“The Underground Railroad” Drops a Moving New Trailer
A fresh look at one of 2021’s most eagerly anticipated series has arrived. Amazon has revealed a new trailer for writer/director Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad. Jenkins has been giving us glimpses of his 10-episode limited series, each one more beautiful and beguiling than the last. Beautiful and beguiling isn’t the worst way to describe Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from which Jenkins’ series is adapted,
Horizon Award Winner Shira Baron on The Importance of Listening
For a young filmmaker casting about for a story, sometimes the subject is standing right in front of you, even calling out to you. That was the case for Shira Baron, a recent recipient of the Horizon Award, whose short De Sol a Sol won for Best Documentary Short. Baron’s film follows entrepreneurs Ricardo and Abraham, ice cream cart peddlers who have been working on Chicago’s northern shore for 20 years. Baron, currently enrolled in the University of Michigan’s Film,
How “The Unholy” Visual Effects Team Created Biblical Scares During Scary Times
“In the early innings, as the pandemic was ramping up, it was like looking out at the ocean and you see a storm coming, and you’re not sure you can get to shore before the storm gets there.” That’s an observation that might describe most of the past year; certainly, it’s politics, work and school life, and of course healthcare delivery. In this case, it also applies to the almost all-virtual workaround to finish the recent Screen Gems horror release The Unholy,
It’s Diesel vs. Cena in Insane “F9” Trailer
Universal has just kicked it into ninth gear—the new F9 trailer is here. We’ve been waiting a long time for the ninth film in the Fast & Furious franchise, and the new trailer reacquaints us with everybody’s favorite outlaw family of gearheads. We’ve known for a while that Han (Sung Kang) would be returning, and we get some Han action in the trailer. But the main focus of the longest look yet at F9 is the mano-y-mano brawl that’s brewing between Dom (Vin Diesel) and his brother Jakob (John Cena).
Editor Gabriel Rhodes on Cutting the Oscar-Nominated Doc “Time”
“I never thought a film could be made with such a minimal amount of information,” says editor Gabriel Rhodes. But not only was it made; it currently has an Oscar nomination for best feature-length documentary.
The film in question is called, simply, Time. Coming from director/artist Garrett Bradley, it chronicles a long stretch of time, twenty years’ worth, in which Louisiana-based wife and mother, Fox Rich,
“Godzilla vs. Kong” VFX Supervisor on Creating Titan Title Match of the Ages
John ‘D.J’. Des Jardin has been a go-to visual effects supervisor in Hollywood for decades, and he’s widely known as one of the best and nicest guys in the business. You can see his inventive, creative touch in The Matrix, X-Men, and Mission Impossible franchises. His work can be seen on Ang Lee’s achingly beautiful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The man’s talents cross all genres—if you need something to exist on screen that doesn’t,
The Official Trailer for Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” is Here
With the buzz around Zack Snyder’s Justice League refresh finally faded, we can turn to his next big release—his upcoming Netflix zombie flick Army of the Dead. Netflix has just released the official trailer, and it’s a hoot. The film features Dave Bautista as Scott Ward, the leader of a group of mercenaries who will risk life and limb to push into the zombie quarantine zone in order to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime score.
Oscar-Nominated Costume Designer Bina Daigeler on Mixing History & Myth in “Mulan”
When director Niki Caro took on Disney’s live-action reboot of Mulan, you knew the New Zealand-born filmmaker was going to deliver something transporting. The original “Ballad of Mulan” was first shared in China in the 6th century, and was then shared again as a Disney animated movie in 1998. In Caro’s hands, the mythology of Mulan becomes a lush live-action epic, buoyant and beautiful, as our titular heroine goes from a headstrong daughter into a fearless warrior fighting to defend China,
Netflix Renews “Bridgerton” For Seasons 3 & 4
It was only this past January (which, admittedly, feels like four years ago) that Netflix renewed Bridgerton for season 2. It appears another season wasn’t enough of an assurance for all the Bridgerheads out there, so now Netflix has renewed the series for seasons 3 and 4 while season two is in production.
A lot of digital ink was spilled when news broke that season one star Regé-Jean Page,
Oscar-Nominated Editor Mikkel E.G. Nielsen on Giving “Sound of Metal” its Rhythm
Excitement was running high. The team behind Sound of Metal, Darius Marder’s offbeat drama about a punk rock drummer (Riz Ahmed) who faces life-changing decisions after losing his hearing, was gathered together via Zoom to watch the Oscar nomination announcements. Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, the film’s editor, was settled in front of his computer at his home in Copenhagen when the unthinkable happened. The screen went blank.
