The Prestige is a magical psychological thriller about a pair of feuding magicians with no shortage of edge-of-your-seat suspense. Christopher Nolan reteams with a number of his usual department heads as he reunites with his Batman Begins stars Christian Bale and Michael Caine for an adaptation of Christopher Priest’s (not to be confused with the comic book writer) 1995 novel. Nolan would adapt the script with his brother, Jonathan, for a number of years before…
"The Prestige: A Magical Psychological Thriller"
Insomnia is the third feature film for filmmaker Christopher Nolan and gives him a bigger playground with a trio of Oscar winners. This is the only film in Nolan’s career that he didn’t write. One, it is a remake of an earlier Norwegian film. Two, Nolan has his first studio film and a medium-sized budget. Slowly but surely, everything is coming into place for taking his career to the next level with The Dark Knight…
"Insomnia: Another Christopher Nolan Psychological Thriller"
It became official last week as SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA in the first double strike dating back to the Eisenhower administration. The strike is going to have a devastating impact on the fall festival and awards season. There is already chatter that studios could pull their major premieres from TIFF, etc. because sending directors and producers does not have the same star power as actors. However, this is not the fault of the writers or…
"SAG-AFTRA Joins WGA in First Double Strike Since 1960"
Christopher Nolan’s sophomore feature, Memento, may confuse audiences with its non-linear narrative but it’s every bit as thrilling. Christopher Nolan wrote his own screenplay for Memento while brother Jonathan Nolan penned the short story. They were writing their own versions at the same time. This resulted in Christopher Nolan finishing the film prior Jonathan Nolan’s story being published. The film sticks to the same non-linear form of storytelling that Nolan used in Following. In this…
"Memento: A Non-Linear Psychological Thriller"
Before Christopher Nolan moved onto blockbuster tentpoles, the filmmaker premiered Following during a 1998-99 festival run. Following is clearly in the vein of low-budget filmmaking. Because of the limited resources available, they only shot the film on weekends for nearly a year. While Nolan had written the neo-noir crime thriller chronologically, one can see how Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction would later influence the decision to edit into a non-linear story. It’s a…
"Following – The First Christopher Nolan Feature"
The dearth of direct-to-consumer content on Disney+ is hurting the company even as Disney holds the #1 position at the box office. Bob Iger appeared on CNBC’s Squawk in the Box this morning and had lots to say following a contract extension through the end of 2026. Only a portion of his 35-minute interview is available on CNBC’s YouTube channel. Some of Iger’s comments dealt WGA and SAG-AFTRA not being realistic in their demands. He’s…
"Disney+ Is Creatively Hurting Marvel, Pixar Per Bob Iger"
Disney CEO Bob Iger said that neither the actors or writers were being realistic during an appearance on Squawk in the Morning. The comments on CNBC were Iger’s first public comments since yesterday’s contract extension was announced. Make no mistake that he’s going to be blasted on social media and rightfully so. Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are being very realistic in wanting fair compensation. Is it right for CEOs and such like Bob Iger…
"Bob Iger Says WGA and SAG-AFTRA Are Not Being Realistic and He’s Wrong" Bob Iger has been given a two-year extension and will continue to serve as The Walt Disney Company’s CEO through the end of 2026. The news of Bob Iger receiving a contract extension comes amid turmoil in the entertainment industry. The WGA is currently on strike with SAG-AFTRA probably joining them on the picket lines when their contract expires within the next few hours. A contract extension buys Disney some more time as they figure…
"Bob Iger: Disney Extends CEO’s Contract Through 2026"
The action starts to take hold in Secret Invasion as the six-episode limited series begins the back half of its run on Disney+. If you thought episode 3 was short, episode 4 has got the number beat by six minutes. Factoring in the recap and end credits, “Beloved” runs 38 minutes long. They pack a lot of show into just over a half hour. What this means is that some scenes end up getting the…
"Secret Invasion – Episode 4 – Beloved"
The location and most of the cast have changed but The Afterparty pulls zero punches once the action gets going in Season 2 on Apple TV+. Much like Knives Out and Glass Onion, only a few of the first season’s series regulars return. Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, and Zoë Chao reprise their roles as Danner, Aniq, and Zoë, respectively. They’re joined by newcomers Poppy Liu, Zach Woods, Elizabeth Perkins, Jack Whitehall, Ken Jeong, Paul Walter Hauser,…
"The Afterparty Is Back For Season 2 on Apple TV+"