In Memory of Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)

Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)

The African-American actor Chadwick Boseman died at age 43 after losing a four-year battle with colon cancer on August 28, 2020. He is best known for his performances as iconic figures like Jackie Robinson and James Brown, along with the African superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Chadwick debuted on television in 2003, appearing in a "Third Watch" episode. He also appeared in episodes of other series like "Law & Order," "CSI: NY," and "ER." In 2008, the same year he had a recurring role in "Lincoln Heights," Boseman also appeared in his feature film debut, "The Express: The Ernie Davis Story." In 2010, Chadwick gained a regular role in a mystery serial drama, "Persons Unknown."

In 2013, Boseman transitioned into leading roles, beginning with the indie film "The Kill Hole" and his role as the baseball player and pioneer Jackie Robinson in "43" with Harrison Ford. In 2014, he appeared opposite Kevin Costner in "Draft Day." Later that same year, he would portray famous musician James Brown in "Get on Up."

His big break came in 2016 after portraying the ancient deity from Egyptian mythology of Thoth in "Gods of Egypt." It was followed by playing the character that would instantly propel him to fame as T'Challa and his alter-ego, Black Panther, in "Captain America: Civil War." It was his first film as part of a five-picture deal with Marvel. In 2018, Chadwick would headline "Black Panther" as a standalone film focused on the main character and his country of Wakanda. It was one of America's highest-grossing films of the year when it opened. Expectations were high. He continued playing the character in both "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," which also grossed even higher at the box office, with "Endgame" being the highest-grossing movie of all time.

His potential brilliant acting career was cut short, but we will remember him for his Black Panther role and what a role model he was for the young generations. Everyone will sorely miss him, including colleagues, family and friends.

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Ocean's Eleven (2001) Review

Ocean's Eleven


Release Date: 10th January 2002 - Australia

Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Village Roadshow Pictures (in association with)
NPV Entertainment (in association with)
Section Eight
WV Films II
St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Crime/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 117 minutes


Budget: $85,000,000

Box Office Gross: $450,717,150 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary

Danny Ocean is a thief/con artist, recently released from prison. In earning his parole, he's assembled a team of eleven accomplices to pull off the biggest, most daring, and elaborate heist in the century, which involves three casinos in Las Vegas.

Cast
George Clooney - Danny Ocean
Brad Pitt - Rusty Ryan
Matt Damon - Linus Caldwell
Andy Garcia - Terry Benedict
Julia Roberts - Tess Ocean

Bernie Mac - Frank Catton

Don Cheadle - Basher Tarr

Casey Affleck - Virgil Malloy
Scott Caan - Turk Malloy

Elliot Gould - Reuben Tishkoff

Carl Reiner - Saul Bloom
Eddie Jemison - Livingston Dell
Shaobo Qin - Yen
Joe La Due - Billy Tim Denham
Scott L. Schwartz - Bulldog, the Bruiser

Lennox Lewis - Boxing Opponent (Cameo)

Wladimir Klitschko - Boxing Opponent (Cameo)

Jerry Weintraub - High Roller (Cameo)

Henry Silva - Boxing Spectator (Cameo)

Angie Dickinson - Boxing Spectator (Cameo)

Wayne Newton - Boxing Spectator (Cameo)

Siegfried Fischbacher - Boxing Spectator (Cameo)

Roy Horn - Boxing Spectator (Cameo)

Larry Merchant - Boxing Spectator (Cameo)

Holly Marie Combs - Herself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Topher Grace - Himself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Joshua Jackson - Himself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Steven Soderbergh - Vault-Bombing Thief

(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Barry Watson - Himself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Shane West - Himself (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director of Photography/Director - Steven Soderbergh
1960 Story - George Clayton Johnson and

