Director Alex Graves on Keri Russell’s Balletic Excellence in Netflix’s Hit Series “The Diplomat”
Keri Russell plays blunt but brilliant U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler in The Diplomat. She’s often anything but diplomatic in the taut political thriller, loath to dress in fancy clothes or brush her hair, but Kate exhibits invaluable tenacity as she tracks down the perpetrators of a horrendous ship explosion and car bomb attack. The Emmy-nominated Netflix series, which aired its second season last fall, co-stars Rufus Sewell as Kate’s ambitious husband Hal,
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” First Reactions: A Pure Cinematic Adrenaline Rush 30 Years in the Making
The first reactions to Tom Cruise’s eighth and potentially final mission as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning have arrived following a screening for critics and members of the press. The verdict? Cruise and his capable comrades Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and newcomer Grace (Hayley Atwell) have pulled off a sustained adrenaline rush of pure cinematic spectacle. In short, Cruise and co. have done it again.
If Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is indeed Cruise’s last go-round as the unkillable Ethan Hunt,
Speed, Redemption, and Star Power: Brad Pitt Shifts Gears in High-Octane “F1” Trailer
Brad Pitt has got the pedal to the metal in the first look at F1, the upcoming racing epic from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski.
Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a coulda-been Formula 1 legend who was on the cusp of greatness in the 1990s before an accident derailed his career. Thirty years later, Sonny’s a has-been, a racer-for-hire speeding off into the sunset of an unremarkable career,
Precision and Passion: How Director Amanda Marsalis Choreographed the Chaos of “The Pitt”
There are few careers that could fill an entire season of TV with a single day’s work, but The Pitt proves that the emergency room is a source of endless inspiration. Drama and trauma pump into a Pittsburgh hospital led by attending Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) over fifteen hours.
Medical dramas aren’t new to the screen – in fact, Wyle is well known for his role as Dr. John Carter on ER.
“Sinners” Production Designer Hannah Beachler on Conjuring Ryan Coogler’s Supernatural Stunner
Warning: Contains spoilers
Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners, made history with a second-weekend box office tally only six percent lower than its opening weekend. Just past its fourth weekend, it crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. Both audiences and critics adore this Southern Gothic vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as identical twins Smoke and Stack. The pair has just returned to the Mississippi Delta after fighting in World War I and then getting involved with the Chicago mob,
Marvel’s Next Move: “Thunderbolts*” Director Jake Schreier Eyed for “X-Men” Reboot
Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is coming off one of the most successful premieres for a Marvel movie in quite a while. His antihero team-up epic, led by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova (Pugh is starting to feel like the new face of the MCU going forward), has been a critical and commercial hit for the studio. Now, Schreier is in talks to helm Marvel’s X-Men reboot, returning these beloved mutants to the fold after years in the superhero wilderness.
How Precious: “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” Will Hit Theaters in December 2027
Gollum is coming back to the big screen.
The iconic former Hobbit turned ring-lusting crucial figure in The Lord of the Rings films will be the star of his own movie, with Andy Serkis, the man who portrayed Gollum, returning to direct and star. Serkis’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will open in theatres on December 17, 2027. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema revealed the release date,
Pinstripes and Blood Spatter: Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter on Making Dark Magic in “Sinners”
Two-time Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter takes us behind the seams of Ryan Coogler's horror masterpiece "Sinners," revealing how she brought the 1930s Mississippi Delta to life while dressing Michael B. Jordan's gangster twins.
“Dark Winds” Showrunner John Wirth on Building a Peabody-Winning Thriller with Native Voices at its Core
"Dark Winds" follows tribal cops Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they solve crimes on their Navajo Nation turf.
Behind Netflix’s “The Four Seasons”: How “30 Rock” Veterans Lang Fisher & Tracey Wigfield Reimagined a Classic With Tina Fey
Adapted from the classic romantic comedy of the same name, Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield‘s The Four Seasons is a contemporary take on a tale as middle-aged as time: the highs and lows of evolving friendships and relationships between friends who have reached the middle innings of life.
The original film was written and directed by Alan Alda and co-starred Alda and Carol Burnett, and it was one of 1981’s biggest box office hits.
Avengers, Assemble the Goonies! How SetJetters Connects Movie Fans to Their Favorite Film & TV Locations
We chat with two of SetJetters co-founders about creating the ultimate travel guide for the cinephile and TV lover.
End Game: “Squid Game” Season 3 Trailer Teases Final Reckoning
The official teaser trailer for Squid Game‘s third and final season has arrived, bringing the games to a close with what promises to be the most sadistic season yet. But don’t take our word for it, this was confirmed for us by both the series’ star, Lee Jung-jae, and creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, when we interviewed both of them last month.
Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed back-to-back,
Genesis of Gemstones: Danny McBride and DP Paul Daley Reveal How Bradley Cooper Brought the Unholy Patriarch to Life
The Gemstones Sunday service has come to an end. After four seasons, Danny McBride’s dark comedy following a dysfunctional televangelist family aired its final episode with a glorious blood-soaked banger. But among the chaos, McBride and company focused its scripture on the series’ revolving theme: a family of unconditional love. And it was at the start of the season, we were introduced to the Gemstones’ family origins through a Civil War era epic with 12-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper playing the OG bible preacher.
From “Thunderbolts*” to “The New Avengers”: Inside the Sudden Superhero Title Swap
Thunderbolts* SPOILERS AHEAD
Who knew an asterisk packed such a punch? Thunderbolts* rolled into theaters this weekend and just as quickly rolled out a new movie title. The mysterious asterisk that hung on the end of the film’s title left some fans perplexed—that was, until the last ten minutes of the film.
