TIFF 2018: The Sister Brothers Director & Co-Writer on Their Funny, Soulful Western

When Patrick DeWitt’s novel “The Sisters Brothers” was published in 2011, something new was afoot in its pages. A bloody western set during the gold rush, it had everything you’d expect; gunfights, whiskey, brothels, and ne’er-do-wells of all stripes lusting after the riches buried in the rivers and mountains of California. These genre tropes, expertly handled by DeWitt, were the grimy, gritty package in which he delivered the story’s real gold— the titular Sister brothers and their endless,

TIFF 2018: First Man Actor Skyler Bible on Working on Damien Chazelle’s Revelatory Space Drama

First Man represents the first time we’re getting a full-blown biopic about the legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong. Academy-award winning director Damien Chazelle‘s film, scripted by Spotlight and The Post‘s Academy-award winning scribe Josh Singer (based on the book by James R. Hansen) tells the story behind the first manned mission to the moon, with the focus squarely on Armstrong (Ryan Gosling). The Apollo 11 mission that ultimately leads to Armstrong’s iconic first steps on the moon took a decade to prepare,

TIFF 2018: Hans Zimmer on The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman 1984 & More

Hans Zimmer is no stranger to working with directors who have a ferocious passion. Yesterday, we published our interview with the Oscar-winning composer about his score for Steve McQueen’s thrilling crime drama Widows. Zimmer’s minimalist, intimate score blended perfectly with McQueen’s film about three women navigating the criminal underworld in Chicago to pull off a nearly impossible bank heist. They’re attempting to pay off their dead husband’s deaths and forge their own paths,

TIFF 2018: Legendary Composer Hans Zimmer on Scoring Steve McQueen’s Sensational Widows

Hans Zimmer’s minimalist, intimate score for Widows gets under your skin. The legendary composer creates a sonic environment that feels as pressurized and cloistered as the predicament of our four heroines. When you see Steve McQueen’s brilliant crime drama, you’ll notice a persistent humming throughout. As the stakes rise for the three women at the center of the story (the widows of three dead criminals who now must pull off a monumentally dangerous heist to pay off their debts and forge a path of their own),

How Fight Trainer Don Lee got Jennifer Garner Back in Action for Peppermint

Seventeen years after her star-making turn as Sydney Bristow in Alias, Jennifer Garner is back in action and back in action shape for the new movie Peppermint.

In the new movie (out today), Garner engages in hand-to-hand combat, knife fights, gunfights, and even a little boxing. She did the majority of her own stunts.

“She is heavily involved in her fight scenes. The majority of things she could do she does,” said Don Lee,

TIFF 2018: DP Pepe Avila del Pino on Bending Genres in The Kindergarten Teacher

Director of photography Pepe Avila del Pino lensed Sara Colangelo‘s daring The Kindergarten Teacher (Netflix, premiering on October 10, 2018), starring Maggie Gyllenhaal about the unusually intense bond Gyllenhaal’s kindergarten teacher Lisa Spinelli forms with a student, Jimmy Roy (Parker Sevak) she’s sure is a child prodigy. Written by Colangelo and based on a script by Nadav Lapid, an Israeli writer/director whose 2014 feature of the same name inspired the film,

Game of Thrones‘ Emmy-Nominated Sound Designer on Bringing the Heat

Emmy-nominated supervising sound editor Tim Kimmel oversaw one of Game of Thrones’ most explosive episodes, ever. Kimmel received his Emmy-nom for his work on last season’s epic fourth episode, “The Spoils of War,” written by co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Matt Shakman.

Kimmel, who is the Formosa Group‘s supervising sound editor, oversees the sound editorial crew, and his team have a vast sonic mandate;

American Horror Story: Cult‘s Emmy-Nominated Actress Adina Porter on Playing in the Dark

Bronx born and raised with theater roots, Adina Porter’s path to her first ever Emmy-nomination has taken her from the boards to the small screen in some of TV’s most demanding yet delicious roles. Before she became one of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror regulars, you may have seen her Alan Ball’s True Blood on HBO as Lettie Mae Thornton. Lettie Mae was Tara (Rutina Wesley)’s alcoholic mother, a character who was supposed to be killed off in season one but who survived,

How The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Emmy-Nominated Editor Gave Midge her Sparkling Start

Timing is everything, or so the saying goes, in comedy. This is just one of the lessons the truly marvelous Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) learns on her journey to develop a stand-up set when her personal life hits turbulent times. That timing is particularly brisk on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, known for writing the breakneck dialogue of Gilmore Girls. The new Amazon series is sharp,

Emmy Nominated Ozark Cinematographer on the Show’s Bleak & Immersive Style

Ozark is relentless. Whether an emotional reunion, a difficult decision, a gruesome death, or a grisly torture, the camera offers no relief. You cannot look away, but you likely will not want to. The show’s cinematography is compelling and immersive, capitalizing on some of the strongest performances of the season from a cast that includes Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner, and Peter Mullan. Director of Photography Ben Kutchins received an Emmy nomination for his work on the complex season finale packed with emotional bombshells.

