The Office is making a comeback in Australia with the first-ever female-led version of the show. Reported by Deadline, Prime Video Australia has ordered a remake of The Office, and it’s set to premiere in 2024.
Standup comedian Felicity Ward is slated for the lead role in the series, where she’ll play Hannah Howard, manager of packaging company Flinley Craddick. The series will have a remote work spin, as Howard tries to keep her “work family” together after learning that corporate plans to shut down her branch and move everyone to at-home setups.
Alongside Ward, the rest of the cast includes Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Pallavi Sharda, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmit, and Firass Dirani.
Felicity Ward will play Hannah Howard in Australia’s remake of The Office. Image credit: Scott Howard/Getty Images.
This is the first time in The Office’s many iterations that a woman will play the lead role. The manager role was originally made famous by Ricky Gervais’ David Brent, and the most famous iteration is Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott.
The U.S. version of The Office ended back in 2013, and there have been talks of a reboot. Last year, The Office creator Greg Daniels compared his reboot idea to The Mandalorian, saying it would be “an extension of the universe”.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Just this month, the RED Komodo-X Stormtrooper edition was released. The X versions of the Komodo series offered a bit more production oomph but kept the tool affordable enough for budget filmmakers and owner-operators.
But now, the “real” camera is about to hit the market. The all-black RED Komodo-X is officially available for pre-order. If you’d like to read up on all the updates and specs for the new camera, check out the comparison article.
Stormtrooper vs. All Black
For those not already in the know, what’s the difference between the initial Stormtrooper release and the final all-black version?
Absolutely nothing, besides a different coat of paint. The white Komodo-X is just a special limited edition release to hype the camera up and get it into the hands of filmmakers who want it the most.
The rear I/O and battery plate is all different too. Credit: RED
The Performance Filmmakers Need?
One of the standout features of the RED Komodo-X, much like the original Komodo, is its compact design. It’s no taller or wider than the original release and just a few centimeters longer.
Komodo vs Komodo-X size comparisonCredit: RED
With dimensions of just 4 x 4 x 4.5 inches and weighing in at only 2 pounds, the Komodo-X takes the stunt-camera/C-camera philosophy and makes it into a production workhorse.
We can wax poetic about the specs, utility, and workflow until the sun comes up. So here’s a quick video from CVP that gives us a great breakdown of the RED Komodo-X.
Is This Camera For You?
During the DSMC2 days, everyone wanted to own a RED. It was, at times, a status symbol and, at others, a validation of your hard work and artistic vision. But those cameras were always super expensive. Even the cheapest RED Raven still cost around $15,000.
I’m a big proponent of affordability. While I understand how and why a tool can be priced as much as a luxury car, there is a world where high quality and affordability can live together.
With the Komodo and Komodo-X, RED has finally embraced that mindset, and I think there’s a reason why I see so many more owner-operators out in the field. More people can now own a RED, which means more creatives are able to utilize those professional tools we all dream about. While the Komodos aren’t the cheapest tools on the market, they are on par, and sometimes cheaper, than other alternatives. This means the RED tax isn’t a thing anymore.
But what do you think? Have you already pre-ordered the Komodo-X? Let us know in the comments!
WGA isn’t giving up its crusade for a fair wage and job security any time soon. As its fellow unions, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), enter their own negotiations this month, the WGA sent a letter to members assuring them they will not allow AMPTP to “divide and conquer,” again.
The renewed commitment to the strike, which has been going on for a month now, comes as DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts expire on June 30. The DGA has already entered talks with AMPTP, and SAG-AFTRA goes to the table on June 7. Regardless of how those talks go, the WGA is ready to keep going—even if its sibling unions get a new contract.
In the letter, the WGA argues that in the 2007-08 strike, AMPTP pitted the unions against each other, cutting a deal with the DGA “far ahead of its contract expiration, which included some (but not all) of the goals writers sought.” This set the stage for contract renegotiations for the next few years, a strategy the letter refers to as “divide and conquer.” The Negotiating Committee explains the strategy as “Hold off a deal with the DGA until after the WGA contract expiration date so that in the event of a writers’ strike, the AMPTP could force a DGA pattern on the WGA.”
While solidarity between unions has been, thus far, more robust than in 2007, “AMPTP remains committed to its strategy.” As such, AMPTP “pretended” to deny negotiations with the WGA in May, so it could enact its strategy when DGA talks began. The letter states that the tactic will not shake the WGA’s resolve. The strike will continue regardless, hopefully with broad support from the other unions. AMPTP put itself in this position, and the only way it’ll get out is by paying people what they’re owed.
Read the full letter below:
DEAR MEMBERS,
The AMPTP playbook has been to divide and conquer…labor.
The AMPTP was formed in the 1980s when the industry’s major employers decided they were tired of the decades of gains made by unions when engaging in their own divide and conquer strategy – choosing an employer (or employer group) to get a good deal that the rest of the industry studios had to follow.
The AMPTP strategy of corporate unity has been wildly successful for the companies. Labor costs have been contained in an industry where workers have tremendous power while the companies reaped billions on billions in profit, year after year. During the last 35 years, there have been only two strikes – 2007/08 and now.
While the employers were united, labor has been less so. Until recently.
During the last WGA strike, SAG was supportive but relations with some of the other unions were strained. While writers were out on picket lines, the DGA negotiated its own deal far ahead of its contract expiration, which included some (but not all) of the goals writers sought.
In the intervening contract cycles, union solidarity in Hollywood was limited. The DGA negotiated first, far ahead of their deadline, and the implicit message from the AMPTP was that the WGA or other unions would have to strike to get a better deal than the pattern already set.
This bargaining cycle, the industry began beating the strike drum far in advance of the WGA’s formulation of bargaining demands, let alone the start of actual negotiations. The AMPTP set a strategy in motion designed to be a repeat of 2007/08. Divide and conquer. Hold off a deal with the DGA until after the WGA contract expiration date so that in the event of a writers’ strike the AMPTP could force a DGA pattern on the WGA. Even better if they could also sew up a deal with SAG-AFTRA. They would then claim that the writers were being unreasonable.
That strategy, however, depends on divided unions. This year is different. Every union in town came out in support of the WGA, both during negotiations and after the start of the strike. The DGA has been clear that it is facing a tough and critical negotiation to address its members’ needs. Yesterday, we joined a statement along with SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters 399 in solidarity with the DGA in their negotiations. SAG-AFTRA is taking a strike authorization vote as they enter negotiations to address the existential issues its members are facing. Teamsters, IATSE, and other entertainment union members have been honoring WGA picket lines across the country.
Still, the AMPTP remains committed to its strategy.
They pretended they couldn’t negotiate with the WGA in May because of negotiations with the DGA. That’s a lie. It’s a choice they made in hope of breathing life into the divide and conquer strategy. The essence of the strategy is to make deals with some unions and tell the rest that’s all there is. It’s gaslighting, and it only works if unions are divided.
Our position is clear: to resolve the strike, the companies will have to negotiate with the WGA on our full agenda.
The AMPTP should have made a fair deal with writers by May 1st. But they didn’t, as they are seemingly intent on continuing their efforts to destroy the profession of writing. For the last month, writers have followed in the footsteps of many generations before who went on strike to secure their collective future in this business. We will continue to march until the companies negotiate fairly with us. We do it now with the support of our sister guilds and unions, and we will support them whenever it’s their turn. The era of divide and conquer is over.
Dwayne Johnson’s Fast & Furious return as Luke Hobbs isn’t exactly exciting fans on social media. The actor recently took to social media to confirm that he is fully back as Hobbs following his cameo in Fast X, and that another Hobbs-related spinoff is in the works at Universal; it could release before Fast X: Part 2 comes out. Johnson also confirmed that he has squashed his long-time beef with Dom Toretto actor Vin Diesel after they clashed during the filming of The Fate of the Furious,and expressed his excitement at returning to the saga.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
However, this news isn’t being received well by fans. On Twitter, many are discussing how the franchise will seemingly never end, even if Fast X: Part 2 and the potential Part 3 will supposedly end the main saga. Others are mocking how the next movies could be titled in the vein of the franchise’s inconsistent titles, and many are also discussing how Johnson seems desperate for a successful franchise in response to Black Adam underperforming at the box office. Check out many tweets on the matter below:
Luke Hobbs’s Return The Fast Franchise Isn’t Getting Its Intended Response
While fans should naturally be excited at seeing Johnson return to the Fast & Furious franchise, which made him an even bigger movie star than he was, many Twitter users aren’t particularly thrilled at the prospect of seeing him headline his own spinoff. However, this seemingly has more to do with the fact that the Fast & Furious franchise does not want to end, even if the stars have consistently teased that “the final chapter” is coming. Aside from the second Hobbs-related spinoff, a female-centered Fast & Furious film has also been discussed, alongside Fast X‘s expected follow-ups.
This also comes after repeated occasions in which Johnson expressed that he was not interested in returning to the Fast & Furious franchise, even after Diesel himself pleaded for his return on Instagram. However, plans seem to have quickly shifted after Black Adam was a critical and commercial failure, with the character no longer a part of James Gunn’s new DC Universe. Johnson wanted to create his own franchise with Black Adam, even getting Henry Cavill to return as Superman in a post-credits scene. However, Gunn had plans of his own when he was appointed co-CEO of DC Studios.
Now, fans believe Johnson is desperate for a franchise after Black Adam failed to create one and draw moviegoers. Additionally, with each Fast & Furious installment experiencing diminishing returns at the box office, it is unclear if the franchise could even last beyond Fast X: Part 2, especially if many spinoffs are planned before the second installment of the final chapter releases. Time will tell how the Fast & Furious saga will evolve with Johnson back as Luke Hobbs for future installments.
The judge appointed in the Disney vs. Ron DeSantis free speech lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, recused himself on Thursday over a family member’s shares in the multimedia giant.
Walker, who ruled against DeSantis last year in a separate First Amendment case, said that he’s not he’s not biased against the Florida governor, but that an extended family member who owns stock in The Walt Disney Company “could be substantially affected by the outcome of this case.”
“Even though I believe it is highly unlikely that these proceedings will have a substantial effect on The Walt Disney Company, I choose to err on the side of caution — which, here, is also the side of judicial integrity — and disqualify myself,” he said in a public statement. “Maintaining public trust in the judiciary is paramount, perhaps now more than ever in the history of our Republic.”
Lawyers for DeSantis had previously accused Walker of bias, stating in a court filling that the judge “offered ‘Disney’ as an example of state retaliation.”
In an April 1, 2022, hearing, Walker had asked, “is there anything in the record that says we are now going to take away Disney’s special status because they’re woke?” In a separate case in June, Walker wrote that state’s battle over the company’s tax status was due to Disney “[running] afoul of state policy of the controlling party.”
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, an appointee of former president Donald Trump, will take over the case. Earlier this year, Winsor dismissed a lawsuit challenging the conservative-driven Parental Rights in Education Law, otherwise known as the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Despite significant public outcry over the bill, including from Disney, DeSantis signed it into law in May 2022.
Reps for Disney did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Burna Boy is back with the new summer anthem “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” which he released Thursday (June 1) via Atlantic Records.
The African Giant makes a triumphant return nearly a year after he released his sixth studio album Love, Damini on July 8, 2022, which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and received a 2023 Grammy nomination for best global music album. And after his hit single “Last Last” soundtracked all of last summer, “Sittin’ on Top of the World” aims to do the same for the summer of 2023. Much like “Last Last,” which contains a sample of Toni Braxton‘s 2000 track “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” “Sittin’ on Top of the World” has its own hint of nostalgia: The song features a sample of Brandy‘s 1998 song “Top of the World,” featuring Mase. Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III and LaShawn Daniels have writing credits on Brandy’s “Top of the World” as well as Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and therefore have earned credits on Burna’s “Last Last” and “Sittin’ on Top of the World” records.
In the accompanying visual, Burna is seen standing on top of a floating platform at one of his shows during his Love, Damini Tour, and from there, fans follow his journey across the globe, including red-carpet pit stops (like one before the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, where he closed out the show), long walks to private jets, greetings with famous friends from J Balvin to Damson Idris, performances, club appearances and much more.
Burna will perform “Sittin’ on Top of the World” live at his sold-out London Stadium stop on Saturday, June 3. The superstar will make history at his July 8 show at NYC’s Citi Field when he will become the first Nigerian artist to headline a U.S. stadium.
Watch the “Sittin’ on Top of the World” music video below.
About: An inside look at the studio responsible for some of the most iconic and recognizable album covers of all time. From Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon to Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, the studio ruled the ’70s.
About: The quixotic journey of Nam June Paik, one of the most famous Asian artists of the 20th century, who revolutionized the use of technology as an artistic canvas and prophesied both the fascist tendencies and intercultural understanding that would arise from the interconnected metaverse of today’s world.
About: Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
About: The history of New York’s Meatpacking District, told from the perspective of transgender sex workers who lived and worked there. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell, who walked “The Stroll” for a decade, reunites her community to recount the violence, policing, homelessness, and gentrification they overcame to build a movement for transgender rights.
Full spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Proceed at your own risk.
After a four and a half year wait,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has majestically swung into theaters. And yes, there’s a fair amount to unpack from its stunning, albeit abrupt ending.
