NEGROMANCER 2.0

Friday, June 9, 2023

Review: "TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Beasts" is the Best Transformers Movie That I'VE Seen

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 of 2023 (No. 1913) by Leroy Douresseaux

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)

Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language

DIRECTOR: Steven Caple, Jr.

WRITERS: Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber; from a story by Joby Harold (based on Hasbro’s Transformers Action Figures)

PRODUCERS: Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Bay, Duncan Henderson, and Mark Vahradian

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Enrique Chediak

EDITORS: William Goldenberg and Joel Negron

COMPOSER: Jongnic Bontemps

SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez, Tobe Nwigwe, and Sarah Stiles; (voices) Peter Cullen, Pete Davidson, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Liza Koshy, Michelle Yeoh, Cristo Fernandez, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, John DiMaggio,Tongayi Chirisa, David Sobolov, and Colman Domingo

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a 2023 science fiction action film. It is based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line, and it is the seventh movie in the Transformers live-action film series. The film serves a standalone sequel to the sixth film, Bumblebee (2018), and also as a prequel to the first film in the series, Transformers (2007). Set during the 1990s, Rise of the Beasts sees a new faction of Transformers join the Autobots as allies in a battle to save Earth from a planet-eating threat.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens thousands of years in the past. There, the planet-eating dark god, Unicron (voice of Colman Domingo), devours a planet inhabited by the Transformers known as the “Maximals.” Unicron had sent his servant, Scourge (voice of Peter Dinklage), and the Terrorcons to steal the Maximals' greatest piece of technology, “the Transwarp Key,” which can open portals through space and time. Optimus Primal (voice of Ron Perlman) and the Maximals: Airazon (voice of Michelle Yeoh), Cheetor (voice of Tongayi Chirisa) and Rhinox (voice of David Sobolov), escape to Earth with the Transwarp Key.

Moving forward to Brooklyn, 1994: the story introduces two humans that are about to get caught up in the Transformers' drama. The first is Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), an ex-military electronics expert who struggles to find a job to support his family, his mother, Breanna Diaz (Luna Lauren Velez), and his younger brother, Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez), who suffers from sickle cell.

The second is Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback). She is an intern at a museum and an artifact researcher who doesn't get the credit for how her knowledge benefits the museum. She has discovered that an artifact which her museum recently obtained has what turns to be a Maximal symbol on it. Soon, Noah and Elena will find themselves in the company of the Autobots: Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen), Mirage (Pete Davidson), and Arcee (voice of Liza Koshy) and caught in a battle to protect the Transwarp Key from falling into the clutches of Scourge in service of Unicron.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the best Transformers movie that I have seen, although I have only seen three of the previous six. I liked the first film, Transformers, and its sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), but after the second sequel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), I'd had enough. I didn't bother with Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and I tried to watch Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) on television and found it unwatchable. I have never gotten around to watching the first prequel film, Bumblebee (2018), although I had planned on doing it.

There are several things that make Rise of the Beasts stand out from the earlier films. First, there is some genuine human drama. Noah's dedication to his family, especially his little brother, Kris, resonates, and Noah's determination to help his family financially makes his decisions seem logical. Honestly, I really identified with Elena, whose boss, Jillian (Sarah Stiles), keeps taking credit for her work, a situation I have dealt with on and off for four decades (!). I give the filmmakers a lot of credit for choosing non-white actors as the leads, and the screenwriters even more credit for being willing to depict the slights, micro-aggressions, and job discrimination that talented people of color put up with from mediocre white people.

Also, Rise of the Beasts has excellent visual special effects and eye-popping computer-generated imagery. The transformational process the robots go through still looks really cool and sometimes mind-bending. The robot fight scenes rival and probably surpass anything audiences would find in Star Wars movies. This time, however, it means something and isn't just one long slog of creatures of metal slamming into each other. There is a real sense of peril for both human and Autobots. They might die or be destroyed, and the Earth might be devoured. Plus, Unicron is a deliciously evil villain who is equally god and monster. I hope he returns in future movies because as much as he scared me, he also fascinated me.

Director Steven Caple, Jr. has delivered a Transformers movie that is both visually busy and also dramatically hefty with genuine melodrama. Yes, the third act is a bit tedious, but... I'm shocked to say this. I heartily recommend Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has an extra scene that appears just after the credits begin and also a mid-credits scene.]

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, June 9, 2023

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Book Review: "THE WAY OF THE BEAR" Takes the Readers Deep into Greed and Murder

THE WAY OF THE BEAR – (A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel #8)

HARPERCOLLINS

AUTHOR: Anne Hillerman

ISBN: 978-0-06-290839-1; hardcover (April 25, 2023)

286pp, B&W, $30.00 U.S., $37.50 CAN

The Way of the Bear: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel is a 2023 hardcover original novel from author Anne Hillerman. It is the eighth novel in her “Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito” book series, which began with Spider Woman's Daughter (2013).

