#John Hemphill

[laderniereseancedecedrique]

BAD BOYS : RIDE OR DIE (2024)

Quatre ans après la mort d'Isabel Aretas, l'inspecteur de la police de Miami Mike Lowrey épouse sa physiothérapeute, Christine. Lors de la réception, son partenaire Marcus Burnett, est victime d'une légère crise cardiaque. Pendant son coma, il a une vision de son ancien capitaine Conrad Howard, tué quelques années plus tôt par Armando, le fils caché de Mie. Dans ce rêve, l'ancien capitaine lui dit que ce n'est cependant pas son heure.

Marcus sort du coma quelques jours plus tard. Il se sent alors transformé et invincible. Il prévient son partenaire qu'une tempête approche... En effet, un homme force un banquier d'un cartel à verser une importante somme d'argent sur le compte du capitaine Howard. Peu de temps après, un reportage télévisée implique le capitaine Howard dans une affaire de corruption liée à des cartels de la drogue. Pour redorer l'image de leur ancien capitaine, Mike et Marcus sont déterminés à prouver son innocence malgré les doutes de leur capitaine Rita Secada et de son nouveau petit ami, le procureur Adam Lockwood, candidat à la mairie. Par ailleurs, Judy, la fille de Conrad, aujourd'hui US Marshal, jure à Mile qu'elle n’hésitera pas à abattre son fils si elle l'a dans sa ligne de mire

Les deux policiers rendent visite au fils de Mike, Armando Aretas, qui est incarcéré dans une prison de Central Florida pour le meurtre d'Howard. Armando leur dit que Howard n'était pas corrompu, mais savait qui l'était, alors les fonctionnaires corrompus l'ont engagé, lui et sa mère, pour tuer Howard parce qu'il était sur le point de révéler la corruption et propose de les aider à identifier la personne responsable du meurtre de Howard. Alors que l'agent corrompu fouille dans les archives numériques du capitaine Howard, cela envoie une message pré-enregistré à Mike et Marcus dans lequel Howard leur dit de ne faire confiance à personne, même au sein de la police.

Les deux policiers rendent ensuite visite à Fletcher, l'ancien hacker informatique aujourd'hui repenti. Alors qu'il s’apprêtait à détailler ce qu'il a fait par Howard, Fletcher est tué d'une balle dans la tête par les conspirateurs. Une intense fusillade a ensuite lieu dans le club de Fletcher et se poursuit sur la voie publique. Galvanisé par sa récente résurrection, Marcus se sent invincible alors que Mike est victime d'une crise de panique. Ils retournent ensuite sur les lieux du crime et parlent de l'affaire à Rita. Elle continue à douter de l’innocence du capitaine Howard. Grâce à l'aide des agents Dorn et Kelly de l'AMNO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations), ils retrouvent une vidéo plus complète de Howard indiquant que cela a peut-être un lien avec la saisie de drogue des Haïtiens en 2003.

En prison, Armando se fait attaquer violemment par deux hommes mais parvient à se défendre. Mike explique à Rita que son fils peut identifier le traitre. Il implore sa capitaine et le procureur Adam Lockwood de le faire transférer à Miami. Mike et Marcus participent eux-mêmes au transfert par avion. Durant le vol, Marcus a mauvais pressentiment. En effet, le traitre et un complice sont montés à bord. Ils forcent le pilote à annoncer par radio que Armando s'est échappé grâce à Mike et Marcus. Le pilote est ensuite tué et l'appareil est sur le point de se crasher, alors que les criminels sont parvenus à sauter. La cage dans laquelle est retenu Armando menace de tomber dans le vide. Mike parvient à sauver son fils. Armando et Marcus tentent alors de poser l'hélicoptère, qui s'écrase en forêt. Au sol, Armando veut partir seul de son côté. Marcus tente d’apaiser les tensions entre le père le fils. Mike insiste pour qu'Armando prouve l'innocence du capitaine Howard. Ils décident de retourner à Miami pour retrouver les fichiers de Dorn. La police et les US Marshals, menés par Judy Howard, se lancent à la recherche des trois hommes, désormais considérés comme fugitif. La fille du capitaine suspecte les deux policiers d'avoir aider Armando à s'échapper, malgré les remarques de Rita. Les médias s'emparent de l'affaire. De plus, les conspirateurs mettent leurs têtes à prix auprès de tous les criminels de la ville. Mike, Marcus et Armando passent la nuit en forêt. Le lendemain, ils volent un pick-up et parviennent à revenir à Miami. Ils demandent de l'aide à une femme nommé Tabitha dans une boîte de nuit. Mais cette dernière décide de les livrer pour toucher la prime de 5 millions de dollars. Les trois fugitifs se font repérer par les Marshals, ainsi que par d'autres tueurs attirés par l’appât du gain, dont Manny « the Butcher ». Ils s'enfuient à bord d'une camionnette qui prend feu. Lors de la poursuite, Judy essie de tirer sur Armando mais le rate.

Les Bad Boys et Armando se rendent ensuite chez Dorn et s'aperçoivent qu'il est en couple avec Kelly. Celle-ci s'énerve et sort son arme quand elle aperçoit Armando. Ils se lancent tous ensemble dans d'intenses recherches et investigations pour retrouver le coupable. Sur une image de vidéo-surveillance, Armando le reconnait. Dorn parvient à l'identifier. Il s'agit de James McGrath, ancien membre du régiment de rangers et de la DEA. Capturé puis torturé par le cartel lors d'une mission d'infiltration, McGrath a fini par se lier à eux. Mike avertit ensuite Rita qu'ils détiennent la preuve de l'innocence du capitaine Howard. En piratant la vidéo-surveillance de chez Marcus, Dorn s'aperçoit qu'un commando va s'en prendre à sa famille. Marcus contacte alors son gendre Reggie, membre du corps des Marines, pour protéger les siens. Reggie parvient à les sauver.