Jack Golden Russell
1960 Screenplay - Harry Brown and

Charles Lederer
Screenplay - Ted Griffin
Executive Producers - Bruce Berman,

Susan Ekins and John Hardy
Producer - Jerry Weintraub
Co-Producer - R.J. Louis

Casting Director - Debra Zane

Production Designer - Phillip Messina

Art Director - Keith P. Cunningham

Construction Coordinator - Chris Snyder

Set Decorator - Kristen Toscano Messina

Property Master - Steven B. Melton

Costume Designer - Jeffrey Kurland

First Assistant Camera: "A" Camera - Barry Baz Idoine

Unit Production Manager - Frederic W. Borst

First Assistant Director - Gregory Jacobs

Second Second Assistant Director -

Basti Van Der Woude

Special Effects Coordinator - Kevin Hannigan

Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Thomas J. Smith

CG Supervisor: Cinesite - Serge Sretchinsky

Film Editor - Stephen Mirrione

Lead Sound Editor - David E. Stone

Re-Recording Mixer/Supervising Sound

Editor - Larry Blake

Foley Artists - Dawn Fintor and

Alicia Stevenson

Music - David Holmes


Review

It is where it all started in 2001 with Steven Soderbergh's remake of OCEAN'S ELEVEN, a fun and sophisticated popcorn flick with a superb storyline and an ensemble cast. I have seen this caper a few times, including a drive-in where I watched it for the second time. I never got to see the sequels (except for Ocean's Eight) and the original that featured the "Rat Pack" players, such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis Jr. There aren't too many surprises in this movie. The cinematography is acceptable, the humour is witty, and the pace is good.

The all-star cast is terrific, with George Clooney and Brad Pitt headlining alongside supporting players like Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Elliott Gould, Carl Reiner, and Casey Affleck. The only problem with the acting in this movie is Don Cheadle. He adopted a fake English accent for his role, which is one of the worst I've ever heard.

While it is considered the granddaddy of all cinematic heist movies, OCEAN'S 11 is a no-brainer. It is thoroughly enjoyable to all audiences. To those seeking a great heist movie, now is the time to watch it.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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In Memory of Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020)

Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020)

Considered the last surviving actress of Hollywood's Golden Age, Olivia de Havilland passed away at age 104 on July 26, 2020. Most famously, she is best known for her role as Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind," the biggest box-office hit of all time when adjusted for inflation.

De Havilland's film career began in 1935 when director Max Reinhardt saw her perform in a stage production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in California before casting her in his 1935 film interpretation. Later, she entered a seven-year contract with Warner Bros and became Errol Flynn's on-screen romantic partner. Together they starred in films like "Captain Blood," "The Charge of the Light Brigade," and "The Adventures of Robin Hood," among others. In 1939, Olivia was borrowed from Warner Bros. to play the sympathetic sister-in-law to the selfish main heroine in "Gone with the Wind," for which Olivia received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to her co-star Hattie McDaniel. McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win the award. In the late 1940s, she became one of the top actresses to grace the silver screen. In 1943, Olivia sued Warner Bros for trying to extend her seven-year contract, which had already expired. During that time, actors faced the threat of unpaid suspension from their contracts with the major studios if they turned down roles that didn't suit them.

Her victory at the court proved that celebrities have more influence than any major studios when that power gets shifted to them. To this day, it is known as the Havilland Law. Olivia won two Oscars for Best Actress, the first for "To Each His Own" in 1946 and the second for "The Heiress" in 1949. Her other roles include "The Snake Pit," "My Cousin Rachel," "Light in the Piazza," and "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte," in which she starred alongside Bette Davis.

De Havilland retired from acting in the late 1980s but continued to make public appearances and receive honours for her long-term career, like the National Medal of Arts in 2008 and France's Legion of Honour in 2010.

She was the sister of another famous actress, Joan Fontaine, and the two actresses had a rivalry regarding their achievements.

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Brock: Over the Top Review (Updated)

Brock: Over the Top


Release Date: 22nd June 2020 - Australia


Production Companies
Universal Pictures Australia (present)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (present)
Wildbear Entertainment
Screen Queensland (in association with)
The Port Lounge (in association with)

Distribution
Bonsai Films


Genre: Documentary

Rating: M

Runtime: 103 minutes

Box Office Gross: A$12,638 (Australia)

Plot Summary
This documentary chronicles the life of Australia's famous race car driver, Peter Brock, detailing his personal life, triumphs, and dark side.

