Monday, June 11, 2012

Prometheus - The Cool Black Review AND Explanations

Prometheus

Directed by Ridley Scott

Produced by Ridley Scott, David Giler & Walter Hill

Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski

Editing by Pietro Scalia

Released: June 8, 2012 (USA)

Starring:
Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw
Michael Fassbender as David
Logan Marshall-Green as Charlie Holloway
Charlize Theron as Meredith Vickers
Idris Elba as Janek
Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland

Synopsis: Set in the late 21st century, the story centers on the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow a star map discovered among the remnants of several ancient Earth cultures. Led to a distant world and an advanced civilization, the crew seeks the origins of humanity, but instead discovers a threat that could cause the extinction of the human race.

Review By Cool Black: I thought the below tweet would suffice as my review and save me the time of composing a full review,

#nfotd #Prometheus #review

Ridley Scott is the master of the slow build. Jus like '#Alien' you're wondering where all this is going, but by the end it's FREEKIN INTENSE! Excellent picture!

http://tl.gd/hort7t

but alas that was not enough as the film has been the widest discussed movie since Inception and that’s a good thing.

Yes the movie has about an hour of set up about “the Engineers” the people behind the whole plot.

As stated in the synopsis “the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow a star map discovered among the remnants of several ancient Earth cultures” and the film in its first hour does just that. The whole time you are wondering where it’s all going and I feel by the end you knew exactly where. The story is about exploration NOT an action/adventure piece even though it has tons.

Bolstered by another outstanding performance by Michael Fassbender as “David” the film deftly makes you wonder what exactly David is up to as he doesn’t seem to have the same motives as everyone else. The rest of the characters don’t really matter as David is the most intriguing character in the whole film, even outweighing Noomi Rapace as the film’s protagonist.

The overall plot about the Engineer’s true motives is also the main story. You wonder what is exactly on the planet they’re going to and what exactly it is that they discover. The film explains that as well. I really can’t say more without getting into spoiler territory WHICH I WILL…in the commentary.

The first hour about the exploration, while having its visually stunning facets is slow and tedious and I too was bored, but when it got into what the threat was and how to stop it is where the film really took off to me.

The last hour is as pulse pounding as you can get. After it was over the guy next to me said “that was intense” and I agreed because IT WAS! When a film can make you feel that kind of anxiety it has done its job. Again the film wasn’t just pulse pounding moments, it had a purpose as I will explain later.

In the end, the film as a whole starts off about space exploration and ends with a desperate race against time to stop the extinction of mankind as we know it. It set you up as one thing and ends as another. It did it well so I’m fine with that.

UPDATE: June 12, 2012: 8:11 AM: I was remiss not to mention the EXCELLENT direction of Ridley Scott & cinematography by Dariusz Wolski! I was so rushed to explain what a lot of people were missing in the story I forgot to recognize the stupendous job they did in crafting the film.

Cool Black’s Mad Commentary: This Mad Commentary will be unlike any other because I tend not to talk about any spoilers in my reviews because if I take the time to write the review you probably should see it because I don’t write reviews for films I didn’t like. I also don’t like to spoil the viewing experience for anyone. The best moments are the ones you don’t see coming.

Having said that DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN PROMETHEUS

FIRST you must start with the man behind the whole thing Ridley Scott. I don’t like reading much about any movie I want to see, but the blurbs I did read had him REPEATEDLY saying that this was NOT a direct prequel to Alien…and it wasn’t.

Damon Lindelof is credited as a “co-writer” of Prometheus because the script was originally written by Jon Spaihts and Lindelof was brought in later to rewrite the script.

Lindelof clarified, "If the ending to [Prometheus] is just going to be the room that John Hurt walks into that's full of [alien] eggs [in Alien], there's nothing interesting in that, because we know where it's going to end. Good stories, you don't know where they're going to end." "A true prequel should essentially proceed [sic] the events of the original film, but be about something entirely different, feature different characters, have an entirely different theme, although it takes place in that same world." Damon Lindelof Explains How Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’ is Connected to the ‘Alien’ Films". /Film. June 28, 2011

Under Lindelof, the script began to divert from Spaihts' Alien prequel into a more original creation that you see in the final film.

It is definitely in the “Alien wheelhouse” as they say. The Engineers are THE SAME race as the “Space Jockey”, but not the space jockey seen in Alien.

So in the film the crew discovers the same race of creatures from the one seen in Alien.

