for a long time and It's extremely exciting to finally unleash Kid Savage onto the world. Image has been supportive of the book from the instant I mentioned it to Eric, demonstrating their commitment to cool and original all-ages titles. Inspired by my unabashed love for the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of my youth like The Herculoids, I wanted to write an adventure comic that I would have grabbed onto as a younger reader. There's action, monsters, alien language, a wild boy protagonist and one of the coolest pets I've seen in a long time. There are also deep themes of loss, revenge, honor and family running through the book that should hook more seasoned readers as well.”

“This was a chance for Joe and I to build a whole new world, and then to fill it with every sort of weird and wonderful creature imaginable—plus, a few more that no-one could ever have expected! Just wait until you meet the Skinks, a double delight sure to be a future superstar. And Kid Savage himself is a riot. It’s time to get in touch with your most basic natures… Can u feel the Nu Primitive?”

KID SAVAGE is a wild ride through uncharted territory, and everyone is invited along for this unique journey.

After putting up with 25 years of creator-owned content, Gert is turning on her own publisher in Skottie Young's I HATE IMAGE COMICS, just in time to celebrate this milestone anniversary for Free Comic Book Day. Join Gert as she steps out of the world of I HATE FAIRYLAND and sharpens her battle-axe across some of the most beloved Image titles in history. Heads will roll and limbs will be severed as Gert faces off with a cast of characters so diverse they could only have come from the superstar talent that has made Image the number one publisher of creator-owned comics for two decades and running. Featuring characters from THE WALKING DEAD, SAGA, YOUNGBLOOD, CHEW, THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, and many, many more—nobody is safe.

Young said simply: “I got into comics when Image was founded. Now I’m drawing a character I created f’ing all those Images characters up, so yeah, I’m living the dream.”


ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

ABOUT MAN OF ACTION ENTERTAINMENT
Man of Action Entertainment, the bi-coastal creative studio and writers' collective, started in 2000, created the megahit Ben 10, a $4.5 billion dollar boys' action empire that has been called the most successful superhero launch of the past decade, and Generator Rex, both for Cartoon Network. Man of Action Entertainment consists of creators and acclaimed comic book writers Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle, having collectively worked on the largest franchise characters in comics from Superman to X-Men before refocusing on creating worlds and characters for their own original work published through their Man of Action imprint at Image Comics. Man of Action returns to serve as Executive Producers on a new Ben 10 animated series for Cartoon Network and Dentsu handpicked Man of Action Entertainment to create, write and executive produce the all-new Mega Man animated series. Man of Action served as co-Executive Producer and writer for Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man and is currently an executive producer/writer for Marvel's Avengers Assemble on Disney XD. Beyond the world of animation, Man of Action has created wildly successful video games, toy lines, comic books, stage productions, as well as forthcoming feature films and live action television shows, most based on their own original comic book series and graphic novels. Disney/Marvel's Academy Award®-winning feature Big Hero 6 utilized the characters and team created by Man of Action, as credited in the film's main titles. The film marked both the first time Disney turned Marvel comic book characters into an animated film and the first film based on comic book I.P. to win an Academy Award®. Upcoming projects based upon Man of Action creations include The Great Unknown, KAFKA, Officer Downe, I Kill Giants and The Crusades with Man of Action producing them and in most cases, the individual Man of Action also wrote the screenplay adaptation of their original creator-owned work. Officer Downe has wrapped production and I Kill Giants and The Great Unknown are in pre-production as feature films.

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2016 Seattle Film Critics Society Award Nominations Announced

Established in 2016, the Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) says that it is dedicated to supporting local productions and festivals, enhancing public education, awareness, and appreciation of cinema, and strengthening the bonds of critical dialogue as it pertains to the cinematic arts. The group seeks to highlight the best films produced each year–both by the major studios and independent filmmakers–and share our love of cinema with Seattle-area residents.  The group is made of a robust network of film critics and reviewers in Seattle and surrounding areas of Washington State. The society is represented by members in print, radio, television and online mediums.

The nominations for the 2016 SFCS Awards were announced Wednesday, December 21, 2016.  The winners will be announced Thursday, January 5, 2017.

