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All posts by tfuglei
May 28, 2019 tfuglei	Leave a comment
Trope rolls off the tongue like a dirty word when discussing film. It reeks of stereotype, repetition and outright plagiarism; nobody wants to hear that their movie is based on tropes. But what if trope is embraced as a guiding principle to subvert the form and mesh two popular geek genres at the same time? Cousins Mark and Brian Gunn took a look at several iterations of Superman's comic book beginnings and decided that collection of tropes might come together nicely with the horror genre—after all, a meteor crashing into earth with an invulnerable alien baby inside doesn't actually lend itself to sunny predictions out here in the real world, does it? They've crafted a screenplay that deftly jumps between throwing a dark mirror in the face of the shopworn superhero origin story to working every twist and turn of the story like a classic monster movie. It's a neat trick, pulled off with the help of a relatable cast and sturdy direction from David Yarovesky, telling a comic book tale using every horror movie trick in the book. And for the most part, it works.
I say for the most part because some tricks do in fact cross into the realm of truly overplayed trope—this movie has so many jump scares, based on the same trick (surprise surprise, the kid can move really, really fast) that you might be reaching for seizure meds by the end of it. Still, most of the scares are quite fun as we watch Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle (David Denman) overcome fertility problems thanks to a cosmic bolt that, in the very early going, appears to be nothing but a blessing. One of the grounding graces of Brightburn is this pair's performances. Their small town red state world feels lived in and authentic, a place where everyone has a big house surrounded by bigger fields and a hunting rifle is a fine present for a 12 year old boy. The boy in question, Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn), hits puberty as the story truly begins, and we're hit with another trope subversion as Superbad turns into The Omen. Dunn has the right look and acting chops to pull Brandon Beyer off; a cute urchin with just enough isolation to his presence that you could easily see him turning into the next school shooter, or, in this case, overpowering serial killer.
Make no mistake, the moments that would usually introduce challenging opportunities to discover heroic uses for newfound abilities here present themselves as a monster increasingly capable of terrorizing its prey before the kill. Over the course of its fleet runtime, Brightburn earns a big bloody R rating thanks to the sequences of increasingly violent mayhem, working the tropes of the horror genre while playing switcheroo with familiar superhero moments—those who've seen the likes of Superman Returns and Man of Steel will get a dark chuckle out of some of Brandon's interactions with vehicles here—and a stomach churning third act reveal is slyly telegraphed from early on. The Gunn cousins, working with production support from James Gunn himself, no stranger to horror and comic book films, have gone all in on this queasy, nasty concept and reminded us all that yes, there are still strange, unexpected and satisfying corners of tropes to be mined for our cinematic dreams—and nightmares.
April 26, 2019 tfuglei	Leave a comment
Much has been made of the Marvel/Disney money printing machine; they started with a scrappy set of b-list heroes, co-producing a mixed to positive bag of introductory films with Paramount, and really found their footing with Joss Whedon's Avengers in 2012. The teamup went better than most expected, both creatively and financially, and since then it seems their 2-3 releases per year are the easiest guarantee that people will put down Netflix and actually get out to the theater en masse. It's not all a love fest, though; some see their popularity as a death knell for serious cinema (despite an increasingly diverse set of offerings mirrored in the wide variety of Oscar nominees, not to mention the multiple platforms on which serious dramas appear in endless supply), a commoditization of childish nostalgia, and an assembly line style of storytelling. Regardless of the fact that there are plenty strong examples of writer/directors bringing their own unique voice to different properties, from James Gunn's sassy and surreal Guardians to Ryan Coogler's whip smart racial commentary in Black Panther, the hate is simple to find in various corners of criticism and internet comment sections. Still, what seems to be missed in the back and forth is that Marvel have crafted an extensive cast of characters that millions of viewers around the world relate to, look up to, and even love. The fights are fun, the effects often dazzling, but viewers wouldn't spend so much time with these films if they didn't care about the struggles and successes of the likes of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.
Joe and Anthony Russo, and their frequent collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, cash in every bit of goodwill towards these heroes with Avengers: Endgame, the longest and easily most self indulgent film in the much ballyhooed Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tripling down on the notion of fan service, this movie isn't made for the casual observer or the fly-by film buff. Unlike most of the other stories knocking around in the studio's catalog, Endgame has no time for catching anyone up on current events. If you're in the theater, you've likely seen every single film that preceded it, and of course are looking for some retribution and healing after the events of its predecessor, Infinity War. That film did a fairly marvelous job of bringing together a vast cast to do battle against the rare compelling Big Bad in the MCU, a mocapped Josh Brolin on a dark, twisted version of a hero's journey. Our remaining protagonists—the original Avengers all survived, plus a few more good guys to round out the team—are looking for the same things as the audience, but have some competing views on how to go about them. It's a very different film from a pacing standpoint than Infinity War: A dour, mournful opening, appropriate to the fallout from the villain's success, takes its sweet time getting to the inevitable action and explosions. But we do get to them eventually, as the Avengers' plan kicks into action, ostensibly to save the day but seemingly with the primary cause of redeeming a cross section of less than beloved sequels in the canon. It's a trick that almost works on that front, and of course drives our heroes ever closer to success.
In the interest of skipping the ever-despised spoilers—and yes, there's plenty to spoil, especially in the third act—we'll circle back to character. It's the bedrock of any good yarn, and uber producer Kevin Feige and his many collaborators understand this deeply. Some of these superheroes have only been around for a movie or two, but the main focus is of course on the original team and whether or not they can truly pull off a miracle or two. These are the ones Marvel fans have now spent many hours adventuring with, the characters whose strengths and weaknesses we know the best, the ones who've been there since the beginning. Watching the likes of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. rally in the face of their greatest challenge yet feels like a family reunion to those viewers who've been with them all along, and while the filmmakers lean into these feelings heavily in the face of some clumsy plot mechanics and pacing from time to time, Endgame does ultimately provide payoffs both surprising and expected to longstanding fans. No matter what defiant detractors may say about Marvel and Endgame, it's more than likely Stan Lee is nodding down on this capstone to his cinematic empire in gleeful approval.
