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Friday, December 31, 2021
Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan Sign Producing Deal with Sony Pictures
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 26th to 31st, 2021 - Update #12
by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:
ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
REVIEW - From Negromancer: My review of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
MOVIES - From Variety: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has publicly declined Vin Diesel's invitation to rejoin the "Fast Saga" mainline franchise for the supposed finale, "Fast 10."
COVID-19 - From Deadline: On Tuesday (12/28/2021), the United States recorded 512,553 daily new COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. That is, by far, the single highest daily case number recorded during the entire COVID-19 pandemic.
From RSN: According to the Associated Press, "FEMA Wants to Give Families Up to $9,000 for COVID Funerals, but Many Don't Apply"
MOVIES - From HotNewHipHop: Ice Cube reveals why actor Chris Tucker did not return for "Next Friday" (2000), the first of two sequels to the cult hit film, "Friday" (1995). It was for religious reasons.
BOX OFFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 12/24 to 12/26/2021 weekend box office is Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios' "Spider-Man: No Way Home" with an estimated take of 81.5 million dollars.
From THR: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is now Sony Pictures' all-time top-grossing film at the U.S. box office with a total to date of 405.5 million dollars. The previous champ was "Jumanji: Welcome to to the Jungle" (2017) with a domestic total of 404.5 million.
From THR: On Sunday, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" passed the billion-dollar mark in global box office. It is the first film to do so in the pandemic era.
MOVIES - From Variety: Actor Michael B. Jordan talks about getting directing advice from Denzel Washington as Jordan prepares to direct "Creed III."
OBITS:
From THR: American animal advocate and beloved television actress and comedienne, Betty White, has died at the age of 99, Friday, December 31, 2021. A five-time Emmy winner, White starred on CBS's "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" from 1973 to 1977, NBC's "The Golden Girls" (1985-92), and TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" (2010-15).
From Variety: Former NFL coach and retired sportscaster, John Madden, has died at the age of 85, Tuesday, December 28, 2021. Madden won Super Bowl XI (Jan. 1977) as head coach of the Oakland Raiders. He was the Raiders head coach from 1969 to 1978. Madden was a color commentator for CBS from 1979 to 1993, for Fox from 1994 to 2001, for ABC Sports from 2002 to 2005, and for NBC Sports from 2006 to 2008. In 1988, Madden lent his name, voice, and personality to EA Sports sports video game, "John Madden Football" (1988-94), which has been best known as "Madden NFL." Madden was "Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2006."
From Deadline: Canadian director and screenwriter, Jean-Marc Vallée, has died at the age of 58, Sunday, December 26, 2021. Among his best known directorial efforts are the Oscar-winning films, "Young Victoria" (2009) and "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013) and the Oscar-nominated "Wild" (2014). He also directed the first season of the HBO TV series, "Big Little Lies."
From TheNewYorkTimes: Archbishop Desmond Tutu has died at the age of 80, Sunday, December 26, 2021. A South African Anglican bishop, Tutu was known as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule. He was a key figure in apartheid's dismantling and in South Africa's transition away from it. Tutu appeared in over a hundred television, film, and video documentaries and TV specials and series to discuss his work and beliefs.
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AWARDS:From Deadline: The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the "Best Picture" of 2021.
From Deadline: The 2022 / 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominations. "Zola" leads with six nominations. The winners will be announced Sun., March 6, 2022.
From THR: The 2022 / 79th Golden Globes Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog" lead with seven nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.
From GoldDerby: The 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "West Side Story" leads with 11 nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.
From Deadline: The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."
From THR: Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."
From Variety: The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."
From Deadline: The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards. Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."
From THR: Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th). The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."
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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:Thursday, December 30, 2021
Comics Review: "JENNIFER BLOOD Volume 2 #3" is All Fun and Games ... and Death
JENNIFER BLOOD VOLUME 2 #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Federici
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2021)
Rated Teen+
Jennifer Blood created by Garth Ennis and Adriano Batista.
“Bloodlines” Chapter Three: “Play Date”
Jennifer Blood is a a comic book character created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Adriano Batista. A suburban wife and mother by day, Jennifer Blood is a ruthless vigilante by night. Born “Jessica Blute,” she took her mother's first name, Jennifer, and created the alter ego, “Jennifer Blood, and sought revenge against her father's family for the death of her parents. The first Jennifer Blood comic book series ran for 36 issues from 2011 to 2014.
Jennifer Blood returns from the dead in a new comic book series, Jennifer Blood Volume 2. It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Federici; colored by Dearbhla Kelly and lettered by Simon Bowland. In the new series, someone is acting like Jennifer Blood, who is supposedly dead. And this “copycat” loves to kill criminals just like the original did.
Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #3 (“Play Date”) opens outside of Bountiful, Utah, population 4302 – a town run by and for criminals. Bountiful is where the U.S. Department of Justice sends the most infamous East Coast mobsters into the federal “Witness Protection Program” (WPP). One of the criminals enjoying life in Bountiful is former drug trafficker and Border Patrol agent turned heroin smugger, Marco Martinez. Today, he has delivered a U-Haul truckload of Spanish-speaking migrants to an abandoned army base located outside Bountiful.
These migrants believe that they are beginning a new life, but they're actually here to be targets. The Mafia dons of the criminal-run town of Bountiful have gathered together for “the Hunt,” the annual event that pits the East Coast mob against the West Coast mob to see who can track down, kill, and tag these innocent, unknowing human.
In this most dangerous game, however, a third player has entered this year's competition: Jennifer Blood! Her targets are the mobsters and she plays for keeps. Now, mob assassin, Giulietta Romeo, will at last come face to face with her elusive prey.
THE LOWDOWN: Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles. One of them is Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #3. This is the third Jennifer Blood comic book I have read, although I had previously heard of the series.
I'll say the same thing about Jennifer Blood Volume 2 #3 that I said about the first two issues. It's a fun read and a funny read. Writer Fred Van Lente offers his best issue yet. In fact, I could read a miniseries worth of this issue, and I enjoyed the confrontation between Blood and Romeo.
The art and storytelling by Vincenzo Federici perfectly fits this stories emphasis on cruelty and bigotry, and the colors by Dearbhla Kelly splash tag-colors and gore all over the pages. Simon Bowland's lettering continues to be the soundtrack of sacrifice to mob violence and bloody revenge. So let's keep going, dear readers. Jennifer Blood is turning out to be quite good.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Jennifer Blood will want to read Jennifer Blood Volume 2.
A-
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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Review: In "TARZAN, the Ape Man," Bo Derek Could Drive a Man Ape
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 74 of 2021 (No. 1812) by Leroy Douresseaux
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)
Running time: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: John Derek
WRITERS: Tom Rowe and Gary Goddard (based on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
PRODUCER: Bo Derek
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Derek (photographed by)
EDITOR: James B. Ling
COMPOSER: Perry Botkin
FANTASY/ADVENTURE
Starring: Bo Derek, Richard Harris, Miles O'Keefe, John Phillip Law, Akushula Selayah, Maxime Philoe, Leonard Bailey, and Steve Strong
[I am working my way through the films that I first saw in a movie theater for which I have not previously written a movie review. The first time I saw a movie in an in-door theater (as opposed to a drive-in cinema) was in 1980 – likely The Empire Strikes Back. However, I am starting this process in the year 1981, and it turns out that there are only two movies left from that year that I saw in a theater for I which I have never written a formal review. Tarzan, the Ape Man is one of them.]
Tarzan, the Ape Man is a 1981 fantasy-adventure film and Tarzan movie directed by John Derek. The film is loosely based on the 1912 novel, Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan, the Ape Man is told from the point of view of Jane Parker, who meets Tarzan while on an African expedition with her estranged father.
In 1910, Jane Parker (Bo Derek) arrives in West Africa. She is looking for passage deep into the jungle where she hopes to find her long estranged father, James Parker (Richard Harris), whom she has never met. When she does arrive at “Parker's camp,” she discovers that James Parker is the typical “great white hunter,” loud and boastful, full of songs and stories.
James is searching for the legendary “elephants' graveyard,” which is also known as the “escarpment.” James reluctantly allows Jane to accompany him and his photographer, Harry Holt (John Phillip Law), on the expedition. During the journey they also hear the call of Tarzan, the mythical “white ape.” James declares that he will kill this Tarzan and have him mounted as a trophy, but James does not realize that he is also being hunted. Meanwhile, Jane finds herself captured by Tarzan (Miles O'Keefe), but she is as fascinated by him as she fears him.
Film critics generally panned Tarzan, the Ape Man upon its initial release to movie theaters. Some called it “one of the worst movies ever made” or “the worst movie ever.” It is certainly not highly considered among the decades of feature films based on the Tarzan character. However, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, Roger Ebert, was correct when he wrote that Tarzan, the Ape Man has a certain charm or disarming charm, although it is ridiculous in many ways.
I saw it as a 15-year-old in a local theater four decades ago, and I liked it then, although I was not crazy about it. The reason I saw the film was because of Bo Derek, and I wanted to see her have sex on screen. That did not happen, but there was a lot of sexual playfulness, some of which I can say, as an adult, has a wrongness to it. I did not think that at the time; I just wanted as much Bo Derek as I could get, especially nude Bo Derek.