Before we dive into the latest Spider-Man movie’s explosive conclusion, whether there are any post-credits scenes worth sticking around for, and how it sets up forthcoming sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, you’ll need to read our Across the Spider-Verse review to see if it’s worth watching (spoilers: it is). Oh, and then you’ll actually need to book a trip to your local theater to take in one of the best superhero movies of all-time.
Oh, you’ve done all of that? Great! Let’s discuss Across the Spider-Verse‘s biggest talking points.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ending explained: where does Miles end up?
Things aren’t looking good for Miles in this new dimension. (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Answer: Earth-42, i.e. another parallel universe.
To explain why Miles (Shameik Moore) doesn’t travel back to his own reality – Earth-1610 – after he uses the Spider Society’s Matrix-style teleportation machine, we have to go back to one of our first encounters with The Spot (Jason Schwartzman).
As Across the Spider-Verse‘s chief villain reveals, Wilson Fisk’s Super Collider – a glorified particle accelerator – which The Spot, who was then just an ordinary scientist called Jonathan Ohnn, helped to build. During one particular test, the Super Collider brought a genetically engineered spider into Miles’ universe. The reality it traveled from? Yep, Earth-42.
It’s this superpowered bug that bites Miles in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, thus giving him his powers.
But there’s a problem. The Spider Society’s teleportation device sends its users to the universe where its spider-based DNA originated. As Miles was bitten by an Earth-42-dwelling arachnid, he’s sent to that dimension instead of his own, meaning he’s trapped in a universe he doesn’t recognize (and proving that your fan theories were, in fact, way off base).
He’ll also be unable to save his dad from being killed in just two days time – as Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) tells Miles during one of their heated discussions, the death of Miles’ father is a “canon event”, a fixed point in time that can’t be changed. If canon events are tampered with, they can lead to the breakdown of reality, and destroy the Spider-Verse as we know it.
What Spider-Man 2099 doesn’t know, however, is that the now-incredibly powerful Spot has the ability to render canon events null and void, as he possesses the capacity to destroy universes singlehandedly, including Earth-1610. Why target the universe he hails from? Because Miles inadvertently ruined Ohnn’s life when the destroyed the Super Collider in Into the Spider-Verse, which turned Ohnn into The Spot. Now, he wants to exact revenge on Miles, and that means destroying everyone and everything Miles holds dear.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ending explained: who is the new Prowler? And how is Uncle Aaron alive?
Miles, meet Miles. (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Answer(s): that’s another Miles Morales and Earth-42’s version of Aaron Davis.
Viewers won’t need reminding that Miles’ Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali), who masqueraded as Earth-1610’s version of the villainous Prowler, died in Into the Spider-Verse. He was shot by Wilson Fisk for not killing Miles.
On Earth-42, however, Uncle Aaron is still alive, meaning he’s able to meet the Miles we know – and inevitably take him prisoner when he realizes this Miles isn’t the one he looks after in this universe.
Even worse, uncle Aaron is working for a different kind of Prowler on Earth-42. Initially, it seems that he’s adopted the superhero pseudonym here, just as he does on Earth-1610. However, Across the Spider-Verse pulls a fast one on us, eventually revealing that it’s Earth-42’s Miles Morales – complete with braids – who is the metal-clawed antagonist.
He’s not the only supervillain who’s seemingly got a strangehold on Earth-42, too. As Miles was bitten by this universe’s radioactive spider, Earth-42 doesn’t have a Spider-Man to protect it from those with questionable/dark morals wanting to take advantage of such a situation. Before Earth-42’s Miles is revealed to be this dimension’s Prowler, we hear a brief message from a news anchor on TV mention the Sinister Six, a collection of some of Spider-Man’s most notorious villains, who seem to be the rulers of Earth-42. Our Miles – who, without one of Spider-Man 2099’s multiverse-traversing devices, is starting to glitch out as his molecules break down in this alternate reality – certainly has his work cut out here…
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ending explained: who is in Gwen’s Spider-Force?
Gwen and Peter B Parker, to the rescue! (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Answer: all of our favorite Spider-People. Well, the ones who want to rescue Miles, anyway.
After she’s kicked out of the Spider Society for standing with Miles, and after she reconciles with her father in her universe (Earth-65), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) travels to Earth-1610 – using Spider-Punk’s multiverse device, which he gifts to her – to aid Miles in his attempts to save his father and stop The Spot.
When Gwen realizes Miles has traveled to the wrong dimension, though, she embarks on a new quest to save her friend (and potential love interest, don’t forget). Using Spider-Punk’s interdimensional wristwatch, she journeys to Peter B Parker’s (Jake Johnson) universe (Earth-616) to seek his help to rescue Miles. And, as Miles’ former mentor, who is Peter to resist?
Gwen doesn’t stop there, though. As one of Across the Spider-Verse’s final scenes shows, she’s assembled her own Spider Society – or Spider-Force, if you will. Among the group are Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), Pavitr Prabhaker/Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and Margo Kess/Spider-Byte (Amandla Stenberg), who warmed up to Miles as the movie’s plot progressed.
Even more crowd-pleasing are the returns of a trio of Into the Spider-Verse characters: Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), Spider-Ham, and Spider-Man Noir, who also answered Gwen’s call to arms to aid their friend in his time of need. Peni actually makes a brief cameo in Across the Spider-Verse – she’s another Spider Society defector – but the other two weren’t expected to appear here as voice actors Jon Mulaney and Nicolas Cage weren’t asked to return. Delightfully, though, they do so, albeit in silent roles.
Of course, we know Miles has the capability of escaping his captors – we see him begin to charge up his Venom Strike ability before the movie cuts to black – but Gwen and company don’t know that he’s plotting his own jailbreak. Either way, here’s hoping he’s reunited with Gwen’s Spider-Force sooner rather than later before they tackle the multiversal threat that The Spot poses in Beyond the Spider-Verse‘s climactic battle.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ending explained: will the Spider Society return?
Will Miguel O’Hara appear in Beyond the Spider-Verse? (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Answer: we don’t know, but we would expect them to.
Unfortunately for Miles and Gwen’s team of Spider-People, the Spider Society are likely still chasing them to stop Miles from saving his father. Oh, and from threatening the integrity of the Spider-Verse as they know it.
Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t specify which Spider Society members we’ll see again, but we suspect its leaders will show up in Beyond the Spider-Verse. That should include Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 and Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, who lead the supergroup, and potentially Andy Samberg’s Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider, whose fate is unknown after Spider-Gwen webbed him to a building o Earth-1610 as she tried to locate Miles.
As for the rest of the Spider Society? We’d be surprised if any other members show their faces in the threequel flick. There are a few other Spider-People who speak briefly in Across the Spider-Verse – namely, Patrick O’Hara/Web-Slinger (voiced by Taran Killam), the Spectacular Spider-Man’s animated counterpart (Josh Keaton), and Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man (we believe it’s Yuri Lowenthal who reprises this role) – but we don’t expect them to have big roles next time out.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ending explained: are there any post-credits scenes?
Across the Spider-Verse is a rare breed of superhero movie where post-credits scenes are concerned. (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Answer: no, there’s not a single mid- or post-credits scene.
In a rare move for a comic book movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t have any post-credits stingers. That’s because it’s the first installment in a two-part ending to Miles’ animated big screen adventure. Adding in a mid- or post-credits scene, then, would detract from its cliffhanger-based conclusion.
Instead, viewers are simply treated to an end card that reads: “Miles Morales will return in… Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse“. Not an impactful ending, sure, but one that begins to generate new excitement over the third and potentially final entry in this film series. In short: sit through the credits to appreciate the sheer number of people who worked on this amazing film, but don’t stick around once they’re over.
There are parts of “Schmigadoon!” Season 2 that have the vibe of a summer camp reunion, where old friends come together to put on a show. After being a key part of the Apple TV+ show’s opening season, Dove Cameron returned to the second season’s ensemble to play Jenny Banks, a freewheeling spirit cut partly from the mold of “Cabaret” heroine Sally Bowles.
Though he wasn’t in the first batch of episodes, Tituss Burgess fit seamlessly into this world of winking, lovingly told musical theater riffs. As the Season 2’s Narrator, he welcomes viewers into most episodes set inside the town of Schmicago, a land brimming with references to the enduring stage shows of the 1970s.
In a conversation for IndieWire’s Awards Spotlight, Cameron and Burgess spoke about the chances each of them had to move around inside this hyper-specific stylized tonal playground, overseen by showrunner and series co-creator Cinco Paul.
“If there is time, Cinco will always let you do a ‘fuck-it’ pass,” Cameron said. “If you’ve done everything, that’s always my favorite thing. I’m like, ‘Fuck-it pass?’ where you just do whatever your vision is for the scene. And so often the performers on this show are so dreamers themselves that they come up with some weird other thing that makes it in.”
For as much freedom as the pair had, they each credited Paul and the series’ writing staff for giving them enough in the text to act as a constant guide.
“He creates an atmosphere that is playful. This man, rarely do you find a showrunner who does not operate out of ego. Working with him, working with them, and everyone on this show is probably the most creatively satisfying, collaborative experience I’ve had on camera to date,” Burgess said. “He sets the tone and allows us to go in and fuck it up, and then we see what is left in the debris, because a lot of good stuff is on the ground.”
Having that firm foundation is even more important when filming a musical TV show. Production demands are wholly different from the flow of the stage, where part of the process is discovering things through repetition and getting a show on its feet over the course of weeks of rehearsing. Here, all of those individual components got compressed to a fraction of the time.
“These numbers are musical-theater-stage scale, with no rehearsal time,” Cameron said. “Normally you would have months and months of prep to feel the rhythm of the number. You don’t get that on a show like this. And so it really is just about staying on the balls of your feet and doing the work at home and then crossing every limb that you pull it off.”
A huge part of finding that same kind of daily spontaneity of theater was getting to sing on set. Sometimes, certain logistical sequences required actors to work with some pre-recorded tracks, but some scenes wouldn’t have captured the same spark unless the people on screen had the chance to sing to each other (or the audience).
“We always want to sing live because that’s what we do. That’s our jam. So for me, that’s not a problem,” Burgess said.
“You don’t know what the character is when you’re recording at the jump. And if I got stuck with the character choices I made in the booth two months before I shot a number I’d be so upset with myself,” Cameron said. “Especially for the more intimate numbers like mine and Aaron [Tveit]’s number, you just have to harmonize in person. You just have to harmonize and be in love and be kissing and all that while you’re singing. Otherwise it feels stale.”
For more of the conversation between Dove Cameron and Tituss Burgess, see the whole video embedded above.
10x MLB All-Star Steve Garvey— who won the World Series with the LA Dodgers in 1981 —is considering throwing his cap in the political ring … with a run for U.S. Senate in California.
Republican strategist Andy Gharakhani spoke to the L.A. Times, confirming the 74-year-old Dodgers icon is contemplating running for one of the most powerful political positions in the country.
“He is being contacted by leaders up and down the state,” Gharakhani said.
“They’re recruiting him to run from both sides, Republican and Democrat, and he’s seriously considering it. We should have a decision made here in the next few weeks.”
Despite never holding elected office, Garvey — who spent 14 seasons with the Dodgers (and 5 with the San Diego Padres) — has reportedly been meeting with GOP donors and leaders in California, in preparation for the campaign.
If Garvey were to run, the 1974 NL MVP would reportedly make quality-of-life issues the focus of his campaign … namely, the cost of living and public safety in CA.
Steve will have his work cut out for him if he ultimately runs … several high-profile Democrats have reportedly amassed massive campaign war chests.
It’s also worth mentioning Republicans haven’t won a Senate race in California for decades … but Garvey reportedly believes a high-profile candidate like himself could buck the trend.
The general election goes down on November 5, 2024.
Let’s get this upfront: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was the best comic-book film of the last decade.
With an animation blizzard blown straight in from the pages of comics, “Into the Spider-Verse” took a supercollider to all the conventions of the superhero movie. Solemnity was out. Gone, too, was the idea of a chosen one. Spider-Man could be anyone, including a graffiti-tagging kid from Brooklyn, including a pig named Spider-Ham. The possibilities of the comic book movie were suddenly limitless. With Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower” thumping, the vibes were, as they say, immaculate.
So a lot to live up to. Yet five years later, the Spider-verse is still expanding in thrilling ways. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the rare sequel that dazzles as much as the original did. It’s something to behold. Colors drip, invert and splatter in a shimmering pop-art swirl.
If “Into the Spider-Verse” reveled in the head-spinning collision of universes, “Across the Spider-Verse” turns the multiverse blender up a notch, or 10. Worlds bump into each other like shoppers in a crowded bodega. Spider-Men and Spider-Women tumble forth like unloaded clown cars. In this frenetic, freewheeling thing that dares you keep up with its web-slinging pace, the sheer muchness of what’s in the frame can be almost overwhelming.
But despite all that’s going on, “Across the Spider-Verse” is remarkably grounded as a coming-of-age tale. The masterful flair of writers-producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who penned the script with David Callaham, lies in how they detonate convention and then assemble the leftover, splintered shards to build something deceptively sweet and simple.