Film Review, Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Rami Malek on his life, career, and the elephant in the room
February 3, 2019 tfuglei	Leave a comment
Rami Malek received the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 34th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival this past Friday, and rightly so. A pedestrian biopic of a beloved rock star is elevated to box office peaks and award season glory by his tender, passionate and commanding performance. Following a quick red carpet walk, Malek sat down with Hollywood Reporter correspondent Scott Feinberg for a lengthy Q&A covering his life, career and current hit film that may well propel the 36-year-old actor to Oscar gold. An hour and twenty minutes into a thoroughly charming discussion, Feinberg decided to heat up the room with a headline seeking dip into the seamy waters director Bryan Singer finds himself in. Framed with a clumsy "I know this will be uncomfortable and I shouldn't be asking it but we're doing this anyway" ramble, he brought up a recent article from The Atlantic accusing the filmmaker yet again with years of abusive sexual behavior toward young men and laid the whole mess at the actor's feet, calmly but clearly demanding clarification from a man who had nothing to do with the problem in the first place. While Ramek's response is well worth repeating and will be here, it shouldn't overshadow the celebration of the many accomplishments that preceded it.
To begin, the actor discussed his unique heritage as an Egyptian American; his mother and father emigrated to the United States from Cairo not long before he and his twin brother were born, hoping their children would become doctors and lawyers as most parents do. A less than exotic upbringing in Sherman Oaks CA led to an even less exotic sounding theatrical education in Indiana, but Rami's work ethic carried him all the way to a typical starving actor's scrape for roles, which led to landing an agent and first screen role on The Gilmore Girls in the same week. He was off…to typecasting. 9/11 happened and he soon found himself playing Egyptian Pharaohs in kiddie fare alongside glowering Middle Eastern terrorists in any number of paranoid thrillers that boiled his identity down to his ethnicity, and while it made for exposure and a few paychecks he quickly decided it was time to turn down those roles and expand his horizons. Malek's fortunes began to change with an audition for Tom Hanks' HBO series The Pacific. Despite the intimidation of having Steven Spielberg himself handling camera duties during his initial meeting with the production, Rami nailed down the part of a Cajun soldier and made a lifelong friend of co-star Joseph Mazzello, who presented him with his Santa Barbara award and plays John Deacon in Bohemian Rhapsody. This role would become a powerful calling card for Malek; he noted that many of his following roles came from the exposure. One of the highlights of this period was landing a role in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master; he read for the Joaquin Phoenix role, which he didn't expect to get, but lobbied the director hard for some part and ultimately ended up playing Philip Seymour Hoffman's son. Then came Mr. Robot—a title Malek assumed was only temporary but now loves. He expressed his love for writer-directors and the singular vision they bring to projects, singling out Anderson as well as Sam Esmail, a fellow Egyptian American who the actor noted seems to have clairvoyant powers when it comes to predicting dark societal trends. Asked about their shared heritage, Rami pointed out they are both dedicated to telling human stories no matter what the backgrounds of the people involved are.
When it came to Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek discussed the importance of deep preparation, since by his own admission he is no singer or dancer. That spurred him to take extensive lessons on both fronts, which served him well when he arrived on set to discover the first scenes to be shot were the thorough recreation of Queen's famous Live Aid concert. Just like with the Spielberg-filmed audition for The Pacific, the actor gathered courage from his experience and dedication to preparation and was pleased with the results. At this point in the conversation, the moderator decided to lob a curveball and bring up "the elephant in the room," carrying on at some length on the fall of the X-Men/Usual Suspects auteur and seeking comment. Rami visibly stiffened at the unexpected turn, but cleared his throat and let loose with an impassioned defense of the many other people responsible for Bohemian Rhapsody's success and offered heartfelt sympathy for anyone victimized by Singer. "I've sat here and talked about how everyone deserves a voice and anyone who wants to talk about what happened with Bryan deserves to have their voice heard. In my situation with Bryan, it was not pleasant, not at all. And that's about what I can say about it at this point." The crowd cheered, and despite his claim to be done speaking on the subject, he wasn't. "For anyone who is seeking any solace in all of this, Bryan Singer was fired. Bryan Singer was fired, I don't think that was something anyone saw coming but I think that had to happen and it did." More cheers as Feinberg, realizing he'd soured the occasion, finished up with a few softballs and then handed the floor over to Mazzello, who warmly embraced his friend and presented him with his award. Rami thanked the many people who'd helped him arrive at this night, including Feinberg, curtly saying "and what to say about Scott…thank you for your…thorough questions tonight." Overall it was a delightful evening spent with a rising star in Hollywood, despite the sadly somewhat successful attempt to make it about someone who wasn't even in the room and won't be for any Bohemian Rhapsody related awards going forward.
Bohemian RhapsodyBryan SingerRami MalekSanta Barbara International Film FestivalSBIFF
December 27, 2018 tfuglei	Leave a comment
