In Memory of Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)

Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)

It's with great sadness that comedy producer/director Ivan Reitman peacefully died at his home in California on February 12th, 2022. He was 75 years old. Ivan was responsible for helming such decade-defining comedies as "Animal House" and "Ghostbusters." Born on October 27th, 1946, in Kornarno, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), to a Hungarian Jewish family, Ivan was only four when he and his parents escaped communism after World War II and emigrated to Canada shortly after. Early in his life, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he has directed several short films.

Then, in 1978, came his big break with the production of the college fraternity send-up "National Lampoon's Animal House," which was an instant success. In 1979, he directed Bill Murray in his first starring role in "Meatballs." A long and fruitful partnership between the actor and the filmmaker was born. Ivan would later direct Murray again in the 1981 war comedy, "Stripes." But his crowning moment of glory came in 1984 when he made the supernatural comedy "Ghostbusters" with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (who also co-wrote the film), Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis. The film was a tremendous success. It grossed nearly $300 million worldwide, earned two Oscar nominations, and spawned a franchise that includes two sequels (one of which he directed), two television shows, and a reboot.

Reitman also collaborated with action star Arnold Schwarzenegger in comedies like "Twins" with Danny DeVito, "Kindergarten Cop," and "Junior." Other notable movies of his calibre include "Dave" and "Six Days, Seven Nights." Ivan also produced "Beethoven," "Space Jam," "Old School," "Private Parts," "EuroTrip," and his son's Oscar-nominated feature "Up in the Air." After helming "Six Days, Seven Nights," Reitman slowed down as a director with four films: "Evolution," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," "No Strings Attached," and "Draft Day." He continued producing, with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" as his final movie, handing over the directing reins to his son, Jason, who is continuing his father's legacy.

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94th Academy Awards

94th Academy Awards

Broadcast Date: 28th March 2022 - Australia

Hello, moviegoers. There's a reason I didn't do much critiquing. I was busy working on an animated project and spent three or four hours getting it made for a local art exhibition. Now that I've finished my short animation, I can finally rest in peace and work on my reviews, obituaries and news updates.

 

Unveiled this year are the nominations for the 94th Academy Awards. Here is the list of nominees in over 23 categories, with The Power of the Dog garnering 12 nominations.

Best Visual Effects

Dune - Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer

Free Guy - Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick

No Time to Die - Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver

Spider-Man: No Way Home - Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick

Best Film Editing

Don't Look Up - Hank Corwin

Dune - Joe Walker

King Richard - Pamela Martin

The Power of the Dog - Peter Sciberras

tick, tick... BOOM! - Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum

Best Costume Design

Cruella - Jenny Beaven

Cyrano - Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran

Dune - Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan

Nightmare Alley - Luis Sequeira

West Side Story - Paul Tazewell

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Coming 2 America - Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer

Cruella - Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon

Dune - Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr

The Eyes of Tammy Faye - Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh

House of Gucci - Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras

Best Cinematography

Dune - Greig Fraser

Nightmare Alley - Dan Laustsen

The Power of the Dog - Ari Wegner

The Tragedy of Macbeth - Bruno Delbonnel

West Side Story - Janusz Kaminski

Best Production Design

Dune - Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos

Nightmare Alley - Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

The Power of the Dog - Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards

The Tragedy of Macbeth - Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

West Side Story - Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo

Best Sound

Belfast - Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri

Dune - Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett

No Time to Die - Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor

The Power of the Dog - Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb

West Side Story - Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy

Best Original Song

"Be Alive" from King Richard - Music and Lyrics by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

"Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto - Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

"Down to Joy" from Belfast - Music and Lyrics by Van Morrison

"No Time to Die" from No Time to Die - Music and Lyrics by Billie Elish and Finneas O'Connell

"Somehow You Do" from Four Good Days - Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren

Best Original Score

Don't Look Up - Nicholas Britell

Dune - Hans Zimmer

Encanto - Germaine Franco

Parallel Mothers - Alberto Iglesias

The Power of the Dog - Jonny Greenwood

Best Animated Short Film

Affairs of the Art - Joanna Quinn and Les Mills

Bestia - Hugo Covarrubius and Tevo Diaz

BoxBallet - Anton Dyakov

Robin Robin - Dan Ojari and Mikey Please

The Windshield Wiper - Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez

Best Live-Action Short Film

Ala Kachuu - Take and Run - Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger

The Dress - Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki

The Long Goodbye - Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed

On My Mind - Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson

Please Hold - K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse

Best Documentary Short Subject

Audible - Matthew Ogens and Geoff McLean

Lead Me Home - Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk

The Queen of Basketball - Ben Proudfoot

Three Songs for Benazir - Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei

When We Were Bullies - Jay Rosenblatt

Best Documentary Feature

Ascension - Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell

Attica - Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry

Flee - Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Bryne Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) - Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein

Writing with Fire - Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh

Best International Feature Film

Drive My Car (Japan) in Japanese - Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Flee (Denmark) in Danish - Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen

The Hand of God (Italy) in Italian - Directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan) in Dzongkha - Directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji

The Worst Person in the World (Norway) in Norwegian - Directed by Joachim Trier

Best Animated Feature Film

Encanto - Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer

Flee - Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie

Luca - Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren

The Mitchells vs. the Machines - Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht

Raya and the Last Dragon - Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho

Best Adapted Screenplay

CODA - Screenplay by Sian Heder; based on the film La Famille Bélier by Victoria Bedos, Thomas Bidegain, Stanislas Carré de Malberg and Éric Lartigau

Drive My Car - Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe; based on the short story by Haruki Murakami

Dune - Screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth; based on the novel by Frank Herbert

The Lost Daughter - Screenplay by Maggie Gyllenhaal; based on the novel by Elena Ferrante

The Power of the Dog - Screenplay by Jane Campion; based on the novel by Thomas Savage

Best Original Screenplay

Belfast - Written by Kenneth Branagh

Don't Look Up - Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay and David Sirota

King Richard - Written by Zach Baylin

Licorice Pizza - Written by Paul Thomas Anderson

The Worst Person in the World - Written by Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley - The Lost Daughter as Leda Caruso

Ariana DeBose - West Side Story as Anita

Judi Dench - Belfast as "Granny"

Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog as Rose Gordon

Aunjanue Ellis - King Richard as Oracene "Brandy" Price

Best Supporting Actor

Ciarán Hinds - Belfast as "Pop"

Troy Kotsur - CODA as Frank Rossi

Jesse Plemons - The Power of the Dog as George Burbank

J. K. Simmons - Being the Ricardos as William Frawley

Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Power of the Dog as Peter Gordon

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye as Tammy Faye Bakker

Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter as Leda Caruso

Penélope Cruz - Parallel Mothers as Janis Martinez Moreno

Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos as Lucille Ball

Kristen Stewart - Spencer as Diana, Princess of Wales

Best Actor

Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos as Desi Arnaz

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog as Phil Burbank

Andrew Garfield - tick, tick... BOOM! as Jonathan Larson

Will Smith - King Richard as Richard Williams

Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth as Macbeth

Best Director

Kenneth Branagh - Belfast

Ryusuke Hamaguchi - Drive My Car

Paul Thomas Anderson - Licorice Pizza

Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog

Steven Spielberg - West Side Story

Best Picture

Belfast - Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas

CODA - Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger

Don't Look Up - Adam McKay and Kevin Messick

Drive My Car - Teruhisa Yamamoto

Dune - Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter

King Richard - Tim & Trevor White and Will Smith

Licorice Pizza - Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson

Nightmare Alley - Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper

The Power of the Dog - Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Cunning and Roger Frappier

West Side Story - Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Kreiger

Honorary Awards

Samuel L. Jackson

Elaine May

Liv Ullmann

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Danny Glover

Make sure you let me know who the winners are. My predictions for the winners of the following categories are

Best Visual Effects - Dune

Best Production Design - Dune

Best Costume Design - Dune

Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Dune

Best Cinematography - Dune

Best Original Score - Dune

Best Animated Feature - Raya and the Last Dragon

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600th Review!! Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release Date: 16th December 2021 - Australia

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures (presents)

Marvel Studios

Pascal Pictures

Distribution

Sony Pictures Releasing Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 148 minutes

Budget: $200,000,000

Box Office Gross: $1,921,426,073 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

With Spider-Man's identity

revealed to the public,

Peter Parker turns to Doctor

Strange for help. Their

attempt to make everyone

forget that Peter Parker is

Spider-Man goes wrong,

causing Spider-Man's

archenemies from other

worlds to wreak havoc

and forcing him to discover

what it means to be Spider-

Man.