Space Jockey in Alien

Pictures of an Engineer in the Space Jokey suit from Prometheus

Also, if you paid attention they clearly stated that they were going to the distant moon LV-223 NOT the planet in the first two movies (Alien & Aliens) LV-426.

So if you accept that you’re off to a good start.

To understand “The Engineers” it is also good to know what the Prometheus of mythology is. “Prometheus is a Titan, culture hero, and trickster figure who in Greek mythology is credited with the creation of man from clay and the theft of fire for human use, an act that enabled progress and civilization.”

At the beginning of the film it shows that an Engineer helped start “the creation of man” on Earth.

When he "dissolved" his genetic material was in the same genetic material that created humankind and it seems "jump started" evolution.

Idris Elba as "Janek"

In the film the Prometheus' captain, Janek, (Idris Elba) speculates that the structure was part of an Engineer military base that lost control of its biological weapon, the dark liquid. To me that CLEARLY explains the plot.

It also kind of explains the set up for Alien. While NOT the same planet and NOT the same ship, the ship and Space Jockey in Alien also seemed to be carrying biological weapons (the Face Hugger eggs).

My speculation is that the alien that bursts out of the Engineer’s chest at the end of Prometheus is the FIRST actual queen alien and several generations later became the alien queen we love to hate.

I also think the creature that Shaw “aborts” is a first version of a Face Hugger and maybe The Engineers somehow captured and experimented on that as well.

I think the Engineers capture the alien creature in Prometheus and that leads them to reproduce it and then several generations later the Face Hugger eggs and put them in that ship we see in Alien and of course the Space Jockey was infected thus the hole in its chest.

My speculation is that this “dark liquid” was a separate form of weapons or a precursor to the Face Hugger eggs in Alien. It seems like the accident on the planet in Prometheus (that killed all those Engineers) led them to discover that the “dark liquid” can mutate other organisms like the worms and maybe THAT led them to develop the Face Huggers.

Again it is all in the “what came first the chicken or the egg”.

Michael Fassbender as David in Prometheus

The whole David storyline was all about finding a fountain of youth for Weyland (the really old dude) with David doing some experimentation along the way. Again somehow David’s experimentation seemed to lead to the “first Alien” creature at the end.

So in a nutshell “the story centers on the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow a star map discovered among the remnants of several ancient Earth cultures. Led to a distant world and an advanced civilization (The Engineers), the crew seeks the origins of humanity”<~pretty much the first hour of the movie.

“but instead discovers a threat (the canisters & the ship) that could cause the extinction of the human race.” <~They discover all the dead Engineers, the holograms that showed them some of what happened. The hibernating Engineer and then everything leading up to the end.

What IS NOT really explained is why the Engineers wanted to destroy Earth, but I guess they weren’t happy with what they created so it was a “reset button”.

What also helped me figure out the plot was that the whole “Engineers creating mankind all around the galaxy” reminded me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase" (pictured below)

Synopsis: Four competing expeditions — Federation (Enterprise), Klingon, Cardassian, and Romulan — attempt to solve a genetic puzzle that proves to be the key to why Star Trek's version of the galaxy contains so many humanoid life forms.

Alien "engineer" in Star Trek: The Next Generation

At the end one race of unnamed “engineers” (pictured above) claims to have seeded several planets with their genetic material, just like the Engineers in Prometheus, to start civilizations across the galaxy in their image. (You can read more about that Star Trek episode here)

As far as all the unanswered questions in Prometheus Damon Lindelof said this to Film School Rejects:

FSR: You mentioned the danger of searching out answers, and I was wondering, how does that apply to you as a storyteller? When you’re raising questions, like with this film, what do you see as making for satisfying answers?

DAMON LINDELOF: The short answer is: I’ll let you know when I figure it out. This is going to be, sort of, the bane of my existence. I’m very quickly finding myself branded as the guy who asks questions he’s not particularly interested in answering. I don’t look at myself as that guy, but when I take a step out of my body and look at my work, I go, “Oh, yeah, of course, that’s completely fair to categorize me that way.” At the same time, that’s just the storytelling I’m drawn to. Some people might think that it’s ambiguous storytelling or not clearly defined, but, for me, it’s… I get very excited and categorized by stories where I have to fill in the blanks. It’s sort of like Mad Libs, in a way; it’s custom made, for the viewer.

