“Stranger Things” Hair Designer Sarah Hindsgaul on Wigs, Grit, and Grounding Season 5’s Fantasy
"We went right into the action. The vanity has gone out of these people, even Steve." Sarah Hindsgaul, hair designer since Season 1, on how "Stranger Things" Season 5's grittier tone shaped Nancy, Steve, and the rest of Hawkins' final battle.
Pilou Asbæk on Playing a Morally Compromised Cop in Prime Video’s “Snake Killer”
Pilou Asbæk on playing a deeply compromised cop in Snake Killer: "He isn't meant to be a role model—he's meant to be a reflection of how people justify their actions when systems start to fail." We go inside Prime Video's first Danish scripted original series.
Editor Kirk Baxter on Syncing Three POVs Down to the Second in “A House of Dynamite” — Part 2
How do you edit the same 20-minute countdown three times without it feeling repetitive? Oscar winner Kirk Baxter breaks down the sound, pacing, and POV choices that made "A House of Dynamite" unbearably tense.
“A House of Dynamite” Editor Kirk Baxter on Sculpting Kathryn Bigelow’s Cinéma Vérité Nuclear Thriller
Editor Kirk Baxter on maintaining tension in Kathryn Bigelow's "A House of Dynamite" without exhausting the audience: "The actors slow down when the reality dawns on them, air gets sucked out of the room."
Prime Video Reveals First Look at Sophie Turner in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Tomb Raider” Series
The ultimate artifact hunter not named Indiana Jones is back, and this time, she’s going to be on your TV. Prime Video has released the first look at Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, the redoubtable adventurer who first appeared in the iconic video game franchise and was later portrayed by Angelina Jolie in two films. The series is currently in production, and comes from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge,
Co-Writer Emily Mortimer on Balancing Agony and Hilarity in Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly”
"Jay Kelly" co-writer Emily Mortimer shares how months of conversation became a script about aging, regret, and finding one friend who matters.
“No Other Choice” Writer/Director Park Chan-wook on His Killer Instinct
Park Chan-wook spent 15 years adapting Donald Westlake's "The Ax" into "No Other Choice"—a darkly comic thriller about a fired executive who chooses vengeance as his next career move.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” Production Designer Stefania Cella on Her New Jersey Dream Tour
Bruce Springsteen's legacy is inseparable from New Jersey—so "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" filmed across 14 NJ municipalities, spending $42M over 31 days. Production designer Stefania Cella sourced a vintage carousel, recreated the Stone Pony, and got access to Bruce's vault.
How “Predator: Badlands” Director Dan Trachtenberg Embraced Fear For His Franchise-Best Vision
"Predator: Badlands" director Dan Trachtenberg on embracing his fear & making the franchise's highest-grossing film.
The Wakandans Meet The Fantastic Four in New “Avengers: Doomsday” Teaser
Shuri (Letitia Wright) is ready to rumble in the new teaser for the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday. Considering all that Shuri lost the last time we saw her (in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), it makes sense that this teaser opens on a somber note. Her brother, T’Challa (the late, great Chadwick Boseman), and her mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), are both gone. In the teaser, we see not only her and her formidable fellow Wakandan,
“Song Sung Blue” Writer/Director Craig Brewer on Touring Kate Hudson & Hugh Jackman Through America’s Heartland
Song Sung Blue is a story of working-class America, made by working-class America. Writer/director Craig Brewer, best known for helming Hustle & Flow and Dolemite Is My Name, even carried that through to the film’s innovative marketing, taking it on a tour of middle America.
The biographical musical drama, based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name, stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina,
Producer Vanridee Pongsittisak on Driving Thai Film & TV’s Global Breakthrough
The past few years have marked a period of remarkable momentum for Thai producer Vanridee Pongsittisak.
While the foundations of her career were built over more than a decade, supported by the Bangkok-based GTH and GDH 559 studios, Vanridee has recently led the charge as Thai filmmakers expand their international horizons.
Most visibly, this mission has played out in real time through the runaway success of the Pat Boonnitipat-directed comedy-drama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.
The Architect of the Upside Down: Inside “Stranger Things” Production Designer Chris Trujillo’s Epic Season 5 Builds
We’ve come a long way from a group of boys playing Dungeons & Dragons in a basement, and their chance encounter with a shy girl with massive powers shivering in the rain. With Season 5, Matt and Ross Duffer’s Stranger Things came to a close, but not without leaving audiences emotionally spent and deeply satisfied. The production of the closing chapter was wildly ambitious. The first table read took place in December 2023 under the codename “Cedar Lodge,” before shooting for 237 days,
Golden Globes: One More Big Night for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the Golden Globes—winning Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor
How Costume Designer Deborah L. Scott Dressed the Wind Traders and Ash People for “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Four decades ago, Deborah L. Scott was on a plane to the middle of nowhere, Alaska, to design costumes for Carroll Ballard’s Never Cry Wolf (1983). The decision changed her career.