This series is a continuation of the “Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee Series” written by Hillerman's late father, bestselling author, Tony Hillerman (1925-2008). The father's novels are the basis for “Dark Winds,” a television series from the cable network, AMC, and its streaming service, AMC+. In The Way of the Bear, Chee and Manuelito find themselves caught up in a case that involves fossil harvesting, greed, rejected love, and murder.

The Way of the Bear opens in December. Navajo Nation Police Officer Bernadette “Bernie” Manuelito and her husband, Sgt. Jim Chee, have traveled to San Juan County, Utah to the place known as “the Valley of the Gods,” near the Bears Ears National Monument. Chee is on assignment for the Navajo Nation Police Department, and his job is to convince Dr. Chapman “Chap” Dulles, a wealthy fossil hunter and paleontologist., to donate money to a fallen Navajo police officers fund.

Bernie has gone along on the trip and uses the time to visit Bears Ears for relaxation, contemplation, and exploration. This has been a difficult time in her life for both personal and professional reasons. While there, she has a terrifying encounter involving a pickup truck that tries to run her down. One of the truck's passengers even shoots at her. And after that, Bernie helps a young couple deliver their baby in the middle of the night.

However, an unexpected death on a lonely road outside of Bears Ears for raises questions for Bernie and Chee. They didn't plan on being involved in a murder, but they also wonder why a seasoned outdoorsman and well-known paleontologist freezes to death within walking distance of his car? A second death, and apparent murder, brings more turmoil and mystery. Who is the unidentified man killed during a home invasion where nothing much seems to have been taken? Why was he murdered?

The Bears Ears area, at the edge of the Navajo Nation, is celebrated for its abundance of early human habitation sites and for the discovery of unique and revolutionary fossils. Instead of being able to appreciate all this, Bernie and Chee are faced with an unprecedented level of violence that sweeps them both into danger.

THE LOWDOWN: I have been crazy about Anne Hillerman's work since I first read Spider Woman's Daughter. I had read two of her late father, Tony Hillerman's novels a long time ago, so I requested a review copy of Spider Woman's Daughter from HarperCollins when it was offered to reviewers back in 2013. It was a fortuitous decision, as the “Manuelito, Chee & Leaphorn” series became one of my favorite modern literary series.

When I read the previous novel in the series, 2022's The Sacred Bridge, I didn't know if I should call it a turning point in the series, but the story did suggest that big changes were ahead for both Bernie and Chee. Joe Leaphorn did not appear in The Sacred Bridge, nor does he appear in The Way of the Bear, except indirectly, and Hillerman continues to hint at big changes for him.

Like The Sacred Bridge, The Way of the Bear is a solid crime thriller, and at times, a riveting suspense thriller. In this new novel, Bernie and Chee's lives are constantly under threat – sometimes in unexpected ways. There is level of danger, menace, and peril that I don't remember encountering in earlier novels. However, the entries in this series always seem to be moving the characters forward. Nothing is stale, and the lives of Bernie and Chee are ongoing and evolving. Even with the danger this story imposes on them, the narrative also gives us a deeper look into them.

As I have done with the previous books, I am heartily recommending The Way of the Bear. The more I read, the more I learn about Bernie and Chee, and the more attached to them that I become. As always, I am sad about reaching the end of the story, doubly so this time because it was just a year ago that I read The Sacred Bridge. The best recommendation that I can give The Way of the Bear is to tell you, dear readers, that I would like to read another book in the series right now.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Anne Hillerman and of her late father, Tony Hillerman, will want to read The Way of the Bear.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://www.annehillerman.com/

https://twitter.com/harperbooks

https://www.instagram.com/harperbooks/

https://twitter.com/HarperCollins

https://www.harpercollins.com/

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Thursday, June 8, 2023

Comics Review: "SINS OF THE SALTON SEA #1" Opens with Several Bangs

SINS OF THE SALTON SEA #1 (OF 5)

AWA STUDIOS

STORY: Ed Brisson

ART: C.P. Smith

COLORS: C.P. Smith

LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

COVER: Tim Bradstreet

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mike Deodato, Jr. with Lee Loughridge; Chris Ferguson; Mike Deodato, Jr.

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2023)

Rated: “Mature”

Sins of the Salton Sea is a new five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Ed Brisson and artist C.P. Smith. Published by AWA Studios, the series focuses on a professional thief who finds himself with lives on his hand rather than the money promised in his hand. Letterer Steve Wands completes the series creative team.

Sins of the Salton Sea #1 opens somewhere out in the American West. It introduces Wyatt, a professional thief living off the grid. What he doesn't know is that his brother, Jasper, has been keeping tabs on him, and now, he has come asking for help. Jasper has allegedly scored information on one of those proverbial “last big scores.” If Jasper and his team can pull this off, everyone will be set for a long time, maybe even life.

