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The actor Chaim Topol has died in Israel after a long illness. He was 87 years old. The actor was famous for portraying Tevye in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof." There is not much profile of the actor, but I decided to make this obituary as short and sweet as possible.
Throughout his career, Topol was known by his surname. His acting career began after being assigned to the entertainment troop while serving in the Israeli army. The actor first came to international attention with his breakthrough role in the 1964 movie "Sallah Shabati." He has attributed his role in the London production of "Fiddler on the Roof" to his work on "Sallah Shabati," although he also played Tevye in Israel. He would later continue the role in the 1971 screen adaptation, which earned him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. His other memorable portrayals include Dr. Hans Zarkov in "Flash Gordon" and James Bond's ally, Columbo, in "For Your Eyes Only."
Stay tuned for this year's Oscars ceremony to announce the winners, which will be tomorrow.
Former international sex symbol/actress Raquel Welch has died after a short illness. She was 82 years old. Over 50 years, her career spanned more than 30 movies and 50 television series and appearances.
She began her career in two films in 1966, one of which was the science-fiction movie "Fantastic Voyage" and the other was a prehistoric drama called "One Million Years B.C." The latter, however, despite her character having a handful of lines, catapulted Raquel's status as a sex symbol. After the success of "Voyage" and "B.C.," Raquel went on to star in several films, including "Bedazzled" (later remade in 2000 with Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser) and "Myra Breckinridge." She also took home a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance as Constance de Bonacieux in the 1973 remake of "The Three Musketeers." Raquel would reprise her role in the sequel "The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge."
Throughout the 90s, she appeared in various sitcoms, such as "Seinfeld," in which she played herself, alluding to the legendary diva she had become. Welch also guest-starred in "Spin City," "Evening Shade," and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." At the turn of the century, her famous roles continued in films like "Legally Blonde" opposite Reese Witherspoon, where she played Mrs Vindham Vandermark, the ex-wife of the late Hayworth Vandermark, whose murder Witherspoon's Elle Woods helps solve. The "sex symbol" moniker also stuck as Welch's momentum continued to build. She has two children, including Tahnee Welch, who is also an actress.
Hello, everyone. I'm back and alive and kicking. I had just recovered from COVID (but I won't disclose the full details of that), but I haven't been doing much else on my blog except updating the cast and crew descriptions and a few of my reviews. Anyway, the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards went public yesterday. Here is the list of nominees in over 23 categories. Also, on a surprising note, Top Gun: Maverickand Avatar: The Way of Waterare among the nominees for Best Picture.
Best Visual Effects
All Quiet on the Western Front - Frank Petzold, Viktor Muller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
Avatar: The Way of Water - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
The Batman - Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
Top Gun: Maverick - Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher
Best Film Editing
The Banshees of Inisherin - Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Elvis - Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Paul Rogers
Tár - Monika Willi
Top Gun: Maverick - Eddie Hamilton
Best Costume Design
Babylon - Mary Zophres
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ruth E. Carter
Elvis - Catherine Martin
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Shirley Kurata
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - Jenny Beavan
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
All Quiet on the Western Front - Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová
The Batman - Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
Elvis - Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aido Signoretti
The Whale - Adrian Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley
Best Cinematography
All Quiet on the Western Front - James Friend
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths - Darius Khondji
Elvis - Mandy Walker
Empire Of Light - Roger Deakins
Tár - Florian Hoffmeister
Best Production Design
All Quiet on the Western Front - Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper
Avatar: The Way of Water - Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Proctor; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole
Babylon - Production Design: Florencio Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
Elvis - Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverly Dunn