“As scared as I was, as ridiculous and unprepared as I probably looked, it was a good idea,” she shares with The Credits. “It’s ok to be unprepared, and stepping out of your comfort zone is good as an artist.” The project introduced her to Steven Spielberg and opened the door to E.T.
“Wicked: For Good” Choreographer Christopher Scott on Conjuring Magical Moves With Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
Choreographer Christopher Scott reveals why Cynthia Erivo told him to "go hard," and how Bob Fosse inspired Glinda's showstopping intro.
How Simon Franglen Brought Punk Energy and Mongolian Instruments to “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
The audible experience of an Avatar film is as ambitious as the groundbreaking visuals. With both familiar and otherworldly cues, composer Simon Franglen develops textured cues and themes that draw audiences into the story. Together with the sound effects, Franglen, his orchestra, and collaborators deliver another transportive score in James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash.
As vast as the world of Pandora is, the experience for Franglen scoring these mammoth spectacles is counterintuitively intimate.
Shaken & Stirred: “The Testament of Ann Lee” DP William Rexer on Capturing Amanda Seyfried’s Fearless Performance
Intimate and uninhibited, director Mona Fastvold’s (co-writer, executive producer, and 2nd unit director of The Brutalist) The Testament of Ann Lee is a devoted biopic about the unusual founder of the Shaker movement, Mother Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried). Considered a representative of God, Lee guided her offshoot of the Quakers into existence during a period of English Evangelical revival, but the group’s unrestrained dancing, curtailed sexual relations, and encouragement of gender equality were unique even within the broader religious resurgence.
Netflix Unveils 2026 Slate Includes “Beef” Season 2, Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia,” Charlize Theron-led “Apex”
Netflix has unveiled its 2026 film slate, including a peek at one of the streamer’s homegrown superstars, Millie Bobby Brown, first post-Stranger Things project, the third installment of the series Enola Holmes.
Also featured in the four-minute-plus look at their 2026 slate is the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon-led film The Rip, in which Affleck and Damon play two Miami police officers who lead the squad that works “the dope game,” which includes seizing money.
“Marty Supreme” Composer Daniel Lopatin on Blending Synths & Orchestra for Timothée Chalamet’s Ultra Ambitious Striver
Oscar-shortlisted composer Daniel Lopatin earned a reputation amongst electronic music fans for his steady stream of experimental solo albums recorded under the name OneOhTrix Point Never. But it’s Lopatin’s pulsating score for Marty Supreme that will surely expose his synth-driven compositions to a broader audience.
Filmed in New York City and set in 1952, writer-director Josh Safdie’s fact-based movie stars Timothée Chalamet as ping-pong hustler Marty Mauser,
Editor Kirk Baxter on Syncing Three POVs Down to the Second in “A House of Dynamite” — Part 2
How do you edit the same 20-minute countdown three times without it feeling repetitive? Oscar winner Kirk Baxter breaks down the sound, pacing, and POV choices that made "A House of Dynamite" unbearably tense.
“A House of Dynamite” Editor Kirk Baxter on Sculpting Kathryn Bigelow’s Cinéma Vérité Nuclear Thriller
Editor Kirk Baxter on maintaining tension in Kathryn Bigelow's "A House of Dynamite" without exhausting the audience: "The actors slow down when the reality dawns on them, air gets sucked out of the room."
Co-Writer Emily Mortimer on Balancing Agony and Hilarity in Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly”
"Jay Kelly" co-writer Emily Mortimer shares how months of conversation became a script about aging, regret, and finding one friend who matters.
“No Other Choice” Writer/Director Park Chan-wook on His Killer Instinct
Park Chan-wook spent 15 years adapting Donald Westlake's "The Ax" into "No Other Choice"—a darkly comic thriller about a fired executive who chooses vengeance as his next career move.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” Production Designer Stefania Cella on Her New Jersey Dream Tour
Bruce Springsteen's legacy is inseparable from New Jersey—so "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" filmed across 14 NJ municipalities, spending $42M over 31 days. Production designer Stefania Cella sourced a vintage carousel, recreated the Stone Pony, and got access to Bruce's vault.
How “Predator: Badlands” Director Dan Trachtenberg Embraced Fear For His Franchise-Best Vision
"Predator: Badlands" director Dan Trachtenberg on embracing his fear & making the franchise's highest-grossing film.
The Wakandans Meet The Fantastic Four in New “Avengers: Doomsday” Teaser
Shuri (Letitia Wright) is ready to rumble in the new teaser for the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday. Considering all that Shuri lost the last time we saw her (in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), it makes sense that this teaser opens on a somber note. Her brother, T’Challa (the late, great Chadwick Boseman), and her mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), are both gone. In the teaser, we see not only her and her formidable fellow Wakandan,
“Song Sung Blue” Writer/Director Craig Brewer on Touring Kate Hudson & Hugh Jackman Through America’s Heartland
Song Sung Blue is a story of working-class America, made by working-class America. Writer/director Craig Brewer, best known for helming Hustle & Flow and Dolemite Is My Name, even carried that through to the film’s innovative marketing, taking it on a tour of middle America.