When you go and look at a piece of art you’re going to take something away from it that’s entirely different from the person who was just standing in front of that canvas five minutes ago, and I think that’s the kind of story I want to tell. I do have an intention, and I’m not just throwing stuff out there in an arbitrary way and don’t have the answers for those questions. I have answers for all those questions, but I don’t want to force my answers on the viewers, as if they’re the only possible answers. At times, that’s going to blow up in my face, and that’s the price I have to pay. I won’t say I’m glad to pay it, but I will say, I am willing to pay it. (You can read the full interview here)

So those unanswered questions were meant to be that way. And as a long time fan of his work (on Lost) I know that is his writing style.

I’m fine without knowing ALL the answers as long as the general ones are answered and I think in Prometheus they were.

I also think it left it open for more interpretation and explanation in a sequel. I mean Shaw said she was going to find the Engineers to find answers at the end. You can't get a more sequel hint than that. But THIS movie Prometheus is a separate story not really about the Alien franchise, but definitely related.

You can leave any comments or additional questions below or email me @ Dankwa@NotherBrother.com

—written by Dankwa Brooks with additional information from Wikipedia unless otherwise cited

Related
Cool Black Mad Meditation: Is It Too Early To Talk Oscar For Fassbender?

Read all about Prometheus @ Wikipedia here

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Cast & Creator of 'The Wire' talk about the musical

Andre Royo (Bubbles) in a scene from The Wire: The Musical

'The Wire: The Musical' is getting almost as much attention as 'The Wire: The TV Show.' A musical spoof of the HBO drama series has made its debut on the site Funny Or Die.

The show's cast appears in the clip, which features a mock song-and-dance adaptation of the gritty series about urban life and the drug war.

Among those taking part are Michael Kenneth Williams, Sonja "Kima" Sohn, Andre "Bubbles" Royo, Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and Larry "D'Angelo" Gillard Junior.

From David Simon, creator of The Wire

I woke up this morning to an email from Michael K. Williams, with this video linked Hilarious. Just great.

Felicia’s turn alone is worth the time. Ya hair look good, Snoop.

Someone hand me a burner and Sondheim’s number.

David Simon's blog June 5, 2012

___________________________________

Funny or Die Presents The Wire: The Musical
Cast of the gritty series return for comedic video
Marcus Reeves-BET.com
June 5, 2012

Four years after ending its run, can you imagine the classic series The Wire being rethought and revisited as — of all things — a musical?

The comedy website Funny or Die has teamed with Michael K. Williams’s Freedome Productions to produce a hilarious Broadway-esque version of the gritty cable show about Baltimore’s drug scene.

“I flew down, had a production meeting [with Funny or Die],” explained Williams, “and the first thing they pitched was The Wire: The Musical. I was like, 'Okay, we gotta do that.'”

Beloved for its honest, nuanced, and thorough portrayal of the drug game — and how it affects all corners of a community — The Wire, with its deadly serious subject matter, was, Williams felt, ripe for a comedic look back.

“You gotta laugh at it sometimes,” says Williams. “I mean, to get through life and the hardships we all live through you have to find humor in all the darkness.”

Along with characters like the feared (and gay) stick-up artist Omar (Williams), other Wire figures like lesbian detective “Kima” Greggs (Sonja Sohn), the lovable crack addict Bubbles (Andre Royo) and the murderous hit woman Snoop (Felicia Pearson) enjoy melodic cameos in this production which was inspired by stage classics like Guys & Dolls, Big River,Chicago and Les Miserables.

With angelic needles, dancing cops and a beautiful Snoop dolled-up in a flowing wig, makeup and a beautiful dress, the hilarity of The Wire: The Musical also lay in the ill-tuned voices of the cast.

“I did my own singing,” Arroyo admitted, laughing. “I took a page out of today’s R&B and hip hop… and told them to throw a little Auto-Tune in there. Try to make some money and be radio-friendly.”

Check out the video below

The Wire: The Musical with Michael Kenneth Williams from Michael Kenneth Williams

Related

Click to read—>The Wire-My Favorite Season

Check out ALL of our posts about The Wire by CLICKING the graphic below

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I Need To Talk About Kerry Washington

Blog Post #8

Let me say I’ve always been a fan of Kerry Washington (pictured above). I’ve always thought she was a solid actor.