The Fablemans - Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
Best Sound
All Quiet on the Western Front - Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemier, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
Avatar: The Way of Water - Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
The Batman - Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
Elvis - David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
Top Gun: Maverick - Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
Best Original Song
"Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman - Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
"Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick - Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
"Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson; Lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler
"Naatu Naatu" from RRR - Music by M. M. Keeravani; Lyrics by Chandabose
"This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once - Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyrics by Ryan Lott and David Bryne
Best Original Score
All Quiet on the Western Front - Volker Bertelmann
Babylon - Justin Hurwitz
The Banshees of Inisherin - Carter Burwell
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Son Lux
The Fabelmans - John Williams
Best Animated Short Film
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
The Flying Sailor - Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis
Ice Merchants - João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
My Year of Dicks - Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Robbin
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It - Lachlan Pendragon
Best Live-Action Short Film
An Irish Goodbye - Tom Berkely and Ross White
Ivalu - Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan
Le Pupille - Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón
Night Ride - Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen
The Red Suitcase - Cyrus Neshvad
Best Documentary Short Subject
The Elephant Whisperers - Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Haulout - Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
How Do You Measure a Year? - Jay Rosenblatt
The Martha Mitchell Effect - Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
Stranger at the Gate - Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
Best Documentary Feature
All That Breathes - Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed - Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
Fire of Love - Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
A House Made of Splinters - Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
Navalny - Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
Best International Feature Film
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) - Directed by Edward Berger
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) - Directed by Santiago Mitre
Close (Belgium) - Directed by Lukas Dhont
EO (Poland) - Directed by Jerzy Skolimonwski
The Quiet Girl (Ireland) - Directed by Colm Bairéad
Best Animated Feature Film
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio - Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkey
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
The Sea Beast - Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
Turning Red - Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins
Best Adapted Screenplay
All Quiet on the Western Front - Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell; based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson; based on characters created by Johnson and the film Knives Out
Living - Kazuo Ishiguro; based on the original motion picture screenplay Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni
Top Gun: Maverick - Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; based on the film Top Gun written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
Women Talking - Sarah Polley; based on the novel by Miriam Toews
Best Original Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
The Fablemans - Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
Tár - Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness - Ruben Östlund
Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Queen Ramonda
Hong Chau - The Whale as Liz
Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin as Siobhán Súilleabháin
Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once as Deirdre Beaubeirdre
Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All at Once as Joy Wang/Jobu Tupaki
Best Supporting Actor
Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin as Colm Doherty
Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway as James Aucoin
Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans as Boris Schlidkraut
Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin as Dominic Kearney
Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once as Waymond Wang
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Tár as Lydia Tár