Today, Marvel branding and marketing from billboards to posters to online ticket services have all changed the Thunderbolts* title to the newly revealed real title for the movie: The New Avengers.
“Highest 2 Lowest” Trailer Reveals Spike Lee’s New Joint With Denzel Washington
You want to get film nerds salivating? Drop a new trailer for a Spike Lee joint starring Denzel Washington that reveals Lee’s latest, which is a riff on the work of another film legend, Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. Lee’s film, produced by A24 and set to hit theaters on August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ (with a world premiere set for Cannes), stars Washington as a music industry titan who is targeted in a ransom plot,
Take On Me: Ellie & Dina Find Love as Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac Brings New Darkness to “The Last of Us”
Oscar-nominated performer Jeffrey Wright is no stranger to prestigious HBO dramas—he was a central figure in Westworld—yet it was still a fun jolt to see him, at last, enter the picture in the 4th episode of The Last of Us season 2, “Day One.”
In the opening scene, Wright appears as a FEDRA soldier during a flashback to 2018 in Seattle’s quarantine zone, 11 years before the current timeline.
Marvel’s Misfits Have Mainstream Appeal: “Thunderbolts*” Strikes Box Office Gold
Thunderbolts*, the Florence Pugh-led Marvel Misfit epic, struck box office gold in its opening weekend.
“Thunderbolts*” Director Jake Schreier: From “Beef’s” Parking Lot Rage to Superhero Trauma
With critics praising Thunderbolts* ahead of its May 2 release as something decidedly new (and according to its Rotten Tomatoes score, decidedly fresh) in the MCU, director Jake Schreier has opened up the aperture on how he approached his Marvel debut. Schreier is a seasoned, respected indie helmer with a string of critically acclaimed titles to his name. After launching his career with the Sundance hit Robot &
Soul Transcendent: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Captured Black Music’s Timeless Continuum in “Sinners”
In part one of our interview with Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the groundbreaking DP discussed how she leveled up to frame Coogler’s soulful supernatural epic by learning to use the largest film format available. Coogler’s ambitions for his vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, were massive. The brothers return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after serving in World War I and then taking their talents to Chicago,
Marvel’s Misfits Hit Big: Florence Pugh-Led “Thunderbolts*” Strikes a Chord With Critics
The reviews for Thunderbolts* are hitting the internet like so many lightning strikes, and Marvel Studios is very much liking the weather report. Director Jake Schreier’s film about this assemblage of Marvel misfits—Rolling Stone‘s David Fear calls them the “off-brand Avengers“—who were all scooped from previous MCU outings and thrown together like possibly toxic leftover ingredients, has resulted in something satisfying. Thunderbolts* is being hailed as a surprisingly soulful,
SXSW 2025: Dan Farah’s “The Age of Disclosure” Stuns Crowd With Shocking Alien Doc
Festival crowds are notoriously exuberant—it can be hard to get a real read on a film’s potential for broader success or acclaim even if the first time it plays for a crowd at a film festival results in cheers and guffaws. Yet sometimes, for some films, a festival crowd’s excitement is as precise an indicator for a film’s impact as you need. This was the case here in Austin this past Sunday, when director Dan Farah showcased his doc The Age of Disclosure for the first time ever to a crowd.
Not Playing Games: “Squid Game” Star Lee Jung-jae on Gi-hun’s Transformation in Final Seasons
Season 2 of Squid Game revealed protagonist Gi-hun’s desperate transformation from spirited and naïve recruit to traumatized and hardened champion. The iconic wide smile he flashed in his player photo has faded with the knowledge that more lives are on the line. Actor Lee Jung-jae appreciated the new depth his character has developed.
“I was really drawn to that personality of Gi-hun, where he is quite optimistic.
“The White Lotus” Episode 6: It’s a Family Affair
After the last episode in season 3 of Mike White‘s The White Lotus, when Sam Rockwell parachuted into the storyline and delivered one of television’s most unexpected monologues in perhaps the medium’s history (a stretch? if so, not by much), episode 6 had a lot of narrative momentum. White’s cosseted guests this year, whether their troubles are of a dangerously anguished variety (looking at you, Walton Goggins’
Following “Ballerina,” a Fifth “John Wick” Movie Has Been Confirmed
John Wick will never die.
And by “John Wick,” we might not necessarily be referring to the man himself, as played by Keanu Reeves in the first four films. By all accounts, Reeves’ nearly indestructible assassin died a noble death at the end of the last installment, John Wick: Chapter 4. We knew we’d be given another glimpse at the man in the upcoming spinoff, Ballerina, which stars Ana de Armas as Eva Macarro as she begins training as an assassin in the traditions of the Ruska Roma.
How Director Mohammad Rasoulof Shot his Oscar-Nominated “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Secret
Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof wanted to tell a big story — so he went small. The Seed of the Sacred Fig explores his country’s authoritarian rule, repressive justice, patriarchal dominance, and women’s rights through its impact on one family.
Taking place during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, a nationwide protest sparked by the arrest of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman jailed for not wearing a hijab and beaten to death while in custody,
No Cuts, Pure Tension: “Adolescence” Director Philip Barantini on Crafting Netflix Thriller in Unbroken Single Takes
British actor Stephen Graham is so reliably intense he played Al Capone for Martin Scorsese in Boardwalk Empire, stared down Al Pacino in The Irishman, executive producer and co-starred in the bare knuckle boxing drama A Thousand Blows, and earned the prestigious Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award for his contributions to UK television. Now he’s co-written the acutely tense Adolescence (streaming on Netflix on March 13),
“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip” Director Marvin Lemus on a Family Adventure Through New Mexico
The title says it all: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is a PG comedy that follows a rambunctious family on an RV trek through New Mexico. Their destination? A very old village in Mexico, home to an ancient stone idol. By returning the haunted talisman to its ancestral home, 11-year-old Alexander (newcomer Thom Nemer) thinks he can lift the curse bringing bad luck to his mother, father,
Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves’ John Wick Spar in Lethal New “Ballerina” Trailer
Eva Macarro, meet John Wick.