The Meaning Behind the Emmy Nominated Fahrenheit 451 ‘Firemen’ Uniforms

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 has become a gold standard among dystopian novels proving decade after decade the endurance of its message. Ramin Bahrani’s HBO adaptation explored the renewed relevance of the 65-year-old cautionary tale about the government sanctioned destruction of facts and ideas. With a mere 100-minute runtime, every frame had to communicate the rigid rules of the society where Captain Beatty (Michael Shannon) clashed with the book-loving ‘Eels.’ Clothing was hugely impactful in defining the role of the celebrity ‘firemen’ in the story.

How Atlanta‘s Emmy-Nominated Sound Designer Crafted Horror Ep “Teddy Perkins”

Atlanta has been one of TV’s most reliably original shows for the past two years. Donald Glover’s trippy, brilliant exploration of the story of Earnest Marks (Glover) and his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry)’s attempts to make a name for themselves in Atlanta’s thriving hip-hop scene has created some of the most indelible sequences and moments in TV since the show burst onto the scene in 2016.

The Better Call Saul Production Designer on Jimmy’s Changing Landscape

The inevitable transition from the affable Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) to the hardnosed Saul Goodman is becoming one of the most emotional evolutions on TV. As a whole, Better Call Saul is entering a season of transformation. Production designer Judy Rhee was charged with guiding Jimmy’s world through great personal and professional changes in season 4.

“In the timeline of the prequel, we’re getting closer to Breaking Bad,” Rhee explained.

How BlacKkKlansman‘s Production Designer Used the Power Dynamics of Race

BlacKkKlansman is a story of high stakes pushed to the absolute limit. Based on a remarkable true story, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) was the first African American officer on the Colorado Springs police force. A tense undertaking in itself, Stallworth was not content with breaking barriers. He capitalized on the opportunity and initiated a dangerous undercover operation to infiltrate the KKK, stunning even his colleagues. Production designer Curt Beech tackled these complex dynamics in incredibly imaginative ways that layer meaning throughout the design in subtle,

Christopher Robin Producer Bringham Taylor on Bringing Adults Back to Pooh

Brigham Taylor was at Disney 15 years ago when he first heard the idea for a movie about a grown-up Christopher Robin reconnecting with his beloved toys. That movie has finally been made, with Taylor as its producer, and it was worth the wait, a lovely, touching, and utterly endearing film for the whole family. In an interview with The Credits, he talked about why soft, cuddly toys still matter even in an age of technology,

Makeup Designer Donald Mowat on The Darkest Minds‘ Subtle Sorcery

With a three-decade career in the film industry, you’d think makeup designer Donald Mowat has seen it all. The Emmy winner has worked on projects from The Fighter to Planet of the Apes, and we’ve already had the chance to discuss his masterful work on Blade Runner 2049 and Stronger. However, there are genres that have eluded Mowat for decades, and now he is making an effort to turn over every stone–and is having a great time doing it.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Production Designer on Building a World of Mayhem

The sixth installment of Mission: Impossible premiered last Friday to critical praise and a series-best opening at the box office. Among the numerous elements that made MI6 a standout was the continuation of outlandish, death-defying, and yet quite scenic stunts, mostly performed by Tom Cruise himself, in the role of Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt.

Hunt’s nemesis, Solomon Lane (played by Sean Harris),

The Riverdale Composer on Mixing Melodrama with Archie’s Innocent Past

Riverdale of the classic Archie comics was a quaint and wholesome every town with a spotless reputation. In print for more than 75 years, a recent shakeup led Archie Comics CCO, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, to create Riverdale. The edgy soap opera saga finally acknowledged that so many rivalries couldn’t remain peaceful and there had to be a dark underbelly in the town. Criminal empires, student-teacher relationships, and murder mysteries plague Riverdale with the heart of the original Archie characters intact.

Seeing (and Saving) the World With Mission: Impossible – Fallout‘s Location Scout

Jaunty banter, truly insane stunts and Tom Cruise’s seemingly superhuman inability to slow down aside, one of the most arresting aspects of Mission: Impossible — Fallout are the film’s environments. As IMF agent Ethan Hunt, Cruise is chased down, on a motorcycle, through the middle of Paris, crashes through London offices only to end up thwarted on the roof of the Tate Modern (at least the view is stunning), and winds up fighting for the health of the planet on an alarmingly remote bit of rock face in India (played here by an alarmingly remote bit of rock face in Norway).

Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Stunt Coordinator on the Craziest Film in Franchise History

By now it is well known that Tom Cruise, age 56, performs his own stunts. What is not as obvious, unless you are familiar with his whole body of work, is that he is always training, that he learns fresh stunts for new films, and that, according to those who work with him, he shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. Of course, if you caught the commercial and critical hit sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise over the weekend,