The biographical musical drama, based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name, stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina,
Producer Vanridee Pongsittisak on Driving Thai Film & TV’s Global Breakthrough
The past few years have marked a period of remarkable momentum for Thai producer Vanridee Pongsittisak.
While the foundations of her career were built over more than a decade, supported by the Bangkok-based GTH and GDH 559 studios, Vanridee has recently led the charge as Thai filmmakers expand their international horizons.
Most visibly, this mission has played out in real time through the runaway success of the Pat Boonnitipat-directed comedy-drama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.
Golden Globes: One More Big Night for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the Golden Globes—winning Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor
How Costume Designer Deborah L. Scott Dressed the Wind Traders and Ash People for “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Four decades ago, Deborah L. Scott was on a plane to the middle of nowhere, Alaska, to design costumes for Carroll Ballard’s Never Cry Wolf (1983). The decision changed her career.
“As scared as I was, as ridiculous and unprepared as I probably looked, it was a good idea,” she shares with The Credits. “It’s ok to be unprepared, and stepping out of your comfort zone is good as an artist.” The project introduced her to Steven Spielberg and opened the door to E.T.
“Wicked: For Good” Choreographer Christopher Scott on Conjuring Magical Moves With Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
Choreographer Christopher Scott reveals why Cynthia Erivo told him to "go hard," and how Bob Fosse inspired Glinda's showstopping intro.
How Simon Franglen Brought Punk Energy and Mongolian Instruments to “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
The audible experience of an Avatar film is as ambitious as the groundbreaking visuals. With both familiar and otherworldly cues, composer Simon Franglen develops textured cues and themes that draw audiences into the story. Together with the sound effects, Franglen, his orchestra, and collaborators deliver another transportive score in James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash.
As vast as the world of Pandora is, the experience for Franglen scoring these mammoth spectacles is counterintuitively intimate.
Shaken & Stirred: “The Testament of Ann Lee” DP William Rexer on Capturing Amanda Seyfried’s Fearless Performance
Intimate and uninhibited, director Mona Fastvold’s (co-writer, executive producer, and 2nd unit director of The Brutalist) The Testament of Ann Lee is a devoted biopic about the unusual founder of the Shaker movement, Mother Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried). Considered a representative of God, Lee guided her offshoot of the Quakers into existence during a period of English Evangelical revival, but the group’s unrestrained dancing, curtailed sexual relations, and encouragement of gender equality were unique even within the broader religious resurgence.
Netflix Unveils 2026 Slate Includes “Beef” Season 2, Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia,” Charlize Theron-led “Apex”
Netflix has unveiled its 2026 film slate, including a peek at one of the streamer’s homegrown superstars, Millie Bobby Brown, first post-Stranger Things project, the third installment of the series Enola Holmes.
Also featured in the four-minute-plus look at their 2026 slate is the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon-led film The Rip, in which Affleck and Damon play two Miami police officers who lead the squad that works “the dope game,” which includes seizing money.
“Marty Supreme” Composer Daniel Lopatin on Blending Synths & Orchestra for Timothée Chalamet’s Ultra Ambitious Striver
Oscar-shortlisted composer Daniel Lopatin earned a reputation amongst electronic music fans for his steady stream of experimental solo albums recorded under the name OneOhTrix Point Never. But it’s Lopatin’s pulsating score for Marty Supreme that will surely expose his synth-driven compositions to a broader audience.
Filmed in New York City and set in 1952, writer-director Josh Safdie’s fact-based movie stars Timothée Chalamet as ping-pong hustler Marty Mauser,
Sebastian Stan in Talks to Join Robert Pattinson & Scarlett Johansson in “The Batman: Part II”
Sebastian Stan has had a long, fruitful run in the MCU playing Bucky Barnes, also known by his unbeatable antihero-turned-superhero title, the Winter Soldier. Now Stan may be joining fellow MCU alum Scarlett Johansson to deploy to Gotham City in Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II.
Considering Stan’s played a villain (of sorts) in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as the brainwashed super-soldier in the second half of the title and the noble defender of justice as the heroic,
“They Will Kill You” Trailer: Zazie Beetz Has an Axe to Grind in Kirill Sokolov’s Horror-Comedy
We open on a stormy New York night in the first trailer for writer/director Kirill Sokolov’s They Will Kill You, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema’s upcoming horror-comedy produced by, among others, It filmmaker Andy Muschietti. We quickly proceed inside the Virgil Building, which is “one of the most exclusive buildings in Manhattan,” we’re told. And who’s doing the telling? The always-excellent Patricia Arquette, who welcomes a stranger to her door,
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Scene-Stealer Oona Chaplin on Creating the Captivating, Vengeful Varang
If ever there was an actor more perfectly aligned with the ethos of James Cameron and the world of Pandora, it’s Oona Chaplin. Chaplin’s first conversation with Cameron revolved around biodynamic and organic farming. She is an activist and environmentalist whose humanitarian efforts span from Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, and beyond. She’s volunteered in refugee camps and supported film education for Saharawi refugees through the FiSahara Festival.