Several days ago I found myself floored by the dense sound design work on Mary Poppins Returns; the whacky admiral neighbor's promised hourly cannon shots were woven deeply into every scene, even when the codger was nowhere near the events playing out in front of me. Then I realized we were sharing a wall with an IMAX screening of Aquaman. That particular film, a long promised reformation of a belittled DC character writ bold and buff by Jason Momoa, is so full of explosions and noisy impacts that I might recommend earplugs. Horror stalwart James Wan knows the value of suspenseful silence shattered by a jump, so every time you can actually hear the score or a line is quietly delivered, expect the moment to be shattered with a laser beam explosion, bone cracking punch, or perhaps even a laser beam punch—I don't remember one specifically but I'm pretty sure there's a few. The director gets to throw in a dark and stormy night or two and definitely has fun with some creature features in the third act, but for the most part he plumbs the depths of four quadrant action hero movie tropes, throwing so much familiarity against the wall to see what sticks that one wonders if Time Warner did in fact show a bot 100 hours of sci fi/fantasy/comic book movies and made it write the screenplay. Amber Heard dutifully jumps into the pretty-face-who-kicks-ass love interest role, bouncing wannabe sassy one liners off the lead that clunk to the ground often enough to lend further weight to my bot theory. Momoa himself vanquishes powerful aquamen, dastardly pirates and monsters galore, but his greatest foe, the bag he can't act his way out of, escapes their constant skirmishes unscathed. Patrick Wilson is marginally better as wet evil Legolas than David Thewlis was as secretly ripped evil God in Wonder Woman, so there's that. Mentioning this sister film could start a dive into the various failings and follies of what the kids know as the DC Extended Universe, but before we drown over in that end of the pool let's just say everything everyone's favorite superheroine got right in her origin story movie is a thing Aquaman is stumbling over itself to replicate at every turn. Emphasis on stumbling.
And yet, like that Van Halen album you're afraid to tell your music snob buddies you love to crank, Aquaman does in fact rock. Momoa is nobody's Lawrence Olivier II, but the sole reason they cast him—his looking nothing like you remember Aquaman looking like—really does carry the day in most respects, his physicality and swagger dragging us somewhat gleefully through the mayhem. That mayhem is assembled with aplomb by Wan; the fight scenes are smoothly shot with small delights in each (loud, always loud) smash and crash, hinting that his days of mid budgeted demonic possession flicks may be ending as the tentpoles come courting. There's just enough fun in seeing serious stars like Willem Dafoe and Nicole Kidman (and yes, the mighty Dolph Lundgren, clearly slumming here) floating around in their CGI costumes that their presence carries us through some painfully stilted exposition scenes. The CG universes developed here, derivative of everything from Avatar to (gulp) The Phantom Menace as they may be, really do make for such a delightful romp through a vast galaxy of eye popping realms that you start to remember DC comics do take fans further into fantasyland than just glum old Gotham City. Has Time Warner's wannabe superhero megabeast finally started to catch up with, you know, the other studio that prints money off seamlessly integrated franchises? Hell, they didn't even put out the best comic book movie of the month, and that one came from pretender to the throne Sony. But box office doesn't lie—people are getting a kick out of it. In other words, despite the running list of deficits this thing racks up over its inevitably bloated runtime, Aquaman is a charmer.
With The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos offers less of an abrupt change from his previous films than a (Greek?) olive branch. The staccato, exact line readings and bizarre scenarios of The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer are ostensibly replaced with crisp but hardly dense period dialogue and a straightforward pitch black comedy set in the royal palace of England in the early 1700s. Perhaps it's a function of turning writing duties over to other hands (Debra Davis and Tom McNamara), perhaps it's the conscious choice to let his stars relax and play the parts more naturalistically, but in any case he's landed on something approaching broad appeal with this female centric examination of power, love and cruelty. However, it's not all that far off from Lanthimos' usual examinations of people's darker impulses, though; The Favourite is very much a natural continuation of what he's been discussing with his films for years now. With a fierce cast, lush production design and tight pace, The Favourite deserves not only awards seasons accolades but large audiences as well.
Which is not to indicate it's a teaspoon of sugar by any measure. As mentioned, the film is about power: The power dynamics of a society in which people can pass from the heights of royal luxury to being whipped like a dog in the blink of an eye. Emma Stone's Abigail is intimately familiar with this as we meet her, being molested and shoved into shit as she ventures to the Queen's castle in search of a distant relative who may be able to return her to a decent level of status after her father's fall from grace has left her penniless and, worse, low class. Queen Ann, played with equal doses of sadness and mania by Olivia Coleman, is traumatized by loss and bears an almost Trumpian distaste for the details of her job. Fortunately she has Lady Sarah, her top advisor, companion, and truth serum, brought to life by a delightfully arch Rachel Weisz. Sarah gets to manage the political turmoil around a war with France while keeping up the appearance of the Queen's supremacy, then her distant cousin arrives meekly seeking any employment available—which is of course to say Abigail is on a stealth mission to regain her lost stature. With these three powerful personalities increasingly wrapped up in each other's orbits, the tension and gamesmanship quickly take their toll, which is reflected throughout in the increasingly frayed faces of the women (keep an eye on those faces—their evolutions provide one of the many visual treats on display).
Whereas Lanthimos cleans up some of the eccentricities of his prior works here, he still carries a deeply held distrust of and disgust with man's selfishness and general misanthropy—it feels no accident that there's about as much vomiting as sex in The Favourite. This satire of class ends as most of his previous films have, in a place where no good deed's been done without ulterior motive, every act of seeming kindness comes with a sharp dagger hidden under voluptuous finery. I'm not sure if this is a new direction for the filmmaker or simply a refinement of his sardonic vision. In any case, it's a smart, entertaining and nasty little marvel of a movie, one that may not light the box office on fire but one that will only grow in esteem as more viewers discover it.
November 17, 2018 tfuglei	Leave a comment
The mere mention of Joel and Ethan Coen conjures many glowing descriptors: Auteurs, legends, geniuses. I'd add one more that gets overlooked—survivors. Talented directors who cut their teeth in the 80s and 90s continuing to find budgets and put out quality release after quality release in this day and age are sadly few and far between. Some, like David Cronenberg, have become cinematic guns for hire on other people's ideas; others, such as John Dahl and Michael Lehmann, went the route of studio hand television episode directing long ago. Then we have the Coens, whose legacy is firmly cemented as they write and direct their original scripts and get wide release for them around the world. It's worth noting the uniqueness of this situation, and perhaps worth a head scratch too as we see them boiling down their talents to the small screen for Netflix. Brief theatrical release aside, most viewers will experience The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs in the comfort of their living rooms, which might feel odd for these powerhouse filmmakers until you actually watch the thing. Anthologized into six standalone stories set firmly in the Western genre, it's clear that the Coen Brothers are playing with the modern form of delivering (and binging) episodic content in one lump sum; The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs is Joel and Ethan's first and perhaps only season drop, and it's a damn good one.