Bouleversée par toute cette affaire, Callie, la petite fille du capitaine Howard, rejoint Christine. Elles sont alors prises en otage par James McGrath et ses hommes. Il exige qu'on lui livre les preuves en échange de leurs vies. Mike et Marcus comprennent qu'ils ont été balancés. Ils suspectent alors rapidement Adam Lockwood d'être la taupe. Rita tente de récupérer le téléphone de son compagnon mais celui-ci s'emporte et la frappe violemment. Rita est sauvée à temps par Kelly et Dorn. Très choquée, Rita trouve du réconfort auprès de Mike. De son côté, Judy apprend que sa fille a été kidnappée. Lockwood tente ensuite de se justifier auprès de Rita.

N'ayant confiance en personne, Mike et Marcus ne peuvent compter que sur Armando, Rita, Dorn et Kelly. En se faisant passer pour Lockwood, ils fixent rendez-vous à McGrath dans un parc aquatique abandonné à Islamorada, loin de toute civilisation. Sur place, Mike a McGrath dans son viseur mais panique au moment de tirer, alors qu'une fusillade est déclenchée par Armando. Mike a alors une vision du capitaine Howard qui le rassure. Marcus le « réveille » avec une grosse gifle qui le rebooste. Les deux Bad Boys et Armando canardent ensuite les hommes de McGrath, aidés à distance par Dorn et ses drones, alors que Lockwood tente de s'échapper par avion, qui finit par s'écraser sur le parc. Marcus tombe ensuite à l'eau, alors qu'un immense alligator blanc approche et l'attaque au bras. Il est cependant sauvé par Mike. De son côté, Armando affronte les hommes de McGrath et tente de protéger Callie. Il est cependant sévèrement blessé. Mike et Marcus se lancent alors aux trousses de McGrath qui a pris Christine en otage. Dorn, Rita et Kelly arrivent ensuite sur les lieux. Dorn est blessé à l'épaule par Lockwood. Ce dernier tombe ensuite à l'eau et est dévoré par l'alligator, alors que Judy Howard et les Marshals arrivent sur place.

Sur la plage, McGrath tient en joue Marcus et Christine. Mike tire d'abord sur le gilet pare-balles de son partenaire puis abat McGrath. Judy retrouve ensuite Armando et essaie de le tuer. Callie la supplie de le laisser en vie et lui explique qu'il lui a sauvé la vie. Alors qu'elle reçoit un appel radio demandant sa position, elle décide de laisser partir Armando. Mike conseille ensuite à son fils d'aller droit vers le sud. Mike, ému, regarde son fils s'éloigner. Sur la plage, les secours emmènent Marcus, alors que peu à peu les médias innocentent Conrad Howard. Toute l'équipe se retrouve ensuite pour un barbecue dans un parc public.

[jazzdailyblog]

David Murray: The Revolutionary Voice of Contemporary Jazz

Introduction: David Murray, a towering figure in the world of jazz, has redefined the boundaries of the genre with his innovative approach and virtuosic saxophone playing. With a career spanning over four decades, Murray has captivated audiences around the world with his unique blend of traditional jazz, avant-garde experimentation, and global influences. In this blog post, we will explore the…

[jmunneytumbler]

'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' Has Some Lies to Clear Up

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, what you gonna ride? What you gonna ride, when you ride or die? (CREDIT: Frank Masi/Columbia Pictures) Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, Rhea Seehorn, Joe Pantoliano, Tiffany Haddish, John Salley, DJ Khaled, Dennis Greene, Quinn Hemphill Directors: Adil El…

[sunnyhoneyshimmermagic]

(Dee Dee and Teddy are at town square, selling apples and introducing our story):

Dee Dee: Get 'em while they're fresh! Apples! Christmas apples!

Teddy: We got Mclntosh!

Dee Dee: Get your Christmas apples.

Teddy: Red Delicious. Tuppence apiece while they last. Whatever the fuck that means.

Dee Dee: We... They won't last long the way you're eating them.

Teddy: Hey. I'm creatin' scarcity. Drives the prices up. Read all about it in Ladie's Home Journal

Dee Dee (sighs): Teddy... (sees us) Hello! Welcome to The Big Nate Christmas Carol! I am here to tell the story, in my usual dramatic fashion!

Teddy: And I am here for the food and bantz! This Christmas, I wanna be written with an actual character!

Dee Dee: My name is Charles Dickens.

Teddy: And my name is Teddy Ortiz! Hey, wait a second. You're not Charles Dickens!

Dee Dee: I am too!

Teddy: No. Dickens was called that for a reason!

Dee Dee: omg it's 2023

Teddy: your name isn't even Charles!

Dee Dee: good, cringe name

Teddy: Dickens was a 19th-century novelist! A genius! God I hang around Francis too much.

Dee Dee: Oh, you're too kind. :3

Teddy: Why should I believe you?

Dee Dee: Well... Because I know the story of "A Christmas Carol" like the back of my hand.

Teddy: do I smell a wager?

Dee Dee: I hope, otherwise I didn't brush my teeth well.

Teddy: ugh, just prove it! Prove you know it!

Dee Dee: All right. Um, there's a little mole on my thumb, from when I tried to taste the wood on my stage, and, uh, a scar on my wrist, from when I fell off my bicycle performing as Lance Armstrong: licence to juice.

Teddy: No, No, No, No, Don't tell us your hand. Tell us the story!!

Dee Dee: Oh! Oh!

Teddy: Thank you. Yes.

Dee Dee (ahem): The Betancourts were dead to begin with.

Teddy: Wha, Wha... Pardon me?

Dee Dee: That's how the story begins, Teddy. The Betancourts were dead to begin with. As dead as a doornail.

Teddy (getting into it): ooh! It's a good beginning! It's creepy and kind of spooky. Like Mrs. Godfrey in a conga line.

Dee Dee: Thank you, Teddy!

Teddy: You're welcome, Mrs. Dickens!

Dee Dee: now, where was I? Ah, yes. In life, the Betancourts had been business partners... With a shrewd moneylender named Gina Hemphil-Scrooge. You will meet her as she comes around that corner.