“My son needed some power for his phone so he unplugged the computer and everything went dead,” says Nielsen,
It’s Probably Time to Get Excited About “Indiana Jones 5”
Last Friday, you may have heard a bit of terrifically exciting casting news—Fleabag and Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge is joining the cast of Indiana Jones 5. This alone would be more than enough reason to be excited about the fifth installment of the franchise, considering Waller-Bridge is a genius. Deadline broke the story that she’ll be co-starring alongside Harrison Ford, and the pairing seems joyously unexpected and therefore likely wonderful.
“Nomadland” Cleans Up At BAFTA Film Awards
Nomadland continues to find a home at awards ceremonies. After making history (again) at the DGA Awards, director Chloé Zhao and Nomadland cleaned up at the BAFTA Film Awards, nabbing four prizes. Zhao won yet again for best director, while her star, Frances McDormand, won for lead actress, DP Joshua James Richards won for best cinematography, and the film itself earned the top prize.
The show was hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Edith Bowman,
Chloé Zhao Makes History (Again) With Best Director Win at DGA Awards For “Nomadland”
Chloé Zhao continues to make history on Nomadland‘s triumphant march towards the Academy Awards. Zhao became the second woman ever and the first woman of color to nab the prestigious Director’s Guild of America Awards’ Best Director award. The only other woman to win the award was Kathryn Bigelow in 2009 for her work on The Hurt Locker.
It was a big year for women at this year’s DGA Awards,
Screenwriter Eric Roth Says Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” Could Be Historic
Sure, if you were the man who adapted David Grann’s book “Killers of the Flower Moon” for Martin Scorsese, you’d be excited about the potential for the film. But what veteran screenwriter Eric Roth had to say to Collider about Scorsese’s upcoming adaptation doesn’t sound like boasting, it sounds like cautious excitement at the tremendous potential for this film. Grann’s book plunges into the murders of wealthy members of the Osage people in Osage County,
Watch Hilarious Cut of Baron Zemo Dancing in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
If you’d spent years in a German prison and then suddenly f0und yourself on a dance floor with a righteous beat playing, what would you do? If you’re Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl), you dance, obviously. And now Disney+ has heeded fans calls and released an hour-long cut—yes, an hour—of Brühl’s villainous Zemo dancing from the third episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Why were folks so enthused when they saw Zemo dancing (briefly!) in episode three?
Scoring a Serial Killer’s Many Transformations in “The Serpent”
In the 1970s, young travelers flocked to Asia for exotic adventures and a liberating nomadic lifestyle, but an evil force slithered beneath the surface to prey on them. Netflix’s The Serpent dives into the underbelly world of real-life serial killer, Charles Sobhraj. Tahar Rahim stars as the convicted murderer who targeted westerners and hippies traveling through Bangkok to steal their identities and funds. Composer Dominik Scherrer scored the hypnotic soundtrack that draws from the era and geographic setting,
Future Critics: Lauren Claggett on Marvel vs. DC
In the fourth installment of our Future Critics series, we chat with a future director (more on that later) who weighs in on one of the most pressing questions in movies today—whose superhero characters are more powerful, Marvel’s or DC’s? If you’re a Marvel fan, you’re thinking, duh, no brainer—ever heard of Captain Marvel? Not so fast, a DC fan points out, mentioning a certain son of Krypton or, if she’s a tech enthusiast and likes an underdog,
“Those Who Wish Me Dead” Trailer Reveals Angelina Jolie in Tyler Sheridan’s Latest
Co-writer/director Tyler Sheridan has carved out a singular place for himself in film. Sheridan has written some of the leanest, meanest, most compelling crime dramas in recent memory—2015’s Sicario and 2016’s Hell or High Water put him on the map, and his 2017 directorial debut with Wind River (which he also wrote) cemented his status as the go-to auteur of thoughtful-but-brutal stories. Sheridan’s back with Those Who Wish Me Dead,
The Second “Cruella” Trailer Lets The Dogs Out
“Let me give you some advice—you can’t care about anyone else.” These are the words of wisdom voiced in the opening seconds of the second Cruella trailer, and they come not from our titular villain but Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), the woman Cruella de Vil (Emma Stone) plans on being one day. We hear these ruthless words while we watch Cruella scrubbing a bathroom floor. Director Craig Gillespie (I,
Director Chiaki Kon on Her Netflix Anime Feature “The Way Of The Househusband”
A new Japanese anime series The Way Of The Househusband will premiere on Netflix globally on April 8. The five-episode series follows Tatsu, once a legendary yakuza nicknamed The Immortal Dragon, who is determined to become a devoted stay-at-home husband, diligently handling all the daily chores for his wife Miku, a busy career woman. But his newfound domestic bliss is soon interrupted when friends and foes from the past come back into his lives.
