A new saga calls for a new cast. Welcoming the new cast for Descendants: The Rise of Red are the likes of Malia Baker (Chloe Charming), Kylie Cantrall (Red), Ruby Rose Turner (Young Queen of Hearts), Dara Renee (Uliana) and Morgan Dudley (Young Cinderella).
Disney Plus
On the Scene: At the Pre-Party and Screening of National Geographic’s “The Space Race”
The Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with National Geographic, kicked off their 20th Annual Central Park Conservancy Film Festival on Tuesday, August 15th with a screening of National Geographic’s The Space Race.
A pre-screening reception took place across the street at Central Park’s premier restaurant, The Tavern Green, just right across the street where the screening would later take place in Sheep Meadow. Among the guests in attendance were directors Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, along with NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, who not only shared his insights and experiences in the film, but also served as one of the doc’s producers. Enjoying a selection of charcuterie and small bites, along with a pasta bar and a wine bar, guests mingled as a jazz band played in the back.
Attendees were then directed to head over to Sheep Meadow to a private viewing area to watch The Space Race on an inflatable screen. Each guest received a National Geographic swag bag with a waterproof blanket and a selection of sustainable and plant-based snacks to enjoy during the film.
The Space Race, which made its official premiere at the Tribeca Festival back in June, was an eye-opening deep-dive into the history of Black Americans in NASA, and the unjust barriers they had to overcome that, ultimately, prevented some trailblazers, such as Captain Ed Dwight, from taking part in our country’s earliest space missions. Yet, it came with much satisfaction to hear everyone cheer for Nichelle Nichols (who passed away in July of last year) as the film featured a PSA in which the Star Trek star spoke to everyone, including “minorities and women alike,” to apply to NASA. “Now is YOUR time,” she said, giving the brilliant minds she had already inspired as Lt. Nyota Uhura the push they needed to shoot for their dreams.
Thanks to a documentary like The Space Race, every Black astronaut who answered that call, and those who paved the way for them to find their place in NASA, now have their legacy cemented in the stars—where future astronauts can look up to them in awe.
On The Scene: Red Carpet Premiere and Influencer Screening of Disney’s “Peter Pan & Wendy”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK—On Friday, April 28, Disney will take kids of all ages to Neverland once again when “Peter Pan & Wendy” debuts on Disney+. So, naturally, there was no better place to hold the movie’s premiere than on an ACTUAL pirate ship.
The Knockturnal had the honor of attending “The Crossover” premiere at the Hollywood Athletic Club. “The Crossover” is the television adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s novel-in-verse. Alexander won the 2015 John Newbery Medal and a Coretta Scott King author honor for his work, and serves as the executive producer and showrunner for the new series. “The Crossover” follows Josh (Jalyn Hall), nicknamed “Filthy”, and Jordan Bell (Amir O’Neil) throughout their middle school experience while they figure out how to balance their social life, school, and basketball. The teenagers are coached by their dad (Derek Luke), a former professional basketball player.
Should We All CrossOver?
The Knockturnal had the privilege of attending Prom Pact’s premiere on the pink carpet at the Wilshire Ebell theater. The red carpet attendees were dressed accordingly, with colorful prom dresses to fit the theme of the 80’s promposals displayed in the film. (Graham) stated that their favorite part of working on the movie was becoming friends with each other. Milo recalls sitting on his balcony after a workday, and discussing the craft of acting with his peers. The pink carpet displayed how tight-knit the cast was, with each Disney star jumping at the opportunity to support their friend, or hug a castmate on camera.
What happens when a never ending war ends?
Director Matthew Heineman captures the final months of the 20 year long war in Afghanistan in his new documentary “Retrograde.” Heineman is known for his Oscar-nominated doc “Cartel Land” and his narrative feature “A Private War.” His films are gonzo in the most dangerous and intimate of moments. His unfettered access lets you feel like you’re there — often in places you feel like you shouldn’t be.
“Fly on the wall” comes to mind when describing his films, but Heineman says he hates the term. “No offense to flies, but they don’t have a lot of agency,” he said. He, as a filmmaker, does, however. And he gained access to those “fly on the wall” shots by building trust with his subjects and pounding at bureaucratic hurdles and logistical setbacks.
After a Monday screening of “Retrograde”, the director sat down for a Q&A to discuss how the film came together.
“The goal is to become part of the fabric of the daily lives of our subjects so they can be comfortable,” said Heineman of his style of filmmaking. “You can have those surprising human moments you would never ever get if you just helicoptered in and tried to film.”
Heinman put himself in some life threatening situations. “A lot of people think I’m this adrenaline junkie and love getting shot at, which I don’t —for the record. I don’t do this for the thrill of it,” he said. “If you’re risking your life for something it has to be for some form of a greater purpose or story I really believe in.”
He recounted the filming of a scene where he’s backseat in a helicopter in a particularly dangerous area. The Taliban began firing. He said, “When you’re in the helicopter and rockets are being shot at you there is no object button. There is no I want to go home. You are there. You’re in it.”
He continued, “In those situations the only thing I have agency over is my camera. And that is what I choose to focus on. I focus on framing and exposure. I’m mixing sound when I’m filming. Those are things I can control. If I’m going to risk my life to get a scene I’m going to get it right.”
“Retrograde” is produced by National Geographic and available for streaming on Disney +.
How to Climb a Skyscraper Like Thor: ‘Limitless with Chris Hemsworth’
Whether you’re Chris Hemsworth or a journalist for the Knockturnal we all get stressed out.
Spiders, taxes, birthday party planning and heights are amongst the top stressors. The last of which, got Chris Hemsworth and me sweating bullets.
National Geographic organized members of the media to scale Hudson Yards skyscraper with City Climb to promote their show “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.” We strapped into a harness and up we went.
Dr. Module Akinola prepped us for the high altitude, high stress trek. Hemsworth also got the spiel. She appears in the first episode of the series to equip the “Thor” star with valuable de-stressing tools before he walks atop a Sydney skyscraper.
In the episode, and at Hudson Yards, she explained the box breathing method. Imagine a box. Start at one corner. Inhale for four seconds. On to the next corner. Hold your breath for four seconds. Next corner. Exhale for four seconds. Last corner. Hold for seconds. Repeat.
I did the exercise, as did Hemsworth, and made my way up. The piece de resistance was leaning over the edge of the skyscraper, stretching myself over all of New York City with two straps and a harness preventing me from plummeting hundreds of feet. Flouting the conventional wisdom of “don’t look down,” I indeed stared down at all the ant-size people walking around lower Manhattan.
Akinola, an Associate Professor at the Columbia Business School, spoke to The Knockturnal about her experience working with Hemsworth and National Geographic on the series as well as practical tips we can all use in our daily lives to calm down. One of the big takeaways from the interview, the episode and the series writ large is we all experience stress. As we do aging, death, illness, physical strain etc. You can be a Marvel superhero from Asgard and still face human challenges like the rest of us. The key is not to dread these as ailments, but to accept them as inevitable parts of humanity and learn to confront them.