Colin Kaepernick Signs First Look Deal With Disney
If you were to name the most influential athletes of the last decade, Colin Kaepernick must be on your list. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has become one of the most crucial voices in America demanding and working towards social justice. He started this journey in the public eye with a simple gesture and, perhaps more importantly, a sustained commitment thereafter in the face of injustice against himself personally. Colin Kaepernick became a known quantity to NFL fans in 2012,
Director/Producer Dawn Porter on Capturing a Legend in “John Lewis: Good Trouble”
Director/producer Dawn Porter’s documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble is an inspirational look at the life and career of the legendary Georgia Democratic representative and civil rights activist John Lewis. Congressman Lewis, now 80 years old, has been instrumental in creating foundational change in the United States, from voting rights to equal rights for all Americans. To this day, he continues to be a voice for positive change.
The Credits spoke to Porter about the film,
Legendary Italian Composer Ennio Morricone Dies at 91
There was and will only be but one Ennio Morricone, the man affectionately known as “The Maestro.” The legendary Italian composer, an Oscar-winner whose singular sound changed the way we listen to movies, passed away at 91. Morricone’s career spanned six decades and more than 500 films and generated some of the most beloved scores ever created. His work on Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns (Leone didn’t care for the term) alone would make a career,
Zack Snyder Reveals New Poster for Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition
The relationship between Zack Snyder and HBO Max keeps on getting more fruitful for both the man and the new streaming service. This past weekend, Snyder revealed this new poster for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition, which is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max. It was quite the July 4th treat for fans of Snyder’s robust vision for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU):
Excited that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition is now streaming exclusively on @HBOMax.
The Critics Agree: “Hamilton” the Movie is a Smash, Too
We’ve written about how director Thomas Kail and his team live-captured Hamilton for the screen. We’ve covered the glorious trailer and the fact that Disney moved the release of the film up a full year. Now, we can share how Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway juggernaut actually plays on screen. Folks, you’ll probably be unsurprised to find out that as a movie, Hamilton slaps.
“Welcome to Chechnya” Producer & Editor on Their Immersion in High-Stakes LGBTQ Reportage
Few westerners took notice in 2016 when the Russian republic of Chechnya began persecuting gay, lesbian, and transgender citizens. But after Oscar-nominated documentarian David France read a New Yorker article detailing how Ramzan Kadyrov’s regime has tortured, imprisoned, and executed LGBTQ residents, he traveled to Moscow. There, France and his crew documented the Russian LGBT Network and Moscow Community Center for LGBTI+ Initiatives as they provide temporary sanctuary for refugees eager to gain asylum in friendly countries.
“Unsettled” Looks at LGBTQ Refugees Seeking a Home in America
June celebrations, even virtual ones in this pandemic year, commemorate the birth of the modern LGBTQ liberation movement and the progress made over five decades since Stonewall, from marriage equality to the recent Supreme Court ruling protecting LGBTQ rights in the workplace.
But in many countries outside the U.S., LGBTQ rights mean only the right to survive.
San Francisco-based filmmaker Tom Shepard, whose many credits include the award-winning Scout’s Honor (2001) about the struggle to overturn the anti-gay policies of the Boy Scouts of America,
Watch Jennifer Hudson Channel Aretha Franklin in The Official Respect Trailer
If you’re going to attempt to have someone portray the incredible Aretha Franklin, you’d need an insanely talented and very brave performer. Luckily for director Liesl Tommy, Aretha herself selected Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, a sensational singer in her own right, of course. Franklin was consulting with producer Harvey Mason Jr. before she passed away, in 2018, about the long-gestating project. According to Variety, Franklin was involved with the film up until the very end and had been supportive of Hudson in the role.
A Stunning Surprise: Beyoncé Drops “Black is King” Trailer
It’s official—Disney+ is doing everything in its power to keep you glued to your TV screen in July. The first look at Beyoncé’s Black is King is here, a classic surprise release from the Queen herself, which she wrote, directed, and executive produced. Beyoncé has once again put together a visual album unlike any other, this time reimagining the themes from The Lion King to speak to all the young Black kings and queens who look to her for not only guidance but for the fearless creativity (and hard work) she’s famous for.
Pixar Reveals a Beautiful New Trailer For “Soul”
In case you missed this over the weekend, here’s a dose of something dreamy to start your week. Pixar released a new teaser trailer for Soul on Saturday, narrated by Jamie Foxx, who lends his voice to the lead character Joe. Joe is a jazz musician, a true lover of music, who carries this love into his teaching band at a middle school. This new look at co-writer and director Pete Docter’s latest was revealed at the Essence Festival of Culture over the weekend and focuses on Joe’s community.