The directing team has been entirely swapped out. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson take the reins in this second chapter, which finds Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) now a 15-year-old with a better handle on his crime-fighting powers. He’s less adept, though, at communicating with his parents, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio (Luna Lauren Vélez), who still don’t know their son’s secret identity and are growing increasingly concerned about his strange behavior.
Similar issues bedevil Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), who by revealing to her police captain father (Shea Whigham) that she’s Spider-Woman has caused a huge rift in their relationship. (He blames her for Peter Parker’s death.)
When Miles and Gwen, stuck in worlds apart, meet again and swing in tandem through New York, they’re less a romantically linked Spidey pair than they are a couple of teenagers whose parents just don’t understand. When they sit together, on the underside of a ledge on the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, gazing at an upside down Manhattan, hazy and blue in the distance, the lingering image perfectly encapsulates an electrifyingly downside-up movie franchise.
In its chaotic and jumbled way, “Across the Spider-Verse” keeps playing with these notions. Miles and Gwen, rightly, feel exceptional — that their problems are unique to being enormously gifted kids. But the movie again and again reinforced that, yes, they’re supremely talented, but, no, they’re far from alone. “I’m Spider-Woman,“ Gwen says when a pregnant superhero (Issa Rae) peels in on a motorbike. “Me, too,” she replies.
This being a “Spider-Verse” movie, though, there more than just a few Spider-Men lurking about. There are actually gobs of them, each from some parallel world. (Among those here are a Mumbai-like New York, a Lego land and a nightmarish alternate reality.) The portals start opening thanks to The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a supervillain-in-training who looks like a splotchy blank page with ink drops on him.
But Spot’s powers grow, bringing the attention of the Spider-Society, a gaggle of Spider-People who guard over order in the multiverse. Some of them are pretty cool — most notably Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk, a British rocker who looks like he dropped out of The Clash. Others, like the leader Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), are more serious and haunted.
When worlds start colliding, prescribed storylines get upset. Seemingly anything goes in these multiverse realms, but, Miguel informs us, there is Canon that needs to be obeyed. Certain foundational narrative beats must occur, in some form, for every Spider-Man, including the sacrifice of a loved one.
When Miles tests these tenets, he brings about a cataclysmic battle across the Spider-Verse, and a movie series hellbent on deconstruction faces-off against formula. For Lord and Miller, the post-modern makers of “The Lego Movie” and “The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” it’s a battle they’ve been girding for their whole lives.
The danger in all these crisscrossing dimensions is that no reality seems to mean all that much. By exponentially multiplying worlds and Spider-Men, “Across the Spider-Verse” risks making itself dizzy. Yet it surprisingly, even movingly, stays true to the teenage emotions at its core and the parent-kid relationships driving all these multiverse convulsions.
It’s the first Marvel movie that I felt in the theater a palpable disappointment that it was over. (“Across the Spider-Verse” is a sequel in two parts, and ends here in full-on cliffhanger fashion.) That “Across the Spider-Verse” earned that response is surely partly due to its giddy design just as it is to its conviction that we all contain multitudes. As Rachel Dratch’s principal says in the film: “Every person is a universe.”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse,” a Sony Pictures Animation release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements. Running time: 117 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
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A former Playboy model submitted a lawsuit Thursday accusing Bill Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1969.
Victoria Valentino, 80, is suing Cosby, 85, for sexual assault and sexual battery in Los Angeles. The complaint arrives five months after California temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for adults who say they were sexually abused by another adult.
In the lawsuit, Valentino claims that the “I Spy” star approached her and a friend while they were getting dinner at Café Figaro in Los Angeles in 1969. The actor and singer — who had met Cosby while auditioning for an acting role earlier that year — was “inconsolably crying” over the death of her 6-year-old son when Cosby walked up to their table and engaged in conversation with her and her friend, the complaint alleges.
Cosby allegedly offered to pay for the women to get a steam bath and a massage at a nearby spa and vowed to “treat” them to dinner afterward. The TV actor later took the women to Sneaky Pete’s, a then-new steakhouse on the Sunset Strip, where he presented the women with pills and pretended to take one himself, the lawsuit claims.
“Here! Take This!” Cosby allegedly told Valentino and her friend. “It will make you feel better. It will make us ALL feel better.”
Shortly thereafter, Valentino’s “head began nodding and she struggled to keep her head up and stay awake,” the complaint states. Feeling nauseated and like her head was spinning, Valentino claims she said she wanted to go home.
Instead of taking the women home, Cosby then allegedly took them to his office, which contained work supplies, “I Spy” memorabilia and two small couches. The filing claims that Valentino’s friend “immediately passed out” on one of the couches while she sat down on the other and closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, Cosby was allegedly staring at her unconscious friend “with predatory intensity.” Valentino tried to distract Cosby after noticing he had an erection and fearing he was going to assault her friend, the lawsuit continues.
“Angry and exasperated by” Valentino’s attempts to stop him, Cosby allegedly began walking toward her instead “with a terrifying expression on his face” as she failed to stand up. He then allegedly unzipped his pants, sexually assaulted and raped Valentino.
In a statement provided Thursday to The Times, Cosby’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, accused Valentino of going “from town to town promoting her alleged allegations against Mr. Cosby to anyone that would give her platform, without any proof or facts.” He dismissed Valentino’s claims as part of “a formula to make sure that no more Black Men in America accumulate the American Dream that was secured by [Cosby].”
Cosby’s rep also deemed legislation lifting the statute of limitations “a sheer violation of all American’s Constitutional Rights.”
“Statutes of Limitations reside in The Constitution, in order to protect those who are victims of a crime and to protect those that are accused of a crime,” Wyatt continued.
“Unfortunately, these ‘Look Back Windows’ are brought to life because our political figures are being driven by click-baiters, likes and followers, in order to excel to their political aspirations.”
Valentino is seeking unspecified monetary relief for medical and legal fees, among other expenses. But she told the Washington Post that her lawsuit is “about accountability,” not money.
“Rape steals something from you that cannot be repaired or restored,” said Valentino, who felt empowered to take legal action against Cosby after a New York jury found last month that former President Donald Trump had sexually assaulted journalist E. Jean Carroll.
“It impacts everything in your life,” Valentino added. “It’s like a stone dropped into a still pool and all of those expanding ripples touch shores you could never have imagined.”
Valentino previously accused Cosby of raping her before a Pennsylvania judge sentenced him to prison for sexual assault in 2018. At the time, Valentino called the day of the sentencing a “great day for women and a great day for rape survivors.”
Cosby was later released from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned the 2018 conviction because a former district attorney once promised Cosby he wouldn’t be charged in that case.
In June 2022, a Santa Monica jury determined that Cosby sexually abused Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s when she was 16. The disgraced comedian was ordered to pay Huth $500,000.
At least 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.
All in all, this merchandise line looks so good that I weep for my bank account.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some Spider-Gwens to buy…
Photo: MickeyBlog
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I was inordinately excited for Hideaki Anno’s very long-awaited Shin Kamen Rider. Not only a 50th anniversary tribute to the 1971 original Kamen Rider series—delayed because of the darn pandemic—but another entry in the writer-producer’s reimaginings of Japanese pop culture legends. Shin Godzilla, which he co-directed with Shinji Higuchi, was the first truly singular Japanese Godzilla movie in decades. Shin Ultraman, which Higuchi solo directed, was a lovely and touching update of the 1966 original series. So a new take on the o.g. Kamen Rider, of which I’m a big fan, made me hope it would be the best yet. It isn’t. It’s not bad; but if you’re looking to get into Kamen Rider, or even see what it’s all about, this ain’t it.
Toei Company
The legendary mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori created Kamen Rider for TV in the early ’70s. During its initial 98-episode run, the style and tone changed pretty drastically. Starting as a dark, moody horror-inspired superhero show, it eventually lightened up considerably. The lead character changed, then changed back, and the legend of cybernetic, insect-themed motorcyclist grew. Anno tried to squeeze too much of that into a single two-hour film. The pace is about 20 mph over breakneck. As a result, the movie loses a lot of nuance, especially in the baddie department.
Shin Kamen Rider begins literally in the middle of a chase. Ruriko Midorikawa (Minami Hamabe) and Hongo Takeshi (Sôsuke Ikematsu) speed away on a motorcycle away from big semi-trucks. Only after they get away to a safehouse do we, and Hongo, get a sense of what’s going on. Ruriko is the daughter of Professor Hiroshi Midorikawa (cult filmmaker Shin’ya Tsukamoto). The professor is a scientist working for the SHOCKER organization, who had promised to help humanity but, go figure, are actually plotting to steal humanity’s life force via human cyborgs with animal themes.
Toei Company
Midorikawa and Ruriko have decided to thwart SHOCKER and designed the latest cyborg, Hongo, to fight them as the Masked Rider. From there, we begin a succession of Hongo and Ruriko attempting to fight the various other “Augs” with beast themes. These follow roughly the same order as the first 13 episodes of the series. A spider, bat, scorpion, chameleon, mantis, and wasp all trek through quickly. All the while, the pair get closer without ever really speaking above a low monotone.
Part-way through the movie, we meet Ichimonji Hayato (Tasuku Emoto), a second grasshopper-themed cyborg whom SHOCKER has successfully brainwashed. People who know the original series will know that he doesn’t remain brainwashed for long.
It’s entirely possible that via reading this you’ve realized one of the major problems with Shin Kamen Rider: way too much plot but almost no story. It’s just learning about the evils of SHOCKER, quick banter with the various kaijin one-by-one, a high-velocity fight sequence, rinse, repeat. On the surface, this is not entirely a bad way to do it, but this outline totally misses some of the best parts of every Kamen Rider episodes. The build up to the showdown, seeing the villain do villainous things is more than half the fun. Yes, the show hangs its hat on its hand-to-hand fight sequences, its monster designs, and the visceral thrill of seeing Kamen Rider in action. But we need to know the stakes and care about the characters for any of it to matter.
Toei Company
I don’t want to compare Shin Kamen Rider to Shin Godzilla or Shin Ultraman too much, but I think the other major problem is entirely down to them. This movie uses the same cinematographers as the previous two movies and has largely the same style of shooting. Government types sit around computers or talk in rooms while big monsters attack and/or a big alien hero fights them.
As a property, Kamen Rider does not lend itself to this type of depiction at all. The action sequences work decently, but are way too dependent on CGI rather than the hallmark of the franchise, which is martial arts battles heightened to a ridiculous degree. Hongo even finds himself tentatively working with anti-SHOCKER government types, which simply does not fit. The surveillance-style shooting that worked so well for Godzilla and Ultraman just doesn’t work here. We need more atmosphere, we need passion and scares. We need some kind of heart! It felt surprisingly cold.
Toei Company
This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it at all. The redesigns of the suits are excellent, the sounds and music are all spot-on. I really like the subtle way the beginning of the movie focuses on extreme violence and slowly it becomes less monstrous by the end, much the same way the show did. And moments certainly made the rabid fans I saw it with cheer. References and allusions to the classic series (and other Ishinomori creations) are fun for those who get them. Would it matter at all to anyone who doesn’t?
And maybe that’s ultimately the reason Shin Ultraman spent a year in the festival circuit before becoming a Fathom Event while Shin Kamen Rider bypassed festivals entirely. This isn’t the kind of movie that encapsulates the ethos of the show while replicating some of the best episodes. This movie is for people who know Kamen Rider already and just want to see people put on and take off helmets 500 times while punching viscera out of thugs like so many juiced memberberries.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a big escalation from the first movie. Last time out, we mostly hung out in Miles Morales’ home dimension–but now, Miles is going all the way down the multidimensional rabbit hole, and he’s going to find some things he really doesn’t like down there.
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, including the full details of how it ends.
Across the Spider-Verse makes its intentions known right from the start, with a lengthy opening sequence that takes place in Gwen’s universe, Earth-65. We get Gwen’s backstory, with the tragic tale of her universe’s Peter Parker, and how his death eventually led her to the cross-dimensional Spider-Society.
Then we catch up with Miles, who hasn’t seen any of the other Spider-folks in over a year. He encounters and fights a new villain named The Spot, who has dimensional portals on his body, and not long after that, Gwen shows up. She’s after The Spot, but visits with Miles while she’s there. She tells Miles he’s not allowed to be in the Spider-Society, then tracks The Spot to a dimension where Earth is dominated by an extremely awesome Mega City called Mumbattan (that’s a portmanteau of Mumbai and Manhattan).
Miles sneakily follows her through a dimensional portal and ends up fighting alongside Gwen, Spider-Woman Jessica Drew, Spider-Punk, and Spider-Man Pavitr Prabhakar as they face off against The Spot in Mumbattan. The battle results in a sort of draw, as The Spot gets what he wants, but the Spider-People manage to save everybody. However, they may have saved too many, it turns out. We’ll circle back to that.
Since Miles is already with them, the gang brings Miles back to Spider-Society HQ in Neuva York, 2099. Here we meet Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara–the boss of the Spider-Society and an all-around cranky guy. Miguel explains that Miles is the catalyst for all sorts of multiversal chaos, because he was bitten by a radioactive spider that wasn’t from his home dimension–he’s from Earth-1610, and that spider was from Earth-42.
