I, Tonya, which won a Golden Globe for supporting actress Allison Janney and since notched acting Oscar nominations for both Janney and Margot Robbie, has shown that there’s an appetite out there for nontraditional sports biopics, telling versions of stories that you thought you knew well, but telling them from a surprising or counter-intuitive angle.
Marvin Touré joins us again to go full on spoilercast about Marvel's Black Panther and go on a deeper analytical dive about its many themes. We finish things off by talking about the recent presidential portraits and possible deeper meanings.
Black Panther may not be perfect in the technical department but incredible roles by its cast, the MCU's greatest villain yet, an impossibly cool setting, and a super hero with real emotional bite more than make up for any of it's shortcomings. I couldn't help but walk out of the theater beaming with pride and optimism for the future - and at the end of the day isn't that what super heroes are all about?
We're back (Shannon, Dareece, and Dario) and we're ready to discuss our thoughts about the Oscars and most importantly see who won from our prior predictions. But first we open by getting Shannon and Dario's opinions about Black Panther and close with discussions about Lion King 2, Sandlot 2, and Disney's continued (lackluster) effort at making live-adaptations of their classic animated films - which spawned the meme worthy phrase, "You don't know about Kovu bro?!". As well, as Shannon's Top 5 Stephen King adaptations and new shows like Counterpart and Hap and Leonard that you should all check out.
Through proper representation, cultural diversity, and equality, Hollywood could make wonders and unravel new ways to elevate the craft of storytelling that entices our imagination, speaks the truth, and brilliantly captures the beauty and struggles of humanity without compromising its structural integrity.
This article is about those teachers that have stood out, that have challenged the norm, and made us question the basics and what we deem as fundamental. Highlighting what I think to be the most insightful tips on the craft of Screenwriting, I will list just a few, and hope that it will enlighten those who have reached a wall in their script or feel they need to make the hero/ heroine’s goal a little more challenging/relatable.
I think it says a whole lot when a director has to explain what his film is trying to say; and Aronofsky certainly had something to say once the audience had enough to time to compose themselves after seeing Mother!...do we believe him?
Daniel J. Watts is a rising multidisciplinary performance artist (actor, dancer, writer, poet, and much more) by way of New York and he sat down to talk with us about how he got his start in acting, some of his most memorable experiences on Broadway, the differences between performing on stage versus a TV/film set, his role on Tracy Morgan's new show, The Last OG, and gives advice to aspiring actors.
Jiwon Choi talks about what inspires her audiovisual artwork, the importance of understanding who you are, and what she hopes to inspire in others with her work.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has seen a fast rise to prominence in both writing and acting in "Fleabag", "Killing Eve", and now "Solo: A Star Wars Story". It's time you got to meet her.
In a world filled with way too much noise, auditory and otherwise, nowadays it says more to not say anything at all. The movie business started with silent films, and in recent years more movies have been getting a silent treatment all their own.
The lack of LGBTQ+ characters in television and film isn’t too awe-inspiring, yet, there are over 10 million individuals identifying as such in the United States alone, according to Gallup.
Alain Delon is alive and well on Instagram feeds. Film's most beautiful man is ready to die, but his millennial fans won't allow it. With the killer good looks of his youth, iconic performances, and a fanbase nearly 50,000 strong, Instagrammers can't get enough.
It’s very clear, from the artistic and financial success of Black Panther, that Ryan Coogler was the right director for Black Panther, and that Black Panther was the right film for him to make at this stage of his career. However, that’s not always the case when it comes to talented young directors who are brought into high-profile franchise filmmaking.
The Oscars are fast approaching, and as is customary, everyone is making their predictions. Most of the debate is centered around which film will take home Best Picture, but this year has a different feel about it. While The Academy has polarized critical opinion over time, it has also admirably adapted to be more inclusive to films that speak to the cultural issues of our times.
Despite some forgivable over the top stunts and action scene clichés, Tomb Raider's character motives and subplots seamlessly coincide with the central story, which goes to show that every element was carefully pieced together to create a memorable story that will stand the test of time. Not to mention, the character-driven movie also gave us a taste of the actual obstacles included in the video game that enabled us to explore the extraordinary capabilities of Lara Croft.
Sure, there are reasons to be skeptical about the Sopranos revival. The flashback episodes of The Sopranos were never among the show’s better episodes, and the time period change alone indicates that however great it is, the movie won’t be the Sopranos that we remember. Even so, David Chase has been missed, and I can’t wait to see what he does with this project. Just don’t expect it to give you the Sopranos answers you never got from the show the first go-around.
There are so many things happening around us that could potentially be the next best story ever told, which you could tell, only if you keep a positive mindset and reach for that phone in your pocket. Skeptics would say you're delusional for making such a move, well I'd say, at least you're living the dream.
With the increasing debate between film traditionalists and streaming services, and with the recent news that Netflix has pulled their films from Cannes, it's time to delve into what's at the heart of the issue.
"Ready Player One" may be the latest most egregious manifestation of nerd-pandering to date, but entertainment directed at nerds and geeks, clearly, isn't going anywhere, nor should it. A lot of it, after all, is quite great. I just ask filmmakers, and the studios supporting them, to be more respectful of their audience, and the audience, in turn, to dial back the toxicity.
Metaphors, allegory, and satire are very ambitious storytelling approaches that certainly wouldn’t work for all films and ideas, but when done right, the results can be truly eye-opening; they are the sort of art that can change a culture’s course, and usually for the better. And few directors can do it as masterfully as Greek director and screenwriter Yorgos Lanthimos.
The second we get a chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we leap into a world of creative imagination where life and art intertwine, and as we relentlessly explore endless content in the media library, we're bound to find something that we'll invest our time in (mostly years), that hits all the right buttons of our psyche. There are many reasons as to why we get more emotionally involved in fiction than the lives we lead.
We're back and joined by guests and frequent contributors Shannon Griffiths and Stephen Silver to talk about the latest happenings in film and TV - what is must watch, the recent wave of blockbuster films, and releases just around the corner. And we discuss whether we think 'fanboyism' has started to become to toxic to the very things they love.
The recent losses of celebrated icons serve as a reminder and a wake up call for us to stop demonizing and downplaying mental illness, and let it be a reminder to keep the conversation going and challenging the stigma by any means necessary.