Ana de Armas - Blonde as Norma Jeane Mortensen/Marilyn Monroe
Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie as Leslie Rowlands
Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans as Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman
Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once as Evelyn Quan Wang
Best Actor
Austin Butler - Elvis as Elvis Presley
Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin as Pádraic Súilleabháin
Brendan Fraser - The Whale as Charlie
Paul Mescal - Aftersun as Calum Paterson
Bill Nighy - Living as Mr Rodney Williams
Best Director
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Todd Field - Tár
Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
Ruben Östlund - Triangle of Sadness
Steven Spielberg - The Fabelmans
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front - Malte Grunert, producer
Avatar: The Way of Water - James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers
The Banshees of Inisherin - Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin and Martin McDonagh, producers
Elvis - Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormack and Schiller Weiss, producers
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, producers
The Fabelmans - Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, producers
Tár - Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, producers
Top Gun: Maverick - Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer
Triangle of Sadness - Erik Hemmendoff and Philippe Bober, producers
Women Talking - Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, producers
Honorary Awards
Euzhan Palcy
Diane Warren
Peter Weir
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Michael J. Fox
Make sure you let me know who the winners are. My predictions for the winners of the following categories are
Best Visual Effects - Avatar: The Way of Water
Best Production Design - Avatar: The Way of Water
Best Costume Design - Elvis
Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Elvis
Best Cinematography - Elvis
Best Original Song "Hold My Hand" - Top Gun: Maverick
Production Companies
Paramount Pictures (presents)
Marvel Enterprises (presents) Marvel Studios
Fairview Entertainment (in association with)
Dark Blades Films
Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Rating: M Runtime: 126 minutes
Budget: $140,000,000
Box Office Gross: $585,796,247 (Worldwide)
Plot Summary
When wealthy philanthropist Tony Stark ventures into Iraqi territory for a weapons demonstration, he gets injured and captured by Afghan terrorists who take him to their hideout. While imprisoned, Tony invents a weaponised suit of armour and uses it in an escape attempt. He safely returns home and uses his high-tech to perfect the armour, becoming the world's saviour, Iron Man. Cast
Robert Downey Jr. - Tony
Stark/Iron Man Terence Howard - Lt. Colonel
James "Rhodey" Rhodes
Jeff Bridges - Obadiah Stane
Gwyneth Paltrow - Virginia
"Pepper" Potts
Shaun Toub - Dr. Yinsen
Faran Tahir - Raza
Paul Bettany - JARVIS (Voice)
Jon Favreau - Hogan
Leslie Bibb - Christine Everhart
Clark Gregg - Agent Phil
Coulson
Bill Smitrovich - General Gabriel
Sayed Badreya - Abu Bakaar
Peter Billingsley - William
Ginter Riva
Tim Guinee - Major Allen
Kevin Foster - Jimmy Garrett Noel - Pratt
Eileen Weisinger - Ramirez
Ahmed Ahmed - Ahmed
Fahim Fazli - Omar
Gerard Sanders - Howard Stark
Nazanin Boniadi - Amira Ahmed
Thomas Craig Plumer - Colonel Craig
Jim Cramer - Himself (Cameo)
Stan Lee - Himself (Cameo)
Samuel L. Jackson - Nick Fury (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Crew
Executive Producer/Director - Jon Favreau
Based on the Marvel Comic Book/
Executive Producer - Stan Lee
Based on the Marvel Comic Book -
Don Heck, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby Screenplay - Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby,
Art Marcum and Mark Holloway
Script Supervisors - Rebecca Robertson
and Cristina Weigmann Executive Producers - Ari Arad,
Peter Billingsley, Jeremy Latcham
and David Maisel Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Louis D'Esposito Executive Producer/Executive in Charge of Production - Ross Fanger Producers - Avid Arad and Kevin Feige Co-Producer/Visual Effects Producer - Victoria Alonso
Military Advisor - Harry Humphries Casting Directors - Sarah Finn and Randi Hiller
Production Designer - J. Michael Riva Supervising Art Director - David F. Klassen Art Directors - Richard F. Mays
and Susan Wexler Set Decorator - Lauri Gaffin
Property Master - Russell Bobbitt
Costume Designers - Rebecca Gregg and Laura Jean Shannon
Suit Consultant - Adi Granov
Director of Photography/A-Camera Operator -
Matthew Libatique
Additional Photography - Gabriel Beristain
Director of Photography: Second Unit -
Jonathan Taylor
Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell
Aerial Camera Operator - Craig O'Brien
Helicopter Pilot - Kevin LaRosa
First Assistant Camera: "B" Camera - Taylor Matheson
Production Supervisor - David J. Grant
First Assistant Director - Eric Heffron
