The Creators of Netflix’s Unbelievable on Their Urgent New Series
Buzz for the new true-crime drama Unbelievable, which is now streaming on Netflix, is getting pretty intense, and for good reason. Inspired by real events covered in a Pulitzer Prize-winning article from The Marshall Project and ProPublica called, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and a This American Life episode called “Anatomy of Doubt,” it tells the story of a teen named Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) who reports a sexual assault,
Game of Thrones Prequel About House Targaryen Nearing Pilot Order
Just when you thought you were safe from House Targaryen, think again. Deadline reports that HBO is nearing a pilot order on another Game of Thrones project, this one focusing on that noble house of madmen—and women—who have ruled and ruined Westeros. The prequel comes from GoT co-executive producer and creator of the source material, George R. R. Martin, and Colony co-creator/executive producer Ryan Condal.
Tiffany Haddish & Rose Byrne are Beauty Moguls in Dire Straits in Like a Boss Trailer
Succession director Miguel Arteta has got quite the cast for Like a Boss. We all know that Tiffany Haddish is a comedy legend at this point, and Rose Byrne has proved herself an expert comedic actor in her own right, from Bridesmaids to Neighbors. Now this dream team is together in a script from Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly about two best friends and business partners whose friendship is about to be put to the test.
TIFF 2019: Getting Weird With Synchronic‘s Director Aaron Moorhead and Star Ally Ioannides
Anthony Mackie (Avengers: Endgame) and Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Gray) are well known for playing superheroes and super seducers, respectively. For Aaron Moorhead and Justin Aaron Moorehead’s trippy, gripping new drama Synchronic, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the two stars went a decidedly different direction. Mackie and Dornan play a pair of paramedics in New Orleans,
TIFF 2019: Legendary Cinematographer Roger Deakins on Capturing The Goldfinch
Cinematographer Roger Deakins, best known for his work on the films of the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve, whose Blade Runner 2049 earned Deakins his first Oscar last year after 14 nominations, is no stranger to complex adult dramas. For The Goldfinch, Deakins and director John Crowley worked carefully to bring Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to the screen without falling into the traps that often snare book adaptations.
Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Won’t Meet Robert Pattinson’s Batman
It ain’t happening, folks. Todd Phillips’ Joker made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival (where it won the fest’s big prize, the Golden Lion) and has been drawing huge crowds at the Toronto International Film Festival. This has meant that Phillips has found himself at a lot of press events recently, and so the inevitable question had to arise at some point; would Joaquin Phoenix‘s Joker ever meet Robert Pattinson’s Batman?
Chernobyl’s Emmy-Nominated Director on Capturing Catastrophe
Within the first few minutes of Chernobyl, director Johan Renck plunges the viewer into a riveting recreation of the infamous nuclear power plant meltdown and its aftermath. Since completing its run this summer, the HBO mini-series has earned 16 Emmy nominations for dramatizing the horrendous impact on victims of the accident while tracking the efforts of scientist Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) as he takes on the Soviet establishment to uncover the truth about why the reactor blew up.
TIFF 2019: Tammy’s Always Dying Director Amy Jo Johnson on her Bittersweet Mother/Daughter Drama
Director Amy Jo Johnson‘s second feature film manages to coax humor from situations that are not terribly funny. Terminal alcoholism, cancer, and feelings of loneliness, isolation, and insecurity are not usually the ingredients for laughs, but Johnson and her stellar cast turn these devastating pieces into a bittersweet whole. Johnson, a former actress (Felicity, Flashpoint), has a deft touch with her game ensemble, which stars Felicity Huffman in a bravura performance as the always dying Tammy,
Angelina Jolie is Back in Black in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Video
Sometimes the simplest promo ideas are the most effective. Hat’s off to whoever conceived of this new Maleficent: Mistress of Evil video. It’s just Angelina Jolie getting her hair and makeup done, in black and white, set to AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” It’s a time-lapse video, so we see a sped-up version of Jolie becoming the powerful fairy Maleficent in under a minute. The coup-de-grace is a moment after the large,
It: Chapter Two Composer Benjamin Wallfisch on Scoring Pennywise’s Final Act
Benjamin Wallfisch is an award-winning composer of over 60 feature films, best known for scores like Hidden Figures and Blade Runner 2049. He created the score for Andy Muschietti’s 2017’s adaptation of Stephen King’s It, and was brought back to help finish the two-part epic in It: Chapter 2. The Credits talked to Wallfisch about his experience building on the first film,
Directors Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman on Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