The consequence of that, Miguel says, is that that spider’s home dimension has no Spider-Man, and that the Peter Parker from Miles’s world, who died in an early scene in the first movie, would have lived and defeated Kingpin during that scene had that spider not bitten Miles. And so, in essence, all this Spider-madness traces back to Miles–and that is why he wasn’t supposed to be a part of the Spider-Society.
Miguel then describes how every Spider-person has to go through essentially one or more of the same group of personal tragedies–specifically the deaths of a parental figure (like uncle Ben), a love interest (like Gwen/Peter), and/or a police captain the person is close to (like both Gwen’s and Miles’s fathers). In Mumbattan, Miles saves Pavitr’s girlfriend’s dad, police Captain Singh–this was supposed to be Pavitr’s first big tragic moment. And Miguel says that because Singh is still alive, Mumbattan’s dimension might unravel.
To keep Miles from causing any more perceived problems, Miguel wants to lock him up until his dad, a police lieutenant about to be promoted to captain, is murdered. Miles goes on the run in a delightful chase sequence through the Spider-Society building, before attempting to use the “go home machine”–which detects which dimension you belong to and sends you there.
But instead of sending him home to Earth-1610, the machine drops him in Earth-42, the reality his spider was from that has no Spider-Man. Miles doesn’t realize he’s in the wrong place at first, but then he sees his Uncle Aaron, who died in the last movie. He tries to play it cool, but Aaron immediately realizes he’s the wrong Miles–and moments later he’s tied up and facing the Prowler. But this time, the Prowler isn’t Aaron. In this dimension, Miles is the Prowler. And he’s got a very bad and sinister vibe.
Gwen, recognizing where Miles ended up, also decides to take matters into her own hands, going rogue to assemble a team of Spiders (including Spider-Ham, who had been absent to this point) to invade Earth-42 and save Miles. And that’s when Across the Spider-Verse hits us with the “To Be Continued.”
Does Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse have a post-credits scene?
No. There is no additional content after the credits start rolling, beyond a “Miles Morales will return in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” title card during the part of the credits where a mid-credits scene would normally go. If you really need to hit the bathroom when the credits start–understandable, since the movie is 140 minutes long–you can do so without worrying you’re going to miss anything.
What does “Beyond the Spider-Verse” even mean?
You’re going to be tempted to assume that the third movie’s title refers to the story moving outside the scope of this spider-oriented multiverse into some kind of greater context. Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for example. But I think the title means something else. I think that title is referring directly to Earth-42, the dimension that has no Spider-Being. It’s notable that Earth-42 does not exist in the comics–it’s the only dimension in the film that’s original to the movie. That puts Earth-42 outside the Spider-Verse in a very literal sense.
Does that preclude any sort of MCU shenanigans in the next movie? Nope. Across the Spider-Verse directly references the MCU twice, first when Miguel obliquely mentions the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and then again when we see Donald Glover’s version of Uncle Aaron in a Prowler suit locked up at the Spider-Society. It’s been a minute, so in case you forgot: Glover played Davis in a brief appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The MCU never has any real interjections into the plot, though, and Sony has shown over and over that they want to keep full creative control of as much of their Marvel stuff as they can. That likely precludes any kind of significant MCU story crossover, but cameos and Easter eggs on the level of Donald Glover’s appearance in this film (two scenes and a couple lines) should still be possible.
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The Tribeca Festival, which gets under way Wednesday in New York, has announced members of the jury who will decide winners in 15 award categories.
The jury roster of several dozen includes Brendan Fraser, Stephanie Hsu, Zoey Deutch, Dianna Agron, Zazie Beetz, Kate Siegel, Mark Duplass, Stephen Kay, Nina Dobrev, Clea DuVall, Piper Perabo, Chance the Rapper, Noah Centineo, Jeremy O. Harris, Andrew Ahn and Chloe Grace Moretz. Along with the competitive categories, the Nora Ephron Award will be presented in the memory of the filmmaker and writer.
While the festival removed the word “film” from its name several years ago to reflect its broad range of offerings in games, podcasts, music and other areas, the film slate has continued as an identifying aspect of the event. This year’s U.S. narrative feature jury includes Hsu, Ramin Bahrani, Zoey Deutch, Mike Flanagan and Tommy Oliver; the international feature jury includes Fraser, Zazie Beetz, Alfredo Jaar, Shirin Neshat and Kate Siegel; and the documentary feature jury includes Mark Duplass, Adam Goldberg, Stephanie Linus, Alexandra Pelosi and Ryan White.
Award categories span narrative and documentary features and shorts as well as the immersive Storyscapes vertical, games and audio storytelling. Winners will be announced June 15. The festival runs June 7 to 18.
The Tribeca Festival was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in festival parent Tribeca Enterprises. After a year in virtual mode in 2020 due to Covid, the 2021 edition was the first North American festival to be held in person coming out of the pandemic. The last two Tribecas have unfolded in June, a change from the festival’s longtime berth in April. Organizers have indicated the new timing offers a lot of upside, including more favorable weather in New York, which helps with attendance and logistics for the many outdoor events typically on the schedule.
This story about “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.
Davis Guggenheim, the Oscar-winning director of “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Waiting for Superman,” has made an intimate chronicle of Michael J. Fox’s meteoric rise to TV and film stardom in the 1980s, followed by his shocking diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. In keeping with Fox’s usual approach, “Still” is light instead of ponderous, even as it delves into the inexorable progression of a disease about which Fox’s doctor told him, “You lose this one.”
How did you get involved with this movie? It was during COVID. I was in a rut, I hadn’t had a movie that excited me in a while. And I read this interview with Michael in the New York Times. Of course he was funny, but his storytelling was so strong that I said, “I gotta read his books.” And after I read his books, I approached him and he was very open right away. The only thing he said was, “No violins.” That was the only note he gave me in the three years that we made this.
So does the score have any violins? Well, it’s funny. I did panic. We were in the mixing stage with the composer, John Powell, who had never done a documentary before. One of my favorite parts was with one violin [laughs] and I thought, “I hope Michael was talking metaphorically.”
You tell Michael’s story in a variety of ways, often accompanied by his readings from his audiobooks. There are reenactments at times, and also clips from his movies and TV shows that serve as a kind of playful autobiography of sorts. Sometimes when you’re making a movie, you say, “God, I hope there are no battles.” But a conflict-free movie is a boring movie. And [editor] Michael Harte and I had a battle, which was, “How do you express these moments in Michael’s life when there’s no archives?”
My solution was reenactments, which we shot up in Vancouver. And his solution was Michael’s movies and TV shows. I would storyboard a scene for reenactments, and he would cut over the storyboards with footage from a movie or TV show. We’d go back and forth. Sometimes I would win and sometimes he would win. It was really tricky — and he never wanted to do this, but I would screen the movie every two weeks to learn what the audience would accept. Those battles were essential.
But you also had one-on-one interviews with a very open and honest Michael J. Fox. My first instinct was not to do any interviews. I thought it was going to be totally re-creation and archive. But I did a commercial where I was introduced to a shot where you could sit really close to a person you were interviewing. You’re, like, four feet away. We were looking right into each other’s eyes and laughing, and I was asking tough questions. It’s very intimate and raw and real in a way that I didn’t imagine. And it was so good that we just kept going back to it. We did six interviews over more than a year. You see his decline in those interviews, you know?
Toward the end, you also confront him with a blunt statement: You’ve never told me that you’re in pain. We had a full movie, which we’d shown to people and was pretty great. But I had seen him struggle, seen bruises on his face, seen pictures of him in emergency rooms — but he never talked about being in pain. And so I was like, “I’m gonna do one more interview. I’m gonna confront him.” And he’s like, “You didn’t bring it up. I’m not gonna lead with it.”
You said you were in a rut when you first approached Michael. Did that change over the course of this film? Making this movie changed my life in a fundamental way. It brought the joy back into my filmmaking. You start directing by rote when you get to a certain age. I’m turning 60 in November, and there’s a little bit of “poor me.” [Laughs] I feel more fragile, my kids are leaving, I feel like my best days are behind me. And Michael’s attitude towards his own life has helped reinvigorate me. This movie has changed my life and Michael has changed my life.
Darth Vader is one hell of a personal trainer. (We’ll get to that in a second.) Used to be if you wanted a jacked actor, you had to dig up a retired athlete. Johnny Weissmuller and Jim Brown slid into the movies on account of their intimidating bodies. But when you cast ex-wrestlers like Thor Johnson or Norbert Grupe (Vigo the Carpathian), it was for the role of the goon or the bad guy, not as the big-name ticket-seller.
In an interview with David Letterman in 1985, Arnold Schwarzenegger recounted his struggle to get anyone in Hollywood to take him seriously on account of his proportions, yet he was confident that his background would open doors for him in a crowded business. “You have a weird body … Just go back to body-building,” an agent told him in the seventies. A half century later, hitting the gym and achieving that Mr. Olympian physique is precisely the secret to securing a giant payday.
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Old-time beefcakes of the fifties like Burt Lancaster and Marlon Brando wouldn’t even stand out in a Hollywood casting call, and if anything, probably get some insulting comments for their lack of abdominal definition and lifting technique. The uncomfortable truth is that it has probably gone too far. Dwayne Johnson doesn’t even look that big today. If Die Hard was made today, Bruce Willis would be laughed out of the room by casting directors.
Breaking the Taboo
Warner Bros.
Christopher Reeve, refusing to wear a padded suit, packed on the pounds when thrust into the Superman role. It was a little risky, audiences appreciating a buff male hero, but not one that could play Hercules. Superman director, Richard Donner, mocked him as too lanky. To ensure he had a fitting hero to look good in the blue and red spandex, Donner called up David Prowse, the guy in the Darth Vader suit, to help Reeve get fit. “During the course of the period I had him, I took him from 170 pounds when we started and he was 212 [pounds] when he went into the suit,” Prowse boasted. Sure, Sly Stallone could go nuts in his personal gym to bulk up for a Rambo sequel, he was already famous, and was specializing in action movies, but it was still out of the ordinary.
In perspective, when Stallone made Rocky in 1976, he was considered a lunkhead though he would probably be considered out of shape by modern action-hero standards. When Saturday Night Live standout Joe Piscopo got shredded people looked at him like a freak of nature. “Some people in Hollywood think I’m nuts with this bodybuilding stuff,” he said, accurately predicting the end of his career. Yes, Joe Piscopo was a visionary ahead of his time. Quote us on that.
In 1998, the thought of Robert Downey Jr. — the guy who won acclaim playing Charlie Chaplin, drug addicts, and shlubby journalists — saving his career by getting a six-pack in his 40s was completely unimaginable. The trend toward muscles was lagging only slightly behind the artistic curve: superhero movies. Take a good look at any script exchanging hands in Hollywood, and you’ll see creatine-smudged fingerprints.
Jacking Up
20th Century Fox
Long before pudgy comedian Kumail Nanjiani summoned his inner giga-Chad for his role in Eternals, Hugh Jackman really popularized the trend of male actors putting their bodies where their paycheck was. His first outing in X-Men as Wolverine looks puny compared to his later films, leading to some allegations his ridiculous gains were the result of steroids.
The same could be said for Tom Hardy, with a tendency toward actors going for more muscle mass rather than settling for the mundane appearance of an athlete. Chris Evans and Chris Pratt turned themselves from goofy side characters into leading men through the one most reliable method possible, hitting the leg press and downing plenty of protein bars. The next Best Actor-winner will rightfully need to thank his spotter before his agent when he picks up that Oscar.
Will anyone ever accept a guy like Michael Keaton as Batman again after we’ve seen Robert Pattinson and Christian Bale go the Adonis route? Even Zac Efron has attempted to alter his persona from prancing high schooler with a Justin-Beiber haircut to a living Rob Liefeld drawing. Maybe he’s filming a Lou Ferrigno biopic or something.One is thing certain, this guy’s on a first-name basis with the cashier at the local GNC. The arms race shows no sign of relenting any time soon.
The Other Gender Gap
Marvel Studios
Interestingly, while it is all but essential for a man to get shredded to nab a superhero role, women don’t need to bother. For her turn as Mighty Thor, Natalie Portman let the CGI crew do the heavy lifting for her, digitally adding biceps and abs, pasting muscles onto her body, which had to be a little infuriating for every man who was pressured to push his body the extra mile to get extra definition. She tried, but still needed a lot of help from the special effects to make her seem imposing. Based on the results, it might be the last time. There’s still no reason for her to put herself through the strain when the emphasis on muscular women is so minute. Don’t expect Gal Gadot or Brie Larson to do so either. The mesomorphic look is necessary only for men.
For whatever reason, either out of personal preference or vanity, this one issue is a glaring contradiction to the notion of gender standards. Because if you’re a young actor today, the possibility of landing a gig in an action film with a body like Roger Moore or Errol Flynn is nil. It’s enough to make you nostalgic for the Jack Nicholson-days when a guy with a receding hairline, a wacky laugh, and no upper body could headline as a tough guy. Now, even an established TV star and 60-year-old writer like Bill Odenkirk feels compelled to get cut to have any chance of ever starring in a mainstream movie. Drama kids, the writing is on the wall; dump the Stanislavski classes and get some kettlebells already before it’s too late.
