With 11 feature films, six live-action series, nine animated series — and, lest we forget, one holiday special — the original “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” is starting to feel like it was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. “Ahsoka” occupies an interesting spot at the nexus of “Star Wars” storytelling from the past couple decades, though.
The Disney+ series acts as a bridge between the worlds of Dave Filoni’s work on the excellent animated “Rebels” and the innovative technical approach to “The Mandalorian.” Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), may have the challenge of trying to preserve the galaxy in the face of sinister threats from Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and others, but “Ahsoka” has the challenge of blending templates set in animation with the demands of live-action — and pushing both forward, as the show takes Ahsoka and the...
The Disney+ series acts as a bridge between the worlds of Dave Filoni’s work on the excellent animated “Rebels” and the innovative technical approach to “The Mandalorian.” Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), may have the challenge of trying to preserve the galaxy in the face of sinister threats from Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and others, but “Ahsoka” has the challenge of blending templates set in animation with the demands of live-action — and pushing both forward, as the show takes Ahsoka and the...
- 5/15/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
There would be no "Star Wars" without Akira Kurosawa. The fabled Japanese filmmaker was a massive influence on creator George Lucas and his vision for a galaxy far, far away, with his period adventures "Seven Samurai" and especially "The Hidden Fortress" informing so much of the Jedi's aesthetics and philosophy, as well as the plot and characters of "A New Hope." Creatives on more recent "Star Wars" projects have only continued to mine inspiration from Kurosawa's oeuvre, with Rian Johnson drawing pretty explicitly from the director's classic "Rashomon" for the perspective-shifting flashbacks to Luke Skywalker's confrontation with his nephew Ben Solo in "The Last Jedi."
For "Ahsoka," a spinoff of "The Mandalorian" and live-action sequel to his animated series "Star Wars Rebels," creator Dave Filoni -- who's since been promoted to chief creative officer of Lucasfilm -- looked to another Kurosawa film entirely for the show's most fantastical outing yet.
For "Ahsoka," a spinoff of "The Mandalorian" and live-action sequel to his animated series "Star Wars Rebels," creator Dave Filoni -- who's since been promoted to chief creative officer of Lucasfilm -- looked to another Kurosawa film entirely for the show's most fantastical outing yet.
- 1/28/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
The first season of "Ahsoka" on Disney+ delivered plenty for longtime "Star Wars" fans to enjoy, particularly those who love the animated shows. Dave Filoni, the creative force behind "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels," was finally able to bring many of his creations to life in live-action. One of the most important things that the show's first season brought to life was the World Between Worlds, a hugely important plot device from the final season of "Star Wars Rebels." But making the mythical realm a tangible thing was no easy task.
Quyen Tran, one of two cinematographers who worked on "Ahsoka" season 1, spilled some of the show's secrets in the January 2024 edition of International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. "Translating that from animation to live-action was thrilling, but highly stressful," Tran said of making the World Between Worlds a reality. The realm shows up in a key episode after Rosario Dawson...
Quyen Tran, one of two cinematographers who worked on "Ahsoka" season 1, spilled some of the show's secrets in the January 2024 edition of International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. "Translating that from animation to live-action was thrilling, but highly stressful," Tran said of making the World Between Worlds a reality. The realm shows up in a key episode after Rosario Dawson...
- 1/16/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us), Gabrielle Graham (Twenties), John Ortiz (Promised Land) and Tamsin Topolski (Slow Horses) have been cast opposite Colman Domingo in Netflix’s The Madness limited series. The conspiracy thriller hails from Chernin Entertainment via its first-look deal with Netflix, creator and co-showrunner Stephen Belber (O.G., The Laramie Project) and co-showrunner VJ Boyd (Justified, S.W.A.T.)
Related: 2023 Netflix Pilot & Series Orders
In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
Blake will play Elena Daniels, the mother of Muncie’s 15-year-old son.
Graham portrays Kallie, the adult daughter of Muncie.
Ortiz plays Franco Quinones, a longtime FBI field agent with strong convictions and a relentless approach to his work.
Related: 2023 Netflix Pilot & Series Orders
In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
Blake will play Elena Daniels, the mother of Muncie’s 15-year-old son.
