How Three-Star Dominique Crenn Chef & Production Designer Ethan Tobman Served Up “The Menu”

Ralph Fiennes stars as a brilliantly deranged chef Julian Slowik in The Menu, but he’s periodically upstaged by gorgeous close-ups of his culinary co-stars, beginning with compressed and pickled cucumber melon, milk snow, and charred lace. That’s the “amuse bouche” served to unsuspecting foodies (including Anya Taylor-Joy, John Leguizamo, and Nicholas Hoult) who gradually find themselves trapped in Chef Julian Slowik’s restaurant from hell.

Inspired by co-writer Will Tracy’s visit to a secluded island restaurant off the coast of Norway a few years ago,

Disney Legend Floyd Norman on the New Doc “Mickey: The Story of a Mouse”

As Walt Disney once famously said, “It all started with a mouse.” Steamboat Willie, which starred a mouse that became an icon, was released on November 18th, 1928. To commemorate the anniversary of that historic short, Disney+ is airing a new documentary called Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, which examines the character’s continued cultural significance in the US and around the world. 

What makes this documentary so fascinating is it not only considers the evolution of Mickey through his nearly a hundred years in existence,

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” Writer/Director Rian Johnson Unpeels His Whodunit

When released in 2019, Rian Johnson’s star-studded, deliciously delightful who-done-it Knives Out was met with universal acclaim and became a smash hit. In it, star Daniel Craig shed all remnants of his Bond persona to play the quirky Southern genius detective Benoit Blanc in a performance so winning and a film so enjoyable even a character’s sweater became a sensation. (Granted, that character, the spoiled viper Ranson Drysdale,

“Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities” Production Designer Tamara Deverell’s Twisted World

As the afternoon light waned in Toronto, production designer Tamara Deverell recently found herself sitting on the floor of an abandoned psychiatric hospital on break from the new Sofia Coppola movie she’s working on. With dusk approaching, she joked, “I’m getting scared because it looks like I’m in this spooky Guillermo del Toro room right now!”

If anybody would know about spooky spaces, it’s Deverell. She earned an Oscar nomination earlier this year for designing Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley and recently completed work on Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

“Shantaram” Production Designer Chris Kennedy on Building the Bustling World of India—in Thailand

“It was a total restart,” production designer Chris Kennedy tells us of the Apple TV series Shantaram, which follows the daring life of an Australian prison escapee named Lin (Charlie Hunnam) as he hopscotches his way to Bombay to avoid being captured. While filming portions of the first two episodes in Bhopal, India, production halted due to pandemic restrictions. Those scenes were eventually scrapped and the entire crew picked up and left for Bangkok,

“Causeway” Cinematographer Diego Garcia on Capturing Jennifer Lawrence’s Subtly Powerful Performance

“I would like to go back,” says former U.S. soldier Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) to her physiotherapist (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who is overseeing her rehabilitation following a traumatic brain injury from an IED while serving in Afghanistan. But her reasoning for returning is more than a flashy comeback story found on the front page of a sports magazine. Her wounds run deeper, and the question of “should she go back” is the resonating theme of director Lila Neugebauer’s (Maid,

“The Sex Lives of College Girls” Star Reneé Rapp on Leighton’s Sexuality, Her Debut EP & More

Reneé Rapp’s eyes light up as she excitedly discusses the November 11 release of her upcoming debut EP, EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE. It’s something she’s wanted for a long time. 

“I always wanted to do music,” she tells me over Zoom. “That was all I ever wanted to do.”

While an incredibly talented actor in her own right, music has been the driving force behind most of the decision making in her budding career.

“Black Adam” Editor Mike Sale Breaks Down That Epic Justice Society Fight

Black Adam editor Mike Sale, who worked alongside editor John Lee, says they wanted to make a film where the title character, played by the ever-magnetic Dwayne Johnson, did not turn into a hero by its end, which, as far as superhero blockbusters go, is decidedly not the norm. What they wanted to do was develop a narrative that plays into what is good (or evil) and how perspective can frame that viewpoint.

How “Tár” Costume Designer Bina Daigeler Dressed Cate Blanchett in Power

There is a sharpness to Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) that has allowed her to scale her way to the top of the classical music world as director of the Berlin Philharmonic. Those hard, cutting edges prove useful in her profession but leave scars on her personal relationships. Her straight edges and demand for perfection are reflected in a wardrobe created by costume designer Bina Daigeler. 

“For everybody, the way you dress somehow explains a lot,” Daigeler observed.

How “Causeway” Composer Alex Somers Cued the Cellos for Jennifer Lawrence’s New Drama

Jennifer Lawrence reanimates a no-frills acting style harkening to her 2010 breakthrough performance in Winter’s Bone with the new indie film Causeway. Directed by Lila Neugebauer and set in New Orleans, Causeway (in theaters now [Oct. 28] and streaming November 4 on Apple TV+) casts Lawrence as a soldier who’s returned from Afghanistan to her hometown burdened with physical wounds and PTSD. 