AMC Theatres has transferred its streaming library over to Fandango’s Vudu as the theater chain prepares to sunset its own streaming platform, AMC Theatres On Demand.
Beginning Thursday, AMC Theatres On Demand users will be able to transfer their accounts over to Vudu to rent and purchase films, as well as view previously purchased movies. New Vudu users transferring over from AMC Theatres On Demand will receive a 15 percent discount off every purchase during their first month using the service.
Vudu’s catalog, combined with AMC Theatre’s library, will give users access to more than 200,000 new releases and a collection of titles that are available to watch for free. Movies that were previously purchased on AMC Theatres On Demand will also automatically get upgraded to the highest quality format on Vudu, which could include 4K Ultra HD on applicable programming.
The move over to Vudu comes four years after AMC launched its own on-demand streaming platform in late 2019 to allow AMC Stubs members to rent and buy movies at home, with prices ranging from the $3 to $6 range for rentals and $10 to $20 for purchases.
Since then, the theater chain is recovering from economic challenges in part driven by changing moviegoing habits brought on by the pandemic. In May, the company reported first quarter losses reaching $235.5 million while revenue rose to $954.4 million.
“As the first theatrical exhibitor in the United States to bring first-rate films through the life cycle from theatres to home, we at AMC take pride in having served our guests through a multitude of platforms during the pandemic,” Nikkole Denson-Randolph, AMC’s svp content strategy and inclusive programming, said in a statement. “As we continue to evolve our business and remain focused on Making Movies Better by enhancing the theatrical experience, we’re even more excited to expand our relationship with a trusted partner, who will ensure a continued preeminent experience for those consumers who are streaming their post-theatrical movies at home.”
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary of Nonfiction (Series)
Courtesy of Philippe Le Tellier/Paris Match via Getty Images
Weekly Commentary: Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan” and HBO’s “100 Foot Wave” look to have the buzz at the moment. FX’s “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur” and CNN’s “The Last Movie Stars” are critical darlings on the circuit and are in the discussion.
Emmy Nominations voting runs from June 15-26. The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 12. Check back every Thursday for the latest updates. All information is preliminary and is subject to change.
2022 winner — “The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+)
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
“Harry & Meghan” (Netflix)
“100 Foot Wave” (HBO)
“Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur” (FX)
“The Last Movie Stars” (CNN)
“The U.S. and the Holocaust” (PBS)
Next in Line
“The 1619 Project” (Hulu)
“The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy” (Apple TV+)
“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (Netflix)
“MH370: The Plant That Disappeared” (Netflix)
“Prehistoric Planet 2” (Apple TV+)
Other Top-Tier Possibilities
“Gutsy” (Apple TV+)
“The Secrets of Hillsong” (FX)
“Secrets of the Elephants” (National Geographic)
“Mind Over Murder” (HBO)
“Menudo: Forever Young” (HBO)
“My Kind of Country” (Apple TV+)
“Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence” (Hulu)
“Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World” (CNN)
“2010s” (CNN)
“Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever” (Disney+)
2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary of Nonfiction (Special)
Weekly Commentary: Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson, Judy Blume, Robert Downey Jr, Selena Gomez and Lizzo are in a competitive race for outstanding documentary (special).
Emmy Nominations voting runs from June 15-26. The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 12. Check back every Thursday for the latest updates. All information is preliminary and is subject to change.
2022 winner — “George Carlin’s American Dream” (HBO)
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+)
“Pamela: A Love Story” (Netflix)
“Judy Blume Forever” (Prime Video)
“Sr.” (Netflix)
“Love, Lizzo” (HBO)
Next in Line
“Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me” (Apple TV+)
“The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari” (Netflix)
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” (Hulu)
“If These Walls Could Sing” (Disney+)
“Sidney” (Apple TV+)
Other Top-Tier Possibilities
“Love to Love You: Donna Summer” (HBO)
“The Princess” (HBO)
“Being Mary Tyler Moore” (HBO)
“Bama Rush” (HBO)
“The Sound of 007” (Prime Video)
“The New York Times Presents The Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano” (FX)
“Music Box: Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed” (HBO)
“Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” (CNN)
“Untrapped – The Story of Lil Baby” (Prime Video)
“Hi, I’m Nancy Rubin” (Magnolia)
2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
CNN
Weekly Commentary: CNN could dominate this category with three high-profile contenders — “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” “United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell” and “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico.” Will they be able to get all three recognized?
It may be difficult with Showtime’s “Vice” and Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil” in the running.
Emmy Nominations voting runs from June 15-26. The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 12. Check back every Thursday for the latest updates. All information is preliminary and is subject to change.
2022 winner — “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (CNN)
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
“Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (CNN)
“United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell” (CNN)
“My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy” (Netflix)
“Vice” (Showtime)
“Somebody Feed Phil” (Netflix)
Next in Line
“Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico” (CNN)
“The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey” (Netflix)
“SmartLess: On the Road” (HBO)
“Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss” (Peacock)
Weekly Commentary: A juried category but this is where the most buzzy films bubble to the top. The former Oscar contenders such as Netflix’s “Descendant,” HBO’s “Moonage Daydream” and Paramount’s “Last Flight Home” are beloved.
National Geographic’s “Wild Life” from “Free Solo” directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi is a wonderful tribute to conservationists Kris and Doug Tompkins.
Emmy Nominations voting runs from June 15-26. The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 12. Check back every Thursday for the latest updates. All information is preliminary and is subject to change.
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans, and executives.
Tributes have been paid to a British bar owner who died in Lanzarote after allegedly being pushed down a flight of steps during a fight.
Chris Thomas, 50, died a day after being rushed to hospital following the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A German man aged 46 and described locally as a troublemaker who had reportedly been banned from several bars and pubs in the island resort of Costa Teguise, is in custody.
He was arrested on suspicion of homicide and has been remanded in jail pending an ongoing investigation after appearing before a judge on Monday.
Friends and loved ones described London-born expat Chris as caring, loving and funny in social media tributes today.
Chris Thomas (pictured), 50, died a day after being rushed to hospital following the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning
Friends and loved ones described London-born expat Chris Thomas (pictured) as caring, loving and funny in social media tributes today
Dozens of Brits have left messages on the Facebook page of The Clock, the bar Chris owned and which remains closed following the tragedy.
Ken Moore wrote: ‘A huge hole has been left in our hearts and minds. A true gentleman. A lovely man. A great character. A smile that would light up any room.
‘The world has lost someone very special. He will be missed by so many.’
He added: ‘It was a pleasure and privilege to have you as a friend.’
Jen Blackburn wrote: ‘I’ve no words that could possibly help at this truly devastating time. So incredibly sorry that you should all be facing such a tragic loss. Chris was a friend to all…One of life’s real good guys. His passing will be felt so strongly by so many. I feel privileged to have known him and shared so many laughs. My heart goes out to all of you and you will all be in my thoughts.’
Stacey Lee said: ‘So sad to hear this, one thing I always noticed about Chris was his amazing smile and twinkle in his eye, may you rest in peace Chris.’
Calling him ‘caring, lovely and funny’ Tracy Wiles wrote: ‘We all will never be the same again, but every day you will be in our thoughts you beautiful man. Love you so much Chris and now our friend.’
View of Costa Teguise, a touristic resort on Lanzarote island, Spain (Stock image)
Confirming it was currently closed, staff at The Clock said in a social media message: ‘As you may well be aware now or soon. We have lost Chris. The Clock is closed.
‘We will keep you informed.’
One local report said the incident that led to Chris’s death happened at The Clock, but well-placed sources said it had occurred at a nearby commercial centre by a fast food restaurant.
Police were called shortly after 3am on Sunday and assisted in providing emergency medical assistance before making the arrest.
The dead man’s parents are believed to live in Lanzarote although he has siblings thought to be based in the UK.
This story about the docuseries “Stolen Youth” originally ran in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
In 2019, a tight close-up of a middle-aged man’s chubby face dominated the cover of New York magazine. His eyes stared gently — though with absolute power — right at us. The article inside described the shocking story of Larry Ray, who moved into his daughter’s dorm building at Sarah Lawrence College and proceeded to systematically brainwash several students into a forced-labor and sex-trafficking cult.
The whole saga is told in “Stolen Youth,” a three-episode Hulu series that examines the sordid details of the Ray case. He was convicted on 15 criminal counts in 2022. But the show also offers an empathetic platform for his victims, some still in the throes of Ray’s mind control. Oscar-nominated director Zachary Heinzerling (“Cutie and the Boxer”) talked about his approach to this complex, tangled web.
“Stolen Youth” (Hulu)
There are many crimes at the center of this story, but it doesn’t feel like a true-crime series. Was that a genre that you were resisting? When you think about the details of that New York magazine article, there’s the sheer shocking and bizarre factor of it. It doesn’t seem real. But I’m not someone who’s used to doing true crime, and this didn’t necessarily feel like that for me. I like projects where I can discover the story through the process of making it and where the subjects can gain perspective on their lives. This had those elements.
You avoid showing experts talking about the phenomenon of cults and how victims can be drawn in. Was that deliberate? That was incredibly top of mind. The goal was to have these people in Larry’s world, who I found to be eloquent, intelligent people, explain the situation themselves. And I felt that they were really good at describing the elements of control that they faced, using their own voices. It humanized their experience.
In the third episode, you interview a woman named Isabella, who’s free from Larry but still under his spell. It seems like a delicate situation for you as a filmmaker. It’s interesting. I got feedback from other director friends during the process of making this and, especially in regards to Isabella, they’ve asked me, “Why didn’t you push harder at her?” I thought carefully about this and I was in touch with cult experts and cult interventionists the whole time — but for me, the way I’ve done every project has been about meeting people where they are. So with Isabella, if all I did was challenge her, I felt it could have had a reverse effect, where she would feel the need to strengthen her conviction. I didn’t want to act like I knew so much more than her or was some kind of authority figure. So I was listening in a nonjudgmental way.
We were constantly trying to fight the idea that the victims were responsible. Cult survivors get asked, “How could you let this happen?” It’s insensitive and naive to think that people “join a cult.” At the time, it appears positive and helpful. We are naturally trusting as humans and don’t immediately think that the person offering to help us is an insidious psychopath.
What’s really crazy is how much incriminating audio and video content you include of Larry. It seemed like he recorded everything. Were there thousands of hours of stuff? Hundreds of hours, for sure. And there was audio and video that was much worse, which we did not include, if you can even imagine. The archival recording is essential because it’s so real. Larry was all about “the truth,” and there is no easier way of stamping the truth to his egregious acts than having documented evidence. The irony is that those same recordings were used to put him away in prison for 60 years.
That’s an old story, too, of criminals recording themselves in the act. Yeah, I think it’s common with delusional narcissists. Larry’s version of what’s on all that audio and video is completely different from the facts. The reality he lives in is one where he’s at the center as a victim.
Polygram Entertainment, the film and television division of Universal Music Group, has announced that Daniel Inkeles will become the new senior vice president of film and television development and production.
Prior to his promotion, Inkeles was the vice president of scripted film and television for UMG. In that role he served as executive producer of NBC’s musical comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” During the series’ two-season run, it was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one for Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming. Inkeles was also an executive producer for Alison Ellwood’s Critics Choice-winning documentary “The Go-Go’s,” which centered around the American rock band of the same name, as well as the 2019 film, “Billie,” James Erskine’s documentary about Billie Holiday.
Inkeles is based in Los Angeles and will report to David Blackman, the executive vice president and head of film and television development and production for UMG.
“Since joining us in 2018, Daniel has been instrumental in shaping Polygram into an exciting producer of premium film and television projects that have touched audiences around the world,” David Blackman said in a press release. “Daniel’s work on such projects as ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ and its feature spinoff has played an important role in the evolution of this company, and his promotion comes at an incredibly exciting time for Polygram.”
“It’s been a privilege to help build Polygram into an industry-leading producer of music-driven film and television,” Inkeles said. “UMG’s incredible artists, catalogs and labels form the foundation of everything we do, and I feel so lucky to work with such an iconic, storied and infinite source of narrative inspiration. I could not be prouder of the work we’ve done or more excited about the projects to come. I want to thank David, Michele Anthony and Jody Gerson for their continued trust and support.”
Before Inkeles joined UMG, he was a development executive at Sony Pictures Animation and worked on projects such as “Hotel Transylvania 2,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” and “Smurfs: The Lost Village.” Prior to Sony, Inkleles focused on franchise creative development for DreamWorks Animation, specializing in expanding films across multiple platforms as he helped do with “How to Train Your Dragon.” He also worked on “Shrek the Third” and “Shrek Forever After” at the start of his career.
In addition to “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “The Go Go’s” and “Billie,” Polygram Entertainment has worked on Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano’s documentary “Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” Todd Haynes’ “The Velvet Underground,” Frank Marshall’s “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” Sacha Jenkins’ “Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues” and Spike Jonze’s “Beastie Boys Story.” The company’s upcoming projects include the docuseries “James Brown: Say It Loud,” scripted movies about KISS and the Osbournes, a docuseries about the record label STAX and a new series based on Frank Sinatra’s life.