Perhaps the film is as close as we'll come to a spiritual cousin to David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return, another example of aged cinematic masters continuing to operate at the height of their powers on the dime of a television network. The Coen Brothers set about seducing the viewer quickly with a pair of vignettes that lean heavily on slapstick violence and their trademark flowery/folksy dialogue, first with Buster himself, played to perfection by cast regular Tim Blake Nelson, followed by James Franco's snakebit bank robber going through any number of bad day scenarios. We don't come to realize how dark the ruminations on mortality and the brutality of the wild west we've just seen are, thanks to the glib delivery, until the third story, Meal Ticket, takes us through a wintry treatise on art versus commerce that may be one of the bleakest stories Joel and Ethan have ever given us. The legendary Tom Waits, a rare treat on the screen, shows up as a persnickety prospector looking for the big score, and then we're treated to an elegant and ultimately elegiac trip up the Oregon Trail with a young lady in search of her purpose and destiny. Finally, a twilight stagecoach ride finds a philosophically disparate bunch traveling to Fort Morgan, or perhaps someplace more menacing. While ostensibly stand alone, each tale takes a varying angle on the savagery of the era, so they ultimately play off each other in a typically beautiful, morose Coen Brothers symphony.
As we've seen with their previous dips into the genre, the Coen Brothers exhibit a love for every aspect of Westerns that's evident in every frame of The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs—the gorgeous scenery, iconic performances, suspenseful excitement and epic romances of films past are less nodded to than embraced in a warm two and a half hour hug. The very game cast, peppered with familiar faces and new ones, turns in excellent work at every turn, eliciting in equal part laughs, gasps and even tears. Longtime Coen production composer Carter Burwell provides a lush score, and Inside Llewyn David lenser Bruno Delbonnel executes Joel and Ethan's exacting standards for impeccable visuals with gusto. Outside of Noah Hawley's surprisingly well done ongoing riff on the Coen Brothers' career with FX's Fargo, seeing the original indie masters themselves slum on the small screen never seemed like a possibility, and certainly not an inevitability. Fortunately this likely one-off with Netflix serves as a reminder that Joel and Ethan Coen remain successful survivors in an ever changing film and television environment because their canon, like the Western itself, remains an American classic.
September 13, 2018 tfuglei	1 Comment
The 80s are bathed in a nostalgic glow these days, with music, fashion and certainly movies getting replayed, rehashed, sequeled and rebooted at a brisk clip. Two totems of the cinematic end of the phenomenon, tough guy alien attack classic Predator and funny/violent writer/director Shane Black, have been yoked together in a Hollwyood laboratory to hopefully mine some gold from the fond memories many fans have of the franchise and filmmaker. Black appears on the surface to be a perfect fit to breathe new yet familiar life into the Predator universe; the scribe of The Last Boyscout, Lethal Weapon and more didn't just craft some of the most memorable action movies of that decade, he actually played a blink and you'll miss it soldier in the original film itself. After seemingly taking a decade or so off, he's come roaring back in recent years with the successful Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys, his skills in crafting action and doing it with good bawdy humor seemingly undiminished with age and the passage of time.
So how does this perfect pairing work out? A great deal of that will depend on your love of the franchise and your feelings about what Shane Black does—personally I found Iron Man 3, for example, to be a delightful exercise in Shane Black hijacking a major franchise to make a Shane Black movie. Jokes and action are plentiful, and standards and expectations are undercut in any given scene. Others find it to be horrid on all levels, and I expect that kind of sharp division to meet The Predator. While the original had a joke here and there, the main point of John McTiernan's film was sci fi action, shot through with some genuinely gory and horrific moments. At the end of the day, it's a monster movie buried in shell casings and explosions. Black clearly knows and respects the source material—we have jungles, chases, and no shortage of carnage—but he's put together a thrill ride that is unmistakably his own.
This, of course, means jokes. Lots of them which, based on the crowd I screened the film with, land quite nicely if you're game. His beloved Christmastime setting, on display in most of his other films, has been updated to a more appropriate holiday. Black added a plucky kid to Tony Stark's adventures, a very bright and knowing beyond her years daughter in The Nice Guys, and here we get Jacob Tremblay's Rory, the brilliant autistic son of our gruff hero, Army Ranger sniper Quinn, played by Boyd Holbrook. Quinn's clearly there to fight, but ultimately Rory is something of a lynchpin to the story, and is given some nice if occasionally clichéd moments to shine. The camaraderie of the original team fighting this creature is replicated here with a goofier group of soldiers, but as in Iron Man 3 Black subtly uses the cadre to reference PTSD, not to mention a government response that can't in any way be trusted. The feds are commandeered by a preening and dangerous Sterling K. Brown, who recruits and tosses aside people as he sees fit—most notably, Olivia Munn's scientist, Casey Bracket, who inevitably ends up with our ragtag band of heroes, including a Tourette's Syndrome toting Thomas Jane and an R rated joke spewing Keegan-Michael Key.
The Predator plays out as more of a chase movie than a hunt, which might feel off to some adherents to the original. It also doesn't appear to have the kind of budget that this kind of endeavor usually gets in this day and age. That said, you can tell Black has great love for Predator and shows it near constantly, be it a clever nod to previous entries in the franchise, a jaw dropping kill, a tarnished tough guy hero moment or a clever burst of unexpected action. He's made an assured thrill ride of a film here, inevitably setting the stage for a sequel through some expansions of the mythology that are both goofy sci fi and honest to everything that's come before it. Any viewers who hold the 80s classic as sacrosanct will probably find more than a few things to complain about; the rest of us will grab the popcorn and settle in for a fun time.