Lawrence’s solemn performance opposite Brian Tyree Henrys enjoys subtle boosts from composer Alex Somers’

A Peek Behind the Scenes of an Editor’s Career

Here at The Credits, we talk to film editors all the time. They give us a glimpse at their process of realizing a director’s dreams in terms of the pacing, montages, cuts, and music behind a particular film or series. But what about the nitty-gritty of their own careers? What goes on when the project at hand isn’t a major studio production? After all, anything that winds up on screen has gone through an edit process.

“She-Hulk” VFX Supervisor Josh Galbincea on Creating That Epic Incredible Hulk Callback

Ever since the final episode of season one, fans of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have been reeling from the last show’s rollercoaster ride and celebrating their love for the season as a whole. Much of the praise has been for the edgy script that consistently centered on female empowerment without sacrificing the expected flamboyant action set-pieces Marvel fans know and love.  

Visual special effects are, of course, an essential contribution to that Marvel flair.

“Raymond & Ray” Writer/Director Rodrigo Garcia Digs Deep With Ewan McGregor & Ethan Hawke

Writer/director Rodrigo Garcia‘s initial idea for Raymond & Ray was simple—a trumpet player is digging his father’s grave—but something wasn’t quite working. “I can’t even remember if the digging of the grave was his idea or the father’s requirement,” Garcia admits, reflecting on the first draft of what would become his surprisingly funny, raw look at father/son relationships in his new Apple TV film. “The reverend was there, and a woman showed up with a child,

“The Midnight Club” Production Designer Laurin Kelsey on Creating a Haunting Hospice

Facing the end is not always the scariest part of a person’s story. The terminally ill teenagers in The Midnight Club meet to entertain each other with spooky tales, but the stories may actually be clues to a secret cure or even a glimpse at life after death. The Victorian mansion serving as a hospice facility for young people even harbors secrets of its own. Production designer Laurin Kelsey developed the dynamic location that serves as the core of the series. 

Let “Hellraiser” Production Designer Kathrin Eder Take You To Hell With The Cenobites

The Cenobites are back and seeking new victims for their blood-letting games. This time, they have the perfect playground for their sadistic mission. Hellraiser production designer Kathrin Eder created a lavish and indulgent new environment for the inter-dimensional pain-seekers to explore.

Time doesn’t bind The Priest (Jamie Clayton), more commonly known as Pinhead, and their mutilated crew. Thirty-five years after Frank played around with the puzzle box, new mega-worshiper Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic) has dedicated his life and fortune to calling the creatures back to Earth.

Sinéad O’Shea on her Unflinching & Award-Winning Documentary “Pray For Our Sinners”

Dublin-based filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea wasn’t sure what she’d find when she returned to her small hometown of Navan, north of Dublin, last year to interview Mary Randles, who’d been a local doctor alongside her late husband Patrick. O’Shea did not expect to discover that, in addition to the Randles, other residents in Navan years ago stood up to injustices inflicted by the Catholic Church, which then controlled all aspects of life in their tiny town. 

How “TILL” Costume Designer Marci Rodgers Captured the Racial Dynamics of 1955 America

Some of the most powerful stories are the most difficult to watch, but Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) knew there comes a time when we can’t afford to look away. When her son Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) became one of the most tender and tragic victims of racial violence in America, she bravely shaped his legacy into a catalyst for the civil rights movement. TILL revisits the facts of the crime but focuses its lens on the heroic way Mamie made a statement from her suffering. 

“Black Bird” Cinematographer Natalie Kingston Breaks Down Her Technique on Apple’s Crime Thriller

There’s a symphony of visual subtlety threaded throughout creator Dennis Lehane’s psychological crime drama Black Bird (available now on Apple TV+) that harmoniously lifts the resonating performances and moody tenor of the story that can be easily overlooked. Series cinematographer Natalie Kingston (who alluringly photographed all six episodes) prefers it that way.

Based on the life of James Keene (Taron Egerton), a Chicago-area high school football star turned dope dealer and eventual prison inmate,

How “Werewolf By Night” Makeup Maestro Ellen Arden Made Marvel’s Monsters

Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino chose to plumb new depths of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for his directorial debut with Werewolf by Night. Inspired by the comic book released as Marvel Spotlight #2 in 1972, this special presentation is streaming as part of the Halloween season on Disney+. It features a group of monster hunters led by Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal), a man afflicted with a curse that turns him into a werewolf.

“Reasonable Doubt” DP Robert E. Arnold on Lensing Hulu’s Legal Drama

Robert E. Arnold figured he’d paid his dues in Hollywood, working since 2008 as a grip, gaffer, and Steadicam operator on dozens of projects ranging from Big Little Lies and Grown-ish to The Walking Dead and Furious 7. But those credits, along with a degree from Los Angeles’ prestigious American Film Institute, failed to open doors to the coveted Director of Photography position he hankered for.