Graham portrays Kallie, the adult daughter of Muncie.
Ortiz plays Franco Quinones, a longtime FBI field agent with strong convictions and a relentless approach to his work.
- 3/8/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is teaming up with Colman Domingo for the forthcoming limited series The Madness. The Emmy-winning actor known for Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead will lead the conspiracy thriller from Chernin Entertainment’s first look deal. Domingo will take on the role of Muncie Daniels, a media pundit who must fight for his innocence and life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls begin to close in on him, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family, as well as his lost ideals, in order to survive the road ahead. The Madness will follow an eight-episode limited series format with The Laramie Project‘s Stephen Belber serving as creator of the series as he co-showruns with Justified‘s VJ Boyd. (Credit: Netflix) The Madness is executive produced by Belber, Boyd, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kaitlin Dahill with Clément Virgo who directs...
- 2/8/2023
- TV Insider
Colman Domingo signs on to star in Netflix’s ‘The Madness’
Fear the Walking Dead‘s Colman Domingo will star in The Madness, a limited series just greenlit at Netflix. The conspiracy thriller was created by Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project) and is part of Chernin Entertainment’s first look deal with the streaming service.
Belber and VJ Boyd (Justified) are co-showrunners of the eight-episode series, and both serve as executive producers along with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kaitlin Dahill.
“Stephen Belber and VJ Boyd thrive in creating suspense-driven emotional stories that connect with broad audiences. We look forward to seeing them bring this timely conspiracy thriller to life and to continue our partnership with Netflix,” stated Chernin Entertainment President Jenno Topping.
Executive producer Clément Virgo (Greenleaf) will direct the first two episodes as well as the last two episodes. Quyen Tran (Maid) and Jessica Lowrey (Perry Mason) will each direct two episodes each.
Fear the Walking Dead‘s Colman Domingo will star in The Madness, a limited series just greenlit at Netflix. The conspiracy thriller was created by Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project) and is part of Chernin Entertainment’s first look deal with the streaming service.
Belber and VJ Boyd (Justified) are co-showrunners of the eight-episode series, and both serve as executive producers along with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kaitlin Dahill.
“Stephen Belber and VJ Boyd thrive in creating suspense-driven emotional stories that connect with broad audiences. We look forward to seeing them bring this timely conspiracy thriller to life and to continue our partnership with Netflix,” stated Chernin Entertainment President Jenno Topping.
Executive producer Clément Virgo (Greenleaf) will direct the first two episodes as well as the last two episodes. Quyen Tran (Maid) and Jessica Lowrey (Perry Mason) will each direct two episodes each.
- 2/8/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Netflix has ordered the limited series “The Madness” with Colman Domingo set to star, Variety has learned.
“The Madness,” which will consist of eight episodes, is described as a conspiracy thriller. It centers on “media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo), who must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.”
“‘The Madness’ is a fresh take on the conspiracy thriller — turning the genre on its head with its multi-layered characters, propulsive action and swift pace,” said Peter Friedlander, vice president of scripted series at Netflix for the US and Canada. “We are proud to have such a powerhouse team assembled to bring this dynamic story to life for Netflix viewers around the world, and to continue producing great entertainment with team Chernin.
“The Madness,” which will consist of eight episodes, is described as a conspiracy thriller. It centers on “media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo), who must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.”
“‘The Madness’ is a fresh take on the conspiracy thriller — turning the genre on its head with its multi-layered characters, propulsive action and swift pace,” said Peter Friedlander, vice president of scripted series at Netflix for the US and Canada. “We are proud to have such a powerhouse team assembled to bring this dynamic story to life for Netflix viewers around the world, and to continue producing great entertainment with team Chernin.
- 2/8/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Emmy winner Colman Domingo will star in Netflix’s upcoming limited conspiracy thriller “The Madness,” which has just received a series order under Chernin Entertainment’s (The North Road Company) first-look deal at the streamer.
In the eight-episode drama, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and livelihood after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family — and his lost ideals — in order to survive.
The project hails from co-showrunners VJ Boyd and Stephen Belber, who also serves as creator. The duo will also executive produce alongside Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill. As previously reported, Clément Virgo (“Greenleaf”) will direct and executive produce the first two and concluding two episodes. Quyen Tran (“Maid”) and Jessica Lowrey (“Perry Mason”) will each direct two middle episodes.