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Demi Lovato On Miley: "She Knows What She's Doing"
However, X Factor USA star admits Mi-Cy's talent has been "overshadowed"...
Demi Lovatohas said she believes some of pal Miley Cyrus' talent had been "overshadowed" by her recent antics.
When asked about The X Factor USAjudge revealed: "I think she knows what she's doing.
"A lot of artists take that route of shock value and that's totally fine and that's great, but I think that she has such an incredible voice that's overshadowed by some of the things that she's doing."
The 21-year old continued: "You know it's her journey, she's having fun, she's being who she is and will always love her.
"She's been one of my friends since I was 14, but everyone's on their different journey's right now and she's doing that and having fun, so power to her!"
Lovato went on to add that being a Disney star herself, she understands what it's like to grow up in public, telling Couric: "I think that the world kind of needs to get over the fact that she wasSelena Gomez and Jonas Brothersand everybody that's grown up in front of the public eye."
Demi concluded: "We're adults now…I'm 21 and I'm nowhere near the same person that I was when I was 15…so go a little easy on us America."
SEE PICS OF DEMI LOVATO IN MTV'S GALLERY HERE
SEE 101 OF MILEY'S HOTTEST LOOKS HERE!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Leafbuyer Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:LBUY) Speaks Out Regarding Its Record-Setting Month
In was in June that experts made projections regarding the sales expected in the month of July. Leafbuyer Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:LBUY) has made a statement revealing that the expected sales were surpassed. Reports show that the business guru managed to add about 26 new customers in the month with quite a significant number being from companies based in Australia, Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Georgia.
The company's spokesperson disclosed that they posted a 55% rise in overall sales. According to him, the company is looking forward to a strong start in the second half of this particular year. It is quite evident that growth of this company is majorly defined by the fact that quite a significant number of this company's customers are fond of the 'one-stop-shop' suite of products."
The Director of Sales for Leafbuyer Technologies John Valle opined, "They see the value and benefit of having the best marketing and advertising products available to them under one roof. Some of our competitors can only offer one service or product. It gives us a clear advantage to bundle multiple services into one complete package."
Several analysts have come out to applaud the move by the company expand its product lines and sales as well. According to them, the company is definitely increasing its momentum, something that is necessary with the ever changing business climate.
They also commented upon the diverse markets the company has found itself in and are pleased with the recent trends where a large number of cannabis companies are getting to sign up with this company's platform. As a matter of fact they seek to beat rivals in the competitive market.
A lot of advantages await all those companies that will be taking the initiative to get onboard in time. They will most probably benefit from the huge share of the online traffic as well as receive remarkable positioning.
The acquisition of Greenlight Technologies
The other announcement is regarding this company's much anticipated acquisition of Greenlight Technologies. This acquisition will be completed anytime soon, an undertaking that is expected to double the customer base of Leafbuyer in California.
Related Topics:Leafbuyer Technologies IncLeafbuyer Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:LBUY)OTCMKTS:LBUY
SMART CANNABIS (OTCMKTS:SCNA) Discloses That Salinas Cannabis Cultivation Expanded Beyond Expectation
SIPP INDUSTRIES (OTCMKTS:SIPC) Announces The Availability Of Major Hemp Homebrewing Beer Kits For Sale
Leafbuyer Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:LBUY) Launches "The Ultimate Bundle" Platform
Leafbuyer Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:LBUY) Reports Strong Growth Figures For The Past One Year In Sales And Traffic
Leafbuyer Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:LBUY) Enters Into a Pact To Provide A Range of Services to Surterra Wellness
Wanderport Corp. (OTCMKTS:WDRP) has announced the launch of its CBD-infused Hempova skincare facial serums through which it plans to tap into the skincare market.
This is an interesting step for the company considering that it previously dabbled mainly in the food and beverage industry with products infused with CBD derived from hemp. However, the company is now leveraging its manufacturing prowess and CBD knowledge to expand into the skincare market with the CBD-infused Hempova skincare line.
"Growth in the global skincare industry in general and in the anti-aging segment, in particular, has been staggering and we are excited to introduce our line of CBD serums," stated Wanderport's interim CEO, Liliana Vo.
The CEO also noted that her company also wants to introduce new products in the future as part of its campaign for people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The company will announce the additional pipeline products in the future. For now, the launch of the Hempova skincare facial serums will allow the company to assess the market and see how things go.
The Hempova skincare product line consists of Collagen Cream, Eye Serum, and Anti-aging Face and Neck Cream for Men. All of the above products are developed using high-quality ingredients such as CBD, collagen and Hyaluronic Acid. These ingredients are supposed to help rehydrate the skin and at the same time helping the skin to appear youthful.
Wanderport cannot afford to ignore the lucrative skincare market
Wanderport has also entered the skincare market at an opportune time when the demand is shifting. Skincare products were in the past mostly purchased by older consumers but now there is a wave of younger consumers that are adopting the trend.
One particular segment of the skin care category that has seen significant growth in the anti-aging skin care segment. The segment was valued at $250 billion globally in 2016 and analysts estimate that it will be worth $331 billion by 2021.
Wanderport does not intent on being left behind by the anti-aging product wave. It has its Hempova anti-aging skincare product line that will allow it to secure a piece of the pie. The product line will target spas, wellness centers, and boutiques.
Harvest Health & Recreation Inc (OTCMKTS:HRVSF) announced a few days ago that its shareholders together with those of Verano Holdings LLC approved a business combination between the two firms.
The idea of a Business Combination Agreement between the two companies was introduced in April this year. Once the agreement is in motion, Verano and Harvest Health shareholders will get to own stake in the merger which will handle the business operations of both firms.
An overwhelming number of Harvest Health investors voted in favor of the merger and the same case for Verano investors who unanimously agreed that it was the best way forward. The voting took place during a special meeting that was held towards the end of June.
Harvest shareholders and Verano shareholders will exchange their ownership stake on a 1:1 basis as part of the agreement. This means that Verano shareholders will receive Harvest Health shares while Harvest shares will receive Verano shares.
Harvest Health buys out Leaf Life dispensary
More recently, Harvest Health announced that it acquired Leaf Life, the only medical cannabis dispensary that is licensed in Casa Grande, Arizona. The strategic acquisition adds to the company's growing portfolio of acquisitions in Arizona. It previously acquired a company called Devine Hunter, Inc., and that gave it access to six licenses.
Harvest Health's acquisition of Leaf Life means the company can now operate in about 18 facilities and dispensaries that are based in Arizona.
"Arizona is the third largest medicinal cannabis market in the United States, yet too many in our communities still do not have adequate access to dispensaries that offer the high-quality medicinal products," stated Harvest Health's Executive Chairman Jason Vedadi.
Harvest Health therefore targets Arizona as one of the underserved markets where it can potentially secure a strong footing. Ricky Hendrickson, the vice president of Leaf Life pointed out that his firm agreed to a buyout by Harvest because the company seems committed to achieving success in Arizona. He also revealed that the two businesses agreed to a 2-year stock option lockup. Leaf Life will now become part of Harvest Health following the transaction.
Crop Infrastructure Corp (OTCMKTS:CRXPF) announced towards the end of June that World Farms Corp, its investment holdings secured a definitive deal with Graphite Energy Corp to go public.
The deal will facilitate a reverse takeover and World Farms Corp will go public through the Canadian Securities Exchange. Crop Infrastructure currently owns a sizable stake in 10 World Farms Corp at 10 million shares. Crop divested its stake in Jamaican and Italian joint ventures in February so that it could purchase the 10 million World Farms Corp's common shares at $0.20 per share.
"By divesting our Italian and Jamaican assets to World Farms, it has allowed CROP to focus and expand its operations in the USA, as well as gain a major investment," stated Crop Investment Holding CEO Michael Yorke.
The CEO also noted that the reverse takeover will go on as planned and that it was pending regulatory greenlight by the CSE. Yorke also noted that World Farms already has 100,000 cannabis plants in cultivation, and it plans to grow an extra 500,000 plants in Croatia over the next few weeks.
Crop Infrastructure acquires license for its Emerald Heights brand in California
Crop Infrastructure also announced in June that its brand Emerald Heights was awarded a provisional license that will allow it to run retail operations, a smoking lounge and delivery services in Cathedral City. The company also hired a local real-estate broker to secure an ideal location for the company's new location for Emerald Heights in California.
The company also revealed that it already paid a US$30,000 down payment on the new location in Cathedral City. The Emerald Heights brand will handle deliveries in key routes within Coachella Valley and the Bay Area. The brand is also looking for a partner that will assist with distribution in Southern California.
Crop Infrastructure also revealed that its extraction partner in California has already carried out the extraction process on the first harvest batch from 2018. The THC distillate oil extracted from the 2018 harvest will be incorporated into 30,000 vape cartridges. Some of the extract will also be used in pre-rolled joints and also to build up inventory.