Teddy: Where?

Dee Dee: There. See, next to the klassic komix and Mr. Pretzel?

Teddy: Uh huh! When?

Dee Dee: Not yet... Not yet... Let the tension rise...

Teddy: I am, I am!

Dee Dee: ...Now!

(Gina enters, draped in a black coat and top hat, carrying a cane. Every step calculated and cold)

Dee Dee: There she is! Ms. Gina Hemphil-Scrooge.

Teddy: Say, Is it gettin' colder out here?

(Song)

Emmit the custodian: When a cold wind blows it chills you

Chills you to the bone

Czerwicki: But there's nothing in nature that

Freezes your heart

Like years of being alone

Rosa: It paints you with indifference

Like a lady paints with rouge

Clarke: And the worst of the worst

The most hated and cursed

Is the one that we call Scrooge (yeah)

Chester: Unkind as any

And the wrath of many

This is Gina Hemphil-Scrooge

Miranda, Angie, Kelly, Trudy, Kim, Jenny: Oh, there goes Ms. Humbug

There goes Ms. Grim

If they gave a prize for bein' unfair

The winner would be her

Brindle: Oh, Gina loves her money

'Cause she thinks it gives her power

If she became a flavor you can bet she would be sour

Staples, Shipulski, Calhoon, John, Galvin: There goes Ms. Skinflint

There goes Ms. Greed

The undisputed mistress of

The underhanded deed

Marty: She charges folks a fortune

For her dark and drafty houses

Vern and Marge: Poor folk live in misery

Uncle Ted: It's even worse for louses

Miranda, Angie, Kelly, Trudy, Kim, Jenny: She must be so lonely

She must be so sad

She goes to extremes

To convince us she's bad

She's really a victim of fear and of pride

Look close and there must be

A sweet girl inside.

...

Naaaah!

Everyone: There goes Ms. Outrage

There goes Ms. Sneer

Ahe has no time for friends or fun

Her anger makes that clear

Don't ask her for a favor

'Cause her nastiness increases

No crust of bread for those in need

No cheeses for us meeses

There goes Ms. Heartless

There goes Ms. Cruel

She never gives

She only takes

She lets this hunger rule

If bein' mean's a way of life you

Practice and rehearse

Then all that work is paying off

'Cause Gina's getting worse

Every day

In every way

Gina is getting worse!

(Gina sharply turns, giving a cold stare)

Everyone: OH, UM, I HAVE SOMETHING TO DO SUDDENLY

(They escape)

Gina (quiet rage): ...Humbug.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Gregory Edward “Greg” Hemphill born 14th December 1969 in Glasgow.

I think the majority of us will know who Greg is, one half of the successful partnership with partner, Ford Kiernan that is Still Game.

The family left Scotland when Greg was twelve years old, and he spent much of his childhood in Montreal, Canada. Greg returned home to study at Glasgow University, in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, graduating MA in 1992.

Greg made his acting debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1990. His work includes roles in God Plus Support in the Theatre and Only an Excuse. He is a regular on the comedy circuit. He also ventured into radio as the original presenter of football show, Off the Ball on BBC Radio Scotland and The Eddie Mair Show. As well as writing for Still Game and Chewin The Fat he has written for Channel 4 programme Space Cadets, BBC’s Pulp Video and The Ferguson Theory.

Still Game has transferred successfully onto the big stage and has sold out countless times at The Hydro. The third and final run of the shows Still Game: The Final Farewell was officially announced on 1st November 2018. The ninth and final series of Still Game was screened in 2019 The show won an ‘Outstanding Contribution’ TV award at Scottish Baftas that year.

Away from his work Greg is a bit of a card shark, he plays in competitions, he has won over thirty thousand dollars in competitions and was third in the Scottish Championships in 2002

Greg has been kind of quiet of late, but the good news is he returns to our screens on Hogmanay with a new sketch show. The show is set to bring up all the biggest talking points of this year – from COP26 to the wild swimming phenomenon. The show titled “Queen of the New Year” will star Greg and Robert Florence along with Barbara Rafferty, Clive Russell, Gayle Telfer Stevens, Louise McCarthy, John Gordon Sinclair and Juliet Cadzow, so some familiar faces from Still Game and Burnistoun.

Greg is married to Balamory star Julie Wilson Nimmo, 46, they announced they are to their own production company launch Blue Haven Productions Limited. The latest from Greg and Julie who live in the West End of Glasgow, is they will be teaming up who live in the West End, are appearing together in Olga da Polga, the first-ever television adaptation of Paddington creator Michael Bond’s beloved books. The new 13-part, live-action and animation series is produced by Glasgow-based production company Marakids, and it has been made with the full support of the Bond family.

Greg and Julie have been married since 1999, they met while both were working on the 90s sketch show Pulp Video. Greg says of them;

“We met on sketch shows, and we always laughed a lot. We still do. There are lots of laughs, lots of carry on when we work together.”

Greg and his Still Game sidekick Ford Kiernan launched a whisky, named after their characters Jack and Vioctor two or three years back, and the knobs at Jack Daniels objected after the pair later applied to register the name as a trademark for whisky and other drink-related services. The matter ended up going to an arbitrator. The Tennessee-based company claimed the drink, named after Still Game’s two main characters, could confuse customers and make them think they were endorsing the Scotch blend.

The firm argued the name could allow the Scottish whisky to cash in on the recognition of the well-known brand.

Hemphill, who plays the character Victor, provided evidence during the dispute while managing director Justin Welch provided evidence for Jack Daniel’s.

Hemphill said Still Game was a popular show across the UK, particularly in Scotland, arguing that “Jack and Victor” has become synonymous with the BBC programme.

