Sundance 2017: Line Producer Shea Kammer on Breaking Into the Industry
A line producer on a film is one of the most crucial jobs on the crew. Often the first person hired by the producer, a line producer's responsibilities are daunting, to say the least. We spoke to Shea Kammer, a line producer extraordinaire, about what the role requires. Kammer is heading to the Sundance Film Festival, where he has two films in competition; the Iraq war drama The Yellow Birds and the medical drama
Keanu Reeves Returns in John Wick: Chapter 2
Legendary hit man John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is back, and this time, he’s in Rome squaring off against some of the world's deadliest killers. When the original John Wick hit theaters back in 2014, the modestly budgeted film (it was made for $20 million) earned more than $86 million at the worldwide box office, and then went on to become a hit in the home video market, too. Reeves, always a reliable draw,
First Wilson Trailer Brings Daniel Clowes’ Iconic Graphic Novel to Big Screen
Daniel Clowes work has already generated one fantastic film, 2001's Ghost World, which followed two high school friends, the sardonic Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) who deal with their pending graduation by involving themselves with the offbeat and much older Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and their mutual romantic fixation, Josh (Brad Renfro). It's a dry, daring coming-of-age-story that established Clowes as an artist whose work can be just as affecting on the big screen.
Secret History of Rogue One‘s Aliens Revealed
One of the many delightful aspects of Rogue One was the films' treatment of the many aliens Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) comes into contact with. Some of the aliens are recognizable to any Star Wars fans—who among us didn’t delight in seeing Admiral Raddus, a member of the Mon Calamari race, supporting Jyn and the rebels' mission to the steal the Death Star plans? You may be forgiven for assuming on first blush that Admiral Raddus was,
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 Links to Avengers: Infinity Wars, New Photos & More
Let's first begin with our favorite new photo from Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2:
Courtesy Marvel/Walt Disney Pictures.
Yes, that's Baby Groot in some kind of adorable miniature cardigan. Where Baby Groot got such stylish (and sensible!) winter garb is beyond us, but we're extremely bullish on how much we like it. The popped collar? Yes Baby Groot, yes.
Along with Baby Groot,
The Space Between Us DP on Capturing Earth’s Beauty in Sci-Fi Thriller
Cinematographer Barry Peterson has been behind the camera on hit comedies like Zoolander, 21 Jump Street, and Central Intelligence, but his latest film may be his most stunning work yet. Peterson was Director of Photography on the visually ambitious sci-fi romance The Space Between Us that boasts incredible imagery of our world. The story follows Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield),
Listen to how Rogue One‘s Composer Riffed on John Williams’ Iconic Themes
Director Gareth Edwards and the team behind Rogue One did a masterful job of taking their non-saga film and teasing out the storyline to moments before 1977's original Star Wars began. If you haven't seen Rogue One yet, stop reading now.
The last third of Rogue One is a breathless dash; the battle on Scarife is thrilling (and heartbreaking), and the film's last five minutes include some of the most memorable images in any
Listen to Marco Beltrami’s Intense Score for Logan
When we interviewed composer Marco Beltrami back in 2014, we were coming off hearing his work in Bong Joon-ho's astonishing Snowpiercer. Beltrami has made a career out of marrying his dizzying array of musical talent to some of the most intense films of the last 25 years, from Wes Craven's seminal Scream to Kathryn Bigelow's explosively tense Iraq-war drama The Hurt Locker,
Writer/Director Vincent Perez on his Timely, Devastating new Film Alone in Berlin
A somber, restrained World War II picture, Alone in Berlin, opens this week from director/actor Vincent Perez. Swiss by birth and of Spanish and German ancestry, Perez optioned the rights to Hans Fallada’s 1947 novel, Every Man Dies Alone, two years before an English translation in 2009 became a surprise bestseller in the UK and US. The story of Nazi resistance from a working class Berlin couple,
Oscar Watch: Writer Taylor Sheridan Gets Personal in Hell or High Water
Offering context for his stirring Hell or High Water screenplay, Taylor Sheridan expertly expounds on West Texas cattle farming, the 1930's dust bowl, predatory banking practices, boom or bust oil economy and the isolation engendered by wide open spaces. But Sheridan also invested plenty of his own experience into the story. Nominated for a Writers Guild Award and Golden Globe for best motion picture screenplay, Hell or High Water follows a broke,
Japanese Kong: Skull Island Trailer Teases Battle With Godzilla
This Japanese trailer for Kong: Skull Island begins with a nod towards the mega-battle of the future, between King Kong and Godzilla that Warner Brothers has planned for March of 2019. With this bit of business taken care of, the trailer (with fantastic Japanese narration) dives into the story proper, which follows a team of explorers heading to Skull Island.