Problem is that Jasper needs a fifth member of his team, and that would be Wyatt, an explosives expert. Wyatt reluctantly agrees, and he is right to be cautious. This heist is not anything like what Jasper and his team expects.

THE LOWDOWN: AWA Studios marketing recently began providing me with PDF review copies of their comic book publications. Sins of the Salton Sea #1 is the latest.

I don't have a lot to say about Sins of the Salton Sea #1, but it is a damn good read. Writer Ed Brisson offers a tale that when it blows up in the reader's face – and it does – it leaves everything changed and the direction of the story totally different from what the reader expected.

Meanwhile, artist-colorist, C.P. Smith, depicts the West in true grand fashion with a clean compositional style and panels that feel wide and cinematic. Smith's colors, however, give the story a deeply intimate feel. Not only the drama, but also the action scenes bring the readers up close and personal. I felt like I was there and in trouble with everyone else.

I highly recommend Sins of the Salton Sea #1. It promises a lot for the rest of this series.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of action thrillers and conspiracies will want to try Sins of the Salton Sea.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

AWA Website: https://awastudios.net/

AWA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awastudiosofficial/

AWA Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWA_Studios

AWA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awastudiosofficial

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Monday, June 5, 2023

Comics Review: "ARCHIE & FRIENDS Hot Summer Movies #1" - Raiders of the Lost Hamburger

ARCHIE & FRIENDS HOT SUMMER MOVIES #1 (#16)

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Adrian Ropp; Rich Margopoulos; George Gladir; Dan Parent

PENCILS: Bill Galvan; Gene Colan; Dan DeCarlo: Dan Parent

INKS: Ben Galvan; Rudy Lapick; Jim DeCarlo; Dan Parent

COLORS: Glenn Whitmore; Dan Parent

LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Bill Yoshida

EDITORS: Jamie Lee Rotante; Vincent Lovallo; Stephen Oswald

EiC: Mike Pellerito

COVER: Bill and Ben Galvan

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2023); on sale in comic book shops June 7, 2023

Rating: All-Ages

“Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density”

Eternal high school student and teenage boy, Archie Andrews, and his friends made their debut in M.L.J. Magazines' Pep Comics #22 (cover dated: December 1941), and before long, Archie was the publisher's headliner character. In 1946, the company changed its named to Archie Comic Publications, also known as “Archie Comics.”

Archie Comics published the series, Archie & Friends, from 1992 to 2012 for 159 issues. Since 2019, Archie has been publishing a new iteration of Archie & Friends as a series of themed one-shot comic books. The latest is Archie & Friends Hot Summer Movies No.1, the sixteenth issue in the series. It features one new five-page story, two reprint stories, and gallery of humorous illustrated cards. Entitled “Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density,” the new story is written by Adrian Ropp; drawn by Bill Galvan (pencils) and Ben Galvan (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by the great Jack Morelli.

“Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density”:

The story opens in Riverdale, specifically Pop's Diner. Archie and Betty are concerned about the state of Jughead Jones, who has just devoured Pop's thickest and juiciest burger creation yet. However, Jughead's mind is far away. He is once again the hero burgerologist, Riverdale Jones, and he is deep in the heart of the rain forest, where he hopes to find the most delicious, exotic burger. With his faithful pet, Hot Dog, by his side, can Riverdale find a legendary hamburger that may be every bit as formidable as the one Jughead already ate?

THE LOWDOWN: Over the last few years, Archie's marketing department has been sending PDF copies of some of their titles for review. One of the most recent is Archie & Friends Hot Summer Movies No. 1, (which is titled Archie & Friends #1 (#16), in the indicia).

“Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Density” is a nice, short send-up and tribute to Indiana Jones. With the impending arrival of the film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, this is the perfect time for Archie Comics to spoof the beloved movie adventurer and archaeologist. If I understand correctly, Jughead has been “Riverdale Jones” in the past, but if that is the case, I have not been able to discover the specific issue or issues in which Riverdale appeared.

Anyway, writer Adrian Ropp and artists Bill Galvan and his son, Ben Galvan, have created a sweet comics confection that alone is worth the price of admission. Plus, as a bonus, this comic book offers “E.T. Travesty,” a tale drawn by the classic Archie Comics artist, Dan DeCarlo.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want to find a copy of Archie & Friends Hot Summer Movies No. 1.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://archiecomics.com/

https://twitter.com/archiecomics

https://www.instagram.com/archiecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/ArchieComicsOfficial?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchieComicsOfficial

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8914136-archie-comics

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BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for June 7, 2023

BOOM! STUDIOS

APR230323 FENCE REDEMPTION #1 (OF 4) CVR A JOHANNA $4.99

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DYNAMITE

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IMAGE COMICS

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