“Wake Up Dead Man” Costume Designer Jenny Eagan on Priestly Fashion and Daniel Craig’s ’70s-Inspired Suits
For her third collaboration with writer-director Rian Johnson on his Knives Out Mystery franchise, costume designer Jenny Eagan recalibrated her color palette to suit Wake Up Dead Man‘s darker tone. Daniel Craig, of course, returns as detective Benoit Blanc, but the new installment co-stars Josh O’Connor and Josh Brolin as small-town priests. Rounding out the cast of killers, victims, and innocent bystanders are Glenn Close,
“Stranger Things” Hair Designer Sarah Hindsgaul on Wigs, Grit, and Grounding Season 5’s Fantasy
"We went right into the action. The vanity has gone out of these people, even Steve." Sarah Hindsgaul, hair designer since Season 1, on how "Stranger Things" Season 5's grittier tone shaped Nancy, Steve, and the rest of Hawkins' final battle.
Pilou Asbæk on Playing a Morally Compromised Cop in Prime Video’s “Snake Killer”
Pilou Asbæk on playing a deeply compromised cop in Snake Killer: "He isn't meant to be a role model—he's meant to be a reflection of how people justify their actions when systems start to fail." We go inside Prime Video's first Danish scripted original series.
Prime Video Reveals First Look at Sophie Turner in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Tomb Raider” Series
The ultimate artifact hunter not named Indiana Jones is back, and this time, she’s going to be on your TV. Prime Video has released the first look at Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, the redoubtable adventurer who first appeared in the iconic video game franchise and was later portrayed by Angelina Jolie in two films. The series is currently in production, and comes from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge,
The Architect of the Upside Down: Inside “Stranger Things” Production Designer Chris Trujillo’s Epic Season 5 Builds
We’ve come a long way from a group of boys playing Dungeons & Dragons in a basement, and their chance encounter with a shy girl with massive powers shivering in the rain. With Season 5, Matt and Ross Duffer’s Stranger Things came to a close, but not without leaving audiences emotionally spent and deeply satisfied. The production of the closing chapter was wildly ambitious. The first table read took place in December 2023 under the codename “Cedar Lodge,” before shooting for 237 days,
Golden Globes: One More Big Night for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the Golden Globes—winning Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor
Netflix Unveils 2026 Slate Includes “Beef” Season 2, Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia,” Charlize Theron-led “Apex”
Netflix has unveiled its 2026 film slate, including a peek at one of the streamer’s homegrown superstars, Millie Bobby Brown, first post-Stranger Things project, the third installment of the series Enola Holmes.
Also featured in the four-minute-plus look at their 2026 slate is the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon-led film The Rip, in which Affleck and Damon play two Miami police officers who lead the squad that works “the dope game,” which includes seizing money.
Inside “Stranger Things” Season 5: DP Caleb Heymann on Will’s Visions, Vecna’s Mind-Maze, & Demogorgon Drones
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things may take place over the course of a few November days, but the Duffer Brothers’ ever-ambitious epic took almost a year to shoot. Volume 1, the season’s first four episodes, saw Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) putting her powers to work in the Upside Down, Will (Noah Schnapp) telepathically connecting with demogorgons, and the youngest Wheeler sibling, Holly (Tinsley Price), taken prisoner by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower),
Critics Choice Awards: “One Battle After Another” Wins Best Picture, “Sinners” & “Frankenstein” Nab 4 Awards
A few battles have already been won for writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Anderson’s thrilling One Battle After Another was named best picture at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night, and Anderson took home the best director trophy. One Battle’s wins come a little less than a month after Anderson’s epic led the pack for Golden Globe nominations, with nine, including for best picture,
Best of 2025: “Part Debate Club and Part Therapy”: Inside “The Pitt” Writers’ Room With Cynthia Adarkwa & Valerie Chu
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
HBO’s The Pitt emerged as one of television’s most gripping medical dramas in years by doing something deceptively simple yet extraordinarily difficult: following a single, brutal 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room in real time. What made the series so compelling wasn’t just its relentless intensity or unflinching medical realism (the “floating face”
Best of 2025: “Alien: Earth” Cinematographer and Director Dana Gonzalez on Bringing Cinema’s Most Iconic Monster to TV
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
On Earth, everyone can hear you scream. No apologies for the dreadful play on the classic logline for Alien, which continues to reach new, strange heights in FX’s Alien: Earth, created by Fargo‘s Noah Hawley.
“Murderbot” Star Alexander Skarsgård Reveals How He Brought the Awkward Android to Life
Even though Alexander Skarsgård (Emmy winner for his nuanced and chilling performance in the HBO series Big Little Lies) is better known for his intense, dramatic roles—Robert Eggers’ 2022 Viking epic The Northman comes to mind—he has always been drawn to comedy. “My first job in Sweden and in Hollywood were both comedies,” the Swedish actor recalled, referring to his American debut in 2001’s wacky satirical comedy,
Melting Ice: How “Heated Rivalry” Became the Year’s Hottest Sports Romance
Based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling book series, "Heated Rivalry" has become one of the hottest sports dramas of the year.