Ana de Armas has entered the John Wick universe, so it’s fitting her character, Eva Macarro, faces off against the man himself. At the 1:45 mark in this new trailer, Eva and John have a snowy encounter in which neither are backing down. The reason Wick is alive here despite having met his fate in John Wick: Chapter 4 is because Ballerina is set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
“Thunderbolts”: Marvel’s Wild Card Mixes Antiheroes and Indie Talent From A24 & More
Recently, Florence Pugh, one of the stars of Marvel’s upcoming antihero epic Thunderbolts, said the Marvel Cinematic Universe installment was very unlike your average MCU addition. In fact, Pugh told Empire that Thunderbolts feels much more like an indie film.
“It ended up becoming this quite badass indie, A24-feeling assassin movie with Marvel superheroes,” Pugh told Empire.
This isn’t just one of the film’s marquee names trying to give her movie an edge at the box office.
Inside “The Residence”: Creator Paul William Davies on Crafting a White House Whodunit
The Residence, produced by Shondaland for Netflix, is the much-anticipated whodunnit that is Shonda Rhimes’ second show set in the White House. The first, of course, was another beloved, Kerry Washington-led Scandal, which dealt in the shadowy world of Washington’s Olivia Pope, the queen of fixers. Now Rhimes and her collaborator Paul William Davies return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to follow Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp, a world-famous detective and obsessive birder,
Be Still My Bursting Chest: “Alien: Romulus’s” Oscar-Nominated VFX Team on Finding Fresh Horror for the Franchise
Alien: Romulus Visual Effects Supervisor Eric Barba and FX Designer Alec Gillis bring the past and future together. Set between the events of Ridley Scott’s ferocious opener Alien and James Cameron’s muscular sequel Aliens, Barba, Gillis, and their team fused the tangible, practical horror and decay of the original films with a more modern, rock-and-roll sensibility. The viscerally immersive results earned the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
Sam Mendes’ Beatles Biopic Reveals Fab Four: Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, Barry Keoghan, & Harris Dickinson
The cast and release date for Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles biopic have been revealed.
At CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Monday, Mendes and his cast took to the stage to unveil not only who his John, Paul, Ringo, and George were, but also that all four films will have a theatrical release in April 2028.
Your Fab Four are Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney,
Rachel Brosnahan Talks “Superman”: It’s Not an Origin Story, But is it a Love Story?
DC Studio chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran, along with the stars of Gunn’s upcoming Superman, David Corenswet (Clark Kent/Superman), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), and Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor), delivered the goods last week at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Part of their Superman presentation included a brand new, nearly 5-minute-long sneak peek at the film, and now, with the film soaring towards theaters for its July 11 release date,
Tom Cruise Hangs On For Dear Life in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” Trailer
The official trailer for Tom Cruise’s potential last mission as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt has arrived, giving us a fresh look at the lengths Cruise has been willing to go to keep this action franchise at the extreme edge of what’s possible to do on camera. The new look at Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning takes us on a brief trip down memory lane, to Cruise’s very first mission as Ethan Hunt,
From Barbie to Blasters: What to Know About Ryan Gosling’s Standalone “Star Wars” Film
Ryan Gosling is going from the world of Barbie and Ken to Leia and Kenobi.
With the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo delivering a galaxy’s worth of news, including a new series from Lost co-creator Carlton Cuse and his son, Nick, a veteran of Watchmen and Station Eleven, it would require an interdiction beam (look it up, Star Wars nubes) to pull all the information together.
Rocking “The White Lotus”: Behind the Series’ Most Surprising Cameo Ever
The White Lotus delivered arguably the most surprising cameo in its three-season run this past Sunday night when Sam Rockwell appeared as Frank in episode 5, “Full-Moon Party.” Frank is an old friend of Walton Goggins’ Rick, who meets him in Bangkok to offer Rick a little help with his dark mission to settle an old score. In the process, Frank added a revelation that gave the season an unexpected jolt.
Before leaving the resort for Bangkok,
Blues, Blood, & Big Formats: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Brought “Sinners” to Epic, IMAX-Sized Life
Yes, there are vampires, but Sinners also excels as a period piece, a history lesson, a romance, a drama, an action movie, and a music-driven drama in ways that have made director Ryan Coogler‘s fifth movie the top-grossing original film of the decade. Based on his own script about gangster twins Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their Mississippi roots with a bag of ill-gotten cash and a plan to start their own juke joint in the middle of the woods,
Unveiled: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Enigmatic Leonardo DiCaprio Film Lands Official Title & Date
We finally have some clarity—a keyhole’s worth—about Paul Thomas Anderson’s mysterious new film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Warner Bros. announced on Wednesday that Anderson’s film has gotten a slight bump in its release schedule from August 8 to September 26. This moves the film from the summer blockbuster season into the typical awards contender release window. This would make sense for an Anderson film, given how singular and lauded the auteur’s work is, from his most recent release,
What is “The Phoenician Scheme”? The First Trailer for Wes Anderson’s Latest Offers Colorful Clues
The first trailer for Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme wastes no time letting you know just how many stars have signed up for Anderson’s latest caper. Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Ayoade, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch—many of them returning players in Anderson’s meticulously detailed oeuvre.