I really enjoyed her performance in the independent film Night Catches Us which I saw at the 2010 Maryland Film Festival (which I reviewed here), but one of my favorite performances by her though was in the poorly received film I Think I Love My Wife (even though I liked it) where she played the deliciously vampy Nikki.

I used the term vampy because she was off the chain without being ghetto. She was just a wild girl and we don’t see that in film with women of color without them being ghetto, loud and obnoxious. A really fine performance.

Her performance in I Think I Love My Wife was my favorite by her—until Scandal.

The level of nuanced performance she gives in Scandal is in a word—OUTSTANDING. Most actors can’t play nuance. They’re either WAY UP or WAY DOWN with their expressions and performance. Kerry can play the perfect subtlety.

It’s sad that much like the Oscars that the Emmys can be a “personality contest” and if this show does not become a hit and get renewed she may never get a well deserved Emmy for her brilliant performance in Scandal.

Below is what I said about Scandal when it was announced in February 2011

Cool Black's Mad Commentary: I'm a fan of Shonda Rhimes (Pictured left) DESPITE not watching any of her previous shows. Her “medical shows” just didn’t appeal to me. I’m a fan because of the moves she has made in Hollywood as a successful African American Executive Producer.

I’m also a fan of Kerry Washington having enjoyed her work in numerous films including the recent Night Catches Us (You can read what I had to say about that film here ) I also like the additions of Columbus Short and Henry Ian Cusick and YES unlike her other shows the concept of this show does appeal to me.

May 11, 2012
Scandal was renewed for Season 2! Read the news at The Huffington Post here

See ALL of our posts about Scandal by clicking the show logo below

RELATED LINK
Read about Kerry Washington at WIKIPEDIA

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Detailed Report of Whitney Houston's Death

Whitney Houston death probe closed; 911 call released
By Alan Duke, CNN
Thu April 12, 2012

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The police investigation of Whitney Houston's death is "officially closed" with the conclusion that her death was an accidental drowning, the Beverly Hills Police Department said Wednesday.

With the case closed, police released the recording of the 911 emergency call in which a hotel security officer said the woman who called for help from Houston's room was "irate and pretty much out of it."
Investigators "found no evidence of foul play," a police statement said. "Based on the findings of our investigation and our review of the coroner's report, we have determined that this is not a criminal matter."
The Los Angeles County coroner released its autopsy report a week ago saying Houston's February 11 death was an accidental drowning with the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" as contributing factors.

The Beverly Hilton security officer did not identify Houston in the 911 call.

"I need paramedics, apparently I've got a 46-year-old female, found in the bathroom," he told the 911 operator. "That's all I've got right now, but they're requesting paramedics." (Houston actually was 48).

The autopsy report said her assistant found Houston face down in a tub of "extremely hot water" about 12 inches deep.

"I'm not sure if she fell, or if she was in the bathroom with the water," the hotel security officer is heard saying in the 911 call.

And you don't know if she's conscious or breathing at all?" the dispatcher asked.
"Apparently she wasn't breathing," the hotel employee said.

When the dispatcher asked if she had started breathing, the security officer said "I don't know. The person that called me was irate and pretty much out of it."

"Can you get me into the room so I can try to give CPR instructions?" the 911 operator asked.
"No, because she kept hanging up on us," the hotel security officer said.

Houston was last seen alive by her personal assistant in her Beverly Hilton hotel room about 3 p.m. that Saturday, the autopsy report said. The assistant left to run errands after telling Houston to take a bath in preparation for a pre-Grammy Awards party at the hotel that night, it said.

When the assistant returned to the locked room at 3:35 p.m., she found Houston "lying face down in the bathtub filled with water, unresponsive."

"The assistant called for her bodyguard, and together they pulled the decedent out of the bathtub," the report said.

When paramedics arrived about 10 minutes later, they moved Houston to the living room floor. It was at 3:55 p.m., 20 minutes after she was found by the assistant, when paramedics concluded she was dead, the report said.

The coroner's report stopped short of detailing what happened to Houston, but HLN's Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction medicine specialist, examined the autopsy report for CNN and suggested that she might have suffered a seizure brought on by the use of cocaine, possibly combined with a withdrawal from alcohol and a prescription sedative.

An empty bottle of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax was found in her room, but the level of the sedative found in her blood was low, he said. Empty beer bottles were also found, but alcohol was not detected in her body, he said.

