Legendary Animator & Oscar-Nominee Glen Keane on Teaming up With Kobe Bryant, his Disney Past & More—Part I
In light of the tragic news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, 13 (the second oldest of Bryant’s four daughters with his wife, Vanessa), and seven other people in a helicopter crash in California, we are re-posting this interview with animator Glen Keane, who worked with Kobe on their film Dear Basketball, which ultimately earned them an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
Glen Keane is not just a living legend.
How 1917’s Oscar-Nominated Prosthetics Designer Designed the Grisly, Gripping Drama
World War I epic 1917 conveys the carnage of combat with uncommon grit. Informed by writer-director Sam Mendes‘ heartfelt story and his gifted design team, the film, nominated for 10 Academy Awards including best picture, immerses viewers in a “No Man’s Land” littered with dead animals, rotting corpses and dying soldiers. Prosthetics designer Tristan Versluis, Oscar-nominated with makeup designer Naomi Domme, did most of the heavy lifting when it came to blood,
Adam Driver Returns to SNL and Reprises Kylo Ren in Undercover Boss Sketch
Adam Driver has been just about everywhere lately. The supremely talented actor is up for an Oscar for Best Actor for his work in Noah Baumbach‘s Marriage Story. Driver also starred in a little film called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, finishing out his arc as the First Order’s conflicted Alpha, Kylo Ren. And this past Saturday night, Driver returned to Saturday Night Live for the third time,
The First Trailer for Jon Stewart’s Irresistible is Here
It seems like a lifetime ago when Jon Stewart stepped down from his epic, game-changing run at The Daily Show back in 2014. Stewart handed the reigns over to Trevor Noah and went on to write and direct his first feature film, Rosewater. It was a story that was near and dear to his heart, about Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari (played in the film by Gael García Bernal) who was imprisoned and brutally interrogated by Iranian forces on the suspicion he was actually a spy.
Colin Farrell Praises Matt Reeves’ The Batman Script
There is a lot of intrigue around writer/director Matt Reeves‘ upcoming The Batman, which will reboot the Caped Crusader for Warner Bros. with Robert Pattinson taking on the cape and cowl. We know the film is going to be more of a noir detective story than your standard superhero movie. We know that Reeves will not be telling an origin story per se, but rather will begin this film with Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne already plying his nocturnal trade as Batman.
1917’s Oscar-Nominated VFX Supervisor on Creating Relentless Immersion
“I think what’s really kind of interesting is all the movies this year are using visual effects for widely different reasons,” notes 1917’s Oscar and VES-nominated visual effects supervisor, Guillaume Rocheron. And in an Academy FX slate that ranges from Avengers: Endgame to The Irishman, he has a point.
For the Visual Effects Society’s awards, the final two feature film categories are divided into two: One where visual effects predominate in photoreal features—hence Endgame is up against the Rise of Skywalker,
Captain Marvel 2 has Officially Achieved Liftoff
Carol Danvers, better known as Captain Marvel, will soar again. Marvel’s 2019 hit that introduced Brie Larson’s half-alien superhero is getting the sequel fans have been waiting for. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the studio has is in final negotiations with rising star Megan McDonnell—currently a staff writer on Marvel’s WandaVision on Disney+—to draft the sequel.
Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are not returning,
Production Begins on Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley With Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara
It’s been three years since Guillermo del Toro‘s last film, his Oscar-winning love story The Shape of Water, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Now production has begun on his next project, Nightmare Alley, which del Toro and screenwriter Kim Morgan have adapted from William Lindsay Gresham’s novel of the same name. The film has an insanely great cast and centers on a con-man and a female psychiatrist who help bilk people of their hard-earned cash.
Watch the Final Season Trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Which Heads to Disney+
If you’ve devoured The Mandalorian, have seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and are despairing over the years-long wait until the next Star Wars film in 2022, there’s some hope still left in the galaxy. The final season of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars will begin streaming on Disney+ on February 21. What’s more, we’ve got the trailer for the final season for your viewing pleasure.
The Irishman’s Oscar-Nominated Editor Thelma Schoonmaker on her 53-year Collaboration with Martin Scorsese
Three-time Oscar winner Thelma Schoonmaker‘s association with Martin Scorsese even pre-dates his storied collaboration with Robert DeNiro. She edited his Who’s That Knocking At My Door in 1967, picked up the first of eight Oscar nominations for editing Woodstock, went on hiatus for a few years, then returned to the Scorsese fold in 1980 to edit his famously brutal Raging Bull. Since then, Schoonmaker’s cut every Scorsese movie,
Blake Lively’s on the Hunt in new The Rhythm Section Trailer
Novelist Mark Burnell’s novel “The Rhythm Section” is a ripping yarn about heartbreak, revenge, and one woman on the warpath. Burnell adapted his own novel for the big screen for Reed Morano (The Handmaid’s Tale)’s film, which stars Blake Lively in the title role as Stephanie Patrick, a young woman who has lost her way, and her reason to live, after her family is killed in a plane crash.