text:
Q: How can i merge two recycler views such that they scroll one after another? I tried to implement this answer and it worked but only if the both list are prepopulated already, but in my case one list is prepopulated and the other is incremented/decremented dynamically.
Here is my layout structure

Black box represents the recycle list which can be incremented/decremented dynamically, and its main action is to show the users favorite fonts.
Red box represents all the fonts which are available and they are prepopulated.
i want both these list to flow each-other in scroll, such that user can not notice that these are actually two different list.
my xml code :
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:padding="@dimen/home_section_padding"
    android:background="@color/background"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <EditText
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:id="@+id/editText"
        android:textColorHint=" #C0C0C0"
        android:hint="Paste"
        android:textColor="@color/text_color"
        android:inputType="text"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>

    <Button
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:text="Style"
        android:textStyle="bold"
        android:textColor="@color/text_color"
        android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
        android:fontFamily="serif-monospace"
        android:textAppearance="?android:textAppearanceLarge"
        android:background="@drawable/round_shape_for_button"
        android:onClick="fire"
        android:id="@+id/button"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>

    <androidx.recyclerview.widget.RecyclerView
        android:id="@+id/recyelerViewFav"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content" >

    </androidx.recyclerview.widget.RecyclerView>

    <androidx.recyclerview.widget.RecyclerView
        android:id="@+id/recyelerView"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_weight="1"
        android:layout_height="0dp" />

</LinearLayout>

A: There is 2 options, You can either use ConcatAdapter to combine both adapters in one adapter and use one RecyclerView (Recommended). Or use NestedScrollView to wrap both your RecyclerViews and  make sure to set both RecyclerView heights to wrap_content.
But based on what you are trying to achieve, I would recommend to use ConcatAdapter(adapter1, adapter2) to wrap both your adapters and set that new adapter on one RecyclerView. You will still be able to control each adapter by itself Add, Remove and calling notifyDataSetChanged on the changed adapter will reflect changes on the RecyclerView.