It was a great triumph for the small guy versus golliath, Jack Daniel’s was ordered to pay £3,200 to Jack and Victor Limited, the company used to market the whisky earlier this year.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Spiritual Warfare: 'God's People Know His Voice' by Steve Hemphill

Devotional for Friday, August 18, 2023

"But you do not believe Me [so you do not trust and follow Me] because you are not My sheep. The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me." — John 10:26-27

Lord, help me to be a better child of faith. Help me to truly trust You and know the exact sound of Your voice. The world is full of voices that call me to go after position, power, riches, pleasures, or charismatic people. Please help me turn the volume down on the voices that come at me from every side, Lord, and know the one true voice — Your voice. Help me to yield my will to Yours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[lboogie1906]

Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 – December 10, 1999) was a stand-up comedian and actress.

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, she moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. After working the Los Angeles comedy club circuit, her routine attracted attention leading to her being cast in guest-starring roles on television. In 1976, she landed the role of brassy waitress Shirley Wilson on What’s Happening!!. She was cast in One in a Million.

In 1985, she reprised her role as Shirley Wilson in the syndicated revival of What’s Happening!! titled What’s Happening Now!! She returned to stand-up comedy and made occasional appearances in films and television until her death.

She attended Hill Street School and Stephens-Lee High School and won an athletics scholarship to Morristown College where she majored in Physical Education.

She sent a cassette tape of one of her comedy routines to Flip Wilson. He was impressed by her routine and in turn, sent her a cassette recorder and a dozen roses. He invited her to visit the set of The Flip Wilson Show. She returned to her job in Asheville but decided to pursue a comedy career instead. She quit her job and traveled to Los Angeles by bus. She got a job waitressing during the day and performed at The Comedy Store at night.

She had a guest role on Good Times which led to another guest-starring role on All’s Fair. After seeing her performance on Good Times.

She spent most of the early 1980s working in nightclubs around the US and doing the occasional guest appearance on TV shows, including The Love Boat, Trapper John, M.D., Martin, and The Wayans Bros. She appeared in her first movie, CB4. She co-starred in her second movie, Shoot the Moon.

She performed her stand-up routine on several popular TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, A&E’s An Evening at the Improv, Black Comedy Showcase, and Black Comedy Tonight. She was a regular at The Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles. She appeared in an episode of The Jenny Jones Show in a What’s Happening!! reunion show. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[nothingunrealistic]

the votes:

Isabel Santiago (u/s Heidi, Cynthia): “Jared has camp friends.” [🏕️]

Pablo David Laucerica (Jared): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Valeria Ceballos (u/s Zoe, Alana): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Coleen Sexton (Heidi): “I think he has real friends.” [❤️]

Alaina Anderson (Zoe): “Definitely camp friends. Don’t tell him I said that.” [🏕️]

Reese Sebastian Diaz (u/s Evan, Connor, Jared): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

John Hemphill (Larry): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Gillian Jackson Han (u/s Zoe, Alana): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Micaela Lamas (Alana): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Daniel Robert Sullivan (u/s Larry): “He has real friends!” [❤️]

Lili Thomas (Cynthia): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Ian Coursey (u/s Connor, Jared): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Anthony Norman (Evan): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Pierce Wheeler (u/s Evan, Jared): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Kelsey Venter (u/s Heidi, Cynthia): “Oh, he’s got real friends somewhere! He does!” [❤️]

Nikhil Saboo (Connor): “Camp friends.” [🏕️]

Jeffrey Cornelius (alternate Evan, u/s Jared): “Neither.”

the totals: 13 votes for camp friends 🏕️ / 3 votes for real friends ❤️

[dustedmagazine]

Russ Johnson Quartet — Reveal (Calligram)

Reveal by Russ Johnson

Four seems to be an auspicious number for Russ Johnson. While the complement of the trumpeter’s combos may change, they usually number four musicians.  Reveal is also part of another quartet, since that’s how many records Calligram, the musician-run label that is issuing it, offered in its inaugural release. The artist and company are well matched, since they share a disregard for the boundary between modern jazz and more avant-garde variants. One might even say that the album’s apparent mission is to show how much space really lies between inside and out.

The musicians accompanying Johnson are up to the task. They are all Chicagoans, which attests to the Johnson’s status as a not-just-honorary member of the city’s jazz scene even though his day job and abode are both situated north of the Illinois/Wisconsin state line. He’s put in the miles since 2010, when he accepted a position as the director of jazz studies at University of Wisconsin/Parkside, coming south to lead his own bands and play with others. The casting of this quartet is inspired. Ethan Philion is a young bassist with undeniable chops and a documented affinity for the music of Charles Mingus; he’s Johnson’s philosophical second on this date. Drummer Tim Daisy is a multi-decade veteran of Chicago’s improvised music scene, where he’s worked as an enduring associate of Ken Vandermark and Dave Rempis, and led his own projects, which have sometimes included Johnson. Violinist Mark Feldman is a longtime New Yorker with a yards-long cv. and the sort of versatility that you only get when you’ve put in time with George Jones, John Zorn and Sylvie Courvoisier.

Feldman relocated to Chicago during the pandemic and in short order kindled an initially private working relationship with Daisy. They’ve gone on to work together in mainly improvised settings, and their partnerhsip places the drummer at the apex of a relationship triangle that gives the performances on Reveal an essential zing. On one side, there’s a camaraderie developed by passing back-and-forth leadership roles and books of tunes. On the other, there’s a rapport forged in the real-time furnace of free improvisation. This breadth of understanding puffs stylistic and emotional oxygen into the diverse and intricate frameworks that Johnson has devised for the quartet. His writing shuttles between classical forms and blues sonorities in ways that’ll get the history-minded listener thinking about Julius Hemphill. While the forms and emotional arcs of the material feel pretty defined, there’s plenty of room for Johnson’s fellow travelers to adorn, comment, and maybe wiggle the steering wheel a little bit. “The Slow Reveal” starts out with a slow stir of timbres, which gradually resolve into a mournful horn melody that is pricked by vinegary strings. As Johnson persists, the rest of the ensemble shifts between challenging and supportive stances before joining him in a percussion-driven whirlwind that remains reflective and melancholy at its core.