Also Read:
Apple TV+ Renews ‘Tehran...
In the eight-episode drama, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and livelihood after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family — and his lost ideals — in order to survive.
The project hails from co-showrunners VJ Boyd and Stephen Belber, who also serves as creator. The duo will also executive produce alongside Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill. As previously reported, Clément Virgo (“Greenleaf”) will direct and executive produce the first two and concluding two episodes. Quyen Tran (“Maid”) and Jessica Lowrey (“Perry Mason”) will each direct two middle episodes.
Also Read:
Apple TV+ Renews ‘Tehran...
- 2/8/2023
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
Netflix has cast Emmy winner Colman Domingo to star in a limited series titled The Madness.
The eight-episode thriller, which the streamer has picked up to series, comes from creator Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project, HBO’s O.G.) and Chernin Entertainment, which has a first-look deal with Netflix.
“The Madness is a fresh take on the conspiracy thriller — turning the genre on its head with its multi-layered characters, propulsive action and swift pace,” said Peter Friedlander, vp scripted series for Netflix in the United States and Canada. “We are proud to have such a powerhouse team assembled to bring this dynamic story to life for Netflix viewers around the world, and to continue producing great entertainment with team Chernin.”
Domingo (Euphoria, Fear the Walking Dead) will star in The Madness as media pundit Muncie Daniels, who stumbles on a murder scene deep in the woods of the Poconos. As the walls close in,...
The eight-episode thriller, which the streamer has picked up to series, comes from creator Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project, HBO’s O.G.) and Chernin Entertainment, which has a first-look deal with Netflix.
“The Madness is a fresh take on the conspiracy thriller — turning the genre on its head with its multi-layered characters, propulsive action and swift pace,” said Peter Friedlander, vp scripted series for Netflix in the United States and Canada. “We are proud to have such a powerhouse team assembled to bring this dynamic story to life for Netflix viewers around the world, and to continue producing great entertainment with team Chernin.”
Domingo (Euphoria, Fear the Walking Dead) will star in The Madness as media pundit Muncie Daniels, who stumbles on a murder scene deep in the woods of the Poconos. As the walls close in,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has given a series order to The Madness, a conspiracy thriller starring Emmy winner Colman Domingo. The eight-episode limited series hails from Chernin Entertainment via its first-look deal with Netflix, creator and co-showrunner Stephen Belber and co-showrunner VJ Boyd
In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
Belber and Boyd executive produce with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill for Chernin Entertainment (The North Road Company). Clément Virgo (Greenleaf) will direct and executive produce the first two and final two episodes. Quyen Tran (Maid) and Jessica Lowrey (Perry Mason) will each direct two middle episodes.
Related: 2023 Netflix Pilots & Series Orders
“Stephen...
In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.
Belber and Boyd executive produce with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill for Chernin Entertainment (The North Road Company). Clément Virgo (Greenleaf) will direct and executive produce the first two and final two episodes. Quyen Tran (Maid) and Jessica Lowrey (Perry Mason) will each direct two middle episodes.
Related: 2023 Netflix Pilots & Series Orders
“Stephen...
- 2/8/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
After scoring its first Best Limited Series Emmy win last year with “The Queen’s Gambit,” Netflix is hoping for a repeat victory with “Maid,” a 10-part drama based on the memoir of the same name by Stephanie Land. The series stars Margaret Qualley as Alex Russell, a young mother who leaves her abusive partner and attempts to start her and her daughter’s lives anew. Qualley recently reflected on the experience of making the show during a 2022 Emmys FYC panel hosted by Variety’s Jenelle Riley along with castmates Andie MacDowell and Anika Noni Rose, executive producer/showrunner/writer Molly Smith Metzler, cinematographer/director Quyen Tran, and executive producer/director John Wells. Watch the video Q&a above.
When asked how she prepared for her challenging role, Qualley said her foremost concern was “forging that bond with Rylea [Nevaeh Whittet],” who plays Russell’s toddler daughter, Maddy, because “that was the one thing that…...