"To me, a sudden drop-off in the Xanax level, a drop-off in your alcohol consumption, add cocaine, that's a recipe for a seizure," Pinsky said. "Somebody who's now upside down in a bathtub could easily seize and drown."

However, Henry Spiller, a toxicologist and director of the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center, said the level of Xanax found in Houston's blood was not low enough to trigger a seizure. Those who abuse Xanax can take up to 20 pills a day, he said, and the level found in Houston's body would indicate she took four to six pills several hours before she died.

Since the drug was found in her blood, a seizure brought on by withdrawal is unlikely, he said.
The coroner's report notes that Houston suffered several small scald burns on her face at the time of her death. A 60% narrowing of her arteries found in the autopsy is "very mild heart disease," Pinsky said, which should not have caused a problem.

Spiller said that based on his experience with cocaine abusers, two things may have happened: Either Houston had a seizure and fell into the tub, or she had a cardiac arrhythmia. An arrhythmia occurs when the heart stops beating properly and fails to pump, depriving the brain of oxygen and causing a loss of consciousness. It can be fatal.

"If you look at cocaine deaths, more deaths are from arrhythmias than seizures," Spiller said. "Based on what is in the report, it seems more likely that she had a vasospasm (which shuts off blood flow to the heart) or a fatal arrhythmia."

Toxicology testing measured 0.58 micrograms of cocaine per milliliter of blood drawn from a vein in her leg during the autopsy, which Pinsky called a moderate level.

Spiller said for that level of cocaine to be in Houston's body, "we're talking about approximately half a gram of cocaine having been possibly ingested within 30 minutes to 90 minutes before her death. For someone who has been abusing cocaine, this may be their routine amount, but (for) someone who doesn't regularly use cocaine and therefore doesn't have a tolerance for the drug, this would be a high level."

Houston's cocaine use appeared to have occurred "in the time period just immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel," Chief Coroner Craig Harvey told reporters when he released the preliminary report last month.

Investigators found "a small spoon with a white crystal like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper" in the bathroom where Houston drowned, coroner's investigator Kristy McCracken wrote.
"Remnants of a white powdery substance" were found on a bathroom counter, McCracken wrote.
"I also collected remnants of a white powdery substance from out of a drawer and from the bottom of a mirror in the same drawer in the bathroom counter," she wrote.

Detectives found a "plethora of medications bottles" in the hotel room, although the coroner concluded the prescription drugs "did not contribute to the death."

Along with cocaine and Xanax, the toxicology tests found other drugs in her body, including marijuana, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the allergy medicine Benadryl, the report said.

Houston won six Grammys and sold 170 million albums, singles and videos over her career.
In recent years, the singer's accomplishments were overtaken by her struggles with drug addiction.

CNN's Jack Hannah and Kareen Wynter contributed to this report.

Listen to the 911 tape below

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Beyonce And Jay-Z's 4th Wedding Anniversary

Beyonce And Jay-Z's 4th Wedding Anniversary: The Couple's Cutest Moments (PHOTOS)

Huffington Post | By Julee Wilson

Posted: 04/ 4/2012 1:26 pm Updated: 04/ 4/2012 5:03 pm

Today marks Beyonce and Jay-Z's 4th wedding anniversary!

We expect the glamorous couple to celebrate this particular anniversary in big way, considering their well-documented love for the number "4" (it's the fourth month of the year, on the fourth day and each have the roman numeral of the all-important number tattooed on their left ring fingers).

Although the traditional wedding anniversary gift for four years is something silk or linen (boring), we're thinking the superstars will go with something a lot more flashy. Maybe a 4-carat diamond ring for Bey and four blinged out Rolexes for Jay?

But, whatever the couple decide to get one another we're sure it will be amazing.

But, nothing will top the ultimate gift the twosome received this year...their darling daughter, Blue Ivy (another clever "4" reference). Definitely another reason to raise a glass extra high tonight.

And while marriage and parenthood can change a lot of things--sleepless nights, changing dirty diapers during concert intermissions or perhaps even cleaning spit-up off of Chanel couture-- the First Family of hip-hop has handled it with grace and plenty of swagger.

Bey and Jay have proved that not much has changed since entering into holy matrimony on April 4, 2008--they are still selling out stadiums, popping bottles with billionaires and pretty much working towards world domination.

So in celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Carter's 4th anniversary, here's a look at our favorite moments of the duo canoodling courtside, working the red carpet and just being super cute. (At the bottom of the page here)

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