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Sugarfina is coming to a sweet full circle with its latest line of mouthwatering treats. The Beverly Hills-based confections brand has debuted a Hollywood-inspired candy collection to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the starry town’s infamous hillside landmark.
The luxury candy boutique teamed with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to create the delicious Hollywood sign centennial range, which features Sugarfina’s signature vegan gummy candy-filled bento boxes and cubes, chocolate bars and popcorn canisters ($10-$70) in Los Angeles-inspired flavors and special-edition packaging. A three-piece set features the Walk of Fame stars, champagne bears and sugar lips in strawberry, cherry and watermelon flavors (all available in individual cubes), and the Hollywood x Sugarfina Tasting Collection ($34) includes the gummy stars and bears alongside mini chocolate donut cereal bites, sour rainbows and pink and white candy pearls.
There are also mini champagne bottles filled with Dom Pérignon Vintage gummy bears, dark chocolate sea salt caramel-covered popcorn and sparkling pink chocolate bars sprinkled with sugar and pop rocks. Bundles with the tasting collection and other picks are also available.
Courtesy of Sugarfina
Julia Roberts, Sofia Vergara, Reese Witherspoon and Katharine McPhee are among Sugarfina’s sweet-toothed celebrity fans. The chic candy brand recently teamed with Bling Empire stars Chérie Chan and Jessey Lee, who join the company as business partners and ambassadors. The company has previously teamed with George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila brand, star-loved coffee shop Alfred, Disney, Barbie and more. The company uses pectin (instead of animal-derived gelatin) in its vegan- and vegetarian-friendly gummy candies.
These scenes of Nora and Hae Sung reconnecting are pleasant, partly because Lee and Yoo are both nice to spend time with. But as the days give way to one night after another, this interlude can also feel drifty and even a little innocuous, almost like filler. That’s partly because although Yoo is awfully nice to look at, and while Song continues to add in details about Hae Sung’s life in South Korea, the character never takes deep root in the story the way that Nora does. For much of it, he is effectively a ghostly figure, a beautiful specter on a laptop screen whose open face hides very little, including Hae Sung’s vulnerability and yearning.
All this feels as specific, intentional and meaningful as the sight of different lovers embracing all around Nora and Hae Sung when, another 12 years later, they finally reconnect in person in New York. By then, each has settled into their respective lives, have separate histories, have made different memories. They have distinct personalities and ways of taking up space, and each has had a serious relationship, Nora’s with her husband, Arthur (John Magaro, wonderful). Like Hae Sung, Arthur has a sweet, transparent face that hides little, including the hurt that Nora sometimes causes him, one difference being that he actually lives with her.
It’s important to Song’s overall design that one of the most crucial and extended sequences in “Past Lives” takes place not long after Nora breaks off with Hae Sung when they’re young adults. She’s rocked by their encounter, but she is soon en route to a writers retreat, an emblem of the horizons first glimpsed in her girlhood. Here, for the only time in the movie, Song lingers over a physical space, in this case a handsome, sunlit country house, a home. Nora lingers too in these rooms, and shortly after she settles in, another writer — Arthur — follows. Song stages and shoots his arrival from Nora’s room, the camera pointing through the open window as she lies asleep in her bed. She misses Arthur’s entrance, but soon after, Nora emerges from her room, awake in a present that — for the first time — feels like the future.
Past Lives Rated PG-13. In English and Korean, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. In theaters.
The first trailer has been unveiled for Cannes, Emmy and Peabody-winning director Marc Levin’s documentary “It’s Basic,” which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
The film examines several pilot programs launched in the U.S. that test the effects of giving everyday people an extra $500 to $1,000 monthly, with no strings attached. It aims to present an unbiased account of the benefits, criticisms, and outcomes of providing unconditional money to people in need, and examines whether Basic Income pilot programs eradicate child poverty and level the racial playing field through community-centric solutions.
The documentary features commentary by Michael Tubbs, the founder of Mayors for Guaranteed Income. At 26, Tubbs became mayor of Stockton, California. Under his stewardship, the city saw a 40% drop in homicides in 2018 and 2019, led the state in the decline of officer-involved shootings in 2019, was named the second most financially healthy city in California and was featured in Levin’s HBO documentary, “Stockton on My Mind.”
Tubbs also serves as executive producer on “It’s Basic.” He is currently the special advisor to California governor Gavin Newsom for economic mobility and is the founder of End Poverty in California.
“At a time when we are bombarded by news of economic instability, inflation, debt crisis, drastic cutbacks in social services and fears of more layoffs and recession, here’s a story about a subterranean movement that has grown from one city, Stockton CA. From back in 2018, when we released the documentary ‘Stockton on My Mind,’ to now over 100 cities actually doing something to improve the lives of their citizens. ‘It’s Basic’ gives the participants themselves a chance to tell this story,” Levin said in his director’s statement.
Levin has won four Emmys, four duPont-Columbia awards, the Peabody Award, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Career highlights include “Slam,” his breakout film about the impact of the spoken word movement; “Brick City,” the docu-series about mayor Cory Booker and the city of Newark, New Jersey; “Gang War: Bangin’ in Little Rock” and Emmy-winning “Thug Life in DC,” both for HBO; and “Chicagoland,” a docu-series for CNN and Sundance Productions, nominated for an IDA award.
“It’s Basic,” which premieres June 12 at Tribeca, also features interviews with program recipients and participating mayors across the country. Several high-profile guests are expected to join Tubbs and some of the participating mayors who are members of Mayors for Guaranteed Income, including Sumbul Siddiqui of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Ras J. Baraka of Newark, New Jersey; Shawyn Patterson-Howard of Mt. Vernon, New York; Ariel Kelley of Healdsburg, California; and former mayor Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, Louisiana; Also expected to attend is Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook and author of the book “Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn.”
The Walking Dead star Steven Yeun told fans what makes his new Marvel role “really interesting” as he prepares to join the MCU.
Yeun became one of The Walking Dead‘s biggest names over its 12-season run, playing the role of Glenn Rhee alongside other future MCU stars like Danai Gurira and Ross Marquand.
Yeun noted how director Jake Schreier“saw [him] for this role” in the new MCU movie, with the actor feeling that it was “actually a really interesting role” in his mind that he wanted to explore further.
“It kind of came together in a weird way. Jake Schreier, who did episodes of ‘Beef,’ he got the gig to direct it and he kinda saw me for this role, and I read the role, and I was like ‘This is actually a really interesting role, I’d be down to explore this.'”
In terms of joining the expanding Marvel Universe, Yeun saw it as an opportunity to experience something new rather than “checking things off a bucket list:”
“I think it’s less about now checking things off a bucket list and more looking at an experience. It’s more like ‘Do I want to experience that?’ Putting it out is a whole nother thing that I’m gonna have to prepare for afterwards, but in the immediate, I’m just down to just experience that experience.”
With Steven Yeun most likely handling on the immense challenge of playing the MCU’s take on the superhero Sentry, he’ll certainly have plenty of interesting experiences embodying one of Marvel’s most powerful characters ever.
This will also be his second time taking on a superhero property after providing the leading voiceover role in Amazon Prime’s Invincible, and he even gets to take on somebody just as intense in terms of personality and powers.
Previously, Yeun explained that the “intentions of the particular character” he was cast as were “very clear,” with those intentions being what drew him to join the MCU in the first place.
And with rumors indicating that his Sentry will actually be the ultimate big bad that the Thunderbolts team up against, he’ll help to send the MCU’s Phase 5 slate out with a bang upon his arrival.
James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy has a new actor contender emerge as one of the frontrunners for the iconic DC Comics hero. With a new DC Universe on its way, several beloved characters are set to get recast for Gunn’s new franchise, including the Man of Steel himself. Superman: Legacy, which is eying production for 2024, is currently on the search to find its leading hero, as well as several other iconic characters from the lore.
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While they haven’t locked a star yet, another actor has now joined the list of frontrunners in the Superman: Legacy casting search. According to Variety, Pierson Fodé, whose credits include The Bold and The Beautiful, is reportedly in the running for the DC icon. Per the trade, Fodé has submitted a self-tape that included “showing his very Clark Kent-like childhood on a farm in the small town of Moses Lake, Wash.” While Gunn and DC Studios have yet to comment on the story, Variety claims that the filmmaker liked what he saw from Fodé.
Other Reported Clark Kent Frontrunners For Superman: Legacy
While Fodé may be one of DC Studios’ top candidates, there are other reported frontrunners for the role of Clark Kent in Superman: Legacy. Almost a month ago, David Corenswet was reported to be one of the top Superman contenders. Corenswet has for a long time been suggested by fans to get cast as the big screen’s next Superman, from countless fan trailers to artwork.
Andrew Richardson and Tom Brittney have also reportedly been looked at as they were “in the early mix.” Two disclosed actors were supposedly also part of DC Studios’ list of potential actors to take on the role of the Man of Steel. While Nicholas Hoult was first rumored to have auditioned for Lex Luthor, another report later came out claiming that he was also another frontrunner for Superman.
It’s crucial to remember that since no casting decisions have been made yet, Fodé may not end up being the one who lands the gig for Superman: Legacy. With this being one of the hottest roles in Hollywood, Gunn, and DC Studios will absolutely be seeing countless more actors before they make a final decision. Hopefully, if DC Studios plan to be at San Diego Comic-Con this summer, they will have some Superman: Legacy casting ready to roll out as the world gets ready for the new DC Universe.
RuneScape players have waited patiently for the long-awaited new skill reveal and it seems that it was worth the wait. Jagex absolutely delivered with the announcement of Necromancy, and we’ve now been able to see a first look into the new skill. There are many enjoyable things to do whilst playing RuneScape, but I dare say one of the most popular is grinding skills to whichever goal takes your fancy. Be it a solitary 99, max cape, level 120, or 200 million XP. The grind is serious. So, when a new skill is announced, there is always buzz around what it will be. Keep reading to find out what we know so far about Necromancy – RuneScape’s 29th skill.
What Do We Know About the New RuneScape Skill Necromancy?
Jagex has provided us with a first look into the new Necromancy skill and there is something immediately different and exciting about it. Necromancy will be the first new combat skill. Since the beginning, the combat triangle has existed of melee, magic and ranged. Now, a newcomer exists to shake things up. Necromancy will exist outside of the combat triangle and on top of this it will be the first combat skill that players can level to 120. This means that the new maximum total level will now be 152. Wow!
Necromancy will be a skill that consists of two components. The first, will consist of using Necromancy in combat. Players will be able to duel wield Necromancy weapons. The main hand being the standard weapon, and the off-hand being an item that summons the dead to help the player during battle. Magic is entwined into the combat with new spells known as Incantations, and new Necrotic Runes being used to enhance combat. Good news for Runecrafters!
The second, known as Rituals, is a way to level up Necromancy outside of combat. There are a total of twelve rituals which the player will complete, as well as associated random events. Located in the City of Um, players will train by attracting spirits to release into the Well of Souls and be rewarded with the necessary materials for the Necrotic Runes, combat, and additional equipment.
Image Via RuneScape
There will be a Talent system for Necromancy. A way to unlock new abilities in the skill. These are unlocked by collecting points through combat. These points are then spent on the talent tree. There will be a total of eight tiers to complete as the skill is leveled. Whilst the unlocks do branch in multiple directions and there is no option to undo your selection, you will be able to eventually unlock every skill with enough points and so nothing will become unobtainable.
How is the Necromancy Skill Unlocked?
Similar to that of previous skills, Necromancy will be initially unlocked as part of a quest chain that both serves to be the catalyst that unlocks the skill for the player whilst educating them regarding how the components of the skill work. The quest chain will follow on from the current Fort Forinthry line. There will be two Necromancy bosses that will be available along the way. Both will be able to be killed solo and will not require a group in order to progress through the skill.
Image via RuneScape
When Will the New Necromancy Skill Be Released?
With the recent exciting information regarding RuneScape’s new Necromancy skill. It is no wonder that eager players are wondering just when they will be able to start leveling the new combat skill. Sadly, we are no closer to knowing an exact date at the time of writing. Necromancy is still slated for 2023. It does already look fantastic and a breath of fresh air for RuneScape combat and so Jagex can take a little while longer to polish it before release.
Until then, there are so many other things that can occupy your time in RuneScape. Have you considered working towards the Golden Cape yet? What a better way to show off your RuneScape ability than equipping yourself in literal gold. Kaching!
Chanel and the Tribeca Festival’s annual Artist Award Program dinner will take place June 12 in New Yor City. Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Paula Weinstein and Chanel host the festivities.
Artists Ana Benaroya, Beverly Fishman, Christie Neptune, Lisa Lebofsky, Natia Lemay, Patricia Encarnacion, Renee Cox, Sheree Hovsepian, Shinique Smith, and Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz will honored. Each have been invited to contribute original artwork to be presented to the 2023 Festival filmmaker winners.
“Tribeca and Chanel recognize the significance of representation and the undeniable impact women artists can have when their work and stories are in the spotlight,” Tribeca Festival co-founder and Tribeca Enterprises CEO Jane Rosenthal said in statement. “We are dedicated to celebrating creativity and culture, fostering diverse voices, and encouraging the development of a new generation of visionaries. Our eighteen-year partnership with Chanel underscores our joint commitment to honoring powerful storytelling, artistic excellence, and the spirit of artists supporting other artists. We invite audiences to join us in this celebration and discover the transformative power of women’s artistry, which reflects our reality and shapes our understanding of the world.”