Second Assistant Director - Michael J. Moore
Second Assistant Director: Second Unit -
Chris Castaldi
Additional Second Second Assistant Director -
Marvin Williams Second Unit Director - Phil Neilson
Location Managers - Molly Allen
and Liz Matthews Stunt Coordinator - Thomas Robinson Harper
Stunt Coordinator: Second Unit - Keith Woulard
Aerial Stunt Coordinator - Tim Rigby
Special Effects Coordinator - Daniel Sudick
Special Effects - Stan Winston (Uncredited)
Suit Model Department Key Coordinator:
Stan Winston Studio - David Merritt
Second Unit Co-Coordinator: Stan Winston
Studio - Christopher Swift
Studio Co-Administrator: Stan Winston Studio -
John Rosengrant
Visual Effects Supervisor - John Nelson
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Ben Snow
Visual Effects Supervisor: The Orphanage -
Jonathan Rothbart
Visual Effects Supervisor: Lola Visual Effects -
Edson Williams
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor - Wesley Sewell Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Wayne Billheimer Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Aaron McBride Physical Suit Effects Supervisor - Shane Mahan
Visualisation/HUD Effects Supervisor - Kent Seki
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Hal T. Hickel
Associate Animation Supervisor: ILM - Marc Chu
Digital Production Supervisor: ILM - Douglas Smythe
Compositing Supervisor: ILM - Jeff Sutherland
CG Supervisor: ILM - Philippe Rebours
Digital Model Supervisor: ILM - Bruce Holcomb
Viewpaint Supervisor: ILM - Ron Woodall
Creature Supervisor: ILM - James Tooley
Film Editor - Dan Lebental
Additional Editors - Derek Brechin,
Greg Parsons and Michael Tronick
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor
(Uncredited)/Re-Recording Mixer - Christopher Boyes
Sound Designer - Shannon Mills
Supervising Sound Editor - Frank E. Eulner
ADR Supervisor - Michael Silvers
ADR Editor - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Sound Mixer - Mark Ulano
Foley Mixer - Frank Rinella
Foley Artists - Ronni Brown,
Ellen Heuer, Dennie Thorpe and
Lana Vance
Re-Recording Mixer - Lora Hirschberg
Music - Ramin Djawadi Additional Music Arranger/Composer/ Musician: Drums - Ryeland Allison
Additional Music Arrangers/Composers -
Lorne Balfe, Clay Duncan, Bobby Tahouri
and Atli Orvarsson (Uncredited)
Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan
Executive Music Producer - Hans Zimmer
Score Recordist - Geoff Foster
Score Mixer - Alan Meyerson
Awards 2009 Academy Awards
Best Sound Editing - Frank E. Eulner and
Christopher Boyes (Nominated)
Best Visual Effects - John Nelson, Ben Snow,
Daniel Sudick and Shane Mahan (Nominated)
Review
It was a great comic book movie, as IRON MAN was the first to launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in theatres, and the following year, Disney bought Marvel and its rights. Many comic-book fans were sceptical of this movie before it opened and regarded it as the MCU's best feature before The Avengers. The film was beginning to wear off its novelty. However, it is an excellent career choice for director Jon Favreau. He brought action and comedy with gusto before tackling the semi-decent sequel, Iron Man 2, and the partly animated, partly live-action remake of The Jungle Book.
It was a terrific comeback for Robert Downey Jr., proving that he could take on the role of the billionaire playboy Tony Stark, who becomes the wearer of a metal suit with no need for metaphysical powers. He outperformed the character as being himself, a little bit immature, but deadpan and witty. DC's Batman/Bruce Wayne was superior to Marvel's title character, as both were similarly wealthy and technologically advanced, and neither ever revealed their true identities to the public or any foe who might exploit them. Jeff Bridges was still a remarkable actor when portraying a villainous mentor like Obadiah Stane, who was affably evil and yet hid his true colours. He is the version of Lex Luthor that we never saw in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
I sincerely enjoyed the film for its style and visuals. I appreciate that IRON MAN hasn't gone unnoticed as an extraordinary film. It broke new ground for pre-released MCU films that later premiered, such as The Avengers, etc. Those who have seen the movie before will enjoy it with the other films in their order of continuity. Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie
Release Date: 18th March 2021 - Australia (Foxtel/BINGE Only)
Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Atlas Entertainment
The Stone Quarry
DC Entertainment
DC Films
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
HBO Max
Warner Max
Genre: Action
Rating: MA15+ (Not Suitable for Young Children)
Runtime: 242 minutes
Budget: $70,000,000
Plot Summary
After Superman's heroic sacrifice restores Bruce Wayne's faith in humanity and inspires him, he forms the Justice League by gathering a team of metahumans, including his newfound ally, Diana Prince.
Together, they must
confront an enemy more
menacing than any they
have faced before.