“You Die, I Die”: “Stranger Things” Unleashes Dark New Trailer As Our Heroes Prepare to Risk Everything
The vibes are not awesome in the opening moments of the new trailer for Stranger Things‘ 5th and final season 5, volume 2, to be precise. Will (Noah Schnapp) says it as plainly as possible: “We failed. We never stood a chance.” His indefatigable mom, Joyce (Winona Ryder) won’t hear of it—this is not over, she promises her Upside Down-weary son, possibly the one person from Hawkins, Indiana,
Golden Globes: Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” Leads With 9 Nominations
Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" leads the pack with nine Golden Globe nominations, followed by Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" and Ryan Coogler's "Sinners."
Runtime & Theater Locations Revealed for Massive “Stranger Things” Series Finale
With Vol. 1 of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things now streaming on Netflix, the big finish, the epic finale, is within grasp—and now we know just how epic it will be, and where you can see it on the big screen.
Fans will, of course, be able to enjoy the series finale in the comfort of their homes, but for those who want to take in the Duffer Brothers’
How “Stranger Things” Revived the 1980s: From Eggo Waffles to Kate Bush
Most people who lived through the 80s remember the big hair, questionable neon fashion, and analog inconveniences with a mix of fondness and maybe some regret. And yet, somehow, Stranger Things has convinced Gen Z that physical media is cool and mullets should make a comeback. Fashion quickly followed, with people searching for vintage denim jackets and other 80s-inspired clothes.
What started as a supernatural adventure set in 1983 has grown into a cultural force that does far more than reference nostalgia.
The Boy Who Survived: Will Byers’ Journey to the “Stranger Things” Finale
Since returning from the Upside Down in the first season, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has never truly been the same. Haunted by possession, sensing the hive mind and the lingering presence of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Will moves through Hawkins with the weight of an entire other world on his shoulders. Some fans believe that Vecna was the force that first pulled Will into the darkness, setting everything in motion.
“Stranger Things” Season 4 Recap: Getting Upside Down From Eddie’s Guitar Solo to Vecna’s Revenge
We took you through the first three seasons of all the supernatural doings in Hawkins, Indiana. It’s not often that a show surges to its peak level of popularity in the fourth season, but that’s precisely what happened with the Duffer Brothers’ juggernaut series. Stranger Things season 4 broke records and the internet. In June 2022, The Credits wrote that season 4 “smashed the record for the best premiere for an English-language series,
“Stranger Things” Seasons 1-3 Summary: What You Need to Know Ahead of Season 5
You may have watched all 35 hours of Stranger Things seasons 1-4, but with those releases spread across the past decade, many viewers are in need of a recap. Season 5 is set to be even more jam-packed and arrives at the speed of a scampering demogorgon on November 26. Volume 1 consists of the first four episodes and runs 4 hours and 31 minutes. Run times for Volume 2, which streams on Netflix on Christmas Day and consists of three episodes and the finale.
“Stranger Things” Unleashes Kinetic Final Trailer for Season 5, Vol. 1
The final trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (volume 1) has arrived, revealing our fearless Hawkins’ heroes have a plan to take the battle to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and end his reign of terror once and for all. “I want to see Vecna’s heart on a platter,” says the always game Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and his comrades agree.
The new trailer isn’t nearly as long as the bombastic,
“Stranger Things” Hair Designer Sarah Hindsgaul on Wigs, Grit, and Grounding Season 5’s Fantasy
"We went right into the action. The vanity has gone out of these people, even Steve." Sarah Hindsgaul, hair designer since Season 1, on how "Stranger Things" Season 5's grittier tone shaped Nancy, Steve, and the rest of Hawkins' final battle.
Pilou Asbæk on Playing a Morally Compromised Cop in Prime Video’s “Snake Killer”
Pilou Asbæk on playing a deeply compromised cop in Snake Killer: "He isn't meant to be a role model—he's meant to be a reflection of how people justify their actions when systems start to fail." We go inside Prime Video's first Danish scripted original series.
Editor Kirk Baxter on Syncing Three POVs Down to the Second in “A House of Dynamite” — Part 2
How do you edit the same 20-minute countdown three times without it feeling repetitive? Oscar winner Kirk Baxter breaks down the sound, pacing, and POV choices that made "A House of Dynamite" unbearably tense.
“A House of Dynamite” Editor Kirk Baxter on Sculpting Kathryn Bigelow’s Cinéma Vérité Nuclear Thriller
Editor Kirk Baxter on maintaining tension in Kathryn Bigelow's "A House of Dynamite" without exhausting the audience: "The actors slow down when the reality dawns on them, air gets sucked out of the room."
Co-Writer Emily Mortimer on Balancing Agony and Hilarity in Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly”
"Jay Kelly" co-writer Emily Mortimer shares how months of conversation became a script about aging, regret, and finding one friend who matters.
