Screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns on Helping Sam Mendes Write his WWI Epic 1917

“The third time,” director Sam Mendes said to screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns when asking her to co-write 1917 with him, “is the charm.” And in a film that shows how random luck is as much a factor in surviving war as anything else, he was right.

Wilson-Cairns had originally come to his attention through a combination of a well-regarded script on “the Black List” — that rundown of the best crop of unproduced spec scripts — with a project called Aether...

How Cinematographer Roger Deakins & Team Pulled off the One-Shot Masterpiece 1917

For Sam Mendes, the multi-hyphenate who produced, directed and co-wrote the script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917 was a personal story. It follows two British soldiers – Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) – tasked with delivering a message across enemy lines in order to stop a battle that could save hundreds of soldiers’ lives. The idea came to Mendes after his grandfather shared with him World War I stories where he himself had been a runner...

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Early Reactions Tease Action-Packed Epic

We have reached the end of the line. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is hitting theaters in just three days, and many critics have already seen the film. Thus, the first reactions to co-writer and director J.J. Abrams Skywalker Saga capping film have hit the internet. Abrams and his team had a lot to do here, crafting not just a satisfying conclusion to the new trilogy Abrams began with 2015’s The Force Awakens, but to wrap up the entire 9-film saga that began with George Lucas’s 1977 game-changer A New Hope. ...

Watchmen Buried a Major Easter Egg Right in the Original Poster

Watchmen had a just about perfect 9-episode run. Creator Damon Lindelof and his incredible cast and crew took Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic graphic novel and made something entirely new out of it. Building from where Moore and Gibbons left off, Lindelof and his team hatched a completely gripping new story centered on Angela Abar (a sensational Regina King), a masked, ninja-like Tulsa Police Officer who goes by the name Sister Night.

Characters from Moore and Gibbons seminal source material were present in Lindelof’s Watchmen, ...

How Watchmen Cinematographer Gregory Middleton Captured Hooded Justice’s Harrowing Origin

Vancouver-based DP Gregory Middleton has lensed his share of prestigious series before Watchmen, having scored Emmy and ASC nominations for his work on different Game of Thrones episodes, and finding himself behind the viewfinder for shows like The Killing, cult hit movies like James Gunn’s Slither and many more.

But it was working with director Nicole Kassell on episodes of The Killing—rather than his earlier toe-dip into the DC Universe,...

Sandy Powell & Christopher Peterson on Dressing De Niro (and More) in The Irishman

In Martin Scorsese’s three and a half-hour Netflix gangster opus, The Irishman, Robert De Niro plays real-life Philadelphia mobster Frank Sheeran across five decades. The film’s VFX team had their work cut out for them during Frank’s early years, while hair and makeup were responsible for the much aged De Niro who directly addresses the camera from a nursing home at the beginning and close of the movie. Getting the wardrobe right for De Niro as well as a similarly de-aged Joe Pesci,...

Kylo Ren Taunts the Resistance in new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker TV Spot

Not one but two new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker TV spots have arrived for you to feast your eyes on. We are a mere four days away from the premiere of co-writer/director J.J. Abrams film, the 9th and final entry into the epic Skywalker Saga. The spots include fresh footage of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) fighting Rey (Daisy Ridley), and what appears to be a massive setback for Rey and the Resistance...

Tom Cruise Breaks the Hard Deck in New Top Gun: Maverick Trailer

We’ve now got the official trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, which sees Tom Cruise return to the role that made him a household name—for good—back in 1986. Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski from a script by Peter Craig, Justin Marks, Eric Warren Singer, and one of Cruise’s most trusted collaborators, Mission: Impossible Fallout writer/director Christopher McQuarrie.

It’s been some 33-years since we’ve seen Tom Cruise’s Maverick in his flight suit...

Harley Quinn & Friends Ready to Rule Gotham in New Birds of Prey Teaser

Leave it up to Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) to crash an event. That event was the 2019 Game Awards, in which Quinn and her motley crew of superheroines revealed a splashy new teaser for Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). It was a welcome peek at one of Warner Bros. most exciting 2020 releases, which will be hitting theaters on February 7. The teaser gives us a bit more from Quinn’s new friends—Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell),...

3 New Behind-the-Scene Images From Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Have you heard of this little film coming out called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? So here’s the gist; it’s set in a galaxy far, far, away, and features both humans—like, say, Oscar Isaac’s hotshot Resistance pilot Poe Dameron—and aliens. Many of those aliens are created, by hand, by Neal Scanlan, a special effects wizard and make-up artist who has been one of the key figures in the Star Wars universe for years now.