Cast
Ben Affleck - Bruce Wayne/
Batman
Henry Cavill - Clark Kent/
Superman
Gal Gadot - Diana Prince/
Wonder Woman
Ezra Miller - Barry Allen/The Flash
Jason Momoa - Arthur Curry/Aquaman
Ray Fisher - Victor Stone/
Cyborg
Ciarán Hinds - Steppenwolf
Ray Porter - Darkseid (Voice)
Robin Wright - Antiope
Connie Nielsen - Queen Hippolyta
Jeremy Irons - Alfred Pennyworth
J.K. Simmons - Commissioner Gordon
Amy Adams - Lois Lane
Diane Lane - Martha Kent
Amber Heard - Mera
Willem Dafoe - Nuidis Vulko
Joe Morton - Dr. Silas Stone
Harry Lennix - Swanwick/
Martian Manhunter
Lisa Loven Kongsli - Menalippe
David Thewlis - Ares (Cameo)
Sergio Constance - Zeus
Julian Lewis Jones - Ancient Atlantean King
Richard Clifford - German Archaeologist
Kobina Holdbrook-Smith - Detective Crispus Allen
Francis Magee - Ancient King of Men
Doutzen Korea - Venezia
Brooke Ence - Penthesilea
Hari James - Trigona Ann Ogbomo - Philippus
Samantha Win - Euboea
Kiersey Clemons - Iris West
Peter Guinness - DeSaad (Voice)
Zheng Kai - Ryan Choi
Marc McClure - Jerry
Joe Manganiello - Deathstroke
Billy Crudup - Henry Allen (Uncredited)
Karen Bryson - Elinore Stone
Jesse Eisenberg - Lex Luthor (Cameo)
Jared Leto - The Joker
Russell Crowe - Jor-El (Cameo)
Gary A. Hecker - Creature Vocals
Crew
Story/Director - Zack Snyder
Superman Creators - Jerry Siegel
and Joe Shuster
Justice League of America Creator - Gardner Fox
Batman Creators - Bob Kane
and Bill Finger
Wonder Woman Creator - William Moulton Marston
Fourth World Creator - Jack Kirby
Story/Screenplay/Executive Producer -
Chris Terrio
Story - Will Beall
Executive Producers - Christopher Nolan,
Emma Thomas, Wesley Coller, Ben Affleck,
Curt Kanemoto, Benjamin Melinker and
Michael E. Uslan
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Jim Rowe
Producers - Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder
Co-Producers/Unit Production Managers -
Marianne Jenkins and Gregor Wilson
Casting Directors - Kristy Carlson,
Lora Kennedy and Kate Ringsell
Horse Master - Daniel Naparous
Production Designer - Patrick Tatopoulos
Concept Artists - Ed Natividad,
Christian Scheurer, Dan Walker,
Victor Martinez, Robert McKinnon
and Alex Caldow
Supervising Art Directors - Helen Jarvis
and Christian Huband
Art Directors - Matt Gray, Paul Laugier,
Samuel Leake, Keith Pain, Andrew Palmer,
Helen Xenopoulos, Hayley Easton-Street
and Peter James
Set Decorator - Dominic Capon
Property Master - Ben Wilkinson
Costume Designer - Michael Wilkinson
Costume Effects Supervisor - Graham Churchyard
HOD Prop Modeller/Costume Effects - Pierre Bohanna
Makeup Designer - Victoria Down
Makeup Designer: Ben Affleck - Kate Biscoe
Director of Photography - Fabian Wagner
2nd Unit Director of Photography -
Jean-Philippe Gossart
Aerial Director of Photography - David B. Nowell
First Assistant Director - Misha Bukowski
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -
Damon Caro
Stunt Coordinator - Eunice Huthart
Fight Coordinator - Mike Lambert
Fight Choreographers - Freddy Boucegues
and Matthew Rugetti
Aerial Coordinator - David Paris
Helicopter Pilot - Marc Wolff
Picture Vehicle Coordinator - Alex King
Special Effects Supervisor - Mark Holt
Special Effects Coordinator - Carmila Gittens
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -
Joe Letteri
Visual Effects Supervisor - John 'D.J.' Des Jardin
Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -
Kevin Andrew Smith
Visual Effects Supervisors: Scanline VFX -
Bryan Hirota and Julius Lechner
Visual Effects Supervisors: DNEG -
Mike Stillwell and Alexander Seaman
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor:
Weta Digital - Anders Langlands
Animation Supervisor: Weta Digital -
Simeon Duncombe
Visual Effects Animation Supervisor:
Scanline VFX - Clement Yip
Pre-Visualisation Supervisor - Steve Yamamoto
Editor - David Brenner
Additional Editors - Carlos M. Castillón
and Dody Dorn
Sound Design & Supervision - Scott Hecker
and Chuck Michael
Production Sound Mixer - John Casali
Re-Recording Mixers - Andy Koyama