2016 SFCS Award nominations:

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR:

13TH (Netflix)
ARRIVAL (Paramount)
ELLE (Sony Pictures Classics)
THE HANDMAIDEN (Amazon Studios/Magnolia Pictures)
HELL OR HIGH WATER (CBS Films)
JACKIE (Fox Searchlight)
LA LA LAND (Lionsgate)
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions)
MOONLIGHT (A24)
THE WITCH (A24)

BEST DIRECTOR:
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Robert Eggers – The Witch
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Paul Verhoeven – Elle
Denis Villeneuve – Arrival

BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE:
Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea
Ryan Gosling – La La Land
Logan Lerman – Indignation
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington – Fences

BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE:
Amy Adams – Arrival
Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Natalie Portman – Jackie
Emma Stone – La La Land

BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE:
Mahershala Ali– Moonlight
Jeff Bridges – Hell Or High Water
Kyle Chandler – Manchester By The Sea
John Goodman – 10 Cloverfield Lane
Lucas Hedges – Manchester By The Sea

BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE:
Viola Davis – Fences
Lily Gladstone – Certain Women
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Kate McKinnon – Ghostbusters
Michelle Williams – Manchester By The Sea

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST:
Captain Fantastic
Hell Or High Water
Fences
Manchester By The Sea
Moonlight

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Arrival – Eric Heisserer
Hell Or High Water – Taylor Sheridan
La La Land – Damien Chazelle
Manchester By The Sea – Kenneth Lonergan
Moonlight – Barry Jenkins and Tarell McCraney

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
Finding Dory – Andrew Stanton, director; Angus MacLane, co-director
Kubo And The Two Strings – Travis Knight, director
Moana – Ron Clements and John Musker, directors
Tower – Keith Maitland, director
Zootopia – Byron Howard and Rich Moore, directors; Jared Bush, co-director.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Elle – Paul Verhoeven, director
The Handmaiden – Park Chan-wook, director
The Innocents – Anne Fontaine, director
Under The Shadow – Babak Anvari, director
The Wailing – Na Hong-jin, director

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
13th – Ava DuVernay, director
Cameraperson – Kirsten Johnson, director
O.J.: Made In America – Ezra Edelman, director
Tickled – David Farrier, Dylan Reeve, directors
Weiner – Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg, directors

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Arrival – Bradford Young
Jackie – Stéphane Fontaine
La La Land – Linus Sandgren
Moonlight – James Laxton
The Witch – Jarin Blaschke

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
The Handmaiden – Cho Sang-kyung
Jackie – Madeline Fontaine
La La Land – Mary Zophres
Love & Friendship – Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh
The Witch – Linda Muir

BEST FILM EDITING:
Arrival – Joe Walker
Cameraperson – Nels Bangerter, David Teague
Hell Or High Water – Jake Roberts
La La Land – Tom Cross
Moonlight – Nat Sanders, Joi McMillon

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Arrival – Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jackie – Mica Levi
La La Land – Justin Hurwitz
Moonlight – Nicholas Britell
Swiss Army Man – Andy Hull, Robert McDowell

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Arrival – Patrice Vermette (production designer); Paul Hotte (key decorator)
The Handmaiden – Ryu Seong-hee
Jackie – Jean Rabasse (production designer); Véronique Melery (set decorator)
La La Land – David Wasco (production designer); Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (set decorator)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont (production designers); Lee Sandales (set decorator)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Arrival – Louis Morin
Captain America: Civil War – Dan DeLeeuw, Dan Sudick, Russell Earl, Greg Steele
Doctor Strange – Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Richard Bluff, Vince Cerelli
The Jungle Book – Robert Legato, Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez, Dan Lemmon
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel, Neil Corbould

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE (18 years of age or younger upon start of filming):
Alex Hibbert – Moonlight
Royalty Hightower – The Fits
Sunny Pawar – Lion
Harvey Scrimshaw – The Witch
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch

BEST VILLAIN:
Darcy Banker – Green Room – portrayed by Patrick Stewart
Black Phillip – The Witch – portrayed by Charlie and voiced by Wahab Chaudary
Orson Krennic – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn
Norman Nordstrom (a/k/a ‘The Blind Man’) – Don’t Breathe – portrayed by Stephen Lang
Howard Stambler – 10 Cloverfield Lane – portrayed by John Goodman

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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Image Comics Announces Variant Cover for "Loose Ends #1"


LOOSE ENDS #1 VARIANT COVER REVEALED

Special variant cover provided by Chris Brunner and Rico Renzi

Image Comics is pleased to reveal a special limited variant cover by series artists Chris Brunner and Rico Renzi.