In three new behind-the-scenes photos,...

A Major Kylo Ren Confrontation is Teased in New Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Clip

Okay, you seriously might want to forgo any and all remaining Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker promo materials going forward. We’ve definitely reached the point where we’ve seen quite a lot already. Disney has been flooding the zone in the past few weeks as we approach The Rise of Skywalker‘s December 20 release date. Yet these folks know what they’re doing, so you’ve got to believe that while they seem to be showing us a lot,...

Actor, Writer, and Producer Reggie Lochard on his Passion Project

Actor, screenwriter, and producer Reggie Lochard has a lot going on. He’s currently filming his passion project, “A” for Alpha., which he wrote, produced, and stars in. Last week, Lochard sat down with the Motion Picture Association’s Vice President for Multicultural and External Affairs, John Gibson, at the third annual New York State Multicultural Creativity Summit. The Summit was co-hosted by the Empire State Development, Motion Picture Association, and Ghetto Film School, and hosted at Viacom,...

First In the Heights Trailer Reveals Adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Musical

You have every reason to be excited about In The Heights. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical has been adapted for the big screen by Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. In the Heights tells the story of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a bodega owner with big dreams living in the largely Hispanic-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The trailer is as exuberant and infectious as you’d hope. With a fantastic cast and a stirring story, ...

Geralt’s Dangerous Journey is Set in The Witcher‘s Final Trailer

We’ve got both The Witcher‘s final trailer and this epic breakdown of The Witcher‘s final trailer from showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich and executive producer Tomek Baginski. So yes, we’ve got all your Witcher needs covered, folks. 

Netflix’s hugely ambitious fantasy series is available for streaming in 8 short days (its’ release date is the same as a little film called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)...

The Matrix 4 and The Flash Get Release Dates

Now we know when two of Warner Bros. most hotly anticipated films will be hitting theaters. The Matrix 4, which just added Frozen II and Mindhunters star Jonathan Groff to the cast, will be premiering on May 21, 2021. Interestingly enough, this is the same release date for John Wick Chapter 4. Perhaps one will move up or back slightly so we’re not getting two major Keanu Reeves films on the same day (not that anyone would be complaining about that.)

As for The Flash, ...

Enjoy Epic Lightsaber Action in a new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spot

Did you know there’s a little movie called Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker coming out soon? If not, welcome to Earth, friend! For the rest of us, we’re well aware that the 9th and final film in the Skywalker Saga is nearly upon us. In fact, there are precisely 9 days until the 9th film, a nice bit of numerical symmetry. Thus, Disney has marked the moment with a new TV spot. Yes, it’s short, but it’s potent,...

How Robert De Niro’s Makeup Team Traversed 50-Years in The Irishman

In describing The Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s latest feature, one word that keeps popping up is “epic.” And deservedly so. A sweeping three-and-a-half-hour saga, The Irishman explores the true-life story of Frank Sheeran, an organized crime figure and close confidant of Jimmy Hoffa, who rose to the top of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Ultimately, he betrayed his boss, orchestrating Hoffa’s disappearance and demise. Robert De Niro plays Sheeran. Al Pacino costars as Hoffa. After nine years of unofficial retirement,...

Breaking Down the Easter Eggs in the Wonder Woman 1984 Trailer

So you’ve watched the new Wonder Woman 1984 trailer. You’ve no doubt thrilled to the action, the era, and being reunited with Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince. And all that action set to New Order’s “Blue Monday” was a perfect choice. Yet you probably also came away with a lot of questions. The first and foremost being, how in the world has Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) returned after the events in Wonder Woman?...

How Jay-Z Connected the Oscar Hopefuls of Uncut Gems

The song “Marcy Me,” a poetically rhythmic Jay-Z track where the billionaire mogul reminisces about his time living in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn raps, “Streets is my artery, the vein of my existence.” It’s an apt line to describe Howard Ranter (Adam Sandler), a fast-talking jewelry store owner in New York’s Diamond District who has to hustle the streets to crawl out of a life crashing around him.

But it’s more than lyrics that link Jay-Z to the movie Uncut Gems,...

Kathleen Kennedy on the Big Decisions Behind The Rise of Skywalker

While writer/directors J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson are hugely responsible for what we’ve seen and experienced in the new Star Wars trilogy, nobody has had a bigger impact than Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Kennedy has been the prime mover behind-the-scenes of Star Wars since she became the co-chair of Lucasfilm alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. When Lucas sold his company to Disney, Kennedy became the president of Lucasfilm. Everything that has happened in the Star Wars universe since Abrams’ ...