But if Daisy was the relational focal point of this band going in, the emerging connection between Feldman and Johnson is what the material cultivates. The compositions guide them to commingled slurs, execute cascading lines, and offer commentary upon one another’s solos while Philion and Daisy either shade the action or set up rhythms sturdy enough to contain it. Feldman’s an old pro, so it goes without saying that he finds a way to make this music work. But this album feels like a beginning. Johnson tends to shake up the personnel of his quartets, not all of which make it to the recording studio even once. Here’s hoping he breaks his own rule and keeps this combo going for a while.

Bill Meyer

[kontextmaschine]

Respect to that coked-to-the-gills TV executive who was like

Assistant: Pat Robertson's buying a channel to run The 700 Club? But what else will you put on?

CTTGTE: Kids love that Weird Fifties shit, right? So we're going to buy the rights to a Lucasarts point-and-click adventure game!

Assistant: And adapt it?

CTTGTE: FUCK NO

[ulkaralakbarova]

Working-class waitress Slim thought she was entering a life of domestic bliss when she married Mitch, the man of her dreams. After the arrival of their first child, her picture perfect life is shattered when she discovers Mitch’s hidden possessive dark side, a controlling and abusive alter ego that can turn trust, love and tranquility into terror. Terrified for her child’s safety, Slim flees with her daughter. Relentless in his pursuit and enlisting the aid of lethal henchmen, Mitch continually stalks the prey that was once his family. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Slim Hiller: Jennifer Lopez Mitch Hiller: Billy Campbell Ginny: Juliette Lewis Joe: Dan Futterman Jupiter: Fred Ward Jim Toller: Bill Cobbs FBI Agent: Jeff Kober Instructor: Bruce A. Young Gracie Hiller: Tessa Allen Phil: Christopher Maher Mrs. Hiller: Janet Carroll Robbie: Noah Wyle Homeowner: Bruce French FBI Agent: Dan Martin FBI Agent: Brent Sexton Teacher Betty: Sandra Nelson Waitress: Lynne Marie Stewart Jupiter’s Blonde Girl: Margaret Emery Electronics Store Clerk: Victor McCay Mitch’s Young Blonde: Nikki Bokal Front Desk Clerk: John O’Brien Bank Teller: Louisa Abernathy Ticket Clerk: Kerri Higuchi Soup Server: Fern Ward Mr. Hiller: James Noah First Cop: Leif Riddell Teddy: Ruben Madera Film Crew: Production Design: Doug Kraner Producer: Rob Cowan Director of Photography: Rogier Stoffers Producer: Irwin Winkler Director: Michael Apted Writer: Nicholas Kazan Co-Producer: Jeanney Kim Casting: John Brace Stunt Coordinator: Simon Crane Transportation Captain: Don Tardino Executive Producer: E. Bennett Walsh Makeup Department Head: Teresa M. Austin Costume Design: Shay Cunliffe Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Paul Massey Music Editor: Zigmund Gron Costume Supervisor: Helen Monaghan Set Decoration: Tracey A. Doyle Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Doug Hemphill Sound Mixer: Robert Janiger Second Assistant Director: Joan G. Bostwick First Assistant Editor: Thomas Calderon Supervising Sound Editor: John A. Larsen Location Manager: Jennifer Dunne Art Direction: Andrew Menzies Key Grip: Brian H. Reynolds Assistant Art Director: Greg Berry Editor: Rick Shaine Unit Production Manager: Dennis Stuart Murphy First Assistant Director: Robert Huberman Construction Coordinator: David T. Cannon Script Supervisor: Benita Brazier Casting: Linda Lowy Camera Operator: Chris Squires Music Editor: Dina Eaton Key Makeup Artist: Pamela Santori Production Accountant: Michael Goosen Property Master: Chris Ubick Stunts: Gábor Piroch Special Effects Coordinator: Rick Thompson Unit Publicist: Vic Heutschy Still Photographer: Van Redin Assistant Sound Editor: David Wolowic Sound Effects Editor: Ken Fischer Hair Department Head: Martin Samuel ADR Supervisor: Lucy Coldsnow-Smith Color Timer: Harry Muller Assistant Sound Editor: Paul Apted Assistant Sound Editor: J. Aloysius Flanagan III Hairstylist: Susan Germaine Assistant Editor: Andrew Blustain ADR Editor: Kelly Oxford Foley Editor: Christopher Flick Set Designer: Suzan Wexler Makeup Artist: Margot Boccia Transportation Co-Captain: Timothy P. Ryan Cableman: Tom Fox Orchestrator: Nicholas Dodd Key Hair Stylist: Rod Ortega Rigging Gaffer: Martin Bosworth Casting Assistant: Derek Marquand Standby Painter: Lisa Shaftel Propmaker: Tony R. Medina First Assistant Camera: Makiko Carlson Dialogue Editor: Susan Dawes Dialogue Editor: Mildred Iatrou Original Music Composer: David Arnold Production Assistant: J. Wilfrid White Set Dresser: Paul Mugavero Graphic Designer: Steven Samanen Set Production Assistant: Trish Stanard Leadman: Luigi Mugavero Stand In: Alder Sherwood Set Production Assistant: Chad Saxton Boom Operator: George W. Scott Stunt Double: Jill Brown Stunt Double: Joe Bucaro III Movie Reviews: Andre Gonzales: Good movie. Love to see a woman take a position of power against her attacker. Even when that attacker is her husband.

[filmboxvia]

Başka bir hüsran :"Bad Boys: Ride or Die"

2020'nin "Bad Boys for Life" filmine beklenenden daha doğrudan bir devam niteliği taşıyan "Ride or Die," böyle bir filmin gereksinimlerini karşılayamamış. Yeni ve yaratıcı olan her şeyi korkakça uyguladıkları bir film olmuş. Film, hiper kinetik görüntü yönetimi ve kurgusuyla zaman zaman hayat bulsa da, yeterince spontane veya yaratıcı olmaktan uzak, mümkün olduğunca az risk alarak sıradan bir çizgide ilerliyor. Aslında üçüncü bir seçenek vardı: Sürmek, Ölmek ya da Su Üzerinde Durmak.