Watching it 40 years later and for the first time since then, I can say that I appreciate Bo Derek even more. When this film was made and screened, she was in her mid-20, and Derek in her 20s was at the height of her powers, in terms of her looks, her body, and her sexual appeal. Then and now, some women (and men) would sell their souls to have a her lithe, sexy body and those perfectly plump breasts. I don't think I lusted for her as a teen as much as I did this time around. I thought I would have a heart attack when, as Jane Parker, she emerged from the water in a white gown turned see-through when it got wet. As Booger says in Revenge of the Nerds: We got bush!
Bo Derek's husband, the late John Derek, made four films featuring his wife: Fantasies and Tarzan, the Ape Man, both released in 1981; Bolero, released in 1984; and Ghosts Can't Do It, released in 1989. Other than this Tarzan film, the only other one I saw was Bolero, which was, quite frankly, terrible.
Tarzan, the Ape Man is certainly a Bo Derek film, but a few other actors manage to stand out. Richard Harris, in some ways, saves the film by giving a mad, over-the-top performance in order to create Jane's father, James Parker. John Phillip Law as the photographer Harry Holt is good; Law certainly makes obvious Holt's naked lust for Jane Parker.
Miles O'Keefe was not the first choice to play Tarzan in this film, but he was intended to be the stunt double for the actor that would take the role. Well, the actor who was to play Tarzan was fired or quit the film, and I don't know his identity. O'Keefe stepped in to play Tarzan, and at that time, his body was the perfect male equivalent of Bo Derek's. Lean, sinewy, muscular, and possessing perfectly sculpted abs, O'Keefe was an eye-appealing Tarzan, even if he was a really odd one.
If I remember correctly, the estate of Tarzan's creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was not pleased with this film, which made significant changes to the source material. For instance, Jane Parker is really Jane Porter in the books, and her father is the professor, Archimedes Q. Porter, and not James Parker, the great white hunter. Still, I hope that Tarzan, the Ape Man is not completely forgotten. Future generations of men and teen boys should be able to partake of the opportunity that this film gives them to appreciate what, for a time, was one of American cinema's most beautiful women. I plan to partake of that opportunity, again...
6 of 10
B
Monday, December 27, 2021
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Manga Review: Rumiko Takahashi's MAO: Volume 2
MAO, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA
MANGAKA: Rumiko Takahashi
TRANSLATION: Junko Goda
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Shaenon Garrity
LETTERS: Susan Daigle-Leach
EDITOR: Annette Roman
ISBN: 978-1-9747-2058-3; paperback (November 2021); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £7.99 UK
Mao is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It has been serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly ShĹŤnen Sunday, since May 2019. In September 2021, VIZ Media began publishing an English-language edition of Mao as a series of paperback graphic novels under its “Shonen Sunday” imprint.
Mao focuses on 15-year-old Nanoka Kiba. Eight years ago, she was in a mysterious car accident in which she and her parents died, but Nanoka continues to live on. One day, while visiting the shopping alley on Fifth Street, Nanoka inadvertently enters a portal that transports her back to Japan's Taisho era. There, Nanoka meets a young-looking exorcist named Mao and his helper, Otoya, a shikigami that resembles a small boy. As they try to discover what thread of fate connects them, they'll kick demon butt along the way.
As Mao, Vol. 2 (Chapters 1 to 10) opens, Nanoka, Mao, and Otoya investigate the strange cult of Priestess Shoko in hopes of bringing her to justice. However, diabolical forces surround her, and they will kill anyone who stand in their way. Meanwhile, Shoko reveals a shocking doomsday prophecy. Later, Nanoka and her friend, the boy who wants to date her, Shiraha, do some historical research and discover a cataclysmic event that is yet to occur in Mao's timeline.
THE LOWDOWN: The Mao manga is the latest multi-genre manga from Rumiko
Takahashi. As usual, this title pairs a young female touched by the supernatural with a youngish male whose trade is in the supernatural.
Mao Graphic Novel Volume 2 finds Nanoka hopping back and forth between timelines. She and Mao investigate all manner of demons. Meanwhile, a historical disaster connects the two different worlds in which they live, but history may not be entirely correct about the details of event. The Princess Shoko story arc reveals that while both their personalities and their methods sometimes clash, Nanoka and Mao are actually a rather nice match.
As she did in the first volume, Shaenon Garrity once again offers an English-language adaptation that is a delightful read, capturing the magic that infuses this volume and also the curious and inquisitive nature of Nanoka. I couldn't stop reading Mao Vol. 1, and by the time I finished Vol. 2, I really wanted to read more. I heartily recommend this series to any fans of supernatural fantasy comics and graphic novels even if they have never previously read Rumiko Takahashi.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers who love Rumiko Takahashi’s manga will want the Shonen Sunday title, Mao.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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