and Michael Keller
Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker,
Adam DeCoster and Michael Broomberg
Music - Tom Holkenborg
Review
Remember when JUSTICE LEAGUE came out in 2017? It turned out not as good as we expected from Warner and DC. Well, what went wrong with this picture? It's because of everything that has happened, including a personal tragedy that has befallen Zack Snyder, studio interference, and Joss Whedon taking over with a lighter, wittier approach to replicate the success of his first two Avengers movies. It results in scenes that have been re-shot and re-edited, with newer ones proving unnecessary, making the film feel uneven and losing its energy and lustre. Fortunately, the release of Zack Snyder's version of JUSTICE LEAGUE represents a significant improvement over the theatrical cut, with the director having complete control over the final touches. Thanks to its fans' support.
Zack Snyder did a terrific job reassembling the pieces of his original version out of love for his daughter, giving fans a more insightful experience of the film. It contains his immense visual style, full-blown creativity, and impactful action sequences, which show what the film could've been if the studio executives and Joss Whedon hadn't overhauled the storyline in such an incoherent, messy way. His take on the movie adds depth and motivation to characters not in the Whedon cut, particularly the villain Steppenwolf, who is no longer a generic doomsday threat. I take back what I said about the plot point of Superman's resurrection. I was wrong, and it significantly enhances the plot. The tone is lighter, though not nearly as much as in the theatrical cut. The only issue with this version is its runtime, approximately 242 minutes.
The acting is better than the original, with standout performances from Ray Fisher, whose character is essential to the story. Ray Porter makes a good impression as Darkseid, a villain noticeably absent in the Whedon cut. Even the CGI overhaul is polished.
Most directors' cuts have substantially improved the original, but the Snyder Cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE is no exception. It is what the fans have been waiting for. I'll get around to watching it again next time. I highly recommend it for DC fans.
Associate Producer/First Assistant Director - Maria
Battle-Campbell
Associate Producer/UPM:
New Zealand - Brigitte Yorke
Executive Producer/Virtual
Second Unit Director/Visual
Effects Supervisor: Lightstorm - Richard Baneham
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
David Valdes
Producer - Jon Landau
Casting Director - Margery Simkin
Creator: Na'vi Language - Paul R. Frommer
Creator of Na'vi Sign Language - CJ Jones
Dialect Coach - Carla Meyer
Movement & Performance Coach - JoAnn Fregalette Jansen
Production Designers - Dylan Cole and Ben Procter
Lead Creature Designer - Zachary Berger
Creature Designers - Ian Joyner and
Constantine Jerkis
Lead Character Designer - Joseph C. Pepe
Character Design Supervisor: Legacy Effects -
John Rosengrant
Key Character Designers: Legacy Effects -
Scott Patton, Glen Hanz, Simon Webber
and Jared Krichevsky
Supervising Art Directors - Luke Freeborn,
Aashrita Kamath and Kim Sinclair
Art Directors - Rudie Schaefer,
Stephen Christensen, Sarah Delucchi,
Steven Light-Orr, Simon Bright, Ben Milsom,
Alister Baxter, Rob Bavin, Andy McLaren,
Ken Turner and Andrew Chan
Concept Art Directors - Fausto De Martini,
Jonathan Bach and Steven Messing
Design Art Director: Weta Workshop - Stephen Crowe
Na'vi Costume Art Director & Supervisor -
Flo Foxworthy
Concept Artists - John Park, David Levy,
Saiful Haque, Jonathan Berube, Joseph Hiura,
Nick Gindraux, Annis Naeem and Daphne Yap
Concept Artists: Weta Workshop -
Jeremy Hanna, Rebekah Tisch, William Bennett,
Adam Anderson, Iona Brinch, Thomas Oates,
Greg Tozer Tahiwi Trenor-Hunt, Adam Middleton,
Yoojin Seong, Gus Hunter, Joshua Damian,
Ken Samonte, Qingyi Li, Vaughan Flanagan,