There are few musicians as giving as Linda Ronstadt. Throughout her robust career, she gave new life to the songs she covered, from “Blue Bayou” to “Different Drum,” rendering them more heartbreaking and affecting than the previous versions. She gave her blessing to her old band, who went on to form The Eagles, and also their first, “Desperado.” She was happy to give the spotlight to her contemporaries, and collaborated with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris (for the iconic Trio albums),
TIFF 2019: Noah Baumbach’s Devastating Marriage Story
One of the buzziest films at this year’s TIFF was writer/director Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. Starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as Nicole and Charlie Barber, a couple who have already agreed to divorce by the time our story begins, Baumbach’s latest is a bittersweet gem. The lead performances from Johansson and Driver are as good as you’d both hope and expect. Baumbach’s script offers no villains, no easy outs, and no clean explanations on why,
Hailee Steinfeld may Lead Disney+’s Hawkeye Series
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better person to play Hawkeye‘s protege, Kate Bishop, than Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld. Variety reports the immensely talented Steinfeld is in talks to join Jeremy Renner in Marvel Studios upcoming Disney+ series. Bishop is the young woman who, in the comics, becomes the new Hawkeye after Clint Barton passes on the mantle to her. Bishop’s Hawkeye ultimately becomes part of the Young Avengers,
TIFF 2019: Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit Makes the Heart Leap
There’s a reason Taika Waititi has become, to film lovers at least, a household name. For longtime followers, his genius hasbeen evident for years. From What We Do in the Shadows (2014) to Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Waititi’s unique blend of comedy, compassion, and fearlessness has been apparent in spades. Once he deployed his one-of-a-kind sensibility for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Ragnarok (2017),
The Man in the High Castle‘s Emmy-Nominated VFX Supervisor on Taking Down Lady Liberty
The third season finale of The Man in the High Castle sees the show’s alternate fascist reality, based on the eponymous Philip K. Dick novel, take a giant leap forward for Nazism in America — surrounded by cheering crowds, the Statue of Liberty is brought down under fireworks, fighter jets, and Himmler’s watch. The episode title, “Jahr Null,” means year zero, the showy start to a new future for America devoid of the country’s history.
TIFF 2019: Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite Gets Under Your Skin
There are no gentle super pigs (Okja), jellied roach bars (Snowpiercer), or colossal monsters (The Host), yet writer/director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite manages to shock and surprise aplenty. There are dastardly deeds, masterful performances, and diabolical twists. The film reminds you that there is a very, very good reason this South Korean auteur is considered one of the best filmmakers alive;
How Killing Eve Showrunner Emerald Fennell Delivered 9 Emmy Nominations
“It’s OK if you feel weird. You just killed someone for the first time. With an ax.” That’s one many deadpan Killing Eve lines crafted by actress-turned-showrunner Emerald Fennell and delivered by psychopath Villanelle (Jodie Comer) to fish-out-of-water spy Eve (Sandra Oh). AMC/BBC America’s British thriller earned nine Emmy nominations for its second season including an Outstanding Writing nod for Fennell, who seemingly came out of nowhere to succeed Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the show’s creative boss.
TIFF 2019: The Mad Genius of The Lighthouse
Mythic, surprisingly funny, and gleefully mad, Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse does for the craggy, wind-blasted island what his first feature, The Witch, did for the New England woods. Man is menaced and made small by nature but is also revealed to be as monstrous and volatile as nature itself. Featuring two go-for-broke performances by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse manages to convey a sense of merriment within its misery.
Director Zach Lipovsky on Becoming and Believing in Canadian Filmmakers
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s epic The Revenant about fur trappers in the icy forests of South Dakota and Montana in 19th century was filmed largely in British Colombia and Alberta. Andy Muschietti’s It and It: Chapter Two, set in the fictional Derry, Maine, was filmed largely in Ontario. These films, and many, many other made-in-Canada productions, utilize Canada’s talented local film crews,
Director Nimisha Mukerji is one of Canada’s Many Rising Filmmakers
A rising tide lifts all boats, and the tide of productions in Canada has been rising fairly steadily for years. Many blockbuster productions and popular television series’ are utilizing Canada’s large film crew community, natural splendor, and tax incentives. From the forbidding icy forests of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant (filmed largely in British Colombia and Alberta) to the postcard-perfect but deeply sinister setting of Derry for Andy Muschietti’s It and It: Chapter Two,