“No Other Choice” Writer/Director Park Chan-wook on His Killer Instinct
Park Chan-wook spent 15 years adapting Donald Westlake's "The Ax" into "No Other Choice"—a darkly comic thriller about a fired executive who chooses vengeance as his next career move.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” Production Designer Stefania Cella on Her New Jersey Dream Tour
Bruce Springsteen's legacy is inseparable from New Jersey—so "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" filmed across 14 NJ municipalities, spending $42M over 31 days. Production designer Stefania Cella sourced a vintage carousel, recreated the Stone Pony, and got access to Bruce's vault.
How “Predator: Badlands” Director Dan Trachtenberg Embraced Fear For His Franchise-Best Vision
"Predator: Badlands" director Dan Trachtenberg on embracing his fear & making the franchise's highest-grossing film.
“Song Sung Blue” Writer/Director Craig Brewer on Touring Kate Hudson & Hugh Jackman Through America’s Heartland
Song Sung Blue is a story of working-class America, made by working-class America. Writer/director Craig Brewer, best known for helming Hustle & Flow and Dolemite Is My Name, even carried that through to the film’s innovative marketing, taking it on a tour of middle America.
The biographical musical drama, based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name, stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina,
Producer Vanridee Pongsittisak on Driving Thai Film & TV’s Global Breakthrough
The past few years have marked a period of remarkable momentum for Thai producer Vanridee Pongsittisak.
While the foundations of her career were built over more than a decade, supported by the Bangkok-based GTH and GDH 559 studios, Vanridee has recently led the charge as Thai filmmakers expand their international horizons.
Most visibly, this mission has played out in real time through the runaway success of the Pat Boonnitipat-directed comedy-drama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.
The Architect of the Upside Down: Inside “Stranger Things” Production Designer Chris Trujillo’s Epic Season 5 Builds
We’ve come a long way from a group of boys playing Dungeons & Dragons in a basement, and their chance encounter with a shy girl with massive powers shivering in the rain. With Season 5, Matt and Ross Duffer’s Stranger Things came to a close, but not without leaving audiences emotionally spent and deeply satisfied. The production of the closing chapter was wildly ambitious. The first table read took place in December 2023 under the codename “Cedar Lodge,” before shooting for 237 days,
How Costume Designer Deborah L. Scott Dressed the Wind Traders and Ash People for “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Four decades ago, Deborah L. Scott was on a plane to the middle of nowhere, Alaska, to design costumes for Carroll Ballard’s Never Cry Wolf (1983). The decision changed her career.
“As scared as I was, as ridiculous and unprepared as I probably looked, it was a good idea,” she shares with The Credits. “It’s ok to be unprepared, and stepping out of your comfort zone is good as an artist.” The project introduced her to Steven Spielberg and opened the door to E.T.
“Wicked: For Good” Choreographer Christopher Scott on Conjuring Magical Moves With Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
Choreographer Christopher Scott reveals why Cynthia Erivo told him to "go hard," and how Bob Fosse inspired Glinda's showstopping intro.
How Simon Franglen Brought Punk Energy and Mongolian Instruments to “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
The audible experience of an Avatar film is as ambitious as the groundbreaking visuals. With both familiar and otherworldly cues, composer Simon Franglen develops textured cues and themes that draw audiences into the story. Together with the sound effects, Franglen, his orchestra, and collaborators deliver another transportive score in James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash.
As vast as the world of Pandora is, the experience for Franglen scoring these mammoth spectacles is counterintuitively intimate.
Shaken & Stirred: “The Testament of Ann Lee” DP William Rexer on Capturing Amanda Seyfried’s Fearless Performance
Intimate and uninhibited, director Mona Fastvold’s (co-writer, executive producer, and 2nd unit director of The Brutalist) The Testament of Ann Lee is a devoted biopic about the unusual founder of the Shaker movement, Mother Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried). Considered a representative of God, Lee guided her offshoot of the Quakers into existence during a period of English Evangelical revival, but the group’s unrestrained dancing, curtailed sexual relations, and encouragement of gender equality were unique even within the broader religious resurgence.
“Marty Supreme” Composer Daniel Lopatin on Blending Synths & Orchestra for Timothée Chalamet’s Ultra Ambitious Striver
Oscar-shortlisted composer Daniel Lopatin earned a reputation amongst electronic music fans for his steady stream of experimental solo albums recorded under the name OneOhTrix Point Never. But it’s Lopatin’s pulsating score for Marty Supreme that will surely expose his synth-driven compositions to a broader audience.
Filmed in New York City and set in 1952, writer-director Josh Safdie’s fact-based movie stars Timothée Chalamet as ping-pong hustler Marty Mauser,
Inside “Stranger Things” Season 5: DP Caleb Heymann on Will’s Visions, Vecna’s Mind-Maze, & Demogorgon Drones
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things may take place over the course of a few November days, but the Duffer Brothers’ ever-ambitious epic took almost a year to shoot. Volume 1, the season’s first four episodes, saw Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) putting her powers to work in the Upside Down, Will (Noah Schnapp) telepathically connecting with demogorgons, and the youngest Wheeler sibling, Holly (Tinsley Price), taken prisoner by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower),
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Scene-Stealer Oona Chaplin on Creating the Captivating, Vengeful Varang
If ever there was an actor more perfectly aligned with the ethos of James Cameron and the world of Pandora, it’s Oona Chaplin. Chaplin’s first conversation with Cameron revolved around biodynamic and organic farming. She is an activist and environmentalist whose humanitarian efforts span from Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, and beyond. She’s volunteered in refugee camps and supported film education for Saharawi refugees through the FiSahara Festival.
