Akira kurosawa book

Spider-Man, Bruce Banner, Daredevil, The Avengers and the X-Men can all rest easy ... 'cause their fearless creator Stan Lee is alive and kickin' after getting a pacemaker implanted near his heart. The 90-year-old comic book legend just fired off an AWESOME statement to fans after undergoing pacemaker surgery in L.A. last week, in which he proudly declares that he's not yet ready to become the Grimm Reaper's bitch: "Attention, Troops! This is a dispatch sent from your beloved Generalissimo, directly from the center of Hollywood’s combat zone! Now hear this! Your leader hath not deserted thee! In an effort to be more like my fellow Avenger, Tony Stark, I have had an electronic pace-maker placed near my heart to insure that I’ll be able to lead thee for another 90 years. But fear thee not, my valiant warriors. I am in constant touch with our commanders in the field and victory shall soon be ours. Now I must end this dispatch and join my troops, for an army … [Read more...] about Comic Book Legend Stan Lee — I Got a Pacemaker … BUT I AIN’T DEAD!

It took the Empress Elisabeth’s strongest lady’s maid an hour every morning to lace her stays. The Emperor Franz-Joseph’s wife Sisi, as she was fondly known to the subjects of the Austro-Hungarian empire, was famous for the narrowness of her waist, which reputedly measured 19 and a half inches; the slightest weight gain was a matter of seething public interest. It looks very much as if Vicky Krieps , who brings great complexity to her portrait of the empress in Marie Kreutzer ’s Un Certain Regard title Corsage , shares the imperial measurements. Let’s hope that is just a trick of the camera. So much corsetry — or corsage, the word we hear much used in the royal dressing-rooms of 19th-century Vienna — doesn’t leave much room for little things like ribs. Sisi was a Bavarian princess, given a liberal upbringing by her royal but bohemian parents, who married the emperor (Florian Teichtmeister: superbly restrained) when she was 16 and was on the throne for 44 years. … [Read more...] about Cannes Review: Vicky Krieps In ‘Corsage’

Netflix has given buzzy half-hour newcomer Heartstopper , from See-Saw Films, a two-season pickup. Multi-season renewals are rare at the streamer, and the one for Heartstopper is a testament to the coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama checking all the boxes as a Netflix success story. The streamer famously bases its renewal decisions on analyzing shows’ cost vs. performance. Developed and produced out of the U.K., Heartstopper, which Alice Oseman adapted from her graphic novel, has been an OK performer, spending three weeks in Netflix’s weekly global Top 10 rankings of English-language series since its April 22 debut, peaking at No. 5. (It has reached the Netflix Top Ten list in 54 countries.) But the modestly-budgeted British series, featuring young up-and-coming lead cast as well as Olivia Colman as a guest star and Stephe Fry as voiceover, has had a lightning-in-a-bottle outsized cultural impact. It is one of Netflix’s best-reviewed series with 100% on Rotten … [Read more...] about ‘Heartstopper’ Renewed For Seasons 2 & 3 By Netflix

Mark Jenkin ’s 2019 film Bait had the rare distinction of being a genuine out-of-the-blue discovery, featuring heavily on UK critics’ year-best lists after a modest arthouse release by the BFI. The black-and-white film’s experimental style was emphasized in all its press coverage, nodding to avant-garde auteurs like Stan Brakhage, Derek Jarman and Guy Maddin — all directors who are interested in the literal grain of film and video (indeed, Jenkin reportedly developed the negative with coffee and washing soda then distressed the image by hand). Throw in post-synch sound, and you have a film more likely to screen to two people and a dog at a smoky underground 1960s cine-club than win a BAFTA. For all its formal intricacies, though, Bait had a very traditional narrative, being the story of a Cornish fisherman who sees his village becoming gentrified after selling his house to a couple of rich out-of-towners. Enys Men , Jenkin’s Directors’ Fortnight entry here in … [Read more...] about Cannes Review: Mark Jenkin’s ‘Enys Men’

‘D ear heavenly Father,” someone is saying to the silent room, “please give us the ability to touch this crowd.” All thirty-six members of D’Angelo ‘s touring band and crew are stuffed into his dressing room, hands linked, heads bowed in a large prayer circle. “And when our ability fails, Lord. Please. Take over.” The room answers with a loud “ mm-hmm. “ Prayer ends, and the entire group collapses into a giant moving hug, all yelling at once in a joyous din – “ Soultronic force! My re-deeeeem-er !” It seems they’re gearing up for some high-energy smash-mouth football. Or a musical mission. As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five. And nearly breaks your hand. D, as they call him, gives pounds with injurious intent – stiff-handed smacks that make a firecracker pop and then meld into a tight clamp, a finger snap, two fist bumps and another clamp, or some such combination. The more he likes you, the more he uses the strength in his bulky shoulders and … [Read more...] about D’Angelo Is Holding Your Hand

D ‘Angelo is a morning person, of sorts. When he’s working in the studio, as was often the case in the 14-year interregnum between 2000’s Voodoo and 2014’s Black Messiah, he quits his all-night recording sessions just in time to greet each day’s sunrise. “I’m definitely on the night shift,” he says, drawing deep on one of a series of Newport cigarettes, not long after midnight in the midtown Manhattan studio where he recorded much of Black Messiah. He’s wearing a denim shirt unbuttoned over a white undershirt, dark jeans and leather boots. Dog tags bearing the names of his three children hang from a chain around his neck. He looks weary, though he woke up not long ago. It’s his first interview since he released one of the most universally acclaimed albums in years, an album that seemed as if it might never come out at all. D’Angelo could well be the most singular, visionary star to emerge from R&B since Prince. His music, stuffed with live instrumentation and harmonic … [Read more...] about The Second Coming of D’Angelo

Getty UPDATE 10:58 AM PT -- FIVE women have now filed lawsuits against Watson on Monday ... TMZ Sports has confirmed. UPDATE In the latest lawsuit, a female masseuse using the pseudonym Jane Doe says Watson reached out via Instagram in July 2020, set up a massage and then "assaulted and harassed" her during the appointment. UPDATE As with the other 11 Watson accusers, Doe is suing for unspecified damages. UPDATE 8:32 AM PT -- One more female masseuse has filed a lawsuit against Watson ... bringing Monday's total to four and the overall total to 11 against the Houston Texans superstar. UPDATE In the third suit filed Monday, obtained by TMZ Sports , the woman is suing for unspecified damages after she claims Watson was sexually inappropriate with her during a massage in the Houston, Texas area in Jan. 2021. Two more female massage therapists have filed lawsuits against Deshaun Watson ... with one accuser claiming the NFL star … [Read more...] about Deshaun Watson Hit w/ 5 More Lawsuits, Accuser Says She Was ‘Scared For Her Life’