“Ride or Die” neredeyse her şeyiyle bir önceki filmi, özellikle de her iki filmin de başında Miami'de mide bulandırıcı bir sürüş sahnesi ve sevilen karakterlerden birinin ölümle burun buruna gelmesi gibi unsurları agresif bir şekilde yansıtıyor. Önceki filmde Mike Lowery (Will Smith) Güney Plajı'nda vurulurken, bu film Marcus Miles'ın (Martin Lawrence) Mike’ın düğününde kalp krizi geçirmesiyle başlıyor. Üçüncü filmdeki cinayet girişimi, dostluk ve hayatta ikinci bir şansı değerlendirme üzerine bir anlatı başlatırken, bu film daha komik bir amaç için kullanılıyor: Marcus artık kendini ölümsüz sanıyor. Sonuçta, ölümle burun burunayken Kaptan Conrad Howard'ın (Joe Pantoliano) hayaleti ona vaktinin gelmediğini söylemişti. Bu nedenle Marcus artık trafiğin ortasında koşabilir, hatta karısı ve iş arkadaşı ona artık Skittles yemesine izin vermese bile.

Bir “Bad Boys” filmi, kahramanlarının sisteme karşı direnmediği bir film değildir. Bu filmde de, Mike’ın eski sevgilisi ve yeni Kaptan Rita Secada (Paola Nunez) ile romantik ilişkisi olan potansiyel Miami belediye başkanı Lockwood (Ioan Gruffudd) da buna dahildir. Ayrıca Kaptan Howard’ın kızı Judy (Rhea Seehorn) bir ABD Marşalıdır ve onun kızı Callie (Quinn Hemphill) aksiyona katılarak sonuçta bir başka “tehlikedeki genç kız” rolünü üstlenir. Çok büyük bir kadroda ayrıca Marcus’un karısı Theresa (Theresa Randle’dan Tasha Smith’e bir yeniden rol verme), Vanessa Hudgens ve Alexander Ludwig’in geri dönüşü ve bazı ilham verici, bazıları ise önceki filmlerde daha iyi yapılmış şeylerin yankısı olan birçok rastgele cameo yer alır.

Tabii ki, bir Bad Boys filmi, başrollerin kimyasıyla ilgilidir—Smith ve Lawrence arasındaki kimya her zaman bu filmleri insanların sevmesinin kalbinde yer aldı. 2020 filmindeki cazibenin büyük kısmı, 17 yıl aradan sonra bile bu departmanda adım kaybetmediklerini görmekti. Dürüst olmak gerekirse, burada o kadar sıkı değil, ilk yarıdaki birçok şaka düşüyor ve dramatik olarak okunması gereken malzemelerin çoğu sığ ve aşırı tanıdık geliyor, bu da son filmden daha kısa ama tıkanık akışı nedeniyle belirgin şekilde daha uzun hissettiren bir film yapıyor. Evet, kimse bir Bad Boys filmine derinlik için gelmiyor, ancak yazarlar Chris Bremner ve Will Beall doğru sesi bulamıyor. Bu, en çok, yaygın yolsuzluk ve hatta kötü adamlarının işkence yoluyla radikalleşmesi gibi daha karmaşık fikirler eklemeye devam ettikleri, ancak bununla hiçbir şey yapamadıkları bir biçimde karşımıza çıkıyor.

Adil & Bilall, drone fotoğrafçılığına olan takıntılarının filmin gerçek yıldızı olmasına izin veren birkaç aksiyon sahnesi sunmayı biliyorlar. Her silahlı çatışmada aksiyonu gösteren dönen bir drone kamera manzarası var, odanın etrafında dönen, filme en çok momentumunu veren bir tarzda. Elbette, bazıları Smith ve Lawrence’ın bu noktada John Wick tarzı koreografiyi çekemediğini gizlemek için tasarlanmış olabilir, ancak aksiyonun kaotik akışkanlığı filmin en büyük gücü. Parlak ve stilize, izleyicinin gözünü çerçevede gezdirip her şeyi içine çekmesini sağlıyor. Bir helikopter sahnesi ve bir timsah çiftliğinde geçen son silahlı çatışma gerçekten keyifliydi.

"Bad Boys for Life", nostalji ve modern aksiyon film tekniklerini harmanlayan, sadece pandemi öncesi izleyicileri tatmin edeceğini düşündüğüm, beklenenden çok gecikmiş bir devam filmi olmanın sürpriz unsuruna sahip.

[paulasosafilm]

On the article “Directors are Not Born Being Blockbuster Filmmakers”: Producers John Davis and John Fox on Jungle Cruise

This article is based on an interview by Jim Hemphill with John Davis and John Fox, who produced Disney’s Jungle Cruise, released in 2021. The author begins by giving a quick account of both producers’ careers to make the point that they both have managed to make successful, crowd pleasing films while remaining true to their artistic style and tastes. Even with Jungle Cruise, which is clearly made to be a blockbuster, the filmmakers made references to classic films such as The African Queen.

Davies states that they began working on Jungle Cruise from the moment the idea first came to be. Instead of joining a project already started, they were the ones who put the film together from the outset, they developed the script with a writer, pitched it to Disney and then attached a director to it. In terms of choosing the right director for Jungle Cruise, Davis says that they took a big risk as the director they proposed was not an obvious choice for this type of film, but they had reviewed his career and saw elements in it that made him a good match. “Directors are not born being blockbuster filmmakers”, and they were eager to give the opportunity to someone who could bring fresh ideas to the project, so they went with their intuition.

“I think the producer’s job is to both challenge and protect the director. The first job is to work with him and find your commonality. The second job is to challenge him…”, “once you all come to a conclusion and a decision, your job is to be a hundred percent supportive of that director. You keep the world around him simple, so he can just purely be creative”. This is Davis comment about the director-producer relationship, which suggests how the producer can get the best out of the director and elevate the quality of the film.

