Emmy-Winning Director Randy Wilkins on Capturing His Mentor Spike Lee
Randy Wilkins is a three-time Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and editor from the Bronx who has edited a handful of Spike Lee joints, including She’s Gotta Have It and Rodney King for Netflix. But for his latest project, Apple TV’s Dear… the tables were turned, and Wilkins was tasked with interviewing and directing Spike Lee, his longtime mentor.
“It was weird,” Wilkins says. “There was pressure for sure.
“Saturday Night Live” Wants to Resume Filming in Studio 8H—Just No Audience
Some hopeful news—Saturday Night Live is working out a way to possibly return to their legendary studio, 8H, in NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Center next season. The catch is that this would likely be without a live studio audience. Variety has the scoop that executive producer Lorne Michaels and NBC are hoping to find a way to get cast and crew back to the studio to produce SNL in-house (perhaps not all of them at the same time,
This “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” Reunion Table Read is a Must-Watch
Much of the news in the film and TV world has been pretty bleak as of late, so why not enjoy something that’s just absolutely and totally joyous? That, my friends, is what this Scott Pilgrim vs. The World reunion table read is—pure, undiluted happiness. Co-writer/director Edgar Wright‘s beloved 2010 flick featured a veritable smorgasbord of talent, and nearly all of them returned for this giddy virtual table read. You can watch the entire thing below.
Warner Bros. Announces New Plans to Distribute “Tenet” Non-Traditionally
As we’ve watched the United States struggle—maddeningly, tragically—with COVID-19, the news that Warner Bros. is delaying Tenet‘s theatrical release date indefinitely is sad but inevitable news. Christopher Nolan‘s latest was set to be the big blockbuster that would auger a return to some semblance of normalcy in the States, playing in theaters all across a healing country. This has been made impossible by the spread of the disease.
KiKi Layne on Her Lethal Left Hook (And More) in “The Old Guard”
With her star turn in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, KiKi Layne left a lasting impression on critics and producers alike. In director Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s The Old Guard, now streaming on Netflix, Layne shows herself to be a performer capable of handling wildly divergent roles. Her character, Nile Freeman, the youngest and newest member of a team of immortal mercenaries, is a highly trained Marine with a strong moral compass,
All Hail Beyoncé’s New “Black Is King” Trailer
We were still floating from Beyoncé dropping the surprise first trailer for Black Is King on us when Disney+ revealed a new, somehow more gorgeous trailer for the superstar’s upcoming visual album yesterday. And Black Is King really does come from Beyoncé—she wrote, directed, and executive produced this project, based on her music from her album “The Lion King: The Gift,” which she crafted for 2019’s live-action The Lion King.
How the Confined Spaces in “Greyhound” Added Authentic Intensity
In Greyhound, Tom Hanks is a naval captain of a US destroyer that spends three days in the North Atlantic trying to protect a fleet of merchant vessels from a pack of preying U-boats. The script, written by Hanks, is a fictional account that draws inspiration from C.S. Forester’s book “The Good Sheperd” and unravels like a game of chess with life and death consequences.
Directed by Aaron Schneider and lensed by cinematographer Shelly Johnson,
5 Outrageous Hays Code Rules Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood” Breaks
Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood on Netflix is a dreamy, inspiring, and triumphant glimpse at what mainstream storytelling might have accomplished if female, Black, and queer artists had been openly driving the narrative on our screens since the 1940s.
Like many of the actors in Hollywood, Dylan McDermott plays a character within a character. McDermott’s Ernie West dallies on the fringes of the entertainment scene but is never able to break into the industry until his former employees ascend the movie studio ladder and collaborate on the most groundbreaking script to hit Tinseltown.
Netflix’s “Project Power” Trailer Starring Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Scorching
Last Friday, Netflix released director Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s critically acclaimed new film The Old Guard, about a team of immortal beings trying their level best to keep humanity from destroying itself. Good luck with that. (The film is awesome). Now, the streaming giant has revealed the first trailer for Project Power, a different kind of superhero story, starring Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback in a film from directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.
“Tenet” Runtime Revealed
Christopher Nolan‘s movies have always been robust. His last theatrical release, the brilliant World War II drama Dunkirk, was a very brisk 1 hour and 46 minutes long. Yet before that nearly wordless masterpiece, Nolan released his cosmic epic Interstellar in 2014 at a whopping 2 hours and 49 minutes. Before that, it was his trilogy capping The Dark Knight Rises in 2012,
“Palm Springs” Breaks Hulu’s Record For Biggest Opening Weekend
A little less than a month ago we shared the trailer for Palm Springs, the Sundance darling from director Max Barbakow, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. Their romantic comedy broke a Sundance sales record when it sold to Hulu and Neon for $17.5 million this past January. It looks as if the investment was worth it; Hulu confirmed to IndieWire that Palm Springs broke the streaming platform’s record for opening weekend views.
