Kenya Barris followers may think his hit sitcom ‘Blackish’ is autobiographical, but his new netflix series ‘#blackAF’ cuts much closer to the bone. He raises the stakes by starring in this show as well — so you know exactly who to blame, or praise.
May 19, 2020•30 min
Writer and director Stella Meghie has moved her strengths — verbal aggression, a revealing eye for wardrobe, distinctive perspectives for characters, narrative driven by women — from comedy to drama with her newest film, ‘The Photograph’.
May 12, 2020•30 min
With just two films -- 'Saving Face' and her newest, 'The Half of It', director Alice Wu has found a way to play with triangles – three-sided romantic relationships, emotional threesomes and the self splintered into trios. She talks about how aware -- and unenlightened – her characters are.
May 05, 2020•30 min
When designer Scott Sternberg shut his clothing line band of outsiders to create a brand, Entireworld, that was strictly about ease and e-commerce rather than formality and brick-and-mortar stores, he had no idea that the new concept would fit so well into the world we now face. He discusses the future of fashion, and style.
Apr 27, 2020•30 min
To help him realize his vision for the Amazon fantasy-drama series, “Tales from the Loop," director Mark Romanek (“One Hour Photo,” “Never Let Me Go”) brought a group of feature-film behind-the-scenes artisans who’ve never worked in TV before. Listen to his take on the result.
Apr 21, 2020•30 min
When the documentary/performance piece they institute caught the attention of Jason Segel, he decided to turn it into a shape shifting drama series about the need for community. The result, which he wrote and stars in, is ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’, and there’s no better time for it than now.
Mar 18, 2020•30 min
In a handful of features, including 'Mudbound,' which made her only the second African-American woman ever to get a screenwriting Oscar nomination, writer-director Dee Rees has centered on stories about family that can confound us. Even when they're trying their best. She finds elements of this perspective in Joan Didion's 'The Last Thing He Wanted,' and her adaptation brings new thematic elements to the project as a result.
Mar 03, 2020•30 min
In 1979, master interviewer Lawrence Grobel's conversation with Marlon Brando changed the shape of the magazine celebrity profile. Grobel got the rights to the article back and has published an extended version of the interview as the book 'Conversations with Brando'. Learn about Grobel's influential approach -- and who he thinks should be in the movie version!
Feb 24, 2020•30 min
In author and cultural historian Sam Wasson's new book, 'The Big Goodbye', he tells us that the 1970s ended in Hollywood in 1974, with the release of the epochal film 'Chinatown'. He takes us inside the chaotic and creative environment that brought screenwriter Robert Towne, director Roman Polanski, studio chief Robert Evans and star Jack Nicholson together -- a once in a lifetime union.
Feb 21, 2020•30 min
Comedian Russell Peters talks about causing trouble and his new highly personal Amazon comedy special, "Deported".
Feb 06, 2020•30 min
Cynthia Erivo, nominated for best actress and best song for ‘Harriet’, found a way to bring a lot of her own life to the story of slave turned freedom fighter Harriet Tubman.
Jan 31, 2020•30 min
Costume design is an integral part of movies, a visual storytelling tool that the most engaged directors recognize. Arianne Phillips is one of those artists. Her wardrobe contributions to ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, her first collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, brought her a third Oscar nomination. She discusses that new relationship in her career, in all of its uniqueness.
Jan 24, 2020•31 min
Two generations of African-American talent — Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx — team for ‘Just Mercy’, the story of crusading lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s (Jordan) quest to find justice for wrongly convicted Walter McMillan. The actors bring their own real world experiences to this real-life tragedy. and talk about being inspired by each other.
Jan 09, 2020•30 min
‘The L Word: Generation Q’ is not a reboot of the groundbreaking Showtime series on lesbian life in Los Angeles. It’s an evolution, reuniting characters from the original with a new younger group. Creator Ilene Chaiken discusses the changes, including the welcome one of shooting Los Angeles...in LA this time.
Jan 03, 2020•30 min
Actor Rufus Sewell is best known as a villain, having struck fear in protagonists’ hearts for over twenty years – with a witty and thoughtful acting style. His current role is one of his biggest, and most challenging – the American Nazi of Amazon Studios’ adaptation of “The Man in the High Castle”. And, of course, Sewell got his start in comedy – and he talks about how his beginnings (and comic precision) still play apart in his work.
Dec 27, 2019•30 min
Evasive, brilliant, demanding and charming – just being all of those things would consume most of us. But Mike Nichols was an acclaimed performer, writer and finally, director of stage, screen and television, a career spanning from "The Graduate" to "Angels in America". Yet he hid in plain sight, which led writers Ash Carter and Sam Kashner to gather over one hundred of Nichols' friends and colleagues for the Mike Nichols oral history “Life Isn’t Everything” – a compelling and revealing book....
Dec 19, 2019•30 min
He got his start as a member of Oingo Boingo. He has since brought you the music for the “Men in Black” films, “Good Will Hunting”, has been collaborating with Tim Burton since “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” in 1985 and wrote the enduring theme for “The Simpsons”. Now, Oscar nominated film composer Danny Elfman has done a MasterClass – the newest addition to a career that he will discuss.
Dec 12, 2019•30 min
The title of writer/director Noah Baumbach’s new film, ‘Marriage Story’ both summarizes its intent and then goes beyond into a genre particular to its creator (who also made ‘The Squid and the Whale’ and then 'The Meyerowitz Stories’): an adult coming of age story, touching on marriage, parenthood and finally, their demands.
Dec 05, 2019•30 min
In her feature film debut, ‘Queen & Slim’, director Melina Matsoukas has made a road drama that examines African American stereotypes and flipped them on their heads. She folds questions about black culture into a new kind of storytelling.
Nov 28, 2019•30 min
If you spliced the Rock Hudson and the James Dean of the movie 'Giant' together -- two different kinds of all American icons -- you'd get the sensibility that Todd Snyder brings to design, from fashion to watches to furniture to cars. He covers the world -- or will, one day soon.
Nov 21, 2019•30 min
In his feature film directorial debut 'The Report', Scott Z. Burns applies his unique approach to look at the truth behind the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" after 9/11.
Nov 14, 2019•30 min
Edward Norton, writer, director and star of 'Motherless Brooklyn', discusses the time-traveling and imperatives that attracted him to this private eye story.
Nov 07, 2019•30 min
Jeff Stanzler uses virtual reality for good in his dramatic new project "State Power".
Nov 01, 2019•30 min
After a tumultuous year, Jeff Garlin is back with a brand new hour of comedy recorded in his hometown Chicago.
Oct 24, 2019•30 min
The best style is truly timeless. With his new coffee table book, “Hunks and Heroes: Four Decades of Fashion at GQ”, GQ creative director-at-large Jim Moore has edited together a selection of photos that illustrate the combination of taste, playful and sophistication that elevates Gentleman’s Quarterly above its imitators.
Oct 16, 2019•30 min
Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski ('The People vs. Larry Flynt', 'Ed Wood') find another pack of outsiders and artists-manque for their new project, 'Dolemite Is My Name'. It's an inside look at how the legendary blaxploitation film 'Dolemite'-- and its creator, Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) came to be. The most unlikely origin story ever.
Oct 11, 2019•30 min
Between his film and stage work, director Rupert Goold has often been attracted to material focusing on protagonists caught between the real world and a truth of their own making. This makes him the ideal candidate to bring the life of Judy Garland to the screen. His newest project, the biopic “Judy”, starring Renee Zellweger, artfully weaves between those two states.
Sep 26, 2019•30 min
Lisa Henson, executive producer of the new Netflix series, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”, has a unique relationship to the material. She discusses her familial connection to puppetry – her father, Jim Henson, created the Muppets – as well as an affinity for folklore and the rituals of storytelling.
Sep 12, 2019•30 min
Producing duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg break down the superhero construct in "The Boys"
Aug 30, 2019•30 min
How comedian James Corden's unknown status in America turned out to be pivotal in the success of "The Late Late Show".
Aug 23, 2019•30 min