Cast

Tom Holland - Peter Parker/

Spider-Man

Zendaya - MJ

Benedict Cumberbatch - Doctor Strange

Jacob Batalon - Ned Leeds

Alfred Molina - Dr. Otto

Octavius/Dr. Octopus

Willem Dafoe - Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin

Jamie Foxx - Max Dillon/Electro

Rhys Ifans - Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard

Thomas Haden Church - Flint Marko/Sandman

Marisa Tomei - May Parker

Jon Favreau - Happy Hogan

J.K. Simmons - J. Jonah Jameson

Benedict Wong - Wong

Tony Revolori - Flash Thompson

Tobey Maguire - Peter

Parker/Spider-Man

Andrew Garfield - Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Angourie Rice - Betty Brant

Arian Moayed - Agent Cleary

Paula Newsome - MIT Assistant Vice Chancellor

Hannibal Buress - Coach Wilson

Martin Starr - Mr. Harrington

Haroon Khan - Apprentice

J.B. Smoove - Mr. Dell

Mary Rivera - Ned's Lola

Gary Weeks - Agent Foster

Charlie Cox - Matt Murdock (Cameo)

Tom Hardy - Eddie Brock/Venom (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Cristo Fernández - Bartender

Crew

Director - Jon Watts

Based on the Marvel Comic Book -

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Writers - Chris McKenna and

Erik Sommers

Associate Producer/First Assistant Director -

David H. Venghaus Jr.

Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso,

Avi Arad, Louis D'Esposito,

Rachel O'Connor and Matt Tolmach

Executive Producer/Production Manager -

JoAnn Perritano

Producers - Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal

Co-Producers - Mitchell Bell and

Chris Buongiorno

Casting Directors - Sarah Finn and

Chris Zaragoza

Production Designer - Darren Gilford

Head of Visual Development - Ryan Meinerding

Concept Artists - Sean Hargreaves,

Marek Orkon, Andrew Reeder,

Nathan Schroeder, Henrik Tamm and

Maciej Kuciara

Visual Development Concept Illustrators -

Rodney Fuentebella, Ian Joyner,

Jerad Marantiz, Josh Nizzi and

Phil Saunders

Supervising Art Director - David Scott

Art Director: Additional Photography -

Clint Wallace

Set Decorators - Rosemary Brandenburg

and Emmanuelle Hoessly

Supervising Prop Master: Marvel Studios -

Russell Bobbitt

Costume Designer - Sanja Milkovic Hays

Specialty Costume Supervisor - Russell Shinkle

Hair Department Head - Linda D. Flowers

Director of Photography - Mauro Fiore

First Assistant Director: Additional Photography -

Jeff Okabayashi

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

George Cottle

Fight Coordinator - Jackson Spidell

Helicopter Pilot - Cliff Fleming

Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick

Visual Effects Supervisor - Kelly Port

Visual Effects Supervisor: SPI - Chris Waegner

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digital Domain -

Scott Edelstein

Visual Effects Producer - Julia Neighly

Animation Supervisor: Luma Pictures -

Raphael A. Pimentel

Editors - Leigh Folsom Boyd and Jeffrey Ford

Supervising Sound Editors - Steve Ticknor

and Vanessa Lapato

Sound Designer/Temp Re-Recording Mixer -

Chris Diebold

Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer -

Tony Lamberti

Sound Designer - Ken McGill

Sound Mixer - Willie D. Burton

Sound Mixer: Additional Photography -

Lee Orloff

Re-Recording Mixer - Kevin O'Connell

Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker

and Adam DeCoster

Music - Michael Giacchino

Theme Music Composer: "Doc Ock Is Born",

"Enter the Goblin" and "Spider-Man

Main Title" - Danny Elfman

Theme Music Composer: "Main Title"

and "Young Peter" - James Horner

Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan

Review

Hello, filmgoers. My blog has reached 600 reviews!! Enjoy! SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME is darker and hilarious, carries more emotional baggage than its predecessors, and has loads of fan service to entertain the fans. It is an out-of-this-world experience with a plot concept similar to that of the animated movie Into the Spider-Verse. Although it's not the first Spider-Man film to explore the multiverse, I love it when the film expands the franchise's scope by showing that more than two worlds have collided with the current Spider-Man cinematic universe. Director Jon Watts gave us a film that the Russo brothers could not outdo in the MCU.