When asked how she prepared for her challenging role, Qualley said her foremost concern was “forging that bond with Rylea [Nevaeh Whittet],” who plays Russell’s toddler daughter, Maddy, because “that was the one thing that…...
- 6/13/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
“Maid” is told entirely from “the lead character Alex’s point of view,” explains director and executive producer John Wells. “So what we’re really talking about is how to do it very naturalistically and how to make certain that the audience always remained inside of the experience that Alex was having with her child.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Wells above.
Inspired by “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” a memoir by Stephanie Land, the Netflix limited series tells the story of Alex (Margaret Qualley), who takes the title job to support herself and her daughter after leaving an abusive relationship. Because the show’s Pov is so tightly focused on Alex, “there’s very little observational. We’re not stepping back from things, we’re in very close with her a lot. And we worked on a visual style with Quyen Tran,...
Inspired by “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive,” a memoir by Stephanie Land, the Netflix limited series tells the story of Alex (Margaret Qualley), who takes the title job to support herself and her daughter after leaving an abusive relationship. Because the show’s Pov is so tightly focused on Alex, “there’s very little observational. We’re not stepping back from things, we’re in very close with her a lot. And we worked on a visual style with Quyen Tran,...
- 5/26/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Roar is what happens when a group of five-star chefs combine their talents, roll up their sleeves, and wind up making a garbage plate. All the ingredients are there, and all the skill, but it somehow adds up to a muddled creation that’s less than the sum of its parts.
The Apple TV+ anthology series (all eight episodes streaming now) is essentially a collection of modern fairy tales about female empowerment, based a 2018 short story collection by Irish author Cecelia Ahern. The episodes open with bright typographic title cards...
The Apple TV+ anthology series (all eight episodes streaming now) is essentially a collection of modern fairy tales about female empowerment, based a 2018 short story collection by Irish author Cecelia Ahern. The episodes open with bright typographic title cards...
- 4/22/2022
- by Jenna Scherer
- Rollingstone.com
The worst part of “Roar” is also its most consistent. While every episode of Apple’s new anthology show tackles an entirely different story with a different cast to match, they each open with a neon graphic of a woman’s mouth screaming out of a blooming flower. With this image, “Roar” underlines its logline as a feminist scream of a series that, as based on Ceceila Ahern’s book of short stories, explores “what it means to be a woman today.” Watching its trailer, which leans heavily on wackier moments like Nicole Kidman shoving photographs down her throat, you’d be excused for assuming it’s an exaggerated comedy of girlboss errors. Watching the actual show, though, makes for a bit of a more scattered experience.
From Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, “Roar” tells eight stories of eight women whose dissatisfaction with their situations — whether rooted in shame, guilt,...
From Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, “Roar” tells eight stories of eight women whose dissatisfaction with their situations — whether rooted in shame, guilt,...
- 4/11/2022
- by Caroline Framke
- Variety Film + TV
While “Nomadland’s” Joshua James Richards and “Mank’s” Erik Messerschmidt lead the field for the cinematography Oscar race, this is a deep competition, and although there are some women contending, they are once again a minority.
As for the forefront of the race, Richards won the Golden Frog from the prestigious Camerimage festival, the National Board of Review gong and has scored a slew of critics awards and nominations, but don’t discount Dariusz Wolski.
Wolski, who has framed such films as “The Crow,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Martian,” teamed up with Paul Greengrass for the Western “News of the World,” shot in New Mexico. Wolski relied on the Ken Burn doc “The West” and old-fashioned Hollywood Westerns — much as Richards did when capturing America’s sweeping vistas.
He, too, played with color and lighting, whether he was shooting a dusky sunrise, a snowy trek or capturing...
As for the forefront of the race, Richards won the Golden Frog from the prestigious Camerimage festival, the National Board of Review gong and has scored a slew of critics awards and nominations, but don’t discount Dariusz Wolski.
Wolski, who has framed such films as “The Crow,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Martian,” teamed up with Paul Greengrass for the Western “News of the World,” shot in New Mexico. Wolski relied on the Ken Burn doc “The West” and old-fashioned Hollywood Westerns — much as Richards did when capturing America’s sweeping vistas.