A: I think you should use two lists in one RecyclerView adapter.And have two different view holders.Whenever you need to make a change just make the change in specific array list (1 or 2) and call notifyDatasetChanged() on the single adapter you have.
Something like this answer

A: Create 2 different xml file apart from activity_main.xml ,create 2 external java file associated with these 2 XML file for user handling code purposes. Give your desired layout for recycler view in those 2 XML file,map those XML file in MainActivity.java class using some java class which will extend  RecyclerView.Adapter class and override some methods as onCreateViewHolder(),onBindViewHolder().To inflate the recycler view data ,create 1 more java file which will use some getter() & setter() inorder to populate the recycler view with data by the help of the class extending RecyclerView.Adapter class.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
SFC Nathan Ross Chapman ID: 2327
Last Name: Chapman
Birthplace: Temple Hills, MD, USA
Middle Name: Ross
Date of Birth: 23 April 1970
Date of Death: 04 January 2002
Rank: Sergeant First Class
Nathan Ross Chapman
• Operation Just Cause - Panama (1989 - 1990)
• Gulf War (1990 - 1991)
• Afghanistan War (Operation Enduring Freedom) (2001 - present)
Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army
1st U.S. Soldier Killed in Operation Enduring Freedom
Nathan Ross Chapman was born on 23 April 1970 at Andrews Air Force Base (Temple Hills, MD) where his father was stationed. Nathan grew up in a variety of towns across the U.S., but listed his hometown as San Antonio, TX, when he joined the U.S. Army at the age of 18. He'd never lived in San Antonio, but that is where his grandparents lived.
Assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group following the 11 September attacks, Chapman was directing troop movements from the back of a flatbed truck near Khost, close to the Pakistan border, when he was shot. He did not die instantly from the attack, which also saw a CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer from Special Activities Division wounded. Although originally dubbed an "ambush," the military backed away from using the term. Chapman and the wounded CIA agent had been meeting with tribal leaders.
During his military career, Chapman participated in U.S. military endeavors in Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Haiti, and Afghanistan.
Chapman was the first U.S. soldier to be killed in combat in the war in Afghanistan.
Bronze Star Medal with Combat "Valor" Device
Combat Infantryman Badge with Star (Indicates Second Award)
Master Parachutist Badge
• Forward Operating Base Chapman was named after SFC Chapman.
• Chapman's name was added to a granite memorial of other members of the Special Forces who have died.
• A small cul-de-sac in front of the Special Forces Headquarters at Fort Lewis, WA, has been renamed "Chapman Circle" in his honor.
• A bronze memorial was erected in honor of Chapman at the Williamson County Veteran's Memorial in Sun City, TX, where his parents reside.
Chapman, his wife, Renae, and two children, Amanda and Brandon, lived in Puyallup, WA.
Sergeant First Class Nathan Ross Chapman was killed in action on 4 January 2002 near Khost Afghanistan. He is buried at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, WA.


text:
Nyhetsarkiv 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Q&A regarding election of new members
Q: Is it fun to be a member?
A: Yes!!!
Q: How do I become a member?
A: The first step is to send in an application, the period for application is usually open from November to early January. Our election committee will then evaluate the scientific merits of all applicants and invite the best candidates to interviews. Based on this, the election panel proposes new members for formal election by the academy.
Q: How is my application evaluated?
A: Applications for membership are evaluated on two criteria: (1) scientific merits and (2) interest and ability to participate in the academy. The evaluation is done by an interdisciplinary panel of academy members. If needed the panel consults with external experts to assess scientific merits.
Q: Can I nominate someone else to the academy?
A: No, aspiring new members have to send in an application by themselves.
Q: How many apply and how many new members are elected every year?
A We usually receive 65-80 applications and elect 6-8 new members per year. This means that the competition is tough and we encourage you to apply again if you were not successful the first time. It is not uncommon for members to apply several times before being elected.
Q: Are there pre-defined quota of members from different scientific disciplines?
A: No. The academy is open to researchers from all scientific disciplines, but all disciplines may not be present at all times. When electing new members we strive for diversity in terms of scientific background, different universities and gender. The best way to achieve diversity is to make sure that we receive high-quality applications from a broad range of researchers.
Q: Do I have to be a Swedish citizen?
A: No, but we expect that members are based at a Swedish research institution during the membership period (5 years).
Q: Do I have to speak Swedish?
A: We have a pragmatic approach to language and use English when needed. However, we strongly encourage members to learn Swedish to be able to participate in all types of external activities and take full advantage of the network.
Q: Is there any remuneration for members?
A: The academy pays for travel and hotel at meetings and when members represent the academy. There is no further remuneration for the time spent.
Q: How much time do I have to commit as a member?
A: We are very much a working academy and the more time you commit the more rewarding it is to be a member :-) The whole academy usually meets four times a year for two-day meetings. In addition to this our members participate, to varying degrees, in internal and external activities.


text:
October 24, 2017 January 13, 2018 by circles&stalls
Contact, Manchester.
Once upon a time… cabaret artist Le Gateau Chocolat was inspired to make a show for "families, children and the young at heart". Its name was 'Duckie'.
It's the story of a little duckling who can't seem to be the duck his parents want him to be. He can't even quack, although he's great at burping. Struggling to be accepted by his family, Duckie sets off to look for friends at an animal circus.
With great charm, Le Gateau Chocolat single-handedly creates a circus filled with wonder. Although, he does get some help from a friendly storytelling voice which guides us through events, prompts him to become the various characters and even encourages the audience to join in now and then.
Duckie's duckling features consist of two small clusters of yellow feathers as wings and a yellow cap for his beak. The various animals Duckie encounters at the circus are ingeniously evoked using bits and pieces 'found' in some boxes on stage. A tutu becomes a lion's mane and a mouse is conjured up from a piece of rope. There's the odd glimpse of glitz, Le Gateau Chocolat's glittery red lipstick and a bright pink frilly umbrella, but mostly our imagination is fed with a clever use of simple everyday items. This is magic grounded in real life
Duckie encounters repeated rejection from the circus animals he encounters – he's not strong enough for them, or too fat or "not like" them. He's even the wrong colour – the tightrope walking flamingos don't want the pinkness of their act ruined by even a speck of Duckie's yellow.
For a family show it doesn't pull its punches – when Duckie is being called names, and at his lowest ebb, he crumples up distraught into a little ball and covers his ears. His sadness and vulnerability are evoked movingly in song (an excerpt from Taboo's 'Petrified').
When a flamboyant fortune-telling peacock tells Duckie to be true to himself, things begin to look up. A mouse becomes his friend and when people hear Duckie sing they love his voice. He's finally offered a job in the circus, as a singer.
The show's musical score is bursting with Disney songs, show tunes and pop anthems – from 'Pure Imagination' through 'Somewhere Out There' to 'I am What I Am'. Sometimes the lyrics are tinkered with slightly to suit the story but they are all powered by that rich deep emotion-filled voice.
There's an elegant simplicity to the design and a sense of transience. It's like being back stage at an old-fashioned travelling show with trunks of clothes, piles of crates and strings of light bulbs.
'Duckie' is a beautiful, thoughtful show. It has a magical lightness to it, as if it has blown in on a breeze. But beneath its fluffy yellow feathers it's hiding a subversive truth. Salvation isn't going to be found by turning into a beautiful swan – it comes from accepting yourself and realising it's ok to be different.
Le Gateau Chocolat.
Contact Duckie Family Greater Manchester Le Gateau Chocolat Manchester Performance Theatre