I love the movie's incredible action sequences. I admire the chemistry between Tom Holland and Zendaya, which is fittingly romantic for both actors. It's nice to see some old faces in this movie - actors like Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Rhys Ifans, and Thomas Haden Church return as Spider-Man's previous arch-foes from the pre-MCU films. Even J.K. Simmons reprises his role as J. Jonah Jameson from the Sam Raimi trilogy after appearing in the mid-credits scene of Far from Home.

Audiences immediately clapped and cheered in excitement when Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returned as both Raimi/Webb interpretations of Peter Parker, which they knew the whole time they set foot on NO WAY HOME. I won't tell you how exactly they appear. It's a secret, and I'm not supposed to reveal it to any of you.

Out of all the live-action offerings, it is the best Spider-Man movie I've seen in cinemas. Though close to beating Into the Spider-Verse, it remains the franchise's second-best feature. Still, it surpasses the high expectations set by Far from Home. I highly recommend it to those who have previously experienced the character in the Raimi and Webb adaptations.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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In Memory of Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)

Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)

African-American actor Sidney Poitier, known for breaking through Hollywood's racial barriers and being the first black actor to win an Oscar, passed away on January 7th, 2022. He was 94 years old. Without Sidney Poitier, all of this would not have been possible. He was an inspiration to many black performers who would go on to do big things, including Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry, and others.

Poitier was born in Miami and is the son of Bahamian tomato farmers. His father, Reginald, didn't expect him to live as he was only two months premature from birth and had brought home a shoebox to bury him if he died. But Sidney did survive and was raised on Cat Island in the Bahamas before moving to the U.S. at age 15. Poitier joined the American Negro Theatre in Harlem, and though it took him a while to adjust to film, he landed his first speaking role in "No Way Out" in 1950. Poitier garnered his first Best Actor Oscar nomination in 1959 for "The Defiant Ones," starring opposite Tony Curtis as escaped prisoners who work together to survive and stay free. Six years later, for his performance as handyman Homer Smith in the comedy-drama "Lilies of the Field," Poitier became the first African-American actor to win an Oscar. Before he died, he was the oldest living actor to win an Oscar. Because of this, the role remains his most memorable and has the most powerful social impact. In 1967, he was in the mystery drama "In the Heat of the Night," playing a homicide detective, Virgil Tibbs, who had to deal with bigotry. Other of his groundbreaking roles include his character befriending a blind girl in "A Patch of Blue," an English teacher in "To Sir, with Love," and a doctor trying to persuade the parents to accept his marriage to their daughter in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."

In the late 1970s, Poitier scaled back his acting and turned his attention to directing films for Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, and Gene Wilder, like "Uptown Saturday Night" in 1974 and "Stir Crazy" in 1980. After nearly a decade, Sidney returned to acting in films and television, including 1988's "Shoot to Thrill" with Tom Berenger and the 1992 crime comedy "Sneakers" in an ensemble cast with Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, and James Earl Jones. Sidney Poitier was friends with the young, talented actor River Phoenix before Phoenix's untimely death in 1993. Phoenix appeared with Poitier in his two final theatrical movies, including the 1988 thriller "Little Nikita," in which they shared the screen and again in "Sneakers."

Beyond his acting, Poitier worked as a Civil Rights activist, joining Dr. Martin Luther King in his historic 1963 movement in Washington, D.C. For a decade, he was a bona fide ambassador, serving as the Bahamas' ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. He received many honours, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the American Film Institute and an Honorary Oscar Award in 2001 for "his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and a human being." Poitier even earned a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II of Britain in 1974. In 2009, he was awarded the highest honour for an American civilian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, given by the first African-American President, Barack Obama.

Here are a few clips of his movies that highlight his screen presence. Such as the iconic line he uttered from his unforgettable role in "In the Heat of the Night."

