On this week’s episode of The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood, Sonny talks to the CEO of Creative Future, Ruth Vitale, about the costs of piracy. A longtime producer in Hwood, Ruth has seen firsthand the costs of theft on productions big and large, but in an age where stealing a movie or a book or a song is just as easy as popping onto Google and punching in some search terms, how do you convince folks that stealing is, in fact, wrong? And what can the government do to help stop the scourge of Interne...
Jun 09, 2022•50 min
Over Memorial Day weekend, Netflix released a new stand-up special from Norm Macdonald, who unexpectedly died in September of last year. Unexpected to us and his friends; perhaps more expected to the comedian, who had kept his cancer diagnosis incredibly secret. On the occasion of the release of Norm Macdonald’s “Nothing Special,” Washington Post national arts reporter Geoff Edgers published a new piece featuring interviews with his friends and colleagues about the special and his life’s work. I...
Jun 02, 2022•34 min
Sonny takes a break from talking to industry experts this week to kvetch about something that’s been bothering him and JVL: Why are theaters so empty of movies for kids? A nearly two-month gap between The Bad Guys and Lightyear feels like studio malpractice; why didn’t Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers get at least a token run in theaters? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
May 26, 2022•37 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny is rejoined by CNN’s Frank Pallotta to preview summer movie season. Blockbusters, big horror, comic books, and kid-friendly films are coming to the multiplex—but they’re doing so at a slower clip than years past. What’s changed since the pandemic and how is the industry reacting to it? Plus: Netflix, Disney+, and the evolving streaming situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
May 19, 2022•38 min
This week, Sonny is joined by Suzanne Joe Kai to discuss her documentary, Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong Torres . New to Netflix, her doc is a pleasantly vibrant look at the life and work of Ben Fong Torres, who is best known for his era-defining work at Rolling Stone magazine. This documentary covers that ground—just looking at Torres’s box of archival tapes is enough to make one’s mouth water—as well as his family’s story. How did this child of immigrants who came to the ...
May 12, 2022•37 min
This week, Sonny talks to Dade Hayes, co-author of Binge Times: Inside Hollywood’s Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix , about the rise of streaming in the face of technological change and a population forced to stay home thanks to COVID. Among the many topics discussed: how will sports factor into the future of streaming; why are so many of the channels leaning toward ad-based models; and why did everyone think Netflix would be the only man standing when the dust settled? All tha...
May 05, 2022•50 min
David Herrin of The Quorum —a must-check site for movie-data nerds—joins us live from the corridors of CinemaCon to discuss the mood of theater owners, the vibes of theatergoers, and the state of the industry as we exit the pandemic. If you enjoyed our chat, share it with a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 28, 2022•40 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to Eric Hoyt, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about his new book on the rise of the Hollywood trade press and how these papers helped shape the movie business as we know it. From covering labor disputes to navigating the waters between big-city and small-town movie houses to engaging in some of the earliest film criticism, the topics covered in this book can help us understand how the movie business evolved into what it is today. You can re...
Apr 21, 2022•46 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny is joined by John Fithian, president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners, to talk about post-pandemic moviegoing, the evolution of theatrical dining, the excitement of CinemaCon, and the potential of theaters as sites for esports and gaming events—both as spectators and as participants. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Apr 14, 2022•41 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny is very pleased—and a little star struck!—to be joined by Lloyd Kaufman, the mind behind Troma Entertainment, to discuss his latest film, #ShakespearesShitstorm , as well as his 50 years in the business as one of the few truly independent indie filmmakers. Kaufman is probably best known for directing The Toxic Avenger , its sequels, and Tromeo and Juliet , as well as producing Class of Nuke ’Em High . But his company, Troma, has been a hot spring of talent for decad...
Apr 07, 2022•46 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to Keith Phipps about his new book, Age of Cage: Four Decades of Hollywood Through One Singular Career . Looking at the trends of Hollywood through the lens of Nic Cage’s various personae—as an oddball actor catching the tail end of the 70s auteur wave; transitioning to a “normal guy”; hitting action star peaks in the 1990s; and settling into a series of more-interesting-than-they’re-given-credit-for turns on VOD—the book is a useful glimpse at the changing ta...
Mar 31, 2022•33 min
This week, Sonny talks to the Los Angeles Times ’s Ryan Faughnder about a new poll showing that Coda and The Power of the Dog , the frontrunners for the Best Picture Oscar at this weekend’s Academy Awards, have been seen by just four and six percent of entertainment consumers, respectively. Then they discuss the walkout at Disney over the Mouse House CEO’s failure to speak up more vocally against Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, as well as charges of hypocrisy that ethnic cleansing in C...
Mar 24, 2022•29 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to Adam Novak, head of story at one of the biggest agencies in Hollywood, WME. Adam is also the author of the novel Rat Park , out this week, as well as three other novels. Adam discusses his three-plus decades in the industry as a script reader for stars like Bruce Willis and directors like John McTiernan. What’s the role of a good reader in Hollywood? How do they help serve their clients and the world of entertainment writ large? And then Sonny and Adam disc...
Mar 17, 2022•40 min
Sonny is joined this week by Andrea Chalupa, the screenwriter of Mr. Jones , the true story of Gareth Jones’s efforts to bring the horrifying reality of the Stalin-made famine in Ukraine that killed between 3.3 and 3.9 million people. They talk about getting that film written and financed, the response to it, and how best to push back against Russian disinformation via the arts. Mr. Jones is streaming now on Hulu and is a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand why Ukraine is fighting toot...
Mar 10, 2022•44 min
On this week’s episode, CNN media reporter Frank Pallotta returns to the show to talk about studios boycotting Russia, why AMC is charging you a little more too see The Batman (but not a little less to see Dog ), and Disney’s decision to put Turning Red directly on Disney+. Plus: Oscars talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 03, 2022•35 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to George Folsey Jr about his career as an editor. From the blaxploitation classics Black Caesar and Hammer to the great comedies of the 1970s and 1980s like Animal House and The Blues Brothers to assists on classics like Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger and cult classics like Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body , Folsey has had a hand in a number of the movies you love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Feb 24, 2022•42 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny is joined by Deadline’s Dominic Patten to talk about Village Roadshow’s lawsuit against Warner Bros. for killing the profitability of the Matrix franchise, the newly filed wrongful death suit against Alec Baldwin, and the Super Bowl’s big (but maybe not surprisingly big?) ratings. You can see Dominic’s archive here and follow him on Twitter here . And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho...
Feb 17, 2022•37 min
On this week’s episode of The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood, Sonny Bunch is joined by John Zaozirny of literary management company Bellevue Productions. You can see John’s bona fide’s here , but his clients have written scripts set up with virtually every major studio. Bellevue has had 42 screenplays make the last seven Black Lists—an important compilation of un-produced screenplays voted on by people in the filmmaking business—and he details some of his strategies for securing those spots on this s...
Feb 10, 2022•45 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to Erich Schwartzel, author of Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy . Erich’s book is a fairly exhaustive look at the sweep of Chinese influence on Hollywood, from Mao’s shutting the industry out during the Cultural Revolution to the return of blockbusters to the fact that Chinese investment funded the very recliners you sit on in theaters. We also talked about Chinese censorship of American films, American censorship of A...
Feb 03, 2022•46 min
This week on the show, Sonny is joined by Janice Min, who has teamed up with BGTH favorite Richard Rushfield to beef up Richard’s fabulous newsletter, The Ankler. Sonny and Janice discussed her career from US Weekly to the Hollywood Reporter to the wild world of Substack newsletters, how the Hollywood trades are defying the death of advertising, their strategy for spinoff newsletters, and why the folks at Y Combinator reached out to her and Richard about the potential of The Ankler to become a b...
Jan 28, 2022•34 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch talks to Rene Reyes, the Paley Center for Media’s Vice President of Public Programming and Festivals. Among other duties, Rene plans the much-loved PaleyFest LA, which has panels featuring some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed shows on television. We talked about the joys (and COVID-related challenges) of in-person festivals and ran through some of the panels that will take place at this year’s event. You can see this year’s full lineup here; highl...
Jan 20, 2022•30 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to Kevin Goetz of Screen Engine/ASI and the author of Audienceology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love. Kevin is one of the masters of the art of audience testing, that stressful period of time in a film’s life when it leaves the loving arms of its director and enters the world for approval by the folks who will be paying to see it. Sonny and Kevin discussed how audiences are chosen, what the screening process is like, how COVID has changed how all this w...
Jan 13, 2022•44 min
Sonny is joined by Philip Gelatt this week. In addition to talking about the art of rotoscoping and the years-long effort to get his new film The Spine of Night made, and then released, we also discuss the state of animation more broadly in America and beyond. As a script adapter on Love, Death + Robots, Netflix’s hit animated anthology, he has a lot of experience and wisdom to share in this realm. And if you’re curious about The Spine of Night, check out the trailer here. Full disclosure: it’s ...
Jan 06, 2022•32 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny is joined by Chris McKenna who, along with his writing partner Erik Sommers, wrote Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has grossed about $1.2 billion around the world … so far. In this in-depth interview, Chris discusses how a blockbuster of this nature gets made, from pitch meetings to brainstorming sessions to rewrites during the shoot to additional photography to tightening the ship following test screenings. We also talk a bit about the state of the business and why ...
Dec 30, 2021•47 min
Last month the Criterion Collection kicked off its new 4K lineup with what is, arguably, the greatest movie ever made: Citizen Kane. And the disc is absolutely loaded with special features, including a rarely seen BBC documentary on the making of the movie, multiple commentary tracks, and numerous interviews—including one with film historian Farran Smith Nehme. She joined Sonny to talk about Citizen Kane, how it got made, how William Randolph Hearst tried to smother it in the crib, and why it’s ...
Dec 16, 2021•34 min
Special bonus episode this week, as The Bulwark’s Tim Miller stops by to talk about Don’t Look Up, the new satire from Adam McKay (Vice, Step Brothers), as well as how it felt to return to the multiplex and take in some movies. (You can read Sonny’s review of Don’t Look Up and Red Rocket, two films that are very much about the last five or six years of American life, at The Bulwark's website.) If you enjoy this episode, please share it with a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
Dec 10, 2021•35 min
On this week’s episode, Tony Davis of Tessive returns to the show just in time for Christmas to walk you through the upgrades and lateral movements you need to be thinking about if you have home theater gear on your Christmas wishlist. We discuss HDR formats (what’s the difference between Dolby Vision and HDR10, and does it really matter?), why movies and TV shows on Amazon look so bad (hint: they’re compressed to death), and why you desperately need to upgrade those HDMI cables (because we can’...
Dec 09, 2021•46 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny talks to David Herrin the CEO and founder of The Quorum, a film research firm that has done something rather remarkable in making tracking data available to the public in the same way that box office data is available to the public. “Tracking” numbers are the data points used by studios to help determine how a film will perform in theaters, and The Quorum is building a hearty database for movie nerds to dive into. In addition to discussing The Quorum’s new study exa...
Dec 02, 2021•33 min
On this week’s episode, Sonny is joined by Wil Haygood, author of the new book Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World. Haygood’s book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about largely forgotten trailblazers such as Oscar Micheaux, better-known figures like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, the controversies over movies as diverse as The Birth of a Nation and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, the odd fate of Porgy and Bess, and so much more. Colorization is bo...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min
On this week's episode, Sonny is joined by Christian Blauvelt, author of Hollywood Victory: The Movies, Stars, and Stories of World War II. From the pre-war skittishness of the big studios about alienating German markets—and potentially alienating an isolationist homefront, pre-Pearl Harbor—to the wartime efforts to raise funds and produce works of art that inspired Americans to resist the fascist menace, Christian's book tells a wide-ranging and fascinating story. Learn more about your ad choic...
Nov 11, 2021•44 min