Cast

Craig Lowndes - Himself 
Phil Brock - Himself

Lewis Brock - Himself
Ian Tate - Himself
Allan Moffat - Himself
Dick Johnson - Himself
Bev Brock - Herself
Garry Wilkinson - Himself

Michelle Downes - Herself

Julie Bamford - Herself
James Brock - Himself
Robert Brock - Himself
Alexandra Brock - Herself
Phil Scott - Himself

David Hassall - Himself

Greg Rust - Himself

John Harvey - Himself

John M Wright - Himself

Tim Pemberton - Himself

Brian Sampson - Himself

Craig Fletcher - Himself

Graeme Brown - Himself

Mick Hone - Himself

Jim Richards - Himself

Jane Caro - Herself

Peter Brock - Himself (Voice)

(Archive Footage)

Bill Tuckey - Himself (Voice)

(Archive Footage)

Harry Firth - Himself (Voice)

(Archive Footage)

Crew
Writer/Director - Kriv Stenders

Original Concept/Producer - Veronica Fury

Associate Producer - Rudy Schmidt
Executive Producer - Alan Erson
Director of Photography - Mark Broadbent
Editor - Tania Nehme

Sound Designer - Paul Pirola

Re-Recording Mixer - Brendan Coxon
Music - Jason Fernandez


Review
Racing legend Peter Brock was well-known in Australia as "The King of the Mountain" and "Peter Perfect." However, his life was far from perfect, as those closest to him understood his inner turmoil and hunger for fame and victory. I've never reviewed a feature-length documentary except for Michael Jackson's This Is It, but I'm willing to watch this one in theatres since it reopened amid the COVID-19 crisis. Years before, I had barely heard of Peter Brock until he died in a rally car accident, which I had listened to on the radio. I'm not a big Brock fan because of his partnership with Holden, as I am a proud Ford supporter. BROCK: OVER THE TOP was an introspective look at the famous Aussie race car driver discussing his ten consecutive wins at Mount Panorama and his business deals with Holden.

Director Kriv Stenders may not have made a biopic about Peter Brock, but he examined the facts of his personal life and compiled them in this kind of documentary. This film addresses sensitive issues, particularly his troubled marriage with Michelle Downes, his relationships with Bev and Julie, and his fallout with Holden over the Energy Polariser.

BROCK: OVER THE TOP is a must-see film that will attract fans for his life story. If you're a fan of Peter Brock or want to know more, this documentary is for you.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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In Memory of Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)

Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)

Legendary Italian film composer Ennio Morricone passed away on July 6, 2020. He was 91 years old. An accomplished music maestro has composed over 500 scores for cinema and television over 66 years, including "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "The Untouchables," "The Mission," and "The Hateful Eight." Morricone was born in Rome and is the son of a trumpeter. He began writing music at the age of six and entered a conservatory to study it at the age of twelve. His classmate in school was filmmaker Sergio Leone, with whom he began collaborating by composing his spaghetti westerns. These films are part of his trilogy starring Clint Eastwood. Their careers took off with "A Fistful of Dollars," which has given him some prominence. However, one of his most influential scores in cinema history is "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Morricone's other movie scores include "Once Upon a Time in the West," "Days of Heaven," John Carpenter's "The Thing," "The Mission," "Cinema Paradiso," "The Untouchables," "Bugsy," "Malena," and "Ripley's Game." In 2016, he became the oldest recipient to earn an Academy Award for Best Original Score for Quentin Tarantino's western "The Hateful Eight." Before that, in 2007, he was given an Honorary Award statuette for his contributions to the art of film music. Morricone's style of movie scoring inspired several film composers, including Hans Zimmer, to compose their soundtracks.

We will surely miss him. Here are the highlights of his film scores.