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No Time to Die Review

No Time to Die

Release Date: 11th November 2021 - Australia

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (copyright holder)

Universal Pictures (copyright holder)

Eon Productions (presents)

B25

Danjaq (copyright holder)

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia 

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 163 minutes 

Budget: $301,000,000

Box Office Gross: $774,153,007 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Having retired from active service as a secret agent, James Bond is now

enjoying a life of serenity

in Jamaica. However, he

is called out of retirement

when his old CIA contact,

Felix Leiter, turns up

and asks for his help,

and M also wants to thrust

007 back into his new

assignment. Bond even

encounters a new 00,

Nomi, who has replaced

him as the top agent

and learns she is not

impressed by his previous

accomplishments.

Bond's new mission is to

rescue a captured

scientist who turns out to

be far more treacherous

than expected, leading

him to hunt down the

mysterious villain behind

the plot, Safin, with dangerous new technology.

Cast

Daniel Craig - James Bond

Léa Seydoux - Madeleine Swann

Rami Malek - Lyutsifer Safin

Lashana Lynch - Nomi

Ralph Fiennes - M

Ben Whishaw - Q

Naomie Harris - Miss Moneypenny

Rory Kinnear - Bill Tanner

Jeffrey Wright - Felix Leiter

Billy Magnussen - Logan Ash

Christoph Waltz - Ernst

Stavro Blofeld

David Dencik - Valdo Obruchev

Ana De Armas - Paloma

Dali Benssalah - Primo (Cyclops)

Lisa-Dorah Sonnet - Mathilde

Coline Defaud - Young Madeleine

Mathilde Bourbin - Madeleine's Mother

Hugh Dennis - Dr. Hardy

Priyanga Burford - Dr. Symes

Amy Morgan - Alison Smith

Lizzie Winkler - Sarah Jones

Brigitte Millar - Vogel

Hayden Phillips - Sir

Sebastian D'ath

Michael G. Wilson - Officer

at Spectre Party (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Story/Screenplay/Director - Cary Joji Fukunaga

Based on Characters - Ian Fleming

Story/Screenplay - Neal Purvis and Robert Wade

Screenplay - Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Associate Producer - Gregg Wilson