LOOSE ENDS is a gritty, slow-cooked, Southern crime romance that follows a winding trail down Tobacco Road, through the war-torn streets of Baghdad, and into the bright lights and bloody gutters of South Florida. 

LOOSE ENDS #1 Cover B (Diamond code: NOV168633) will hit comic book stores on Wednesday, January 25th, 2017. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, January 2nd, 2017.


ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

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"Star Wars: Rogue One" - A Negromancer Link-O-Rama - Update #189

Posted by Leroy Doureseaux - on Patreon.

From Variety:  As of Tuesday, December 27, 2016, the worldwide box office for "Rogue One" is at $615 million.

CARRIE FISHER:

From BleedingCool:  Carrie Fisher dies at the age of 60, Tuesday morning, December 27, 2016.

From THR:  Debbie Reynolds, the mother of Carrie Fisher, has died at the age of 84, Wednesday, December 28, 2016, one day after the death of her daughter.

From People:  "I want to be with Carrie" were Debbie Reynold's last words according to her son, Todd Fisher.

From YahooStyle:  Why she really hated the gold metal bikini in "Return of the Jedi."

From YahooNews:  Debbie Reynolds speaks about the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher - our Princess Leia.

From Variety:  Fisher reportedly finished her work on Star Wars Episode 8 before she died.

From TheWrap:  Posted a little over an hour ago, Debbie Fisher, mother of Carrie Fisher, who suffered a heart attack about a day and a half ago, says that Carrie is in "stable condition."
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From Patreon:  My review of "Rogue One."

From Deadline:  "Rogue One" soars past $200 million.

From TheVerge:  "Rogue One" had a different ending.

From ABC7:  Gareth Edwards hopes for lasting cultural impact of "Rogue One."

From Polygon:  Don't be afraid to talk about "Rogue One" and politics.

From Variety:  "Rogue One" has $155 million opening weekend.

From CBR:  Rebellions are built on hope.  Why "Rogue One" matters now.

From YahooMovies:  The inspiration for the "Star Wars" logo.

From Variety:  $71 million in box office (North America) for "Rogue One" on Friday, Dec. 16th.

From Variety:  "Rogue One" debuts with a massive $29 million Thursday night preview, the largest box office for a Thursday preview this year.

REVIEWS:
YahooMovies:  From Variety by Peter Debruge.
YahooMovies - From AP by Lindsey Bahr - a dark exhilarating blast.

From Variety:  "Rogue One" had its world premiere Saturday night, December 10, 2016 at Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

From YahooMovies:  George Lucas apparently like "Rogue One," cause he wasn't to crazy about "The Force Awakens."

From YahooMovies:  Disney screens 28 minutes of "Rogue One" for select reporters. SPOILER ALERT

From YahooFinance:   There is a Star Wars boycott that some Dump supporters... I mean Trump supporters have taken too - #DumpStarWars

From YouTube:  Felicity Jones, "Jyn Erso" in Rogue One, was recently on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" showing off her martial arts moves.

From CNET:  There will be new and weird creatures in "Rogue One."

From Variety:  Advance ticket sales for "Rogue One" go on sale Monday, November 27, 2016.

From YouTube:  Third and final (supposedly) official "Rogue One" trailer.

From YahooMovies:  Spoilers in third Rogue One trailer.

From Gamespot:  International "Rogue One" trailer with new Darth Vader footage.

From YouTube:  New official trailer - released for the Olympics.

From YouTube:  "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" - Celebration Reel.

From ThePlaylist:   New "Rogue One" poster.

From ScreenRant:  "Rogue One" gets an official synopsis.

