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The long awaited Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, is finally hitting the big screens after 36 years. Loyal Top Gun fans had to wait even longer due to the film being pushed back from its original June 2020 release due to the global pandemic. As the saying goes, “great things come to those that wait”, and Top Gun: Maverick does not disappoint. Top Gun: Maverick completely exceeded all of my expectations. After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. “Maverick” is tasked with training the new graduates for a special assignment. While doing so, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears which arises while working with the new pilots in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it. The movie features an all star cast that all fit the movie so well, which makes sense seeing that Tom Cruise played an active role in being a part of the casting process. Miles Teller, playing Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, acts alongside Tom Cruise, reprising his role of “Maverick”, to deliver a performance that everyone will enjoy whether or not they’ve seen the original. The movie also stars Jennifer Connelly, Monica Barbaro, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Jay Ellis, Charles Parnell, Tarzan Davis, and Bashir Salahuddin all of which we got the exclusive chance to interview. Top Gun: Maverick features breathtaking sequences and groundbreaking cinematography with all of the pilots going through a three month long training period to learn how to actually fly the military level jets. The movie pays homage to the first film while creating a whole new original story plot that stands on its own. Like the original Top Gun, Top: Gun Maverick is sure to become a staple piece of American culture.

Top Gun: Maverick releases in theaters May 27th, 2022. Be sure to check it out, and let us know what you think. Don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and Instagram to see more clips, interviews, and behind the scenes from your favorite celebrities.

‘Ok not to be ok’ – ironically, the lyrics to Demi Lovato’s latest single and soundtrack behind the trailer of MTV’s newest film, ‘Pink Skies Ahead’ completely reflect the attitude of this coming of age movie that surrounds a young woman dealing with an anxiety disorder.

Based on an essay from her 2017 book, ‘When You Find Out The World Is Against: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments’, writer/director Kelly Oxford says the idea to transcribe her essay into a script “hit her” after noticing how drawn her readers were to it.

“I was like wow, if I can help readers I should try to get this on screen and help more people and get this story out,” Oxford says of her directorial debut behind ‘Pink Skies Ahead’. “It was really fun to do it, and I knew that I wanted to direct it myself because I had lived through it and it would’ve felt really weird to pass it off to somebody else and watch their version of it…. as the creator and writer, I was very excited to make it my first film.”

That excitement was shared with Greg Silverman, former president of Warner Bros. Pictures turned CEO and founder of Stampede Ventures. Silverman, whose resume includes films such as, ‘A Star Is Born’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, and ‘The Dark Night’ just to name a few, coins Oxford as a “force”.

“As soon as we started [Stampede Ventures] it was like ok well, who can we get behind that’s gonna’ make a difference and gonna’ make something incredible, and Kelly was the first person that popped into our minds,” Silverman says. “We all are so proud that we were able to be a part of [Oxford’s] first film.”

While the film is set in a 90’s-centric vibe, it deals with an all too common occurrence that everybody can relate to today – this was especially true for actress, and film lead, Jessica Barden.

“Winona was like myself…. I was very defiant, I have anxiety,” Barden says of her character. “I just hope that people watch [Pink Skies ahead], and I wanted this to contribute to people understanding that there isn’t a certain type of person that is going to get anxiety….[or] depression.”

‘Pink Skies Ahead’ follows 20-year-old Winona who struggles with accepting her anxiety disorder diagnosis while managing her life in adulthood as a recent college drop-out still living with her parents. The audience watches Winona’s feeble attempt at ignoring both the physical signs and emotional manifestation of her anxiety, which often leads her into peculiar situations.

All too familiar with dealing with Winona’s struggle within the film, Barden hopes her role can help those who may feel alone in their battle with anxiety and other issues with mental health. “If you get to a place where you can be healthy and own [anxiety], you can do amazing things with it,” says Barden with a smile.

While Lewis Pullman who plays the role of “Ben” and Winona’s love interest expressed not completely connecting to his character, he did get the sense that the audience might.

“I think everyone connects to some character [in Pink Skies Ahead],” Pullman says. “I think [Ben] is a good representation of a scape-goat of [having] this huge thing that needs to be dealt with… [but looking for] some other alleyways that I can postpone this thing that’s haunting me.”

As a part of MTV Entertainment Studios’ newest mental health initiative titled, “Mental Health Is Health”; series’ and films shown on the station will display a diverse range of stories in hopes of de-stigmatizing mental health and promoting behavioral and cultural change.

According to MTVE’s president, Chris McCarthy, “the power of storytelling….can frame the way we look at an issue”, and films such Oxford’s can create “a bigger conversation that leads to systematic change that becomes the norm.”

Tune in to MTV on Saturday, May 8th at 9:00 ET/PT on MTV for the premiere of ‘Pink Skies Ahead’!