Executive Producer - Chris Brigham

Producers - Michael G. Wilson

and Barbara Broccoli

Co-Producers - Daniel Craig,

Andrew Noakes and David Pope

Casting Directors - Debbie &

Jemima McWilliams

Production Designer - Mark Tildesley

Supervising Art Director - Chris Lowe

Senior Art Director - Mark Harris

Art Directors - Andrew Bennett,

Neal Callow, Dean Clegg, Sandra Phillips

and Mark Scruton

Set Decorator - Véronique Melery

Property Master - Ben Wilkinson

Costume Designer - Suttriat Anne Larlarb

Hair and Makeup Designer - Daniel Phillips

Prosthetics Makeup Designer - Barrie Gower

Director of Photography - Linus Sandgren

Camera Operators - Jason Ewart,

Ossie McLean, Oliver Loncrane,

Clive Jackson, Gary Spratling,

Tim Wooster and Chris Plevin

Supervising Location Manager - Ben Piltz

Location Production Managers - Matt Jones

and Martin Joy

Location Managers - Rob Campbell-Bell,

Charlie Hayes, Duncan Broadfoot,

Matthew Clarke, Mandy Sharpe and Liam Irving

Location Managers: Italy - Fabio Ferrante,

Simona Scianimanico, Vincenzo Testa and

Elisabetta Tomasso

Unit Location Managers - Jason W. Nightingale,

Ben Firminger and Charlie Simpson

Unit Production Managers - Katherine Tibbetts

and Chris Brock

Production Manager: Scotland - Mally Chung

First Assistant Director - Jon Mallard

Key Second Assistant Director - Matthew Sharp

Second Unit Director/Director of

Photography - Alexander Witt

Marine Coordinator: Jamiaca - Daniel F. Malone

Diving Coordinator - Dave Shaw

Supervising Stunt Coordinator - Olivier Schneider

Stunt Coordinator - Lee Morrison

and Petr Rychly

Stunt Coordinators: Second Unit - Yves Girard

and Boris Martinez

Fight Coordinator - Patrick Vo

Fight Arranger - Grégory Loffredo

Action Vehicle Supervisor - Neil Layton

Special Effects Supervisor - Chris Corbould

Special Effects Floor Supervisors -

Ian Lowe and John Van Der Pool

Visual Effects Supervisor - Charlie Noble

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Mark Bakowski

Visual Effects Supervisor: Framestore -

Jonathan Fawkner

Visual Effects Supervisor: DNEG - Joel Green

Visual Effects Producer - Anna V. James

Computer Graphics Supervisor: BLIND

LTD - Andrew Booth

Compositing Supervisor: Lola Visual

Effects - Edson Williams

Film Editors - Tom Cross and Elliot Graham

Supervising Sound Editor - Oliver Tarney

Co-Supervising Sound Editor - James Harrison

Sound Designers - Michael Fentum,

Bryan Bowen and Elias Hoffman

Re-Recording Mixer - Paul Massey

Re-Recording Mixer/Sound Effects Editor -

Mark Taylor

Main Titles Designer - Daniel Kleinman

Music - Hans Zimmer

Score Producer/Additional Music - Steve Mazzaro

Conductor/Arranger: Title Song/Score

Conductor - Matt Dunkley

Writer/Singer: Title Song - Billie Eilish

Music: Title Song - Finneas O'Connell

Music Supervisor - Randall Poster

Ambient Music Designer - Mel Wesson

Supervising Music Editor - Christopher Bernstead

Review

Since April 2020, I have waited for the new James Bond movie, NO TIME TO DIE, to land in theatres as everyone gets vaccinated for COVID-19. Now the wait is over, and we finally experience the conclusion of Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond after having played the character for 15 years. This film is a fitting end to the actor's portrayal of the iconic British secret agent we have been hoping for, unlike a few that are not so great, such as those starring Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan (though Timothy Dalton's Licence to Kill comes close in second).

NO TIME TO DIE is a definite improvement on Spectre, which had issues with the plot and characterisation. It doesn't suffer the same problems as its predecessor but maintains the status quo of Bond you least expect. This feature has several callbacks from previous Bond flicks, including those from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Daniel Craig has all he has to give proper closure for his character, especially since he is at the end of his era as Bond. Still, he's fantastic. While the rest of the cast call their shots, Rami Malek has had the opportunity to play Safin, a Bond villain far more terrifying than Blofeld or Raoul Silva, who plans to unleash a bio-weapon on the unsuspecting world. I didn't think that Léa Seydoux would return as a Bond girl. I recall the same thing that almost happened to Olga Kurylenko's character in Quantum of Solace, which would return in Skyfall. However, she never reappeared. Hans Zimmer becomes the new composer for Bond and does a terrific score in NO TIME TO DIE.

I had no idea that NO TIME TO DIE would be shocking to end Craig's interpretation, and I believe the series would reboot again with a new actor taking a new edge of James Bond, whether it's Tom Hardy or a highly obscure and unknown actor. NO TIME TO DIE is arguably the best Bond movie we've seen and will appeal to Bond fans.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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Total Pageviews App Installed

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've done a news update that isn't an obituary or an Oscar announcement. I removed one redundant gadget from the sidebar and installed the Total Pageviews app to see how many views this blog has. I even moved a few things on the sidebar. Although it's a minor update, it's essential for maintaining consistency.

For more updates, I have revised and republished my reviews of The Empire Strikes Back and Rango (which I updated a few months ago), as well as a movie analysis of the former (click here). I have also rewritten the plot summaries on most of my reviews.

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Next Gen Review

Next Gen

Release Date: 7th September 2018 - Australia (Netflix)

Production Companies

Netflix

Baozou Manhua
Tangent Animation (in association with)
Alibaba Pictures

Distribution

Netflix (Worldwide)

Genre: Animation/Family/

Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 minutes

Budget: ¥150,000,000

Plot Summary

A rebellious young girl named Mai discovers a top-secret robot, and their friendship begins. At the same time, they must contend with an evil madman unleashing terror through his plan for technological domination.

Voice Cast

John Krasinski - 7723

Charlyne Yi - Mai

Jason Sudeikis - Justin Pin/Ares

Michael Peña - Momo

David Cross - Dr Tanner Rice/Q-Bots

Constance Wu - Molly
Kiana Lede - Greenwood
Anna Akana - Ani
Isaac Ryan Brown - Ric