From YahooMovies:  Jimmy Smits confirms that he will play "Bail Organa" in a cameo in "Rogue One."  He originated the performance in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith."

SPOILER - From Vulture:  Jiang Wen spoils the fate of a character... maybe.

From YahooTech:  Darth Vader is rumored to have a cameo in "Rogue One."

From YahooMovies:  First "Rogue One" trailer is here!!!

From Moviesdotcom:  A new trailer for "Rogue One" to drop next week.

From ShadowandAct:  James Earl Jones to voice Darth Vader in "Rogue One."

From Collider:  16 early images from "Rogue One."

From ScreenRant:  More details about Darth Vader's appearance in "Rogue One."

From TheWrap:  Forest Whitaker's character in "Rogue One" is Saw Gerrera, a character that first appeared in the CGI-animated TV series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

From ScreenRant:  Dave Filoni, showrunner for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," expresses pride at the fact that Saw Gerrera will appear in Rogue One.

From YahooNews:   Darth Vader looms large over "Rogue One."

From EntertainmentWeekly:  The true and false concerning "Rogue One" reshoots rumors.

From ScreenRant:  The "Rogue One" reshoots rumor breakdowns.

From WeGotThisCovered:  Rumors say the reshoots will feature a watered-down version of Darth Vader whoopin' a Rebel squad.  Rumors also suggest that director Gareth Edwards is livid about the reshoots on "Rogue One."

From Wired:  A week of Star Wars news, including "Rogue One" reshoots.

From YahooMovies:  "Rogue One" reshoots will involve veteran stunt coordinator and second unit director, Simon Crane, and also, screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, who wrote three "Jason Bourne" movies.

From BleedingCool:  The Rogue One reshoots are apparently to address character moments rather than the tone of the film.

From YahooNews:  Disney orders reshoots for "Rogue One."  I thought they wanted it to look like a war movie...

From YahooNews:  Rumors say that Disney is not happy with "Rogue One."

From YahooMovies:  A book preview allows details about characters to emerge.

From Collider:  Mads Mikkelson reveals who is playing in "Rogue One."

From YahooNews:  Boba Fett might be in Rogue One?

From MakingStarWars:  The rumors about Forest Whitaker's character in "Rogue One" include that he might be a bounty hunter.

From Esquire:  Union issues could further delay Episode 8.

From THR:  Star Wars 8 moves from May 2017 to December 2017, which gives Rogue One more box office breathing room.

From YahooTech:  Rumors of Darth Vader's return for "Rogue One," and even a CGI Tarkin.

From TMZ:  Possible classic X-wings.

From StarWarsTime:  Rogue One trailer to debut on "Captain America: Civil War."

From StarWarsSite:  "Rogue One" page.

From SlashFilm:  Rumors about specific Rogue One characters and more.

From Variety:  "Rogue One" is the most anticipated movie of 2016, according to survey.

From ScreenRant:  Ben Mendelsohn talks about being in this film.

From HitFix:  What we know about Rogue One so far... not much really.

From Wikipedia:  Rogue One page.

Apparently, the title is actually, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

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Still talking about "The Force Awakens," Episode VIII and more:

From TMZ:  Carrie Fisher suffers a heart attack on a plane.

From YahooMovies:  10 actors who have played Darth Vader.

From BleedingCool:  Peter Sumner, an actor in the original Star Wars film, has died at the age of 74.  He played Imperial officer, Lt. Pol Treidum.

From Variety:  Emilia Clarke is the female lead in the "young Han Solo" spinoff Star Wars movie.

YahooNews:  Darth Maul will get his first Star Wars comic book published by Marvel.  He had a least a few when Dark Horse had the license to produce Star Wars comics.

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YahooMovies:  Carrie Fisher reveals that she had an affair with Harrison Ford during the making of the original Star Wars film.  Ford was 14 years older than Fisher and also married.

YahooCelebrity:  Harrison Ford had an interesting reaction when Carrie Fisher told him that she was going to reveal their affair.

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From CinemaBlend:  Han Solo movie may break some rules.

From ScreenRant:  Rumors about Finn's recovery in Episode 8.