Jerome Morris, Russell Lu, Paul Tobin,
Leri Greer, Lindsey Crummett and
Andrew Baker
Creative Lead: Weta Workshop - Richard Taylor
Head of Manufacture: Weta Workshop -
Rob Gillies
Project Supervisors: Weta Workshop -
Joe Dunckley, Mona Peters, Jake Evill,
Brad Cunningham and Jack Taylor
Construction Supervisor - Neil Kirkland
Set Decorator - Vanessa Cole
Property Master - Brad Elliott
Head Armourer - Gunner Ashford
Costume Designer - Deborah L. Scott
Head Makeup & Hair - Sarah Rubano
Director of Photography - Russell Carpenter
2nd Unit and Additional Cinematography - Richard Bluck
Underwater Cinematographer - Peter Zuccarini
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -
Garrett Warren
Assistant Stunt Coordinator - Steve Brown
New Zealand Stunt Coordinator - Stuart Thorp
2nd Unit Stunt Coordinator - Steven John Brown
Performance Free Diver Instructor -
Kirk Krack
Supervising Dive Master - John Garvin
Spider Physical Fitness Coach - Josh Murillo
Live-Action Special Effects Supervisor -
Steve Ingram
Special Effects Supervisor: Performance
Capture - J.D. Schwalm
On Set Coordinator - Richard Schwalm
Special Effects Offset Coordinators -
Karl Chisholm and Darian Lumsden
Co-Supervisors: Legacy Effects - J. Alan Scott,
Lindsay MacGowan and Shane Mahan
Model Shop Supervisor: Legacy Effects -
Dave Merritt
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor - Joe Letteri
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta FX -
Eric Saindon
Visual Effects Supervisors: Weta FX -
R. Christopher White, Wayne Stables, Mark Gee,
Nick Epstein, Sergei Nevshupov, Ken McGaugh,
Stephen Unterfranz, Pavani Rao Boddapati
and Dan Cox
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - David Vickery
Head of FX: Weta FX - Jonathan Nixon
Associate Visual Effects Supervisors: Weta FX -
Sam Cole and Francois Sugny
Associate Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Jan Maroske
Visual Effects Producer - Walter Garcia
Visual Effects Producers: Weta FX -
Lena Scanlan and Nicky Muir
Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Led Briggs
VFX Production Manager: ILM - Rachel Cohen
Virtual Production Producer - Richard E. Hollander
Virtual Production Supervisor - Ryan Champaney
Virtual Production Supervisor: Weta FX -
Dejan Momcilovic
Senior Animation Supervisor: Weta FX -
Daniel Barrett
Animation Supervisors: Weta FX - Eric Reynolds,
Stephen Clee, Anneka Fris, Sidney Kombo,
Todd Labonte, Ignacio Bayardo Peńa and Nick Stein
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Kiel Figgins
Pre-Production Supervisor: Weta FX - Marco Revelant
CGI Supervisors: ILM - Steve Ellis,
Will Gallyot and Miguel Perez Senent
Facial Motion Supervisor: Weta FX - Stuart Adcock
Environmental Supervisors: Weta FX -
Dean Lewandowski and Motoki Mark Nishii
Head of Creatures: Weta FX - Gios Johnston
Sequence Supervisors - Steve Deane,
Andrew Moffett, AJ Briones, Ben Shupe,
Paolo Joel Ziemba and Mark Nelson
Supervising Stage Operator - Dan Fowler
Stage Operators - Buffy Bailey,
Jerry Zigounakis, Connor Gartland,
Ian Adams, Shéa W. C. Melville and
James Turner
Motion Edit Supervisor - Don De Castro
Simulcam Supervisor - Casey Schatz
Editors - David Brenner,
John Refoua and Stephen E. Rivkin
Additional Picture Editors - Jason Gaudio
and Ian Silverstein
Re-Recording Mixer/Supervising
Sound Editor & Sound Designer -
Christopher Boyes
Supervising Sound Editors - Dick Bernstein
and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Sound Designers - Dave Whitehead
and Dave Chirastka
Production Mixers - Julian Howarth
and Tony Johnson
Re-Recording Mixers - Michael Hedges
and Gary Summers
Additional Re-Recording Mixer -
Alexis Feodoroff
Music - Simon Franglen
Original Avatar Themes - James Horner
Review