“Wake Up Dead Man” Costume Designer Jenny Eagan on Priestly Fashion and Daniel Craig’s ’70s-Inspired Suits
For her third collaboration with writer-director Rian Johnson on his Knives Out Mystery franchise, costume designer Jenny Eagan recalibrated her color palette to suit Wake Up Dead Man‘s darker tone. Daniel Craig, of course, returns as detective Benoit Blanc, but the new installment co-stars Josh O’Connor and Josh Brolin as small-town priests. Rounding out the cast of killers, victims, and innocent bystanders are Glenn Close,
Inside & Upside Down on “Wicked: For Good”: Production Designer Nathan Crowley on His Anti-Gravity Architecture
In order for production designer Nathan Crowley to be able to realize his vision for director Jon M. Chu’s Wicked films, he needed to assemble a crack team of artisans he has relied on for decades. Combining age-old skills and techniques with organic materials foraged from forests, seeing locations as sculptures that needed to evolve with the filmmaking and storytelling process.
Wicked: For Good focuses on the maelstrom surrounding Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba,
“Sinners” Makes Oscars History as Full 2026 Nominations Are Announced
The 2026 Oscar nominations are here! Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" leads with 16 noms, making history in the process.
How Weta FX Brought the Villainous Ash People to Life in James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Weta FX brought James Cameron's terrifying Ash People to life in #AvatarFireAndAsh—from Varang's war paint to the Nightwraith creature design. VFX supervisors Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett break it down.
“Song Sung Blue” Writer/Director Craig Brewer on Touring Kate Hudson & Hugh Jackman Through America’s Heartland
Song Sung Blue is a story of working-class America, made by working-class America. Writer/director Craig Brewer, best known for helming Hustle & Flow and Dolemite Is My Name, even carried that through to the film’s innovative marketing, taking it on a tour of middle America.
The biographical musical drama, based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name, stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina,
How Costume Designer Deborah L. Scott Dressed the Wind Traders and Ash People for “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Four decades ago, Deborah L. Scott was on a plane to the middle of nowhere, Alaska, to design costumes for Carroll Ballard’s Never Cry Wolf (1983). The decision changed her career.
“As scared as I was, as ridiculous and unprepared as I probably looked, it was a good idea,” she shares with The Credits. “It’s ok to be unprepared, and stepping out of your comfort zone is good as an artist.” The project introduced her to Steven Spielberg and opened the door to E.T.
“Marty Supreme” Composer Daniel Lopatin on Blending Synths & Orchestra for Timothée Chalamet’s Ultra Ambitious Striver
Oscar-shortlisted composer Daniel Lopatin earned a reputation amongst electronic music fans for his steady stream of experimental solo albums recorded under the name OneOhTrix Point Never. But it’s Lopatin’s pulsating score for Marty Supreme that will surely expose his synth-driven compositions to a broader audience.
Filmed in New York City and set in 1952, writer-director Josh Safdie’s fact-based movie stars Timothée Chalamet as ping-pong hustler Marty Mauser,
Best of 2025: How DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Captured Black Music’s Timeless Continuum in “Sinners”
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
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,
Best of 2025: “Sinners” Writer/Director Ryan Coogler on Channeling Louisiana’s Creative Rhythm Into His Period Monsterpiece
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
Sinners, written, produced, and directed by Ryan Coogler, is hands down one of the year’s biggest cinematic successes. Coogler’s passion project found the filmmaker at the peak of his powers, and fans already primed to see anything from the still young visionary were ready to go once Sinners bowed.
Best of 2025: “One Battle After Another” Production Designer Florencia Martin on Building PTA’s Three-Hour Action Thriller from the Ground Up
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s action thriller One Battle After Another is loosely inspired by a section of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” but this three-hour epic is rooted in the present, a contemporary vision of a heightened clash between far-left and far-right,
Best of 2025: Inside the Breakneck Cut of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” With Editor Andy Jurgensen
It’s that time of year again—when we slow down, look back (overeat), and celebrate our favorite conversations from another surprising, often wonderful, and occasionally wild year in cinema and TV.