Reba Borr - Diagnostic Computer

Amber Friendly - Mailbox Drone
Jet Jurgensmeyer - Junior
Joe Ksander - Ramen Cup

Shaye Ogbonna - Fan Boy

Jon Oswald - Toothbrush/

Door

Betsy Sodaro - Toilet/Gate/

Hairbrush

Fred Tatasciore - Police

Robots/Robot Podium/

Announcer

Kitana Turnbull - RJ

Charlotte Alexis White - Fan Girl

Crew
Story/Screenplay/Directors - Kevin R. Adams

and Joe Ksander

Creative Director/Storyboard Artist -

Ricardo Curtis
Based on the Comic "7723"/Story/Screenplay -

Wang Nima

Story/Screenplay/Executive Producers -

Olivia Hao and Ricky Rem

Story/Screenplay - Napkin Su and Sasa Zhau

Screenplay - The Baozou Family
Additional Screenplay Material - Ryan W. Smith

Script Translator - Angelina Wang
Executive Producers - Luluyan Fan,

Ounan Hong, Michael Yu, Teger Sheng,

Alfred Jin, Ronbjiang Ye, Jerry Li, Face Hu

and Phyllis Laing

Executive Producer/Artist - Wei Zhang

Producers - Javier Zhang, Jeff Bells,

Patty Hicks, Charlene Logan Kelly,

Yangbin Lu, John Morch and Ken Zorniak

Pre-Production Studio Supervisor/Designer -

Ken Duncan

Production Designer - Craig Sellars

Art Director/Additional Visual Development

Artist/Character Designer/Printing/Main Titles

Art Direction - Richard Chen

Character Designers - Tohru Patrick Awa

and Marceline Gagnon-Tanguay
Character Designer/Animator - Charlie Bonifacio

Additional Visual Development Artist/CG

Supervisor - Conrad Dueck

Additional Visual Development Artist/Surfacing

Supervisor - Shane Jackson

Additional Visual Development Artist/

Modelling/Character Effects Supervisor/

Visual Effects Set Dressing Artist - Andy Carney

Additional Visual Development Artist/

Lighting Supervisor - Alex Carney

Story Supervisor - Joe Giampapa
Storyboard Producer - Wes Lui

Animation Supervisors - Adam Beck

and Wesley Rodricks

CG Supervisor - Brian Foster

Character Effects Technical/Rigging Supervisor -

David Hearn
Director of Photography: Camera - Paul Kohut
Director of Photography: Lighting - Paul Stoldony

Editor - Matt Ahrens
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor/

Re-Recording Mixer - David Acord

Supervising Sound Editor - Steve Slanec

Re-Recording Mixer - Tom Myers

Foley Supervisor - Frank Rinella

Foley Artists - Ronni Brown and Margie O'Malley

Music - Samuel Jones and Alexis Marsh

Executive in Charge of Music - Robyn Klein

Music Supervisor - Justine Von Winterfeldt

Review

The streaming service Netflix offered access to many movies, including original productions. I had seen some that were watchable, and I was curious about the animated feature NEXT GEN. Because I looked at the trailer and thought it was similar to Big Hero 6. Big Hero 6 was an action-packed movie with a lot of heart and humour, while NEXT GEN was surprisingly edgier and more of a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology. A significant difference exists between the two main characters: one focuses on a rebellious teen who finds companionship with a robot. The other revolves around a troubled teen who deeply resents anything robotic but learns to accept her newfound relationship with the robot.

This animated feature reminds me of I, Robot with Will Smith, which used to stream on Netflix. Both movies featured similar human protagonists who disliked robots. However, they later bond and face an uprising against humanity. The only thing that bothers me is the film's target audience, which includes bleeped-out profanity (courtesy of the foul-mouthed dog), cartoon violence, and mature themes.

In examining the characterisation of NEXT GEN, the young female protagonist is too bratty, unlikable, and ungrateful. It is hard to understand her struggles with the new age of technology and some personal issues. However, this angry adolescent is abandoned by her father, bullied by her peers, and neglected by her mother. The main robot, however, is a wise and likeable character. The people who made this movie are trying so hard not to copy Baymax's design and personality for this character.

Overall, the story is good, but the execution is poor. The film boasted strong messages, remarkable animation (thanks to the animators for using Blender), and incredible voice acting from John Krasinski, Charlyne Yi, David Cross, and Jason Sudeikis.

Being a Netflix animated movie, it is on par with those shown in cinemas. While it's not a product of animation giants Disney, Pixar, Blue Sky, Illumination, and DreamWorks, it is still a decent movie.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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