He, too, played with color and lighting, whether he was shooting a dusky sunrise, a snowy trek or capturing...
- 3/4/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
“Palm Springs” from Neon premiered at Sundance on January 26, 2020 and was released on Hulu this past July 10. The film tells the story of Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) as two wedding guests stuck in the same time loop. The pair develops a friendship as they adjust to their circular fate. This rom-com balances an absurd premise alongside quirky realism to create a wild and endearing film. Scroll down for our exclusive video interviews with top Oscar and Golden Globe contenders from the film.
Samberg just scored his first film Globe nominations for “Palm Spirings.” In 2013 he won in the TV Comedy Actor race for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” His film work has previously been dominated by screwball comedies such as “Hot Rod” and “Popstar: Never Stop Stopping,” This comedy performance carries more weight as the characters explore ideas of purpose, loneliness and commitment. It hearkens back to the range he...
Samberg just scored his first film Globe nominations for “Palm Spirings.” In 2013 he won in the TV Comedy Actor race for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” His film work has previously been dominated by screwball comedies such as “Hot Rod” and “Popstar: Never Stop Stopping,” This comedy performance carries more weight as the characters explore ideas of purpose, loneliness and commitment. It hearkens back to the range he...
- 2/20/2021
- by Matt Noble
- Gold Derby
“It was really hard to establish tone. The movie borders on comedy and drama. We had to nail down the story and this unique tone first before we dove into the visuals,” confesses cinematographer Quyen Tran about shooting “Palm Springs.” She joined us recently for a webchat (watch the exclusive video above).
In the Neon film currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Nyles (Andy Samberg) is a wedding guest having to live the same day again and again with Sarah (Cristin Milioti). Tran was the director of photography for the film and explains that “it’s so low tech we had no money. We had to come up with very creative ways of tackling the technical and effects part of the film. We didn’t really have a supervisor.”
SEEAndy Samberg interview: ‘Palm Springs’
She adds, “The overhead shot of Andy on a pizza floating in the pool, really defines his character.
In the Neon film currently streaming on Amazon Prime, Nyles (Andy Samberg) is a wedding guest having to live the same day again and again with Sarah (Cristin Milioti). Tran was the director of photography for the film and explains that “it’s so low tech we had no money. We had to come up with very creative ways of tackling the technical and effects part of the film. We didn’t really have a supervisor.”
SEEAndy Samberg interview: ‘Palm Springs’
She adds, “The overhead shot of Andy on a pizza floating in the pool, really defines his character.
- 1/19/2021
- by Matt Noble
- Gold Derby
Cinematographer Quyen Tran was hooked the minute she read the script for “Palm Springs,” Max Barbakow’s feature directorial debut that’s now streaming on Hulu. “I saw the words ‘car chases,’ ‘plane crashes’ and ‘dinosaurs’ and knew I had to be a part of this film,” she says.
The movie, written by Andy Siara, stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as Nyles and Sarah, who meet at a wedding in the titular California desert city and soon find themselves stuck in a “Groundhog Day”-like time loop that often leaves them looking for spectacular escapes. But Tran and Barbakow focused on relationships, not action, in their early strategy sessions.
“We spent a lot of time talking about theme and character, designing the movie from the inside out — not imposing a style but creating our own out of disparate touchstones,” Barbakow says. “She intimately understood the importance of the human element in this movie.
The movie, written by Andy Siara, stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as Nyles and Sarah, who meet at a wedding in the titular California desert city and soon find themselves stuck in a “Groundhog Day”-like time loop that often leaves them looking for spectacular escapes. But Tran and Barbakow focused on relationships, not action, in their early strategy sessions.
“We spent a lot of time talking about theme and character, designing the movie from the inside out — not imposing a style but creating our own out of disparate touchstones,” Barbakow says. “She intimately understood the importance of the human element in this movie.
- 7/15/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
After winning her inaugural Emmy on her first try in 2015 for directing the HBO miniseries “Olive Kitteridge,” Lisa Cholodenko looks to return to the Best Limited Series/TV Movie Directing lineup for Netflix’s “Unbelievable.” She helmed the first three episodes, of which she chose the opener to enter at the Emmys.