Both producers put a lot of importance on having plenty of time for the editing process, and being able to test out how the movie played to an audience. The difficulty with Jungle Cruise was to balance the stylistic, slow romance aspect with the special effects heavy blockbuster, and the time to play around with the edit was what allowed this balance to be achieved. Both of them had a lot of input and decision-making authority, staying involved creatively from the moment the idea was formed until the film got finished.

Near the end of the interview, Davis states: ���What producing is all about is having a vision, having drive, knowing the story and knowing how to do something with it that is going to be special so your actor stays with you, so the studio makes the movie”.

[xtruss]

One of the Greatest Westerns Ever Made Is Now Streaming After Decades in the Wilderness

After Years of Inaccessibility, Maggie Greenwald's "The Ballad of Little Jo" Is Newly Available on Blu-Ray And Streaming — Here's Why That's a Cause For Celebration.

— By Jim Hemphill | March 25, 2024

'The Ballad of Little Jo'Fine Line Features

Throughout most of the 1980s the Western was assumed to be a dead genre, certainly compared to the central role it once played in Hollywood’s construction of a national mythology. While there were occasional outliers like Lawrence Kasdan‘s “Silverado” and Clint Eastwood‘s “Pale Rider,” for the most part the responsibility the genre had to reflect and shape American values was taken up by either science fiction movies like “The Terminator” (which fulfilled the Western’s function as an exploration of the changes wrought on society by evolving technology) or urban cop films like “48HRS.” and Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” sequels, which transposed the form’s archetypes and moral questions to a contemporary setting. Although the decade closed out with the successful “Young Guns,” that film was an anomaly whose success probably had more to do with its cast of attractive teen idols.

Then something funny happened in the early ’90s: Right as Hollywood seemed to have given up on the Western, it came roaring back with a vengeance and yielded the most varied, complex, and satisfying group of films since the glory days of John Ford and Delmer Daves. The box office and awards success of Kevin Costner’s “Dances With Wolves” in 1990, followed by Clint Eastwood’s triumphant return to the genre in 1992 with “Unforgiven,” suddenly made Westerns commercially viable again, and filmmakers who had been biding their time were able to will their dream projects into production. Lawrence Kasdan returned to the genre for the underrated and ambitious “Wyatt Earp,” Walter Hill made two of his best films with “Geronimo: An American Legend” and “Wild Bill,” and talented directors like Jim Jarmusch (“Dead Man”), Sam Raimi (“The Quick and the Dead”), and Melvin Van Peebles (“Posse”) made Westerns as different from each other — and as equally nourishing — as one might expect.

One of the best of the ’90s Westerns has also been one of the most difficult to see, but a special edition Blu-ray release in December and a streaming premiere this month have rescued it from years of inaccessibility. When writer-director Maggie Greenwald‘s “The Ballad of Little Jo” was released in 1993, its relationship to the other Westerns of the time was a bit of a coincidence — Greenwald had written the script before “Unforgiven” — but there’s no question that her film, like the best 1950s Westerns of Budd Boetticher, Howard Hawks, and Sam Fuller, benefited from the comparisons and contrasts enabled by being part of a recognizable tradition. Like those directors, Greenwald was brilliant at using the language of the Western as a shorthand, expressing her point of view not only by what she depicted and how but by where her treatment of the material paid tribute to the Westerns that had come before and where it deviated.

“The Ballad of Little Jo” is based on the true story of a society woman (played brilliantly by Suzy Amis in a performance that deserves to be spoken of in the same breath with James Stewart’s work in the Anthony Mann Westerns) who, shunned by her family after giving birth out of wedlock, rides West and reinvents herself as a man – Josephine Monaghan becomes “Little Jo” Monaghan, a successful sheep farmer who, like the characters in “Shane,” “Heaven’s Gate,” and dozens (hundreds?) of other earlier Westerns, defends her land against an evil corporation. Along the way, she sidesteps the advances of a young woman who sees her as a potential husband and carries on a romance with a Chinese laborer (the only person who knows her true gender) while becoming friends with a guide and mentor named Badger, played by Bo Hopkins in a role that can’t help but evoke associations with Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch.”

The casting of Hopkins gives the viewer a clue to what Greenwald is up to, as she slyly references and honors not only Peckinpah but a whole history of American Westerns at the same time that she finds new directions for the genre. Much as Hopkins retains the strengths of his performances in Westerns like “The Wild Bunch,” “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing,” and “The Culpepper Cattle Co.” while also revealing new layers of sensitivity, the film as a whole delivers the satisfactions of Westerns — “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Gunfighter,” “Shane” — that explore both the liberation of a life defined by rugged individualism and its limitations, but deepens and expands on the mythology. Part of this is inherent in the premise, and most of it is due to Greenwald’s probing intelligence and unerring visual sense.

Suzy Amis, 1993, “The Ballad of Little Jo”©Fine Line Features/Courtesy Everett Collection

Most Westerns are about masculinity and how America defines what it means to “be a man,” and many of the best entries in the genre have been films that delve into the contradictions and complexities of the question. By telling the story of a woman who lives her life as a man in the old West, Greenwald explores traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity through a different lens than just about every other Western ever made, even ostensibly female-driven works like “Bad Girls” and “The Quick and the Dead” which, while both have considerable strengths, don’t really engage with the issue on a deep level. Like most Westerns, “The Ballad of Little Jo” takes place in a world where maleness is glorified as a source of power and progress, a fact that Greenwald sharply interrogates via the unique perspective Little Jo’s character provides. Greenwald asks the viewer to consider and reconsider ideas many Westerns (and American films in general) take for granted by posing two simple questions: What does Little Jo gain by becoming a man, and what does she lose?

Greenwald uses familiar conventions both the traditional way and with a spin that gives them a whole new dimension. One of the hoariest cliches in the Western, for example, is that of the “redemptive woman,” the schoolmarm or minister’s sister who exists in the movie to civilize the hero and help him assimilate into society. In “Little Jo,” the redemptive woman is a man, but by making him Chinese — and therefore “lesser” and isolated in the eyes of the white men in the film — Greenwald plays with ideas of power, gender, race, and economics (Jo’s lover works as her handyman) and explores how they intersect in fluid and fascinating ways. The ways in which the viewer is expected to understand these issues are irrevocably affected by seeing them through the eyes of a woman who is pretending to be a man; long before the end of the movie, the line between “male” virtues and “female” ones — a defining feature of many classical Westerns — has been satisfyingly and provocatively blurred.