More than 12 years after its release, Avatar became the all-time highest-grossing film at the box office and revolutionised 3D movies. The whole world has eagerly awaited the prospect of the sequel, THE WAY OF WATER, which is now in cinemas asthey promised for a lifetime. However, the novelty of the original has worn off, but it hasn't stopped everyone from seeing the latest chapter before they can trash it, or at least admire its visual splendour. Like its predecessor, THE WAY OF WATER got held in development longer than anyone had ever imagined. James Cameron has his hands full developing the concept while pushing the limits of mo-cap technology even further by shooting scenes underwater. It's been a long time since Cameron churned out anything fresh. Yes, this is the same former visual effects artist and filmmaker who brought us the Terminator series (and nearly killed it), Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, and Titanic.
Despite the movie's three-hour runtime and a plot that isn't groundbreaking (an ongoing flaw of the original), the visuals blew me away with their technical achievements, even more so than in the first instalment. Still, it is nice to revisit the alien world of Pandora after 13 years since first experiencing it. We finally got to see more of it, to the point where the world-building began, a common aspect in most sequels. James Cameron has delivered on that promise, meeting the audience's expectations. Surprisingly, he had not leaned into that territory for almost 30 years when he directed Terminator 2. It proved that he was still at the top of his game.
I was fascinated by the island and underwater settings, which blended seamlessly into the movie and made those landscapes far more breathtaking than Pandora's rainforests. The film touches upon themes of family, responsibility, and environmentalism.
Sigourney Weaver appears young when portraying Jake Sully's adopted teenage daughter, which seems like the oddest casting decision, given her age. Then again, it has all to do with the digital wizardry of performance capture, which gives her the best performance of her career, compared to her stiff, awkward performance in the first Avatar movie. There's even a human character raised on Pandora, and other humans killed off in the original came back to life as Avatars.
I don't care what some people think of THE WAY OF WATER. It'sone of the top movies of 2022, ranking third behind only The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick. It is an immense visual experience that may stun them, as it happened more than a decade ago with the first movie. Time will tell whether the third will happen, along with the fourth, if the second will prove as successful as the first.
Actress Kirstie Alley died on 5 December 2022 after a short battle with colon cancer. She was 51 years old. The actress was best known for her roles in the TV series "Cheers" and "Veronica's Closet," as well as in films such as "Look Who's Talking" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous."
Born in 1951 in Kansas, Alley's career began in 1982 with a role as a Vulcan officer on "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in other movies, including "Champions," "One More Chance," "Blind Date," and "Runaway," which did little to boost her prospects. In 1987, the same year that she starred in the comedy film "Summer School," which was a box-office success. Kirstie was to join the cast and play her breakout role on the hit sitcom "Cheers." She remained on the show for six years until its eleventh and final season. She co-starred with John Travolta in "Look Who's Talking," which grossed over $295 million worldwide and was a huge hit. They re-teamed and went on to make two sequels, "Look Who's Talking Too" and "Look Who's Talking Now."
Alley appeared in more films, including Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and starred in her sitcom "Veronica's Closet." In later years, Alley appeared on several reality shows, including the US version of "Dancing With The Stars" (in which she finished in second place). She has also appeared in Ryan Murphy's comedy series "Scream Queens" in 2014 and 2015.
Here's a clip that showcases her performance in "Look Who's Talking."