This year’s art collection will be displayed at the Tribeca Festival Hub at Spring Studios throughout the Festival, which runs June 7-18 in New York City.
“When I was approached to curate the Artist Awards for a second year, it was important that this iteration have a profound social impact, showcasing the strength, beauty and diversity of women. Our focus is on giving women in the arts their flowers and celebrating their trailblazing contributions to contemporary art,” said 2023 Artist Awards curator Racquel Cevremont.“Throughout recorded history, from the cave painting to the camera, women have been driving forces in art around the world. Yet female creatives remain woefully underrepresented. It’s imperative that we continue to solicit and showcase the work of women artists.”
In an upcoming interview with ABC News, Elliot Page opened up about the gender dysphoria he experienced growing up.
“My body started to change, and clothes sat on me differently, and all of that really was the beginning of really sort of disconnecting from myself and feeling a degree of discomfort that was very erosive and damaging,” he said in a clip shared by Good Morning America.
The Umbrella Academy actor said he hadn’t even heard the word transgender at that point. When it did come up in health class, it was mocked by fellow students.
“The experiences I had in regards to bullying only encourages the shame that literally makes you sick. The hiding, the self-disgust, the ‘I’m wrong, there’s something wrong with me,’ that narrative.”
Elliot was also candid about the way gender dysphoria affected his sense of self. “It’s being assigned a gender at birth, based on your genitalia, and that not being the reality of who you are. And the sort of incongruence and disconnect of that just continues to chip away at you and chip away at you and chip away at you.”
“It especially became complicated as an actor because people would just go, ‘You’re an actor, just put on the f*cking clothes.’ But needless to say, it was so much more than that.”
The interview, conducted by RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Colby, is part of ABC’s The Freedom to Exist – A Soul of a Nation Presentation. It airs on Tuesday, June 6 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and will be available on Hulu June 7.
Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s posts celebrating Pride 2023.
The “Nope” actor, who is set to collaborate with “Beef” director Jake Schreier on MCU installment “Thunderbolts,” weighed in on the expectations of leading a superhero film in a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“Yeah, Jake Schreier, who did episodes of ‘Beef,’ got the gig to direct [‘Thunderbolts’] and then he saw me for this role and I read the role and I was like, ‘This is actually a really interesting role, I’d be down to explore this,’” Yeun said of his casting. “I think it’s less about now checking things off a bucket list and more looking at an experience.”
The “Walking Dead” alum continued, “Sometimes I’ll have conversations with friends who are like, ‘Do you know what you’re doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re making a movie.’ And they’re like, ‘Do you know what you’re doing?’ I try not to take that in because I think that’s the trap. The trap is to look at that thing in the context of how society might view that thing. In the immediate, I’m just making a movie. Putting it out is a whole other thing that I’m going to have to prepare for afterwards.”
While Yeun’s role is under wraps, he told Empire, “The intentions of the particular character that they wanted me to play were very clear, and that’s what drew me to the film.”
“Thunderbolts” co-stars Florence Pugh, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen and follows the respective MCU anti-heroes. The film was slated for a July 2024 release; however, production has been paused due to the ongoing WGA strike.
Actress Pugh recently addressed the pushback she received from joining the MCU after appearing in 2021’s “Black Widow.”
“So many people in the indie film world were really pissed off at me. They were like, ‘Great, now she’s gone forever,’” the Oscar nominee said. “And I’m like, no, I’m working as hard as I used to work. I’ve always done back-to-back movies. It’s just people are watching them now. You just have to be a bit more organized with your schedule.”
A TV news reporter (Jim Carrey) rants at God (Morgan Freeman) and is given divine powers for a week to see if he can do a better job at running things.
Certificate:PG-13 Language, sexual content and some crude humor
Year: 2003
Duration: 1hr 41m
Audio: English – Audio Description, English [Original]
“Bruce Almighty” was produced by Pit Bull Productions, Spyglass Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Shady Acres Entertainment with a budget of $80m. With it’s initial release on May 23rd 2003 it made approximately $484.59m at the Box Office.
Like the Westerns that Star Wars itself is based on, season 3 continued to dwell in that genre as it focused on Bounty Hunter Din Djarin’s (Pedro Pascal) unification with the Mandalorians. Of note here is the redemption of the tribe’s former leader Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff). Famuyiwa says we see “what she lost and what she’s gained, in terms of the trust from her people and her own leadership.”
(L-R): A Bartender Droid (Seth Gabel), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal)
Lucasfilm
Famuyiwa explains that just as “Westerns started to grow and go beyond their rugged individualism to how we make a society work” so does The Mandalorian in season 3.
The Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner of Dope talks about the VFX tricks of making The Mandalorian sets look real, as well as the episode he’s submitting this Emmy season.
Famuyiwa is also a director on the upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson which premieres August this year.
Brad Pitt; Dave Burd a.k.a. Lil DickyPhoto: Joe Maher; Kevin Winter (Getty Images)
In a post-Oscar, post-being accused of abuse world, Brad Pitt’s latest thing appears to be wacky little comedy cameos. His latest unexpected appearance is on the season finale of FX’s Dave, created by and starring Dave Burd a.k.a. Lil Dicky. Apparently, Burd heard “through the grapevine” that Pitt was a fan of the series and wrote what The Hollywood Reporterdescribes as a “passionate, personal letter” asking him to be part of it. Lo and behold, the answer was yes—marking Pitt’s first comedy TV role since Friends.
Why Christian Bale just can’t quit David O. Rusell
“It was a little reckless to anchor an entire three episode arc with Rachel McAdams and an entire finale on Brad Pitt, but for the themes that we’re talking about there is no one better,” Burd tells THR. “What better representation of like hopeless romanticism and love is there than Rachel McAdams, who was like my generation’s dream woman and who has been in films that have totally defined my interpretation of what love is supposed to be? Same with Brad Pitt. What better person to teach you a lesson about fame and validation than like the star of all stars, Brad Pitt?”
“These are like the biggest stars of our time validating our show,” Burd adds, noting that the finale’s other big guest star, Drake, told him that Dave “is one of the more important shows of our generation.” Burd attributes the quality of the show to the team behind it: “Everyone who makes the show loves cinema and storytelling. We’re at the top of our craft when these people are joining in and being like what you guys are doing is worth our talent and our time. For Brad to be getting direction from me and trusting me like the way I know he trusts like [Quentin] Tarantino and the Coen brothers was incredibly rewarding and something that I’ll never forget.”
This is the world we’re living in now, where Lil Dicky can compare himself to the brothers Coen. Still, Brad Pitt is not the point of Dave. “I don’t think the show is about celebrities, but they are a part of entering the zeitgeist and climbing the ranks of the entertainment industry,” Burd explains to the outlet. “That’s, like, the DNA of the show, and so I’ll just say that the people who came to play at the end of this season are the holy grail of iconicism. It’s like, where do you go from here?”
Brutal Season takes only a few words to transport its audience fully. “I swear it’s getting closer. Only just a little, too; you can hardly notice it.” These words are spoken with apprehension. Perhaps it is the poise of the camera upon the speaker’s world-worn visage, or it could be the piercing blue of the person’s eyes, possessing some faraway unknown. Maybe it is the philosophic shadow that enrobes what was said. No matter, writer-director Gavin Fields hooks viewers in then and there.
The Trouths live in Red Hook, New York, in 1948. Gayle (Colleen Madden) is the matriarch. Her husband is Louis (James Ridge). Still with them are their youngest son Charlie (Markwood Fields), and their daughter Marianne (Shelby Grady), who is the middle child. The Trouth family has run upon hard times and is struggling to get by. This summer’s record heat is further intensified — literally and figuratively — when wayward eldest son Junior (Houston Settle) mysteriously reappears after a 12-year absence.
In essence, Brutal Season is a chamber play, taking place entirely within a single apartment. However, the confined space does not limit the film’s imagination. As the characters come and go, they carry with them the palpable inspirations of many sweltering New York summer opuses, such as Rope, Sleepers, and Taxi Driver. Indeed, the focal apartment has a likewise tangible dimension to it. Many shots offer alternative views of the space, slight enough to not feel alien but novel enough to pull the viewer in. This materiality is enhanced by Fields’ use of light and shadow, which highlights and obscures different aspects of the apartment like a canvas.
“…the seemingly idyllic family’s tensions run hot…”
It is on this canvas that the filmmaker utilizes every member of the ensemble as a prominent brushstroke. The characters are richly realized, each dealing with their issues and resentments. In the context of the baking apartment, the seemingly idyllic family’s tensions run hot, creating a uniquely multilayered story that deals with themes of virtue, deception, and fractured perception. Special mention must be given to the costume design. Every wardrobe piece is aesthetically excellent and expands the nuances of the personality wearing it.
All of these aspects — the cinematography, the characters, the aesthetics — build toward even greater praise: It is an altogether riveting experience. A believable world inhabited by authentic characters is created through its technical rigor and measured pacing. The film builds an economy of genuine emotion without oversentimentality. As such, every subtle twist of the plot is rightfully earned.
To this end, any criticisms lobbied at Brutal Season are so slight they are pointless to mention. It is an astonishing film when considering its minuscule budget. With it, Fields has displayed not just skill but also a vision. The drama is like a scandalously kindled fire that burns proactively till its end. All told this is a deeply considered, maturely shot, and charismatically told story.
A 15-year-old boy riding a scooter was critically injured in a crash involving a concrete truck in Dufferin County, Ont., and had to be airlifted to a trauma centre, police say.
Ontario Provincial Police said it happened on Wednesday in the Township of Melancthon, north of Orangeville.
Police said officers responded at around 3:35 p.m. to the scene of the collision involving a concrete truck and a battery-operated standing scooter on Highway 89 around 4th Line.
The 15-year-old who was on the scooter was flown by an Ornge air ambulance to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries.
There is no word on what may have caused the crash.
Highway 89 was closed in the area for around six hours as officers investigated.
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Anyone with information was asked to contact the OPP.
E-scooter fatal leaves many concerned about safety
Julie Benko, who has built a devoted following as theFunny Girl understudy and alternate Fanny Brice, will originate her first Broadway role this fall in the new musical Harmony by by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman.
Benko will play the role of Ruth, producers Ken Davenport, Sandi Moran and Garry Kief announced today. The production will begin previews at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre on Wednesday, October 18, ahead of an official opening night on Monday, November 13.
“It is rare to be offered the chance to be part of a Broadway show that resonates so deeply on both personal and political levels,” Benko said in a statement. “I’m so proud to be a part of Harmony and tremendously grateful to Barry, Bruce, Warren, Ken, and the entire team for entrusting me with Ruth’s story. I can’t wait to get into the rehearsal room with the brilliant company this Fall.”
Based on the true story, Harmony tells the story the 1920s-’30s German vocal group the Comedian Harmonists, who sold millions of records, made dozens of films, and sold out the biggest theaters around the world before the rise if Nazism.
Benko joins the previously announced Chip Zien, who stars as “Rabbi,” along with the six Comedian Harmonists Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey. Further casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
Harmony features an original new score by Manilow with lyrics and book by Sussman. The musical is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle (The Music Man, Hello Dolly!). The musical had a sold-out Off Broadway run last spring at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
AMC Theatres is mothballing its on-demand movie service — and moving users and their content libraries over to Vudu, the video rental and sell-through streaming platform owned by NBCUniversal’s Fandango.
Starting Thursday, June 1, AMC Theatres On Demand users can transfer their accounts to Vudu, which now serves as the theater chain’s streaming platform. With the transition, the companies said, many of the movies previously purchased through AMC Theatres On Demand will be “upgraded to the highest-quality format available” on Vudu, including 4K Ultra HD. Consumers with applicable titles in their libraries will automatically receive those upgrades for free. Additionally, AMC Theatres On Demand users who are new Vudu consumers are eligible for a 15% discount on each purchase made on the service in their first month.
To migrate existing AMC content libraries to Vudu, AMC Theaters On Demand consumers can either link their current Vudu account using the same email address or create a new Vudu account.
AMC Theatres had launched the on-demand service in October 2019. The service has been available to registered members of the theater chain’s AMC Stubs loyalty rewards program. Meanwhile, Fandango phased out the FandangoNow streaming storefront two years ago, replacing it with Vudu, which the movie-ticketing and entertainment provider bought from Wal-Mart in 2020.
“As we continue to evolve our business and remain focused on ‘Making Movies Better’ by enhancing the theatrical experience, we’re even more excited to expand our relationship with a trusted partner, who will ensure a continued preeminent experience for those consumers who are streaming their post-theatrical movies at home,” Nikkole Denson-Randolph, AMC Theatres’ senior VP of content strategy and inclusive programming, said in a statement.
