ENTERTAINMENT

‘John Wick’ stars pay tribute to late co-star Lance Reddick

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne were among the stars of John Wick: Chapter 4 in honor of Lance Reddick, their co-star who died unexpectedly last week at the film’s Los Angeles premiere.

“We have lost our brother, and in a very shocking way indeed. I think we’re still in shock. “Life,” said a visibly shaken Fishburne, pausing briefly before continuing, “is sometimes hard.”

Many of those working on the film wore blue ribbons in honor of Reddick, who was a prolific character actor with prominent roles in The Wire, Oz, and the John Wick franchise.

“Just being in his light and getting the opportunity to work with him is something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Reeves said. “He had such a passion for his work and his craft. Hey was kind. He had dignity and presence.”

According to his publicist Mia Hansen, 60-year-old Reddick died on Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes. No further details were provided.

Tributes rained down on the actor, whose roles made him a beloved and recognizable star of television and film. He played Charon, a multi-skilled concierge at the Continental who loves Wick, the killer played by Reeves. The final install arrives in theaters on Friday.

“He is the best of the movie. In many ways, he was the heart of the movie because his character loved John Wick,” Fishburne said.

“You know, it’s always hard when you lose someone you love so much. . . but you are also incredibly grateful for the time you spent together. We’ve been fortunate to work with Lance since the beginning of the John Wick franchise. I mean, it’s been almost 10 years,” director Chad Stahelski said. “I really want him to be with us tonight, but, you know, life. But we are very lucky to have known him. And he is a great man, a great artist, a great man, a dear friend.”

Shameier Moore, new to the Wick franchise, recalls how Reddick took the time to say a kind word on set.

“I grew up watching Lance Reddick. It’s a bittersweet moment because he was definitely one of my heroes growing up as an actor, as a black actor,” Moore said. he was the salt of the earth when he first met me.

“He said, ‘Shamier, you are incredible. I love your work, man,” and it melted me like a puddle. ”

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How long does weed stay in your system? What smokers, new and old, should know.

Published

10 hours ago

March 22, 2023

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ENTERTAINMENT

Winnie the Pooh movie pulled from Hong Kong theaters

Published

11 hours ago

March 22, 2023

Paul Rinehart

HONG KONG — Public screenings of the Winnie the Pooh slasher were abruptly canceled in Hong Kong on Tuesday, sparking discussions about tightening censorship in the city.

Film distributor VII Pillars Entertainment announced on Facebook that the premiere of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey on Thursday has been canceled with “great regret” in Hong Kong and neighboring Macau.

In an email response to the Associated Press, the distributor said theaters had notified him that they were unable to show the film as scheduled, but did not know why. The cinema chains involved did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For many residents, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful mockery of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Chinese censors have briefly banned bear searches on social media in the country in the past. In 2018, “Christopher Robin”, which also starred Winnie the Pooh, was reportedly denied theatrical release in China.

The screening of the film in Hong Kong sparked concern on social media about the curtailment of freedoms in the territory.

The film was originally scheduled to be shown in about 30 theaters in Hong Kong, VII Pillars Entertainment reported last week.

The Film, Newspapers and Articles Authority said it had approved the film, and arrangements by local cinemas to show approved films “are the commercial decisions of the respective cinemas.”

The screening, originally scheduled for Tuesday night at one cinema, was canceled for “technical reasons,” the organizer said on Instagram.

Kenny Ng, a professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University Film Academy, declined to speculate as to the reason for the cancellation, but suggested that the mechanism for suppressing criticism appears to be commercial solutions.

Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a promise to keep its Western-style freedoms. But China introduced a national security law after massive democratic protests in 2019, silencing or jailing many dissidents.

In 2021, the government tightened the rules and empowered censors to ban films deemed to violate the sweeping law.

Ng said there have been more cases of censorship in the city in the past two years, mostly targeting non-commercial films such as independent short films.

“When there is a red line, there is more taboo,” he said.