The Uncut Version of Hitchcock’s “Psycho” Coming to U.S. for First Time
Perhaps now isn’t exactly the right time to spend hours with Alfred Hitchcock, considering our reality has enough tension, anxiety, and dread? Or, maybe you’re one of those people who actually find solace in scary movies, which offer a chance to safely experience tension, anxiety, and dread within the comfort of your own sanitized home and in two dimensions? If you’re in the latter category, Universal Home Entertainment has some good news for you in the form of a brand new box set—The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection—which offers viewers in the United States their first-ever chance to see Hitchcock’s uncut version of Psycho.
Naya Rivera: Former Co-Stars and More Pay Tribute
By now you’ve heard the tragic news that Glee star Naya Rivera died at the age of 33. She was boating with her 4-year-old son on Lake Piru in Southern California. It’s devastating news.
As a Grammy-nominated singer and actor, Rivera was best known for playing cheerleader Santana Lopez on Glee. Rivera recently starred in the TV adaptation of Step Up, which had recently moved to Starz for its second season.
“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” Animated Series to Debut on Disney+
Breaking news about upcoming shows and first-look deals involving streaming services seems to be moving at a breakneck pace, doesn’t it? The latest comes courtesy of Disney+, which has ordered the Lucasfilm animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The series is slated to premiere in 2021 and expands the streaming service’s Star Wars-related projects.
One of the most prolific folks working in the Star Wars world,
Idris Elba Signs First-Look Deal With Apple
Apple has added one of Hollywood’s biggest stars to its growing roster of boldfaced names. Idris Elba and his Green Door Pictures have signed a first-look deal with Apple TV+ to develop and produce a variety of projects for the streaming service. Elba started Green Door Pictures back in 2013 in order to develop projects with a diverse cast of talent in front of and behind the camera. Elba has starred in Green Door Pictures projects,
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” Trailer Reveals Interstellar Animated Comedy
Well, this looks delightfully silly. CBS All Access revealed the first trailer for Star Trek: Lower Decks, a new animated series that tweaks the formula of the legendary franchise in more ways than one. Lower Decks is focused on the support crew of one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos. Your main characters are whatever the opposite of Vulcan would be (William Shatner?).
It’s the year 2038,
The Directors of “Mucho Mucho Amor” Give Latino Legend Walter Mercado his Due
Described as equal parts Liberace, Norma Desmond, and Oprah, the wildly popular, gender-bending Puerto Rican TV astrologer Walter Mercado was so larger than life that only a documentary could do him justice. The filmmakers behind Netflix’s Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, like millions of Latinx viewers around the globe, grew up watching Mercado deliver daily horoscopes on TV. Wearing his trademark bejeweled capes, Mercado’s flamboyance coupled with upbeat astrological predictions helped make him a beloved cultural icon.
Cinematographer Armando Salas on the Seductive Aesthetics of “Ozark”
The third season of Netflix’s Ozark sees Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman and Laura Linney) dig into their life in Mississippi, where they now own one casino, and a sticking point in their marriage is the risk associated with acquiring another. With the Byrdes still laundering money for Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), the head of a Mexican cartel, and working alongside bloodthirsty lawyer Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer), the series’ third season retains the cool blue and green tones of earlier episodes but adds new aesthetic dimensions via a deeper look at the Navarro compound and flashbacks to Marty’s youth.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on her Netflix Epic The Old Guard
The Old Guard, premiering today on Netflix, is a completely engrossing female-fronted action film that just might blow the doors off your summer. Helmed by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, it also marks the milestone of the first major superhero film directed by a Black woman. Prince-Bythewood, who first made her name as writer/director of the classic Love & Basketball, has become one of the most thoroughly interesting directors working in Hollywood.
The First “Halloween Kills” Teaser Reveals Laurie Strode’s Endless Nightmare
Well, the good news is we’ve got a brand new glimpse of the upcoming Halloween Kills, the next installment in the legendary franchise from co-writer/director David Gordon Green and writers Danny McBride and Scott Teems. The not so good news is we won’t be seeing Halloween Kills this Halloween. Universal has announced that the sequel to Green’s smashing 2018 hit Halloween will be delayed a full year,