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In Memory of Carl Reiner (1922-2020)

Carl Reiner (1922-2020)

Hollywood comic legend and filmmaker Carl Reiner died of natural causes at age 98 on June 29th, 2020. Carl was best known as Mel Brooks' long-time collaborator, co-starring in the classic TV sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show", and was the director of such hit comedies like "The Jerk" and "The Man with Two Brains" that featured Steve Martin.

Reiner was born to Jewish immigrants in New York City in 1922 and served in the Air Force during World War II. He got recruited by a performing unit and did a lot of shows to entertain the troops. After the war, Reiner moved to showbiz and performed in several Broadway musicals. In 1950, he joined a popular TV sketch comedy show from Sid Caesar called "Your Show of Shows", where he collaborated with Mel Brooks and Neil Simon. After working with Caesar in the 1950s, Reiner later developed his TV sitcom, which got ultimately picked up by the CBS network and changed into a vehicle for Dick Van Dyke with Mary Tyler Moore as the show is now titled "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Because of the success of the hit show, Reiner's career has gravitated towards filmmaking, where he made his directing debut in "Enter Laughing". The other movies that soon followed are "Oh God", which stars actor George Burns and "The One and Only" with Henry Winkler. Reiner was instrumental in directing Steve Martin in what would be his film debut in the hit comedy "The Jerk", and they later collaborated on three more films that were also successful, like "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", "The Man with Two Brains" and "All of Me".

In his later years, Reiner made his comeback role as the con artist Saul Bloom in Steven Soderbergh's remake of "Ocean's Eleven". Later, he would return to his role in the film's two sequels. His last film role was Carl Reineroceros in "Toy Story 4" in 2019.

He even made guest appearances in shows like "Fraiser", "King of the Hill", "The Larry Sanders Show", "Ally McBeal", "Two and a Half Men", etc. Reiner was the father of Rob Reiner, an actor but a director in his successful movies.

My condolences go to his family and friends.

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In Memory of Joel Schumacher (1939-2020)

Joel Schumacher (1939-2020)

Hollywood film director Joel Schumacher, who reinvented the Batman movie series into its gaudy take and directed films like "St. Elmo's Fire," "The Lost Boys," and "Flatliners," passed away on June 22nd, 2020, after losing his battle with cancer at age 80.

This filmmaker is known for his flamboyance and brilliance. It's no wonder many people considered him the man who replaced Tim Burton and nearly killed the Batman film franchise. He had apologised for making "Batman and Robin," which he regretted instantly for the rest of his life.

Joel began his career as a fashion designer in New York but moved to Hollywood, where he applied his design talents to create costumes for Woody Allen's "Sleeper" and "The Last of Sheila." Schumacher turned to scriptwriting for films such as "Car Wash" and "The Wiz." He then shifted to directing in his first outing, "The Incredible Shrinking Woman." Schumacher's claim to fame was the coming-of-age teen drama "St. Elmo's Fire," which was an instant hit. It launched the careers of the Brat Pack, consisting of Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, and Ally Sheedy. Soon after "St. Elmo's" came "The Lost Boys," a horror comedy about vampires starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Kiefer Sutherland and these successes have propelled Joel Schumacher into directing more films like "Flatliners," "The Client," "A Time to Kill," "8mm," "Flawless," "Tigerland," "Phone Booth," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Number 23," and "Trespass."

Beneath his accomplishments is his lighthearted and campy take on the Batman series, which instantly harkens back to the Adam West television series. The reins from director Tim Burton passed to Joel in handling the movie franchise as the studio wanted it to be kid-friendly, beginning with the third instalment, "Batman Forever." His first movie was a success, though the second outing, "Batman and Robin," proved to be lacklustre and hated by fans and critics. Apart from making feature films, Joel directed two episodes from the first season of the Netflix TV version of "House of Cards" as well as music videos, including "Devil Inside" by INXS and "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal.

I feel sorry for Schumacher, considering what he went through in making "Batman and Robin" a colossal failure that nearly killed George Clooney's acting career. I'm sad he never got to release "Batman Forever" in its extended cut.

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