From SlashFilm:  Warwick Davis to appear in Episode VIII, as he did in VII, and as he will in "Rogue One."

From YahooMovies:  See rare concept art for the original "Star Wars" film.

From EW:  TNT and TBS will have exclusive cable broadcast rights to "Star Wars" films for some time.

From Vulture:  Disney CEO Bob Iger confirms a Star Wars anthology film for 2020.

From CinemaBlend:  Lupita Nyong'o says that her character, Maz Kanata, will be in Episode 8.

From YahooNews:  Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) praises director Rian Johnson on Episode 8.

From FlickeringMyth:  Katee Sackhoff reprising her role on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" for "Star Wars Rebels" Season 3.

From YouTube:  Lucasfilm gifts this four-minute-plus VFX reel from "The Force Awakens."

From YahooNews:  Mark Hamill lets a spoiler slip... Luke will be back for Episode 9.

From IndieWire:  John Williams says that he will begin composing the score for Episode 8 in a few weeks.

From TheWrap:  There is apparently a casting search for a young Lando Calrissian who will appear in the Han Solo spinoff movie.

From YahooMovies:  The original Darth Vader - David Prowse - is not happy.

From CBR:  From 2016 San Diego Comic-Con comes news that Episode VIII has officially wrapped production.

From YahooMovies:  What we've learned about Episode VIII and Han Solo at "Star Wars Celebration" London.

From ThePlaylist:  Rian Johnson talks Episode 8 at the "Star Wars Celebration" in London.

From BleedingCool:  "Star Wars Rebels" Season 3 expands the universe.

From ScreenRant:  Episode 8 almost finish production.

From VanityFair:  Samuel L. Jackson talks about Mace Windu fan theories.

From DenofGeek:  Mark Hamill hints at his future with Star Wars.

From ChicagoTribune:  The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is not happening in Chicago.

From YahooTech:  Script lead for Episode 8 teases who Rey might be...

From ScreenRant:  That Star Wars live-action series that never came to be was to be Emperor Palpatine's origin story.

From YahooMovies:  Candace Payne a.k.a. "Chewbacca Mom" has her own custom made action figure.

From iDigitalTimes:  Rian Johnson posts a picture of Luke's robe to Instagram.

From Collider:  After six months, TFA has finished its domestic theatrical run, with a total box office of $936,662,225 million. That's good for #1 all-time (not adjusted for inflation, of course).

From YahooNews:  "Chewbacca Mom" (Candace Payne) meets the real Chewbacca, actor Peter Mayhew.

From YahooNews:  3D-printed replicas of props from "The Force Awakens" to go on sale.

From CinemaBlend:  A theory about the classic character who may have hurt the narrative of TFA.

From DenofGeek:  The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (the Oscars people) have released on the web what may be the first trailer for "Return of the Jedi," then known as "Revenge of the Jedi."

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From HitFix:  39 years ago, Star Wars landed in movie theatres.

From YahooTV:  Viral star, "Chewbacca Mom" (Candace Payne) joins J.J. Abrams on "The Late, Late Show" with James Corden.

From CNBC:  This Chewbacca mask is selling out, perhaps because of a viral video.

From ScreenRant:  Rumors about a confrontation between Luke and Rey against Kylo and the Knights of Ren.

From DenOfGeek:  Episode 8 will be bigger and darker... according to cast members who are talking.

From YahooMovies:  Jack O'Connell, one of the young actors interviewed for the role of young Han Solo, frustrated by the audition process.

From TheWrap:  Young Han Solo is 26-year-old Aiden Ehrenreich ("Hail, Ceasar").

From YahooMovies:  Harrison Ford says "wookie cookies" in new Star Wars Lego game.

From CinemaBlend:  Boba Fett was originally going to have a much larger Star Wars role.

From YahooNews:  President and Mrs. Obama shake their money-makers for Star Wars Day.

From TIME:  A history of May the Fourth.

From YahooMovies:  J.J. Abrams and "Hamilton's" Lin-Manuel Miranda sing "Jabba Flow" for May the Fourth.

From YahooMovie:   Jeremy Bulloch, the original Boba Fett, has given an interview.

