As an allergy sufferer and a dog dad, Chase Stokes has partnered with ZYRTEC.
Speaking with the cast of Mean Girls, a movie that played a dominant role in my upbringing, was an honor. In school, everyone would playfully quote, “You go Glenn Coco!” Or the classic, “I don’t think my father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, would be too pleased with this.” Expectations were very high with the release of a 2024 iteration of Mean Girls. And the expectations were not just met, but exceeded.
Everyone grows up rooting for the underdog. It’s what makes us human. It’s what gives us hope. And it’s what inspired the true story behind ‘The Boys In The Boat’ originally written by Daniel James Brown. The film adaptation was co-produced and directed by George Clooney, with screenplay by Mark L. Smith.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 11: (L-R) Wil Coban, Callum Turner, Sam Strike, Joel Phillimore and Jack Mulhern attend the Amazon MGM Studios Los Angeles Premiere of “The Boys In The Boat” at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on December 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for MGM)
The true story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team whom competed in the Berlin Summer Olympics. The Los Angeles Premiere featured the cast and crew which created the sports drama. You saw each of the eight rowers, eye’s grow larger whenever they were asked about their time training for their position on the team. Clooney made it clear, he only wanted athletes to play the part. The boys trained for 2-3 months to get into rowing shape. Thomas Elms, who plays “Chuck Day,” also mentioned that Clooney shared athleticism was more important than their acting skills for this film.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 11: Director/Producer George Clooney attends the Amazon MGM Studios Los Angeles Premiere of “The Boys In The Boat” at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on December 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for MGM)
During our chat with Clooney, I asked him which of his previous roles had him training as much as The Boys In The Boat had to train for their role. Clooney joked, “Ocean’s Eleven. I professionally had to learn how to drink and not throw up… You gotta stretch your liver and kidney.” He finished with, “These guys had a much harder time, we killed them.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 11: (L-R) George Clooney, Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner attend the Amazon MGM Studios Los Angeles Premiere After Party of “The Boys In The Boat” at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on December 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for MGM)
The boys are led by Coach Al Ulbrickson who is played by Joel Edgerton. Ulbrickson’s job is at risk if the team doesn’t perform well. So the teammates and coach are all in a make it or break it situation. During our time speaking with Edgerton, he mentioned how everyone has been in an underdog mindset before. Which makes the movie not just easy to watch, but easy to identify with.
You can watch The Boys In The Boat in theaters on December 25, 2023.
There’s nothing quite like a children’s animated film right around the holiday season. It seems every year when the holidays roll around, I find myself reaching for the same movies that I grew up watching. But we have a new movie to add to the mix with Merry Little Batman. It’s the perfect mixture of animation, action, and holiday cheer.
The film showcases, Bruce Wayne along with his eight year old son, Damian Wayne. Damian begins to follow in his dad’s shoes as he transforms into “Little Batman” to save Gotham City from supervillains destroying the city and Christmas.
I spoke with Luke Wilson, who plays Batman and Bruce Wayne, about the film and the holiday season. We began by discussing holiday staples and how Merry Little Batman has hopes of becoming one of those classics that we turn back to every year.
With no kids of his own, Luke opened up about being an uncle to his brothers, Owen Wilson and Andrew Wilson’s, kids. Luke also expanded on how eager he is to share the film with his godson and nephews. Wilson’s personality, voice, and demeanor is apparent in the film, as confirmed by Luke’s three year old godson.
Experience the holiday cheer with Merry Little Batman on Prime Video, beginning December 8, 2023.
A familial bond goes far beyond bloodline. In acclaimed director Alexander Payne’s 1970’s based film, The Holdovers, an unconventional trio builds a bond in time for the holiday season.
The film is set at a New England prep school where Paul Giamatti’s character, takes on the role as the teacher, Paul Hunham. Hunham is forced to watch student’s with nowhere else to go during Christmas break. One of those students is Angus Tully, played by Dominic Sessa. Tully’s mom decides she’d rather spend the holiday season celebrating her new marriage. The trio is complete with school cook, Mary Lamb, who recently lost her son in the Vietnam War. Lamb is portrayed by Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
I had the opportunity to speak with Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph to discuss their time working on the film. Dominic, a high school senior drama kid, made his on-camera debut as a lead in The Holdovers. Sessa shares that he originally auditioned for a background character. Casting directors, on the other hand, had something else in mind for him. Like a true high school senior his first call to share the good news was to his mom.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph has had an eventful couple of years in the industry, but explained that this character in particular, required a ton of studying. From the war that took place, to her Boston accent, learning how to properly hold and smoke a cigarette. Mary lamb was an intricate character.