The pleasures of the film are not merely or even primarily ideological; part of Greenwald’s greatness is how organically woven into the narrative these ideas are. There’s nothing anachronistic about the film, even though, like all great period movies, it’s an equally valuable reflection of the time in which it takes place, the time of its release, and the time in which you’re watching it. Greenwald has the confidence not to force or overstate her ideas but just sets the drama in motion and lets the audience draw their own conclusions.

From left, Rene Auberjonois, Suzy Amis, 1993, “The Ballad of Little Jo” ©Fine Line Features/courtesy Everett/Everett Collection

She also provides a textured and expressive visual experience for the viewer that makes “The Ballad of Little Jo” one of the most purely gorgeous independent films of its era, and also a Western with a distinct look. Other directors had taken pleasure in the small details and nuances of day-to-day living in the old West — Robert Altman in “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” Walter Hill in “The Long Riders,” Budd Boetticher in his detailed depictions of what it really meant to be a cowboy tending to a horse — but Greenwald takes it as far as anyone ever did, focusing not only on where Little Jo lives, but how and why, and how the simultaneously beautiful and forbidding landscape informs her choices. The movie is filled with specific pieces of costume and production design that allow the viewer to ponder the frontier existence in all its particulars, not just its sweeping vistas; it’s an intimate approach that perfectly complements Greenwald’s efforts for us to see everything through Jo’s perspective.

At the same time, “The Ballad of Little Jo” has a sweeping, epic quality that belies its limited budget, as well as a giddy embrace of some of the Western’s most basic pleasures. When Little Jo, in a sense, “conquers” her territory and succeeds on both her own terms and society’s, it’s immensely satisfying, and her sense of freedom is intoxicating. Yet just as Gregory Peck in “The Gunfighter” or the guns for hire in “The Magnificent Seven” are trapped in their roles, Jo is trapped by successfully becoming a man — she can’t escape her role any more than Steve McQueen could escape his. Greenwald ends the film with an allusion to another great Western, John Ford’s “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” with her own take on the idea that “when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Like everything else in the film, Greenwald’s perspective on this topic is complex, ambivalent, and, to a degree, open-ended, inviting the audience to continue the discussion after the film is over.

In a sense, Greenwald is doing what the best Western directors have always done despite the “revisionist” label erroneously attached to the ’90s films in the genre. The best Western directors have always been revisionist — John Ford cleverly subverted the idea of the redemptive woman back in 1939, for example, when he made her a prostitute in the same movie where he made the villain the most extreme representative of capitalist philosophy. Like “Stagecoach” — or “Red River,” or “High Noon,” or “Buck and the Preacher,” or any of the other all-time great Westerns — “The Ballad of Little Jo” looks both back and forward.

Also like those films, it’s a singular personal statement. Given that Greenwald was the first woman to write and direct a wide-release American Western in the sound era, it’s hard not to draw parallels between her own journey and Little Jo’s, forging her way forward in a male-dominated field and choosing what to retain and what to discard — and like her heroine, showing everyone else how it’s done. One doesn’t need to know anything about Greenwald or the production history of her film or even its context as a ’90s Western to enjoy it, though; it stands on its own as a masterpiece that has always deserved to be better known and more easily accessed. Its renewed availability is a cause for celebration and an opportunity to rediscover an American classic.

“The Ballad of Little Jo” is currently streaming at Kino Film Collection and is available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish actor, writer, presenter and comedian Ford Kiernan.

Born Ford John Kiernan on January 10th 1962, Ford grew up in Dennistoun, before he went into comedy he worked as a tailor and then a barman at Glasgow University.

Ford first performed comedy in 1990 at Glasgow’s Comedy Club in the basement of Blackfriar’s pub in the Merchant City. He took up performing in 1993. A run of successful solo jobs led to him being offered a slot in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in 1994, he followed the successful shows up the next two years at one of the top Fringe venues, The Gilded Balloon. In 1995 he won a Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his play Don’t Start Me.

On screen Ford has appeared in scores of shows, starting in 1995 with the Scottish comedy sketch show, alongside Ronni Ancona, Andrew Fairlie, Alan Francis and of course Greg Hemphill. Other shows include, The Baldy Man, Rab C. Nesbitt, Chewin the fat, Sea of Souls and Dear Green place. On the big screen he was in The Slab Boys, The Debt Collector and Angels Share.

Of course we know Ford Kiernan best as Jack Jarvis, one half of the comic duo Jack & Victor on Still Game with the aforementioned Greg Hemphill, the two also penned the series’.

For those who don’t know, Still Game is about a gang of Glaswegian pensioners who struggle to get to grips with modern living. Kiernan plays disgruntled pensioner Jack Jarvis who lives with his pal, Victor McDade in the fictional Glaswegian suburb of Craiglang.

Ford is married to wife Lesley with whom he has a daughter, Kaye, they tragically lost their boy, Sonny in 2012, his mother passed away just three months later.

The ninth and final series of Still Game was aired in 2019, since then Ford has teamed up with fellow Scot Craig Ferguson, in Then came you, where a lonely widow plans a trip around the world with her husband’s ashes, to visit the places they loved in the movies, critics were a bit indifferent about the film, but looking on IMDb the ordinary punters seem to have liked it, and I think the film certainly had its moments and is worth a watch.

At the tail end of last year Ford and Greg got together to promote bottles of their whisky. As well as signing bottles in shops around Scotland the pair also met fans at The Dirty Duchess in Finnieston.

For iofficianados the whisky is described a having notes of honeyed orchard fruits and sweet malted barley with a delicate peat smokiness and notes of fresh vanilla and oak spice.