New “Candyman” Spot Creates More Buzz for Nia DaCosta’s Film
A new TV spot for Candyman utilizes the gut-punch of a prologue director Nia DaCosta shared with the world on June 17 and mixes in new footage to hype the upcoming horror flick. That prologue, a thing of haunting beauty, teased the backstory to DaCosta’s continuation of the horror franchise, which first began in 1992.
The prologue—created with shadow puppets—revealed the nested stories that hint at the origins of the film’s titular “monster” and the world in which he was created.
How Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” Got Its Signature Look
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, known for his work on films like Bohemian Rhapsody, Drive, Three Kings, numerous X-Men installments, notes that his first feature with director Spike Lee always “felt like a distant dream.”
Not because he hadn’t crossed Lee’s path before, since the two had collaborated on numerous commercials, and he mentions having “known Spike forever it seems—we both came up in New York at the same time.
A Chat About Netflix’s “Disclosure” and Trans Representation on Screen
We have something very special planned for tonight, folks. As part of our ongoing Pride Month coverage, the Motion Picture Association has teamed up with Netflix for our next installment of our Film School Friday series. We’re really excited for tonight’s conversation with leading transgender and LGBTQ+ creators of Netflix’s groundbreaking documentary Disclosure. Our panelists are Disclosure‘s director Sam Feder (you can read our interview with Sam here),
How They “Live-Captured” Hamilton
In this new clip from the upcoming film version of Hamilton, which is coming to Disney + on July 3, you’ll be able to feel a little bit of the magic that existed in the theater for all those folks who got to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster Broadway musical. Yet as compelling as this clip is, and as great as it looks, it doesn’t quite represent what someone who got a chance to see “Hamilton”
David France on the Terror Facing the LGBTQ+ Community in Welcome to Chechnya
Oscar-nominated filmmaker and former investigative journalist David France has a new documentary, Welcome To Chechnya, debuting on HBO June 30th, which has already won multiple awards on the film festival circuit. His film reveals the ongoing danger to LGBTQ Chechens targeted for persecution and death in a campaign to ‘cleanse’ the republic. France follows the activities of heroic activists, and profiles the people they hope to rescue out of harm’s way,
New Book Will Reveal How Christopher Nolan Created The Mysterious Tenet
You have to hand it to Christopher Nolan. His films are so consistently epic, so gleefully ambitious, that even before his films premiere they have us all asking how’d he do it? Whether it was rebooting the Batman franchise with his beloved Dark Knight trilogy, creating a heist movie like no other in his dreamy sci-fi masterpiece Inception, or taking us beyond the stars in his space drama Interstellar,
Composer Hans Zimmer is Crafting Something Really Special For Dune
Hans Zimmer is a joyous man. We learned that when we interviewed him at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. He was there to talk about scoring Steve McQueen’s heist remake Widows, yet we ended up talking about a lot more, including his ever-shifting methods, depending on the director he’s working with. He was exceedingly humble for being one of the world’s most famous film composers. He was,
Netflix Releases Ravishing First Trailer For Their Animated Musical Over The Moon
There are trailers, and then there are trailers. The first glimpse at Netflix’s Over the Moon definitely falls into the latter category. While one can never be totally certain about these things, it sure does feel like the streaming giant has an absolute smash on its hands here.
Directed by animation legend and Oscar-winner Glen Keane (you can read our two-part interview from a few years back with Keane here and here),
Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 Trailer Reveals Disney+’s New Docu-Series
It’s not so often we get a proper documentary on the making of an animated film, which makes Disney+’s Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 an intriguing new entrant. Now we get to see how the most successful animated film of all time was crafted, which, at The Credits, is what we do every day. It’s why we interview folks like Frozen 2 composer Christophe Beck and head of special effects Marlon West.
Director Ivy Meeropol on Her Deeply Personal HBO Documentary About Roy Cohn
After Ivy Meeropol directed her powerful and deeply personal HBO documentary Heir to an Execution (2004) about her grandparents Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were executed for alleged espionage in 1953 with prosecutor Roy Cohn leading the charge, she felt she’d finally put the subject behind her.
“I thought for years that a film about Roy Cohn was in order, that it should be done and I couldn’t believe no one had done it.