The premiere centers on Kaitlyn Dever’s Marie Adler, an 18-year-old who reports being raped at knifepoint to the local police station in Lynnwood, Washington. The story is told through Marie’s eyes, through which the world becomes cold and bleak as she grapples with trauma, all while being confronted with inklings of doubt from the people around her. With her grounded direction and tight collaboration with cinematographer Quyen Tran (who uses a veristic color palette throughout), Cholodenko crafts an uber-realistic atmosphere, which not only sets the tone for the show, but is a pivotal step toward immersing viewers into Marie’s situation.
The premiere centers on Kaitlyn Dever’s Marie Adler, an 18-year-old who reports being raped at knifepoint to the local police station in Lynnwood, Washington. The story is told through Marie’s eyes, through which the world becomes cold and bleak as she grapples with trauma, all while being confronted with inklings of doubt from the people around her. With her grounded direction and tight collaboration with cinematographer Quyen Tran (who uses a veristic color palette throughout), Cholodenko crafts an uber-realistic atmosphere, which not only sets the tone for the show, but is a pivotal step toward immersing viewers into Marie’s situation.
- 7/13/2020
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
The high concept romantic comedy seems to be a thing of the past. Whether it has to do with the cost of producing one, audience tastes, or just the changing of the times, a rom-com that mixes in something else tends to be rare. At least on the independent scene, there are occasional efforts, but few can claim to be as magical as Palm Springs. This indie gem blew away folks at the Sundance Film Festival, and rightly so, as it mixes rom-com elements with science fiction, as well as some heady thoughts about life. Whether you love comedy, romance, or sci-fi, there’s something for you here. Hitting Hulu on Friday, it’s not to be missed. Simply put, it’s easy one of the year’s best titles. This film is, as mentioned, a romantic comedy, though one with a science fiction twist and definite dramatic beats. Set...
- 7/8/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
In Max Barbakow’s Palm Springs, Sarah (Cristin Milioti) is reluctantly assuming the role of maid of honor at her younger sister’s destination wedding. When she meets Nyles (Andy Samburg) after he helps her bail on giving a toast, she realizes she’s found an ally who also thinks that the stuffy conventions of weddings are lame. Nyles is technically the date of another bridesmaid, but he and Sarah can’t help but feel drawn to each other, eventually embracing nihilistic sentiments about the whole ordeal as it becomes increasingly more surreal. Dp Quyen Tran talks about playing with subjectivity through camerawork, the […]...
- 2/3/2020
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
In Max Barbakow’s Palm Springs, Sarah (Cristin Milioti) is reluctantly assuming the role of maid of honor at her younger sister’s destination wedding. When she meets Nyles (Andy Samburg) after he helps her bail on giving a toast, she realizes she’s found an ally who also thinks that the stuffy conventions of weddings are lame. Nyles is technically the date of another bridesmaid, but he and Sarah can’t help but feel drawn to each other, eventually embracing nihilistic sentiments about the whole ordeal as it becomes increasingly more surreal. Dp Quyen Tran talks about playing with subjectivity through camerawork, the […]...
- 2/3/2020
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
With peak TV refusing to actually peak, the consistent influx of new television content not only brings with it new opportunities to tell female-centric stories, but also more chances for women to take pivotal production positions. That includes cinematographers, who have the opportunity to tell these stories in ways that subvert the traditional male gaze.
Just looking at the sheer volume of television, the medium should provide more space for women in this role: There are now approximately 500 scripted series airing in a calendar year, which means there are at least 500 of these positions available.
Admittedly in the longer-running shows the same person usually stays with the project season over season. Due due to increasingly intense production demands, shifting schedules and a person’s commitment to multiple projects, newer series often see anywhere from two to five people in this specific high-profile position for a season.
But the training and...
Just looking at the sheer volume of television, the medium should provide more space for women in this role: There are now approximately 500 scripted series airing in a calendar year, which means there are at least 500 of these positions available.
Admittedly in the longer-running shows the same person usually stays with the project season over season. Due due to increasingly intense production demands, shifting schedules and a person’s commitment to multiple projects, newer series often see anywhere from two to five people in this specific high-profile position for a season.
But the training and...