From YahooTech:  More set photos from Episode VIII - of the Millennium Falcon!

From Variety:  GLAAD wants an openly gay character in the "Star Wars" film franchise.

From TheDailyBeast:  Darth Vader is persona non grata at Star Wars event.

From ScreenRant:  Episode VIII halfway through shooting.

From CNET:  Director Rian Johnson posts two pics from the set of Episode VIII.

From YahooMovies:  Daisy Ridley posts some of "Jedi training" for Episode 8 on Facebook.

From YahooMovies:  In a Blu-ray extra for "The Force Awakens," see Ridley and Boyega in training.

From HelloGiggles:  George Lucas has a theory that R2-D2 is the narrator of the entire Star Wars saga.

From iDigitalTimes:  In Episode 8, Luke may be ditching the Jedi robes.

From EW:  Dave Franco describes auditioning for young Han Solo.

From Deadline:  Disney's search for an actor to play a young Han Solo may be down to one candidate, Alden Ehrenreich.

From: ScreenDaily:  J.J. Abrams offers vague stuff on Rey's parents.

From HitFix:  Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to do... originally.

From HitFix:  Dinsey breaks ground on Star Wars theme parks.

From TheVerge:  Mark Hamill was Daisy Ridley's "Yoda" during the filming of Episode 8.

From CBR:  The Force Awakens was screen for about two dozen terminally ill fans.

From YahooNews:  Adam Driver reveals why Kylo Ren went to the Dark Side.

From EW:  J.J. Abrams explain's Kylo's table of ashes.

From Esquire:  Everything that is known about Episode 8 so far.

From YahooNews:  Oscar Isaac photo bombs Mark Hamill and Lupita Nyong'o.

From BuzzFeed:  Star Wars baby names on the rise.

From HitFix:  Did John Boyega drop a spoiler about Kelly Marie Tran in Episode 8.

From CBRSpinoff:  In this clip from "The Force Awakens" blu-ray, John Boyega enters the Millennium Falcon for the first time.

From BusinessInsider:  Here are descriptions of the scenes during Rey's strange vision with a transcription of the dialogue.

From YahooMovies:  The documentary "Elstree 1976" interviews 10 "unsung heroes" who were there at the beginning of the original "Star Wars."

From EntertainmentWeekly:  Darth Maul returns in "Star Wars Rebels."

From Variety:  Harrison Fords says, "Don't do it!"

From Facebook:  See Maz Kanata Blu-ray bonus clip.

From IndieWire:  TFA is big at the Jameson Empire Awards.

From FTWCulture:  Mark Hamill's birthday wishes to John Boyega causes freak-out.

From Movieweb:  The search for "young Han Solo" is down to a handful of actors.

From SlashFilm:  John Boyega visits a children's hospital in London in character as Finn.

From YahooMovies:  Teaser for Blu-ray release reveals first table-read of script.

From Esquire:  J.J. Abrams says this scene was a mistake.  I thought it was odd at the time I saw it, but I didn't think of it as a mistake.

From Newsweek:  Disney is planning many new Star Wars films - including Obi-Wan and Mace Windu films.

From BleedingCool:  BB-8 will have his own comic strip, that will fun as a back-up feature in Marvel's Star Wars: Poe Dameron.

From TheWrap:  Tony Dyson, one of the creators of R2-D2, dies at 68.

From CinemaBlend:  Daisy Ridley talks filming with Mark Hamill.

From YahooMovies:  New Han Solo and Maz Kanata details.

From Variety:  Benecio del Toro and Laura Dern added to the cast of Episode VIII.

From USMagazine:  The possible first scene of Episode 8 is teased.

From YahooMovies:  John Boyega wins "Rising Star Award" at the 69th EE British Academy Film Awards.

From YahooNews:  A Finn-Poe bromance?

From FlickeringMyth:  Episode VIII begins filming; more Obi-Wan rumors.

From BoxOfficeMojo:  "The Force Awakens" crosses $900 million domestically, the first film to do so.

From Variety:  "The Force Awakens" passed $2 billion in total global box office.