Those explorers are led by Colonel James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston) as they venture onto the primordial island to find a missing man and a mythical serum.
How La La Land Went From a Dream to a Song & Dance
La La Land's historic Golden Globes performance last Sunday gave Damien Chazelle's modern day musical major momentum (apologies for the alliteration) going into the Oscars. The film won all of the Golden Globes it was nominated for, winning a record-setting seven Globes for a single film. You can be almost positive that when Oscar nominations are announced on January 24th, La La Land will be a major contender.
The film is a marvel.
Game of Thrones‘ Peter Dinklage May Join Avengers: Infinity War
The great Peter Dinklage, arguably the most beloved character on Game of Thrones, may find himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dinklage is currently in talks to join the Russo Brothers epic crossover film Avengers: Infinity War, and its untitled sequel, according to Variety.
Variety reports that Dinklage will soon have more time on his hands—
Female-Directed Horror Anthology XX Drops Sensational new Trailer
We’ve been excited about XX since we first heard about it four years ago. The all-women-directed horror anthology has undergone a few permutations on just who would be involved since the idea was hatched in 2013, but eventually the film keyed in on four incredibly talented directors, and will see its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, which begins on January 19. The first trailer has us extremely excited for the film.
Felicity Jones Goes Rogue in First SNL of 2017
Felicity Jones was sensational in the role of Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, giving the Star Wars universe a plucky new heroine, along with Daisy Ridley's Rey and the late, great Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia (who became General Organa in The Force Awakens and Episode VIII). Joining the Star Wars universe meant that Jones,
The Coen Brothers Will Write & Direct Their First TV Series Buster Scruggs
The small screen has become a siren song for some of the best and brightest talent in film, so it should come as no surprise that two living legends, Joel and Ethan Coen, are creating a TV show. It's called The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and it will be a limited anthology series set in the Old West. The Coens have made two memorable forays into westerns already, with their astonishing No Country For Old Men
Step Inside Resident Evil: The Final Chapter‘s Killing Floor
There are certainly less chilling ways to start your Thursday. Sony Pictures has released this new Resident Evil: The Final Chapter immersive 360 degree experience in which you can see what it's like to be Alice (Milla Jovovich) for nearly two minutes. This virtual experience takes you deep into the Hive, placing you in a gruesome basement filled with the undead.
If you haven't checked out a Resident Evil
Rian Johnson on Rey, Luke, and the Official Title for Star Wars: Episode VIII
Now that Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII is in post-production, the writer/director has been just a touch more revealing about the middle chapter of the new trilogy. In fact, one of the things we've learned recently is that Johnson has long had a title for the film (in fact, he's had it since the very first draft of the script), but, of course, he's not telling. (Any guesses?)
What we do know for sure is that
The New Cars 3 Trailer is Legitimately Thrilling
Cars is typically the Pixar series that gets the youngest fans revved up, but the new trailer for Cars 3 features a violent wreck and tackles the pitfalls of aging. While not quite the material you'd expect from Pixar's most reliably untroubled franchise, director Brian Fee and the Pixar team appear to be going for a bit more heft for the series' third race around the track.
Speaking of races,
Baywatch Drops Two Hilarious International Trailers
Whether or not you were a fan (or even old enough to have remembered) the original Baywatch, which premiered on NBC in 1989 and then found a second life when it returned in 1991 and became a hit, you will likely find Paramount Pictures' upcoming film version exciting. That's because for the big screen adaptation, Baywatch is going to be funny. How do we know? Try these two,