The best-reviewed movie of the season is also the most relentless. Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Oscar front-runner One Battle After Another races through its two-hour fifty-minute run time propelled by adrenalized performances from Leonardo DiCaprio,
Filming “F1: The Movie”: Stunt Coordinator Gary Powell on Brad Pitt’s Wild Ride From Abu Dhabi to Spa
In the first part of our conversation with stunt coordinator and second unit director Gary Powell, he talked about director Joseph Kosinski’s ambitious vision for Apple’s highest-grossing theatrical release to date, F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt (Sonny Hayes) and Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce). The film received unprecedented access to the Formula One organization and was filmed during the 2023 and 2024 seasons at several Grand Prix events,
“Sentimental Value” Production Designer Jørgen Stangebye Larsen on Joachim Trier’s Tender Family Drama
Winner of this year’s Grand Prix prize at Cannes, Joachim Trier’s tender family drama, Sentimental Value (original title: Affeksjonsverdi), is co-written with Eskil Vogt and stars Renate Reinsve (Presumed Innocent); the trio previously collaborated on 2021’s critical darling, The Worst Person in the World, which was nominated for two Oscars, Best Original Screenplay for Vogt and Trier, and Best International Feature. Trier’s latest explores themes of grief,
“Hamnet” Composer Max Richter on the Song That Gave Director Chloé Zhao an Epiphany to Rewrite the Film’s Ending
The bard and his muses live again. Director Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, the film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning 2020 historical novel, is enrapturing audiences in theaters now. Zhao both co-wrote the screenplay with O’Farrell and co-edited the film, which follows the passionate but complicated relationship between a young scribe named William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his incandescent wife, Agnes (a phenomenal Jessie Buckley). It is a story loosely based on what is known of Shakespeare’s life.
“Sinners” Writer/Director Ryan Coogler on Channeling Louisiana’s Creative Rhythm Into His Period Monsterpiece
Sinners, written, produced, and directed by Ryan Coogler, is hands down one of the year’s biggest cinematic successes. Coogler’s passion project found the filmmaker at the peak of his powers, and fans already primed to see anything from the still young visionary were ready to go once Sinners bowed. Yet it wasn’t just Coogler fans who flocked to the theaters—critical raves and word of mouth turned Coogler’s original period vampire epic into an early-year smash.
“Hamnet” Costume Designer Malgosia Turzanska Reveals How Leather Wounds and Clay Tell Shakespeare’s Story
Chloé Zhao’s period drama Hamnet follows a spirited young couple in 16th-century England — the earthy, radiant Agnes (a superb Jessie Buckley) and her besotted, occasionally brooding husband Will (an also excellent Paul Mescal), who channels his own formidable gifts onto the page (and becomes, of course, the Bard). Their love is tested in the most extreme ways, as Will’s career aspirations and the death of their young son, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe),
“Train Dreams”: Behind the Majestic Visuals of Joel Edgerton’s Pacific Northwest Epic
The Train Dreams (now in theaters; streaming on Netflix, November 21) story ends in 1968, but the film about the fictitious logger and railroad worker Robert Grainier chimes with contemporary echoes. Grainier, played by Joel Edgerton, sees a Chinese immigrant being wrestled to the ground by bigots and thrown off a train trestle. He sees a wildfire ravage lives and landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. He helps saw down centuries-old trees in the name of progress.
Bringing Guillermo del Toro’s Creature Into the Light With “Frankenstein” Cinematographer Dan Laustsen
Dan Laustsen likes to make even the most fantastical frame pop with an authentic, organic humanity. The cinematographer extraordinaire and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro wants tangibility, regardless of whether his stories are as slippery and bittersweet as The Shape of Water or as beguiling and deceptive as Nightmare Alley. In the case of Frankenstein, organic is a more-than-fitting approach for the story of men and the monsters within,
How “Frankenstein” Costume Designer Kate Hawley on Dressing Men, Monsters, & Their Mothers
In a film in which a character will never know death, color and life are everywhere. Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a visual feast, yes, but as the director often puts it, it’s all nutritional. A luminous, dreamy red dress from del Toro and costume designer Kate Hawley means more than a pretty image.
The story begins with the mother, Claire Frankenstein (Mia Goth, one of her two roles in the film),
42 Prosthetics, 10-Hour Nights: How Prosthetics Master Mike Hill Turned Jacob Elordi Into the Creature for Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein”
If ever a man were destined to design a new Frankenstein, it would surely be Mike Hill. The British-born prosthetics and makeup artist behind Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein movie (in theaters now, streaming on Netflix starting November 7) remembers finding his calling at the age of five. “I’d walk to the river in the pouring rain with a little pail and a spade and I’d dig up the clay from deep in the riverbank,
Editing in Secrecy: How Amir Etminan Cut Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or Winner “It Was Just an Accident”
“When Mr. Panahi called and invited me to meet him, I didn’t ask any questions because I knew the secrecy and the sensitivity of his projects,” picture editor Amir Etminan tells The Credits through an interpreter. “So I accepted the invitation and went to have a conversation in person.” What followed was a discussion of Iranian writer-director Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, an unflinching portrait of trauma,
“Blue Moon” Screenwriter Robert Kaplow on Capturing the Genius and Tragedy of Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater’s Latest
People still sing, dance, and swoon to “My Funny Valentine,” “Where or Where,” and “Blue Moon.” But mention that those songs were written by Lorenz Hart, and you may get a puzzled “Who?” Luckily for screenwriter Robert Kaplow, whose film Blue Moon stars Ethan Hawke as Hart, at least one crucial person not only knew Lorenz Hart but loved his work.
“Richard Linklater made a film of my novel ‘Me and Orson Welles’,