The trailer opens with a plane crash, with Del Toro’s business titan in the fields of armaments and aviation,
Ryan Coogler’s Big Swing With “Sinners” is Also a Love Letter to the Movie Theater
When Ryan Coogler was shopping the script for his fifth film around Hollywood, the excitement and competition for the rights to work with the filmmaker were equally high. The major studios and streamers were vying to be able to produce and distribute Coogler’s original story, which, we’d eventually learn, was Sinners, his upcoming supernatural period piece. The reasons for the excitement and competition were obvious—Coogler hasn’t missed yet,
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” First Reactions: A Pure Cinematic Adrenaline Rush 30 Years in the Making
The first reactions to Tom Cruise’s eighth and potentially final mission as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning have arrived following a screening for critics and members of the press. The verdict? Cruise and his capable comrades Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and newcomer Grace (Hayley Atwell) have pulled off a sustained adrenaline rush of pure cinematic spectacle. In short, Cruise and co. have done it again.
If Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is indeed Cruise’s last go-round as the unkillable Ethan Hunt,
Speed, Redemption, and Star Power: Brad Pitt Shifts Gears in High-Octane “F1” Trailer
Brad Pitt has got the pedal to the metal in the first look at F1, the upcoming racing epic from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski.
Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a coulda-been Formula 1 legend who was on the cusp of greatness in the 1990s before an accident derailed his career. Thirty years later, Sonny’s a has-been, a racer-for-hire speeding off into the sunset of an unremarkable career,
“Sinners” Production Designer Hannah Beachler on Conjuring Ryan Coogler’s Supernatural Stunner
Warning: Contains spoilers
Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners, made history with a second-weekend box office tally only six percent lower than its opening weekend. Just past its fourth weekend, it crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. Both audiences and critics adore this Southern Gothic vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as identical twins Smoke and Stack. The pair has just returned to the Mississippi Delta after fighting in World War I and then getting involved with the Chicago mob,
Marvel’s Next Move: “Thunderbolts*” Director Jake Schreier Eyed for “X-Men” Reboot
Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier is coming off one of the most successful premieres for a Marvel movie in quite a while. His antihero team-up epic, led by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova (Pugh is starting to feel like the new face of the MCU going forward), has been a critical and commercial hit for the studio. Now, Schreier is in talks to helm Marvel’s X-Men reboot, returning these beloved mutants to the fold after years in the superhero wilderness.
How Precious: “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” Will Hit Theaters in December 2027
Gollum is coming back to the big screen.
The iconic former Hobbit turned ring-lusting crucial figure in The Lord of the Rings films will be the star of his own movie, with Andy Serkis, the man who portrayed Gollum, returning to direct and star. Serkis’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will open in theatres on December 17, 2027. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema revealed the release date,
Pinstripes and Blood Spatter: Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter on Making Dark Magic in “Sinners”
Two-time Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter takes us behind the seams of Ryan Coogler's horror masterpiece "Sinners," revealing how she brought the 1930s Mississippi Delta to life while dressing Michael B. Jordan's gangster twins.
Avengers, Assemble the Goonies! How SetJetters Connects Movie Fans to Their Favorite Film & TV Locations
We chat with two of SetJetters co-founders about creating the ultimate travel guide for the cinephile and TV lover.
From “Thunderbolts*” to “The New Avengers”: Inside the Sudden Superhero Title Swap
Thunderbolts* SPOILERS AHEAD
Who knew an asterisk packed such a punch? Thunderbolts* rolled into theaters this weekend and just as quickly rolled out a new movie title. The mysterious asterisk that hung on the end of the film’s title left some fans perplexed—that was, until the last ten minutes of the film.
Today, Marvel branding and marketing from billboards to posters to online ticket services have all changed the Thunderbolts* title to the newly revealed real title for the movie: The New Avengers.
“Highest 2 Lowest” Trailer Reveals Spike Lee’s New Joint With Denzel Washington
You want to get film nerds salivating? Drop a new trailer for a Spike Lee joint starring Denzel Washington that reveals Lee’s latest, which is a riff on the work of another film legend, Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. Lee’s film, produced by A24 and set to hit theaters on August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ (with a world premiere set for Cannes), stars Washington as a music industry titan who is targeted in a ransom plot,
“Thunderbolts*” Director Jake Schreier: From “Beef’s” Parking Lot Rage to Superhero Trauma
With critics praising Thunderbolts* ahead of its May 2 release as something decidedly new (and according to its Rotten Tomatoes score, decidedly fresh) in the MCU, director Jake Schreier has opened up the aperture on how he approached his Marvel debut. Schreier is a seasoned, respected indie helmer with a string of critically acclaimed titles to his name. After launching his career with the Sundance hit Robot &
Soul Transcendent: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Captured Black Music’s Timeless Continuum in “Sinners”
In part one of our interview with Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the groundbreaking DP discussed how she leveled up to frame Coogler’s soulful supernatural epic by learning to use the largest film format available. Coogler’s ambitions for his vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, were massive. The brothers return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after serving in World War I and then taking their talents to Chicago,
Marvel’s Misfits Hit Big: Florence Pugh-Led “Thunderbolts*” Strikes a Chord With Critics
The reviews for Thunderbolts* are hitting the internet like so many lightning strikes, and Marvel Studios is very much liking the weather report. Director Jake Schreier’s film about this assemblage of Marvel misfits—Rolling Stone‘s David Fear calls them the “off-brand Avengers“—who were all scooped from previous MCU outings and thrown together like possibly toxic leftover ingredients, has resulted in something satisfying. Thunderbolts* is being hailed as a surprisingly soulful,
Blues, Blood, & Big Formats: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Brought “Sinners” to Epic, IMAX-Sized Life
Yes, there are vampires, but Sinners also excels as a period piece, a history lesson, a romance, a drama, an action movie, and a music-driven drama in ways that have made director Ryan Coogler‘s fifth movie the top-grossing original film of the decade. Based on his own script about gangster twins Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their Mississippi roots with a bag of ill-gotten cash and a plan to start their own juke joint in the middle of the woods,
Dwayne Johnson Enters the Ring in First Trailer for Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine”
A24 has revealed the first trailer for Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, which stars Dwayne Johnson as MMA legend Mark Kerr, sporting a prosthetic and an accent in his first turn, potentially marking an intriguing career pivot into prestige films. (Johnson is part of a potential all-star cast for a projected Martin Scorsese-directed gangster film set in Hawaii.)