- 12/2/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
Being an eyewitness to history can change anyone’s life. The 9/11 attack on New York changed Quyen Tran’s.
On that sunny fall morning, Tran was a still photographer, living with her boyfriend in lower Manhattan, close to the Twin Towers. Some 18 years later she has a new home, Los Angeles; a new career, cinematography; and a family that began after she and her boyfriend married and moved West.
Her cinematography career is taking off. She shot HBO’s “Camping,” from creators Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner; the feature comedy, “The Little Hours,” with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon; and several episodes of Netflix’s “Unbelievable.” She made Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch list. But the repercussions of that day linger still.
In the grassy expanse of the Silver Lake Meadow, the park she often comes to with her young children, she tells the story of that pivotal day.
On that sunny fall morning, Tran was a still photographer, living with her boyfriend in lower Manhattan, close to the Twin Towers. Some 18 years later she has a new home, Los Angeles; a new career, cinematography; and a family that began after she and her boyfriend married and moved West.
Her cinematography career is taking off. She shot HBO’s “Camping,” from creators Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner; the feature comedy, “The Little Hours,” with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon; and several episodes of Netflix’s “Unbelievable.” She made Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch list. But the repercussions of that day linger still.
In the grassy expanse of the Silver Lake Meadow, the park she often comes to with her young children, she tells the story of that pivotal day.
- 7/8/2019
- by Kate Forfeit
- Variety Film + TV
In the lead up to this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Mindy Kaling noted that “Late Night,” the story of an aspiring writer who endures a “Devil Wears Prada”-like initiation into the world of comedy, is a familiar story about breaking into the entertainment business. But, the Indian-American Kaling noted, her version has one key difference.
“So much of this movie is about being a fan and being on the outside of the entertainment business,” Kaling told Variety. “That story has been told many, many, many times by 52-year-old white men, and I love all those movies. And as a comedy nerd I’ve always identified with them because it was the closest thing that I could identify with. There was no one like me making those kind of films.”
“Late Night,” which scored a record $13 million domestic distribution deal following its premiere last week, isn’t the only...
“So much of this movie is about being a fan and being on the outside of the entertainment business,” Kaling told Variety. “That story has been told many, many, many times by 52-year-old white men, and I love all those movies. And as a comedy nerd I’ve always identified with them because it was the closest thing that I could identify with. There was no one like me making those kind of films.”
“Late Night,” which scored a record $13 million domestic distribution deal following its premiere last week, isn’t the only...
- 1/31/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
A pair of teenage sisters resort to train robbery to raise bail money for their mother in Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, a new comedy from director Sydney Freeland. Freeland returns to Sundance with her second feature after 2014’s Drunktown’s Finest, which debuted in Utah before earning a number of festival awards. Below, the film’s Dp Quyen Tran (Pali Road) discusses the influence of the Coen brothers, filming on a moving train at night without any lighting and grounding an absurd story in naturalistic visuals. Deidra & Laney Rob a Train premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and will be released by Netflix on […]...
- 1/29/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland is taking her Girl Talk to Park City to sit down with three female cinematographers behind some of the most visually interesting films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Joining the conversation are DPs Catherine Goldschmidt (“Abstract: The Art of Design and White Riot: London”), Nadia Hallgren (“Motherland”) and Quyen Tran (“Deidra & Laney Rob a Train and The Little Hours”).
Topics that will be covered are breaking into the business, how the the industry is changing for women and how each cinematographer developed her own unique style and put it to work in their Sundance films.
Click here to stream the live discussion at 3:30pm Et (1:30 Mountain Time).
Editor’s Note: This event is part of the Indiewire and Canon U.S.A. partnership at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, where we celebrate cinematography at the Canon Creative Studio on Main Street.
Topics that will be covered are breaking into the business, how the the industry is changing for women and how each cinematographer developed her own unique style and put it to work in their Sundance films.
Click here to stream the live discussion at 3:30pm Et (1:30 Mountain Time).
Editor’s Note: This event is part of the Indiewire and Canon U.S.A. partnership at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, where we celebrate cinematography at the Canon Creative Studio on Main Street.