From CinemaBlend:  Yoda almost made a cameo in "The Force Awakens."

From TheGuardian:  Gwendoline Christie says Capt. Phasma is coming back.

From YahooMovies:  "The Force Awakens" arrives on Blu-ray April 5th, 2016.

From RollingStone:  Rock musician/actor Rick Springfield has one of the largest Star Wars action figure collections in the world.

From SideshowToys:  In case you haven't seen it, here is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren on "Saturday Night Live."

From TOH:  Daisy Ridley has signed on to executive produce the documentary, "The Eagle Huntress."

From YahooMovies:  TFA crosses $1 billion internationally.

From Polygon:  See some of "The Force Awakens" without visual effects.

From YahooMovies:  The director of Star Wars Episode 9 (Colin Trevorrow) drops hints about Rey's parentage.

From CinemaBlend:  John Boyega is hitting the gym for Episode VIII.

From Variety:  "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" sets a few records as it opens in China.

From Collider:  Controversy ensues when "The Force Awakens" gets a best film nomination.

From CinemaBlend:  A Poe/Finn romance?

From THR:  J.J. Abrams responds to critics (kind of) who claim that TFA is a rip-off of the original Star Wars.

From YahooMovies:  Lucasfilm confirms the identity of the First Order stormtrooper who yelled "Traitor" at Finn.

From MoviesdotCom:  "The Force Awakens" has passed "Avatar" as the domestic box office champ.

From YahooNews:  Samuel L. Jackson seems only mildly entertained by TFA.

From YahooMovies:  It will happen today. "The Force Awakens" earned an estimated $8 million at the box office on Tues., Jan. 5th, giving it a North American haul of $758.2 million.  The domestic box office record-holder is Avatar with $760 million.  So being behind Avatar by less than $2 million means that TFA should become the record holder today, Wed., Jan. 6th, 2016.

From YahooNews:  Because of Peter Mayhew's age (71), Lucasfilm had to cast a younger actor to play Chewbacca in more physically demanding scenes.  Meet 29-year old basketball player, Joonas Suotamo.

From Variety:  "The Force Awakens" moves past "Furious 7" and "Marvel's The Avengers."

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From HitFix:  See "The Force Awakens" free this Wednesday, Jan. 6th.

From YahooMovies:   Rare Instagram photos from Dan Mindel, the cinematographer of "The Force Awakens."

From ThePlaylist:  More script reveals - a Jedi temple on fire.

From Polygon:  "Ahch-To" is the name of the planet upon which Rey finds Luke.

From YahooMovies:  TFA is within a day or so of passing "Avatar" as the highest grossing movie in domestic box office history (not adjusting for inflation).

From EntertainmentWeekly:  New images of Kanata and Snope.

From YahooMovies:  TFA sets a New Year's Day box office record with an estimated haul of $34.5 million.  That beats the previous record holder, Avatar, which had $25.3 million on a New Year's Day that also happened to fall on a Friday.

From CinemaBlend:  What Rey saw in her "vision."

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From Variety:  Lucas backpedals on "white slavers" comments.

From SlashFilm:  See the full Charlie Rose interview with George Lucas that includes "white slavers" and "retro movie" comments.



Review: "Pete's Dragon" Remake is a Surprisingly Good Children's Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pete's Dragon (2016)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – PG for action, peril and brief language
DIRECTOR:  David Lowery
WRITERS:  David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks (based on the screenplay by Malcolm Marmorstein)
PRODUCER:  James Whitaker
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bojan Bazelli (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Lisa Zeno Churgin
COMPOSER:  Daniel Hart

FANTASY/DRAMA/FAMILY

Starring:  Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Isiah Whitlick, Jr., Marcus Henderson, Keagan Carr Fransch, and Steve Barr

Pete's Dragon is a 2016 fantasy drama and family movie from director David Lowery.  It is a remake of Walt Disney's 1977 live-action/animated musical film, Pete's Dragon.  The new Pete's Dragon tells the story of an orphaned boy and his best friend, a dragon, and what happens when the outside world discovers their existence.