Kerr was one of the seminal early stars of the UFC,
“Sinners” Takes a Big Second Bite: Ryan Coogler’s Vampire Thriller Has Historic Second Weekend
Writer/director Ryan Coogler has officially gone five for five.
The 39-year old auteur can now make the very rare claim to have had five consecutive hit films in his first five attempts, as his wildly ambitious, beautifully composed fifth feature, the R-rated supernatural period thriller Sinners, just boasted the most impressive second weekend for any film in well over a decade, pulling in $45 million for the smallest drop for a movie’s second weekend since James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar.
Ledgers and Lethal Force: Gavin O’Connor on Directing Ben Affleck in “The Accountant 2”
Almost a decade after they first worked together, the action sequel The Accountant 2 reunites director Gavin O’Connor and star Ben Affleck for a third time. First announced seven years ago, the journey to bring the follow-up to the screen has been challenging, but it’s one the Warrior filmmaker is grateful for.
Set and filmed in Los Angeles, Affleck returns as Christian Wolff, the titular number-crunching hero with a brilliant mind and a talent for solving complex problems,
No Heroes Available: “Thunderbolts*” Clip Showcases Marvel’s First Villain-Centered Film
The vibe of director Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* (more on that asterisk in a second) is very much evident in this brief but potent minute-long clip just released by Marvel Studios. In the clip, we find Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine being encircled and seemingly entrapped by the misfit antiheroes, the Thunderbolts, she assembled for a mission. The formidable triple agent spy, who has practiced the dark arts of her work in Black Widow,
From Barbie to Blasters: What to Know About Ryan Gosling’s Standalone “Star Wars” Film
Ryan Gosling is going from the world of Barbie and Ken to Leia and Kenobi.
With the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo delivering a galaxy’s worth of news, including a new series from Lost co-creator Carlton Cuse and his son, Nick, a veteran of Watchmen and Station Eleven, it would require an interdiction beam (look it up, Star Wars nubes) to pull all the information together.
Dawn of a New DC: Go Behind-the-Scenes of James Gunn’s “Superman”
Did you notice something in the sky on April 18? It wasn’t a bird or a plane, it was, of course, Superman, officially soaring for DC Studios to celebrate his special day. April 18 is Superman Day, in case you were unaware, and to that end, DC Studios gave us a sneak-peak behind-the-scenes of James Gunn’s upcoming Superman, the first feature film to fly out of the gate for the newly unified DC Studios,
Ryan Coogler Does it Again: The Auteur’s Ambitious Epic “Sinners” Wins Box Office Crown
There was a reason why studios were competing to land Ryan Coogler’s ambitious new film, Sinners, when the writer-director and his star, Michael B. Jordan, were shopping the script in Hollywood. Coogler’s earned the respect of audiences across the world, having put out four excellent films in precisely four attempts, beginning with his 2013 breakout film Fruitvale Station and carrying through his subsequent three films,
Director Alex Graves on Keri Russell’s Balletic Excellence in Netflix’s Hit Series “The Diplomat”
Keri Russell plays blunt but brilliant U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler in The Diplomat. She’s often anything but diplomatic in the taut political thriller, loath to dress in fancy clothes or brush her hair, but Kate exhibits invaluable tenacity as she tracks down the perpetrators of a horrendous ship explosion and car bomb attack. The Emmy-nominated Netflix series, which aired its second season last fall, co-stars Rufus Sewell as Kate’s ambitious husband Hal,
Precision and Passion: How Director Amanda Marsalis Choreographed the Chaos of “The Pitt”
There are few careers that could fill an entire season of TV with a single day’s work, but The Pitt proves that the emergency room is a source of endless inspiration. Drama and trauma pump into a Pittsburgh hospital led by attending Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) over fifteen hours.
Medical dramas aren’t new to the screen – in fact, Wyle is well known for his role as Dr. John Carter on ER.
“Dark Winds” Showrunner John Wirth on Building a Peabody-Winning Thriller with Native Voices at its Core
"Dark Winds" follows tribal cops Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they solve crimes on their Navajo Nation turf.
End Game: “Squid Game” Season 3 Trailer Teases Final Reckoning
The official teaser trailer for Squid Game‘s third and final season has arrived, bringing the games to a close with what promises to be the most sadistic season yet. But don’t take our word for it, this was confirmed for us by both the series’ star, Lee Jung-jae, and creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, when we interviewed both of them last month.
Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed back-to-back,
Genesis of Gemstones: Danny McBride and DP Paul Daley Reveal How Bradley Cooper Brought the Unholy Patriarch to Life
The Gemstones Sunday service has come to an end. After four seasons, Danny McBride’s dark comedy following a dysfunctional televangelist family aired its final episode with a glorious blood-soaked banger. But among the chaos, McBride and company focused its scripture on the series’ revolving theme: a family of unconditional love. And it was at the start of the season, we were introduced to the Gemstones’ family origins through a Civil War era epic with 12-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper playing the OG bible preacher.
Take On Me: Ellie & Dina Find Love as Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac Brings New Darkness to “The Last of Us”
Oscar-nominated performer Jeffrey Wright is no stranger to prestigious HBO dramas—he was a central figure in Westworld—yet it was still a fun jolt to see him, at last, enter the picture in the 4th episode of The Last of Us season 2, “Day One.”
In the opening scene, Wright appears as a FEDRA soldier during a flashback to 2018 in Seattle’s quarantine zone, 11 years before the current timeline.
Lost in the Labyrinth: Production Designer Jeremy Hindle on Deepening the Designs in “Severance” Season Two
Season two of Severance managed to do the impossible—it justified the historic wait that fans had endured. It delivered a deeply satisfying mind-bender that answered plenty of season one’s pressing questions while leaving more than enough mystery for season three. In the frighteningly real sci-fi show created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller, the scale of drama, conspiracy, and fear spreads across a range of new environments, much like a disease manufactured by Lumon Industries.
Home Field Advantage: “NCIS: Origins” Showrunners on How Tax Credits Anchored Their Prequel Series in California
Already renewed for a second season, the NCIS franchise spin-off NCIS: Origins has been capturing a new generation of fans. In addition to the 90s set prequel’s heady mix of powerful storytelling, music, and a dynamic young cast, showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal credit a lot of the show’s appeal to the fact that it’s set in and filmed in California.
The CBS show follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell),
No Character Is Safe: How DP Ksenia Sereda Frames “The Last of Us” Season 2’s Heightened Stakes
Sanctuary is fleeting in The Last of Us. With savage grudges and the ever-evolving infected hordes, who seem to be learning tactics through their cordyceps-controlled brains, no one is safe. Here comes your spoiler alert warning—the savagery proved especially true when antihero Joel (Pedro Pascal) was brutally clubbed to death by vengeful Firefly, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). You don’t need to be a member of the undead to do dreadful things in this world.
Emergency Realism: Production Designer Nina Ruscio’s Blueprint for “The Pitt’s” Immersive Medical World
Producer John Wells and creator R. Scott Gemmill took a big swing with The Pitt and hit a home run that would have cleared the 410-foot deep left-center field wall of Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. The riveting series, which has garnered the kind of collective enthusiasm we usually associate with dark comedies set at fancy resorts, is powered by gruesome surgical procedures, arcane medical terminology, and volatile personalities. The high concept: each episode constitutes one hour in an emergency room over the course of a 12-hour shift,
“Wednesday” Season 2 Trailer Finds the Return of Jenna Ortega’s Precocious Psychic
Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams is back in the first trailer for Tim Burton’s Wednesday season 2. Burton’s series returns in two parts, with the first part arriving on Netflix on August 6 and the second part on September 3.
Wednesday’s still trying to master her burgeoning abilities in the psychic realm, while also doing her best to sort out and stop a killing spree and help her parents unpack a mystery that’s been plaguing them since season one.
Not Playing Games: “Squid Game” Star Lee Jung-jae on Gi-hun’s Transformation in Final Seasons
Season 2 of Squid Game revealed protagonist Gi-hun’s desperate transformation from spirited and naïve recruit to traumatized and hardened champion. The iconic wide smile he flashed in his player photo has faded with the knowledge that more lives are on the line. Actor Lee Jung-jae appreciated the new depth his character has developed.
“I was really drawn to that personality of Gi-hun, where he is quite optimistic.
Mysterious “Star Wars” Series in The Works From “Lost” Showrunner Carlton Cuse
Well before Game of Thrones became the kind of appointment television event that captured the world’s interest and had millions of people tuning in simultaneously, Carlton Cuse’s Lost established the blueprint for serialized TV obsession. When Lost premiered in 2004, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse’s massively ambitious series was evident from the movie-like production values, sprawling cast, and evident chutzpah in telling a story that looked and felt big enough for the big screen.
From Saddles to Switchboards: Sound Maestro George Haddad Crafts the Symphony of “1923”
Now in its second season, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel, 1923, turns on the hardships of the historic Dutton clan—wolf intrusions, driving snowstorms, and Ellis Island. In Montana, Cara (Helen Mirren) holds down the ranch while her husband, Jacob (Harrison Ford), wheels and deals to keep Zane (Brian Geraghty) and his mixed-race family together. Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) faces a treacherous journey from Europe to the US, then from Texas to Montana.
Game Changer: “Squid Game” Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on his Audacious Ambitions for Seasons 2 & 3
Squid Game is a provocative experiment not only in strategy and skill, but also in the addictive pursuit of risking it all – even death – for a big win. Ironically, the show’s episodes are equally addictive, and fans demanded more after the innovative first season. Series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk didn’t intend to return to the intense filming schedule, but demand drove him to continue the captivating competition.
Devil Went Down to Georgia: How Erik Oleson Crafted Kevin Bacon’s Undead Demon Hunter in “The Bondsman”
Writer/producer Erik Oleson definitely knows a thing or two about characters chasing personal demons. He was the head writer on The Man in the High Castle, and went on to be showrunner and executive producer for seasons of both Marvel’s Daredevil and Amazon’s Carnival Row. It makes perfect sense, then, for him to take on Amazon’s new horror-comedy series The Bondsman.