While Paul Giamatti is a veteran in the industry, he praised Sessa’s debut performance. Saying he learned more from Dominic than Dominic learned from him. Taking note of his, “openness,” as well as how much Sessa, “fought for his character,” in comparison to Giamatti’s typical adaptable response.
Experience the The Holdovers in theaters now.
The 2023 Independent Spirit Awards was held, just inches from the sand in Santa Monica, CA and it was absolutely Everything…Everywhere All At Once.
80 For Brady, a tale of four best friends with a mission to travel to the Super Bowl and cheer on their favorite player, Tom Brady. There is a caveat however, those four best friends are all around the age of eighty, and along the way, struggles accompany the adventure.
An intimate premiere was held for “Teen Wolf: The Movie,” at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles. And it felt much like a family reunion.
We attended the M3GAN premiere at the TCL Chinese theater in Hollywood, CA and although the cast was small, the amount of celebrities and influencers supporting this movie was mighty.
The carpet was paused multiple times for a crew of M3GAN’s to come out and give a performance to Taylor Swift’s “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” in efforts to bring the creepy doll from the big screen, to real life. As they finished their dance they stayed in character, with the audience murmuring how eerie the experience was.
Every cast and crew member who was present showed how important this film was to them by speaking closely with each outlet and sharing stories from on set.
Producer, Jason Blum stole the show when he showed up dressed as M3GAN. During our interview with him he pointed out how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used for good and for bad, and that’s exactly what we saw in this film.
Based on our interviews with the cast, the experienced actors learned just as much from the younger actors as the younger actors learned from them. Violet McGraw, who plays Cady, said she learned the most from Allison Williams, who not only stars as Gemma but also the Executive Producer of this film. McGraw shared how Williams became like a mother to her on set. And Jen Van Epps, Tess, pointed out how mature the younger cast was.
During the actual premiere of the film, the audience was captivated throughout the entire one hour and 42 minutes. Laughing along with the cast and watching behind their hands at times. Gemma was forced to help raise her niece Cady after Cady’s parents died in a car crash. And rather than spending time with her niece, Gemma opted for Cady to hang with a life-like AI doll named M3GAN, and so the movie begins… Altogether, the film had many different lessons from being aware to how far we’ve come with technology, to how important family is.
Be sure to check M3GAN out which releases in theaters on January 6, 2023
Six years, that’s how long Glen Powell, Executive Producer and ‘Tom Hudner’ in Devotion, spent working on this passion project to cover the story of Jesse Brown.
Los Angeles, CA – November 15, 2022: Adam Makos and Glen Powell at the Premiere of Columbia Pictures’ DEVOTION at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood.
You may recognize Powell from another sky-bound film, Top Gun: Maverick, but his time and dedication to Devotion is extremely apparent. When asked about how Powell was able to bring this book to the big screen, he replied by saying it’s because he’s, “scrappy.” Adam Makos, Devotion Book Writer, was originally skeptical when Powell expressed interest, but after he introduced Glen to his character in real life and saw how much interest he showed in Hudner’s life and the book. Makos knew there would be no one better for the job.
Los Angeles, CA – November 15, 2022: Cast and crew at the Premiere of Columbia Pictures’ DEVOTION at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood.
The Los Angeles premiere was a hit. Knowing this movie was based on an aerial war, you enter the theater knowing what to expect. But Jonathan Majors ‘Jesse Brown’ has made it clear that this movie is not just about the Korean War. Major’s has expressed that it’s about love and brotherhood. The band of brothers goes far beyond the screen. You feel the closeness and respect of the cast as they go down the carpet from fans, to photographers, to speaking with each and every outlet. Although the cast is predominantly male, they don’t ever leave the women of the cast and crew out either, which Christina Jackson ‘Daisy Brown’ mentioned during our interview.
Joe Jonas, who plays the role of ‘Marty Good,’ delve much deeper into acting with this movie. In a prior interview, Jonas said he’s learned from his wife, Sophie Turner. Jonas, known to be the comedic relief of the Jonas Brothers. And while Marty Good has a similar approach, during our interview, Jonas said the whole cast has a great sense of humor, highlighting Majors and Powell.
Los Angeles, CA – November 15, 2022: onathan Majors and Glen Powell at the Premiere of Columbia Pictures’ DEVOTION at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood.
It’s important to note that Jonathan Majors came back outside to finish speaking with the outlets whom he originally wasn’t able to chat with. Each cast spent time on every question they were asked. You could sense how important their role and this story was to them.
If you want to see a an action-filled aerial war movie, with a heart wrenching love story, a group of chosen family, all based on a true story. Devotion is the movie for you.
Devotion is exclusively in theaters November 23, 2022.