- 1/23/2017
- by Chris O'Falt and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
You know you’re in for a good time when a trio of nuns turn to the genial farmer who greets them one morning with the retort, “Don’t fucking talk to us!” That’s the underlying charm of “The Little Hours,” in which every joke stems from people talking the last way you’d expect of them. Matching a crackling wit with the absurd dissonance of time and place found in the best of Monty Python and Mel Brooks, “Little Hours” is so eager to please that its one-note humor lands with ease.
Writer-director Jeff Baena’s improv-laden twist on “The Decameron,” in which wily 13th-century nuns speak in raunchy contemporary dialogue and engage in sexual deviance, milks its premise for as many jokes as possible and then keeps going, with uneven but mostly hilarious results. Overall, it’s a perfectly satisfying snapshot of subversive comedy that delivers where it counts.
Writer-director Jeff Baena’s improv-laden twist on “The Decameron,” in which wily 13th-century nuns speak in raunchy contemporary dialogue and engage in sexual deviance, milks its premise for as many jokes as possible and then keeps going, with uneven but mostly hilarious results. Overall, it’s a perfectly satisfying snapshot of subversive comedy that delivers where it counts.
- 1/20/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The stars of Sundance are joining IndieWire for a series of intimate discussions during the next few days in Park City. IndieWire partnered with Chase Sapphire to host conversations at Chase Sapphire on Main, located at 573 Main Street, and with Canon to host panel discussions at the Canon Creative Studio at 592 Main Street.
IndieWire in Conversation at Chase Sapphire on Main will feature “The Little Hours” filmmaker Jeff Baena, “Ingrid Goes West” filmmaker Matt Spicer, “Mudbound” filmmaker Dee Rees, “Golden Exits” filmmaker Alex Ross Perry and “Marjorie Prime” filmmaker Michael Almereyda. Members of the casts of each film will also be in attendance.
Filmmakers participating in the panels at Canon’s Creative Studio include Academy Award-nominees Matt Heineman and Rory Kennedy. Heineman’s “City of Ghosts” is playing in Sundance’s U.S. Documentary Competition section, while Kennedy’s “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton” is playing in the Documentary Premieres section.
IndieWire in Conversation at Chase Sapphire on Main will feature “The Little Hours” filmmaker Jeff Baena, “Ingrid Goes West” filmmaker Matt Spicer, “Mudbound” filmmaker Dee Rees, “Golden Exits” filmmaker Alex Ross Perry and “Marjorie Prime” filmmaker Michael Almereyda. Members of the casts of each film will also be in attendance.
Filmmakers participating in the panels at Canon’s Creative Studio include Academy Award-nominees Matt Heineman and Rory Kennedy. Heineman’s “City of Ghosts” is playing in Sundance’s U.S. Documentary Competition section, while Kennedy’s “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton” is playing in the Documentary Premieres section.
- 1/20/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Take a portion of The Devils, add a splash of The Witch, a heaping of Monty Python, and then douse it in the comedy of today and you have The Little Hours. Set in a 1347 medieval Italy, Jeff Baena’s follow-up to Joshy packs an even bigger cast — including Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Adam Pally, and Paul Reiser — and marks a step forward in his directorial style, even if the comedy ends up running out of steam. As our trio of nuns over-indulge in sacramental wine and take part in God-forbidden sexual desires, the cast exudes a lovable charm, despite the nagging sense they had more amusement making it then the audience has watching it.
Based on an amalgamation of short stories in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, The Little Hours may base its structural...
Based on an amalgamation of short stories in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, The Little Hours may base its structural...
- 1/20/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Frankie Shaw’s short film Smilf won the Short Film Jury Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It’s a funny and revealing comedy about a young mom struggling to connect to her old sexual self while being homebound caring for her young son. L.A.-based cinematographer Quyen Tran shot the film, and below she discusses shooting coverage with only one actor, working with one light and filming while nearly nine months pregnant. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]...
- 2/13/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Frankie Shaw’s short film Smilf won the Short Film Jury Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It’s a funny and revealing comedy about a young mom struggling to connect to her old sexual self while being homebound caring for her young son. L.A.-based cinematographer Quyen Tran shot the film, and below she discusses shooting coverage with only one actor, working with one light and filming while nearly nine months pregnant. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]...
- 2/13/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.