In it,
Unreliable Narrators: Liz Garbus on Directing Hulu’s Chilling Adoption Mystery “Good American Family”
Good American Family rolled into living rooms last month like a TV Trojan Horse, appearing at first to be a domestic drama peppered with garden-variety stress. Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo plays super-mom Kristine Barnett, acclaimed author of “The Spark,” about her autistic son who gained early admission to Princeton University thanks to her nurturing ways and the loving support of husband Michael (Mark Duplass). Everything changes when the Indiana couple adopts Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace,
“Daredevil: Born Again’s” Stunt Coordinator & Second Unit Director Philip Silvera on Big City Brawling
At the beginning of Season 1 of the Disney+ revival of the Daredevil storyline, Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel vigilante Matt Murdock/Daredevil is operating more or less as a yuppie. Matt has hung up his superhero suit to keep his heroics to the courthouse, working as a defense attorney and taking on clients pro bono when he believes in their innocence, but they can’t afford him. But with the murder of his friend and colleague,
Forging Feudal Japan: Emmy-Winning Production Designer Helen Jarvis Bringing “Shōgun” to Stunning Life
The ride is nearly complete. Four years ago, Helen Jarvis, who resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, actor Robin Mossley, took on her first project as a production designer on the historical drama Shōgun, set in 1600 feudal Japan. The series went on to become a cultural phenomenon, breaking Emmy records for its intimate character-driven storyline, visual beauty, and moving performances, which gave us the phrases “Why tell a dead man the future,” “Flowers are only flowers because they fall,”
A Greek Tragedy in Thailand: Mike White on “The White Lotus” Season 3 Finale’s Explosive Ending
The deaths (plural) that were meted out during the season 3 finale of The White Lotus delivered yet another bitter final meal for some of our guests in Mike White’s zeitgeist-dominating series. After an eight-day stay in the Thailand-set resort, White’s anthology series drew to a bloody close, taking two of the season’s most beloved characters, Walton Goggins’ searching, soulful, sad Rick, and his delightful, daffy, even more soulful girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
Director Alex Graves on Keri Russell’s Balletic Excellence in Netflix’s Hit Series “The Diplomat”
Keri Russell plays blunt but brilliant U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler in The Diplomat. She’s often anything but diplomatic in the taut political thriller, loath to dress in fancy clothes or brush her hair, but Kate exhibits invaluable tenacity as she tracks down the perpetrators of a horrendous ship explosion and car bomb attack. The Emmy-nominated Netflix series, which aired its second season last fall, co-stars Rufus Sewell as Kate’s ambitious husband Hal,
Precision and Passion: How Director Amanda Marsalis Choreographed the Chaos of “The Pitt”
There are few careers that could fill an entire season of TV with a single day’s work, but The Pitt proves that the emergency room is a source of endless inspiration. Drama and trauma pump into a Pittsburgh hospital led by attending Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) over fifteen hours.
Medical dramas aren’t new to the screen – in fact, Wyle is well known for his role as Dr. John Carter on ER.
“Sinners” Production Designer Hannah Beachler on Conjuring Ryan Coogler’s Supernatural Stunner
Warning: Contains spoilers
Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners, made history with a second-weekend box office tally only six percent lower than its opening weekend. Just past its fourth weekend, it crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. Both audiences and critics adore this Southern Gothic vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as identical twins Smoke and Stack. The pair has just returned to the Mississippi Delta after fighting in World War I and then getting involved with the Chicago mob,
Pinstripes and Blood Spatter: Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter on Making Dark Magic in “Sinners”
Two-time Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter takes us behind the seams of Ryan Coogler's horror masterpiece "Sinners," revealing how she brought the 1930s Mississippi Delta to life while dressing Michael B. Jordan's gangster twins.
“Dark Winds” Showrunner John Wirth on Building a Peabody-Winning Thriller with Native Voices at its Core
"Dark Winds" follows tribal cops Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they solve crimes on their Navajo Nation turf.
Behind Netflix’s “The Four Seasons”: How “30 Rock” Veterans Lang Fisher & Tracey Wigfield Reimagined a Classic With Tina Fey
Adapted from the classic romantic comedy of the same name, Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield‘s The Four Seasons is a contemporary take on a tale as middle-aged as time: the highs and lows of evolving friendships and relationships between friends who have reached the middle innings of life.
The original film was written and directed by Alan Alda and co-starred Alda and Carol Burnett, and it was one of 1981’s biggest box office hits.
Avengers, Assemble the Goonies! How SetJetters Connects Movie Fans to Their Favorite Film & TV Locations
We chat with two of SetJetters co-founders about creating the ultimate travel guide for the cinephile and TV lover.
Genesis of Gemstones: Danny McBride and DP Paul Daley Reveal How Bradley Cooper Brought the Unholy Patriarch to Life
The Gemstones Sunday service has come to an end. After four seasons, Danny McBride’s dark comedy following a dysfunctional televangelist family aired its final episode with a glorious blood-soaked banger. But among the chaos, McBride and company focused its scripture on the series’ revolving theme: a family of unconditional love. And it was at the start of the season, we were introduced to the Gemstones’ family origins through a Civil War era epic with 12-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper playing the OG bible preacher.