When he was five, Pete experienced a tragedy that left him an orphan.  Lost in the forest, Pete meets a large dragon with green fur, yellow eyes, and wings on its back.  Pete names the dragon “Elliot” after a character in his favorite storybook, “Elliot Gets Lost,” and the boy and his dragon become a family.

Six years later, Pete (Oakes Fegley) spies forest ranger Grace Meachum (Bryce Dallas Howard) and is curious about her.  However, it is his encounter with a girl his age, Natalie (Oona Laurence), that brings Pete into contact with the world outside the forest where he lives with Elliot.  Soon, Pete is living among people again, and humans are hunting for Elliot, whom they know as the local legend, “the Millhaven dragon.”

I have only seen bits and pieces of the original 1977 Pete's Dragon, and I was not interested in this new film.  I even wondered why Disney needed to remake it.  Were there people really clamoring for a fresh take on a film that had probably seen its day come and gone?  I received a copy-for-review of the recent Blu-ray/DVD release of the new Pete's Dragon, obligating me to watch it.

I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it, although I think that this movie is truly a children's film.  In the last few decades, movie studios often believe that they have to make kids' movies have elements that appeal to the parents and adults that bring children to see movies aimed at the little ones.  I don't think that Pete's Dragon does that.

Pete's Dragon is a tale of child who lives in the world in his own terms.  As usual, adults cannot or will not see the magic he (Pete) lives with everyday.  It takes another child (Natalie) to truly understand the child hero's point of view.  In fact, the adult that is most successful in helping Pete, Grace, turns out to be the one most open to trying to see what the child does by listening and learning from the child.

Pete's Dragon is about the kind of magic and the kind of reality or surrealism that children accept, probably because they are willing to believe, where adults might have to suspend disbelief.  There is a lot about Pete's Dragon that stretches credulity, and that is OK.  If you believe in Pete and also in Elliot, you believe in Pete's Dragon.

This is one of those so-called “little movies,” cinematic gems that bide their time, gradually attracting new audiences one viewing at a time.  Pete's Dragon isn't perfect, but it is perfect for children and the child in adult viewers.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, December 23, 2016


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

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Austin Film Critics Name "Moonlight" Best Film of 2016

The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) describes itself as a group dedicated to supporting the best in film, whether at the international, national, or local level.  Members of the AFCA contribute to such publications and outlets as Ain’t It Cool News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Austin Chronicle, The Daily Texan, DVDActive, Fandango, Film School Rejects, FirstShowing.net, KOOP Radio, Movies.com, among others.

2016 AFCA Awards were announced Wednesday, December 28,2016 .

2016 AFCA Award winners:

Best Film: Moonlight (dir: Barry Jenkins)

Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best Actor: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert, Elle

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, Fences

Best Original Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Heisserer, Arrival

Best Cinematography: Linus Sandgren, La La Land

Best Score: Justin Hurwitz, La La Land

Best Foreign-Language Film: The Handmaiden (dir: Park Chan-wook)

Best Documentary: Tower (dir: Keith Maitland)

Best Animated Film: Kubo and the Two Strings (dir: Travis Knight)

Best First Film: The Witch (dir: Robert Eggers)

The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award: Keith Maitland, Tower

Austin Film Award: Tower (dir: Keith Maitland)

Special Honorary Award: To the ensemble cast of Moonlight and casting director Yesi Ramirez for excellence as an ensemble.

Special Honorary Award: To honor Anton Yelchin for his contribution to the cinema of 2016, including performances in Green Room and Star Trek Beyond. His was a brilliant career cut profoundly short.

Special Honorary Award: To A24 Films for excellence in production in distribution. Their work gave us Moonlight, Green Room, Swiss Army Man, The Lobster, The Witch, and 20th Century Women, among others.

Special Honorary Award: To filmmaker Keith Maitland and his film Tower for revisiting a tragic event in Austin, Texas history in a sensitive and unique manner.

AFCA 2016 Top Ten Films:
  1.     Moonlight
  2.     La La Land
  3.     Arrival
  4.     The Handmaiden
  5.     Manchester by the Sea
  6.     Elle
  7.     Hell or High Water
  8.     The Lobster
  9.     Jackie
  10.     Sing Street

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