Alison Brie’s Got Some Alien Issues in First Horse Girl Trailer
Alison Brie (Glow, Mad Men) co-wrote and stars in director Jeff Baena’s Horse Girl, in which Brie plays a shy young woman named Sarah who either has mental problems or alien abduction problems. Neither are good! Brie and Baena have collaborated twice before, in Little Hours and Joshy, and the trailer for their latest film (Brie’s screenwriting debut) looks like a compelling twist on the alien abduction/psychological thriller genres.
Building Dolittle’s Many Worlds of Magic Across England
Hugh Lofting’s original series of Dolittle books, published in the 1920s and 30s, is a perpetually well-loved set of source material for film and television. 1998’s Dr. Dolittle, starring Eddie Murphy, pulled the franchise into the 20th century U.S., but this month, the doctor who can talk to animals returned to his Victorian English roots. Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Dolittle reimagines John as a broken-hearted recluse taking shelter from humanity in a lovely,
Honey Boy Cinematographer Natasha Braier on Earning an ASC Spotlight Nomination
“It is, of course, an honor to be selected for this by the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers), but it’s also a responsibility.” That particular responsibility belongs to Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF, the cinematographer for Shia LaBeouf’s stark memory-play Honey Boy.
Upon learning she’d been nominated for one of ASC’s Spotlight Awards this year, she called it “a huge honor to be recognized by my colleagues with (this) nomination.
Casting Faces New and Old for Hundreds of Roles in The Irishman
Casting director Ellen Lewis has worked with Martin Scorsese since New York Stories, which came out in 1989, but there was no by-the-book process to adhere to in order to pull together the all-star ensemble leading The Irishman and the film’s hundreds of supporting roles. “Every world is different, so where you’re going to look and the way you’re going to think,” said Lewis, changes with each script. In this case,
Birds of Prey’s New Soundtrack Trailer Reveals Bevy of Super Talented Recording Artists
The last Birds of Prey trailer was a serious hoot, yet Warner Bros. decided to drop another tasty new trailer on us today, revealing which artists will be featured on the film’s soundtrack. The singles on the soundtrack include Saweetie & Galaxar’s “Sway With Me,” Megan Thee Stallion & Norman’s “Diamonds,” Charlotte Lawrence’s “Joke’s On You,” Doja Cat’s “Boss B*tch,” and Halsey’s “Experiment on Me.”
Check it out here:
For the uninitiated,
Taika Waititi May Develop a Star Wars Film After Thor: Love and Thunder
Now this is a big scoop. The Hollywood Reporter has it that Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok writer/director Taika Waititi might direct a Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm once he wraps Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel. This would be fairly amazing news.
Waititi is no stranger to the Star Wars universe; he directed the finale to The Mandalorian.
The Immediacy & Realism of Cinematographer Cesar Charlone’s Work in The Two Popes
In Netflix’s The Two Popes, director Fernando Meirelles’ fictionalized, engaging take on the friendship between Pope Francis and the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, the closer to the present the two men are depicted, the lighter the atmosphere becomes. Bergoglio (Oscar-nominated Jonathan Pryce) and Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) spar over issues from divorce to the Catholic Church’s protection of pedophile priests, against brightly-lit backdrops like the Sistine Chapel (recreated in minute and much-praised detail) and Castel Gandolfo,
Watch the First Trailer for Snowpiercer, Adapted From Oscar-Nominated Bong Joon Ho’s 2013 Film
Considering there are few directors more beloved than Parasite‘s Bong Joon Ho, there couldn’t be a better time to see one of his most overlooked films get adapted for TV. Bong Joon Ho’s epic sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer, based on the “Le Transperceneige” graphic novels, was unceremoniously buried way back in 2013, despite being an absolutely ripping story with a great cast (Tilda Swinton!
Behold one of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s Best Effects
Now that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has closed out the 9-film Skywalker Saga, it’ll be some time until we visit that galaxy far, far away—December 2022 to be exact. Now, then, is the time for a bit of galactic reflection. With The Rise of Skywalker nabbing 3 Oscars—for Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Score—there is still time to celebrate the final installment in the saga.