Vudu offers more than 200,000 movies and TV shows to rent or buy (including what it claims is the largest collection of 4K UHD titles) plus thousands of titles to watch for free. Titles currently available on Vudu include “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” “Evil Dead Rise,” “Scream VI” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
“AMC Theatres has been a valued exhibition partner of Fandango’s for more than two decades, and we’re thrilled to now offer our Vudu streaming service to AMC Theatres On Demand consumers,” said Cameron Douglas, Fandango’s VP of home entertainment. “As consumers’ appetite for top-notch entertainment continues to grow, as well as their desire to watch the best movies both on the big screen and at home, this incredible collaboration with AMC Theatres will ensure that fans get seamless access to the premium content they love and crave.”
AMC is the largest movie exhibition company in the U.S., Europe and worldwide, with about 950 theatres and 10,500 screens globally.
DISCLAIMER: This edition of Deadline’s The Process was shot prior to the start of the WGA Strike on May 2nd.
In their second feature collaboration following 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey‘s director Dan Trachtenberg and cinematographer Jeff Cutter faced a totally new set of challenges, the most difficult to grapple with being the move from an almost entirely interior story, set in an underground bunker, to one that took place out in the woods.
On 10 Cloverfield Lane, which was primarily shot on one contiguous set, the primary concern for Cutter was “where to place the practicals, because basically everything was built to be photographed, so that we could really move physically through.”
With Prey, though, which took place 75-80% in day exteriors, “the hard part [was] bending the schedule and getting everyone [on board],” sacrificing the control that comes with shooting in studio, with production being organized in part around the less predictable lighting conditions out in the real world.
In conversation with Cutter in the latest edition of Deadline’s craft video series The Process, Trachtenberg explains that the other major challenge of shooting on location had to do with making sure that in a filming scenario offering perhaps too many possibilities, where “the world is our oyster,” the corner of the world chosen as the setting for each scene would feel distinct and special. “There’s an entire land that we could go through, and I joked when I came back from filming the movie that I’m never going to make a movie where the script says ‘Ext. Forest – Day’ for the bulk of the movie, again,” says the filmmaker. “It was just so overwhelming and hard.”
Notching the biggest-ever Hulu premiere upon its debut on the platform last summer, 20th Century Studios’ Prey is a Predator franchise prequel set 300 years ago in the Comanche Nation which tells the story of Naru (Amber Midthunder), a fierce and highly skilled warrior looking to fend off both French fur traders and a highly evolved alien predator invading her territory.
Cutter had also worked with Trachtenberg on assorted commercials and the pilot to Prime Video’s The Boys prior to taking the film on, and in so doing, a third memorable creative hurdle he’d look to confront was the “naturalistic” photographing of firelight. He’d look, with all scenes, to “use as much natural fire as possible,” though the lighting of each was augmented in some sense. For scenes taking place both inside and outside teepees, around “small campfires,” lighting was supplemented with “old school tungsten filament light bulbs.” And for scenes that had actors running around with torches, he’d attach “LED strips” to the props, such that the thesps would stand out just enough in the darkness.
Shooting fire in these ways, Trachtenberg says, helped the team avoid bringing a sense of “uncanny valley” into scenes. “I’ve done stuff where literally we’re trying to only light with fire, and the flicker of a real fire without any support feels unnatural and weird,” he shares. “So weirdly, you kind of do have to bring in some artifice just to make it look more real.”
During his time with the filmmaker on The Process, Cutter discusses his first read of Prey‘s script and visual references he brought to the project; why he feels pre-production is “the most stressful part” of the filmmaking process; how he landed on choices of camera and lenses which would do justice to the film’s “scale” and the “beautiful landscapes” within it; scenes in Prey that wound up exactly as he’d imagined them, and those that wound up entirely different; the most fundamental component of his and Trachtenberg’s process, which comes down to finding “the soul of the scene”; what it is about their collaboration that works so well; and Trachtenberg’s “muscular” approach to filmmaking.
The DP also touches on his love of Star Wars, The Terminator and the more recent The Batman; the “pain-to-reward ratio” that informed his pivot to cinematography after starting film school with the ambition to direct; early experiences in the industry shooting music videos; his notion that a movie tells you “what it’s going to be” in the first week of shooting; his aspiration to create “big cinema”; and his creative goals as he looks ahead.
Trachtenberg speaks for his part to beginning to make movies at age three, and the studying of “making of” materials that informed his early work; how the kinds of creative problem-solving he grapples with on set today are the same he was faced with as a kid; the experience of making 10 Cloverfield Lane with Cutter, who he jokes functions on set both as his “therapist” and hype man; how he and the DP work through moments where a scene isn’t gelling; his biggest overall challenges in making Prey; and more.
Heléne Yorke, Drew Tarver, Case Walker and Ken Marino are revealing the secrets behind the success of the Max comedy series The Other Two, as part of Deadline’s FYC House + HBO Max event series. New episodes air on Thursday nights via Max.
L to R: Michelle Moughan, Case Walker, Heléne Yorke, Ken Marino, Wanda Sykes, Michelle Moughan
As the titular “other two” Brooke (Yorke) and Cary Dubek (Tarver) continue in their search for success and true happiness, in Season 3 it appears even more elusive than before. Now that they’ve had a taste of what could be, how to keep the momentum going without getting in their own way? Will the siblings really ever feel fully fulfilled and content?
“I keep saying I hope not because that would be the end of our show— maybe? What’s fun about The Other Two is the idea that if you’re constantly pushing, no matter how much success you get, you can feel without—these characters are a manifestation of that theme,” said Yorke of the series created by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. “We took them to new heights this year, and they’re successful, but they’re always searching. That’s something that Chris and Sarah thread really interestingly and something that I think people can relate to, even though situations aren’t necessarily relatable,” she continued.
Added Tarver, “They’ve been struggling for many seasons and in this season, at least for Cary, what does it look like when you do get some of the things that you were dreaming about? And, does that make you happy or solve your issue? Or is there something deeper that you are not dealing with or figuring out? And what does that look like? It’s fun to play them struggling as well, but this season, I think the writers were like, ‘Alright, let’s give them what they want and see what it looks like.’ I thought that was like a deeper level to play that led to comedy and also like a deep sadness.”
Case Walker, Drew Tarver
Brooke and Cary have a younger brother named Chase Dubek (Walker) whose achievements towered over theirs at an early age fueling them to really reach for the stars. Chase, known professionally as ChaseDreams, has just turned 18 and his goals have changed, much to the chagrin of his family and his devoted talent manager Streeter Peter Peters (Marino).
“I think growing up, he’s just become more aware of who he is, and his team and his family. I think weirdly you’d expect him to be the least normal but he seems to be the most normal,” shared Walker. “What drives him is pretty simple things like he just wants to be in a relationship and he’s willing to do whatever it takes. So it’s been interesting seeing him grow up as the world’s gotten crazier and he’s stayed where he’s at. Even in moments with Streeter, he’s just back to the basics. Like, ‘Hey, this is my team. I still want to sing, I’m still doing my thing.’ He’s also a lot more aware of the world,” he added.
Poor Streeter just desperately wants to be loved and be part of the Dubek family. With ChaseDreamers becoming an adult and figuring out what he wants for his future, Streeter has been trolling social media for the next big thing.
“In that first episode, he knows he has Chase and is trying to figure out what to do with him outside of his singing career because we all know it’s not going to make money. But during Covid, Streeter started signing people off TikTok though he doesn’t fully understand how to make a profit from that. He wants to learn though so he can get in on the action. But Chase will always be his number one, for sure,” said Ken.
While Chase is also sorting out his love life, Streeter signed on with a new influencer family, the Barbacados.
“When the Barbacado family shows their talent in front of the theater where they dance for like three seconds, I fell on the floor laughing because I didn’t see that when it was filmed. It was so quick,” joked Tarver causing his cast mates to erupt in laughter.
He added, “I think that’s what Sarah and Chris do so well with not being afraid, especially in this season, to really take these big swings with absurdity and surrealism and you know, just crazy big comedy bits. But then they always find a way to bring it down and ground it in real relationships and give it depth and heart—it lands so well. It’s such a tightrope act, and they seem to just nail it every time.”
Josh Segarra and Heléne York
In recent episodes, there’s trouble on love island as Brooke and her on-and-off boyfriend/fiancé Lance (Josh Segarra). Could a broken engagement really be the end for them?
“I keep saying that Lance is the man she barely deserves. Josh Segarra, who’s a wonderful actor and a longtime friend of mine, is such a wonderful guy. It’s been fun watching these two characters evolve over three seasons. And now they’re engaged but how is she going to f**k that up?” questions York. “The theme, the way Sarah talked to me about the relationship this year is that she’s faced with this person— who in her mind is so clearly better than her and she feels like she doesn’t deserve him—is that she’s on this quest to be on his level. That’s the only way that she’s going to be able to maintain this, and in doing so, sabotages the entire thing. I relate to that because I think it’s really easy to fall into these patterns where you second guess yourself, and if you’re doing the right thing, or being the right thing, and if you’re faced with somebody who’s just nailing it all the time, it’s challenging.”
Another relationship in limbo involves Streeter and his beloved Pat Dubek (Molly Shannon), whose morning chat show has turned her into a huge star. Not being able to casually take his lady love anywhere without her security, is really putting a damper in their relationship.
“They’re two adults who understand the realities of life and the obstacles that can get in their way, so they’re working through it. What I can only tell you is that they do care about each other very much, and they’ll do what’s best for each of them,” Marino shared about the couple’s future.
Ken Marino and Molly Shannon
For the remainder of the season, there are many surprises that are yet to be revealed. The hysterical absurdity of this series is that something that sounds insane and made up, could really be an upcoming storyline.
“The Kiernan Shipka episode sets off this problem presented ahead where his girlfriend’s gonna have to go live in the woods. That becomes his priority over singing until the end of the season,” said Walker bewildering his cast and the Deadline interviewer. “And we see once that is solved there’s kind of this opportunity, so we’ll have to see what happens there in the final episode. Eventually, that problem is solved as directed by Streeter. So his primary issue is keeping Pam Snot [Michelle Moughan] from living in the woods with Ann Dowd. This is all normal to Chase, he really loves this girl,” he added.
And for the other two?
“More high jinks: she’s trying to be good, be a good person and she wants everybody to know she’s a good person. How is she going to get there? She basically discovers she can be good using the industry and so what did that lead to?” states Yorke.
“I think Cary it gets deeper and deeper into this chaos he’s created and it all comes to a head at the end of the season,” concludes Tarver.
Since breaking box office records and the internet alike with Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony remains busy with other live-action movies in development such as 2023’s Kraven, 2024’s Madame Web, and the reportedly undated El Muerto.
While she gave no specific details on either movie, she made it clear that “you’ll see all of it” and that these projects are “all happening” in the future.
Producer Avi Arad also teased that fans will see a movie featuring Spider-Woman “sooner than you expect.” And while he couldn’t give any further details on that movie, he ensured that it’s on the way:
Many fans are hoping that these movies will eventually be worked into the MCU, especially with the teases hinting at Miles’ existence in Spider-Man: No Way Home already existing in Marvel Studios’ super-powered franchise.
But the fact that they’re on the table will certainly have fans anxious to see who is cast as Miles Morales and Spider-Woman while both the MCU and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe expand and evolve.
Fans of Netflix’s Daredevil series have been a little disappointed that Deborah Ann Woll will seemingly not be reprising her role as Karen Page in the new MCU series Daredevil: Born Again, especially with the likes of Jon Bernthal returning as The Punisher and others such as Vincent D’Onofrio continuing his role as Kingpin. So if Woll isn’t appearing as her Marvel character again, then surely the next logical step is for her to defect to DC Studios instead right?
The actress was asked the very question about whether she would consider becoming part of James Gunn’s DCU in the future during a recent appearance at ICCC Nashville (via The Direct), where other stars such as D’Onofrio also appeared. While her response was in line with many others who have been asked similar questions, Woll was able to sneak in a Ghostbusters reference that very much sums up the feeling about which side of the comic book coin many get to land on. She said:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
“I don’t know-do they let us do that? Am I allowed to cross the streams. I feel like that would be very dangerous. Yeah, there’s a few people who can do it, but I don’t know if I’m one of those lucky few. I don’t know about DC. You know, this was so cool to be a part of Daredevil, and I think it was such a unique little corner of the MCU that felt really special. I’m really happy with what I’ve had, and there is no plans for me so far on either side of the comic book universe, but I’m so grateful for the experience that I had.”
For many people, Marvel and DC are locked in an eternal civil war of the comic book world, constantly fighting for supremacy in a battle that has gone on for decades. In reality, that is far from the truth according to new DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, who recently debunked the whole idea that the two comic giants’ movie studios are constantly locked in competition with each other. He said:
“People have this weird belief that Marvel and DC hate each other or somehow are polar opposites. But it’s just not the truth.I mean, listen, man, our job is the same. We want to get people into the theaters to see movies. That’s what matters. And I think that we work together to do that. And the more good Marvel movies are, the better it is for DC movies. The more good DC movies, the better it is for Marvel movies. There’s not only one winner. There can be two winners because it matters who goes to see your movies and who enjoys ’em.”
However, when it comes to fans, there are plenty who still chalk up every victory their favorite producer of comic book superhero movies gains over the other, and will no doubt continue to do so when Gunn’s new DCU begins to roll out in 2025. Whether Deborah Ann Woll will be part of any of those movies, is something that she, and we, can only wait and see.
– English Audio Description
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