Soul Transcendent: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Captured Black Music’s Timeless Continuum in “Sinners”
In part one of our interview with Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the groundbreaking DP discussed how she leveled up to frame Coogler’s soulful supernatural epic by learning to use the largest film format available. Coogler’s ambitions for his vampire thriller, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, were massive. The brothers return to Clarksdale, Mississippi, after serving in World War I and then taking their talents to Chicago,
Lost in the Labyrinth: Production Designer Jeremy Hindle on Deepening the Designs in “Severance” Season Two
Season two of Severance managed to do the impossible—it justified the historic wait that fans had endured. It delivered a deeply satisfying mind-bender that answered plenty of season one’s pressing questions while leaving more than enough mystery for season three. In the frighteningly real sci-fi show created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller, the scale of drama, conspiracy, and fear spreads across a range of new environments, much like a disease manufactured by Lumon Industries.
Home Field Advantage: “NCIS: Origins” Showrunners on How Tax Credits Anchored Their Prequel Series in California
Already renewed for a second season, the NCIS franchise spin-off NCIS: Origins has been capturing a new generation of fans. In addition to the 90s set prequel’s heady mix of powerful storytelling, music, and a dynamic young cast, showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal credit a lot of the show’s appeal to the fact that it’s set in and filmed in California.
The CBS show follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell),
No Character Is Safe: How DP Ksenia Sereda Frames “The Last of Us” Season 2’s Heightened Stakes
Sanctuary is fleeting in The Last of Us. With savage grudges and the ever-evolving infected hordes, who seem to be learning tactics through their cordyceps-controlled brains, no one is safe. Here comes your spoiler alert warning—the savagery proved especially true when antihero Joel (Pedro Pascal) was brutally clubbed to death by vengeful Firefly, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). You don’t need to be a member of the undead to do dreadful things in this world.
Ledgers and Lethal Force: Gavin O’Connor on Directing Ben Affleck in “The Accountant 2”
Almost a decade after they first worked together, the action sequel The Accountant 2 reunites director Gavin O’Connor and star Ben Affleck for a third time. First announced seven years ago, the journey to bring the follow-up to the screen has been challenging, but it’s one the Warrior filmmaker is grateful for.
Set and filmed in Los Angeles, Affleck returns as Christian Wolff, the titular number-crunching hero with a brilliant mind and a talent for solving complex problems,
Emergency Realism: Production Designer Nina Ruscio’s Blueprint for “The Pitt’s” Immersive Medical World
Producer John Wells and creator R. Scott Gemmill took a big swing with The Pitt and hit a home run that would have cleared the 410-foot deep left-center field wall of Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. The riveting series, which has garnered the kind of collective enthusiasm we usually associate with dark comedies set at fancy resorts, is powered by gruesome surgical procedures, arcane medical terminology, and volatile personalities. The high concept: each episode constitutes one hour in an emergency room over the course of a 12-hour shift,
Not Playing Games: “Squid Game” Star Lee Jung-jae on Gi-hun’s Transformation in Final Seasons
Season 2 of Squid Game revealed protagonist Gi-hun’s desperate transformation from spirited and naïve recruit to traumatized and hardened champion. The iconic wide smile he flashed in his player photo has faded with the knowledge that more lives are on the line. Actor Lee Jung-jae appreciated the new depth his character has developed.
“I was really drawn to that personality of Gi-hun, where he is quite optimistic.
From Script to Scream: Stephanie Allain on Producing Blumhouse’s Latest Nightmare, “The Woman in the Yard”
Stephanie Allain is a trailblazing producer. She was the Senior Vice President of Production at Columbia Pictures, where she oversaw films such as Boyz N The Hood and Desperado. From there, she became the President of Henson Pictures and eventually launched her production company, Homegrown Films. Homegrown Films is behind Hustle & Flow, Beyond the Lights, and Exhibiting Forgiveness, a film Allain is deeply proud of.
Devil Went Down to Georgia: How Erik Oleson Crafted Kevin Bacon’s Undead Demon Hunter in “The Bondsman”
Writer/producer Erik Oleson definitely knows a thing or two about characters chasing personal demons. He was the head writer on The Man in the High Castle, and went on to be showrunner and executive producer for seasons of both Marvel’s Daredevil and Amazon’s Carnival Row. It makes perfect sense, then, for him to take on Amazon’s new horror-comedy series The Bondsman.
In it,
Unreliable Narrators: Liz Garbus on Directing Hulu’s Chilling Adoption Mystery “Good American Family”
Good American Family rolled into living rooms last month like a TV Trojan Horse, appearing at first to be a domestic drama peppered with garden-variety stress. Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo plays super-mom Kristine Barnett, acclaimed author of “The Spark,” about her autistic son who gained early admission to Princeton University thanks to her nurturing ways and the loving support of husband Michael (Mark Duplass). Everything changes when the Indiana couple adopts Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace,
“Daredevil: Born Again” DPs Hillary Fyfe Spera & Pedro Gómez Millán on Lensing NYC’s Mean Streets
Daredevil built a fierce fandom when the show first appeared in 2015, introducing Charlie Cox as visually impaired lawyer Matt Murdock, whose alter ego roamed the streets of New York at night as Daredevil, a superhero with heightened senses and lethally honed fighting skills. After nearly a decade, Cox reprises his role in Daredevil: Born Again, and in the first of two already planned seasons, doesn’t disappoint.
With the tagline,
“Daredevil: Born Again’s” Stunt Coordinator & Second Unit Director Philip Silvera on Big City Brawling
At the beginning of Season 1 of the Disney+ revival of the Daredevil storyline, Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel vigilante Matt Murdock/Daredevil is operating more or less as a yuppie. Matt has hung up his superhero suit to keep his heroics to the courthouse, working as a defense attorney and taking on clients pro bono when he believes in their innocence, but they can’t afford him. But with the murder of his friend and colleague,