text:
# Hawkbit Doctrine

[![Latest Version on Packagist][ico-version]][link-packagist]
[![Software License][ico-license]](LICENSE.md)
[![Build Status][ico-travis]][link-travis]
[![Total Downloads][ico-downloads]][link-downloads]
[![Coverage Status][ico-coveralls]][link-coveralls]

Doctrine 2 ORM integration for Hawkbit PSR-7 Micro PHP framework.

## Install

### Using Composer

Hawkbit Doctrine is available on [Packagist][link-packagist] and can be installed using [Composer](https://getcomposer.org/). This can be done by running the following command or by updating your `composer.json` file.

```bash
composer require hawkbit/doctrine
```

composer.json

```javascript
{
    "require": {
        "hawkbit/doctrine": "~1.0"
    }
}
```

Be sure to also include your Composer autoload file in your project:

```php
<?php

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
```

### Downloading .zip file

This project is also available for download as a `.zip` file on GitHub. Visit the [releases page](https://github.com/hawkbit/doctrine/releases), select the version you want, and click the "Source code (zip)" download button.

### Requirements

The following versions of PHP are supported by this version.

* PHP 5.5
* PHP 5.6
* PHP 7.0
* PHP 7.1
* HHVM

## Setup

Setup with an existing application configuration (we refer to [tests/assets/config.php](tests/assets/config.php))

```php
<?php

use \Hawkbit\Application;
use \Hawkbit\Doctrine\DoctrineService;
use \Hawkbit\Doctrine\DoctrineServiceProvider;

$app = new Application(require_once __DIR__ . '/config.php');

$entityFactoryClass = \ContainerInteropDoctrine\EntityManagerFactory::class;

$doctrineService = new DoctrineService([
   DoctrineService::resolveFactoryAlias($entityFactoryClass) => [$entityFactoryClass]
], $app);

$app->register(new DoctrineServiceProvider($doctrineService));
```

## Examples

### Full configuration

A full configuration is available on [DASPRiD/container-interop-doctrine/example/full-config.php](https://github.com/DASPRiD/container-interop-doctrine/blob/master/example/full-config.php).
Refer to [container-interop-doctrine Documentation](https://github.com/DASPRiD/container-interop-doctrine) for further instructions on factories.

### Doctrine from Hawbit Application

```php
<?php

/** @var \Hawkbit\Doctrine\DoctrineServiceInterface $doctrine */
$doctrine = $app[\Hawkbit\Doctrine\DoctrineServiceInterface::class];

$em = $doctrine->getEntityManager();

// or with from specific connection
$em = $doctrine->getEntityManager('connectionname');

```

### Doctrine in a Hawkbit controller

Access doctrine service in controller. Hawbit is inject classes to controllers by default.

```php
<?php

use \Hawkbit\Doctrine\DoctrineServiceInterface;

class MyController{

    /**
     * @var \Hawkbit\Doctrine\DoctrineServiceInterface
     */
    private $doctrine = null;

    public function __construct(DoctrineServiceInterface $doctrine){
        $this->doctrine = $doctrine;
    }

    public function index(){
        $em = $this->doctrine->getEntityManager();

        // or with from specific connection
        $em = $this->doctrine->getEntityManager('connectionname');
    }
}
```

## Change log

Please see [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md) for more information what has changed recently.

## Testing

``` bash
$ composer test
```

## Contributing

Please see [CONTRIBUTING](CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.

## Security

If you discover any security related issues, please email <mjls@web.de> instead of using the issue tracker.

## Credits

- [Marco Bunge](https://github.com/mbunge)
- [All contributors](https://github.com/hawkbit/hawkbit-doctrine/graphs/contributors)

## License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see [License File](LICENSE.md) for more information.

[ico-version]: https://img.shields.io/packagist/v/hawkbit/doctrine.svg?style=flat-square
[ico-license]: https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-brightgreen.svg?style=flat-square
[ico-travis]: https://img.shields.io/travis/HawkBitPhp/hawkbit-doctrine/master.svg?style=flat-square
[ico-downloads]: https://img.shields.io/packagist/dt/hawkbit/doctrine.svg?style=flat-square
[ico-coveralls]: https://img.shields.io/coveralls/HawkBitPhp/hawkbit-doctrine/master.svg?style=flat-square

[link-packagist]: https://packagist.org/packages/hawkbit/hawkbit-doctrine
[link-travis]: https://travis-ci.org/HawkBitPhp/hawkbit-doctrine
[link-downloads]: https://packagist.org/packages/hawkbit/hawkbit-doctrine
[link-author]: https://github.com/mbunge
[link-contributors]: ../../contributors
[link-coveralls]: https://coveralls.io/github/HawkBitPhp/hawkbit-doctrine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub