Dr. José Hernández, born in August 1962 in French Camp, California, is not the first Hispanic astronaut (that title belongs to Chang Diaz with mission STS-61C), but he is the first astronaut whose origins begin with migrant farming, both for… Read More ›
Amazon Studios
John Barker’s follow-up track, “The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island,” captures the magic of the first and pushes it further. [Toronto International Film Festival]
At the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), writer/director John Barker unveiled his third feature film, the comedic caper The Umbrella Men. Filled with the sights, sounds, and life of Cape Town, Barker invited audiences to see a few good… Read More ›
EoM Presents: A Conversation with “The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island” director John Barker and actors Jacques De Silva, Shamilla Miller, and Bronté Snell. [Toronto International Film Festival]
In this edition of EoM Presents, Senior Interviewer Thomas Manning chats with the cast and crew of The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island, a 2023 TIFF selection. Manning speaks with director John Barker and actors Jacques De Silva, Shamilla… Read More ›
Sony Pictures Animation releases the full four-film “Hotel Transylvania” series in one DVD collection.
Well before I ever saw a single one of the Todd Durham-created, Genndy Tartakovsky-directed Hotel Transylvania films, I knew that Drac doesn’t say “blah blah blah blah.” Which is to say that the influence in pop culture had grown widely… Read More ›
“Air” takes it to the hole with great performances and a well-balanced script.
Growing up as the designated Family Homosexual™, I wasn’t particularly privy to watching sports, and especially not playing them (I was a chorus/theatre kid, big shock). The little about sports I did know as a child of a family from… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Good Night Oppy” director Ryan White.
Writer, director, producer Ryan White offers thoughts on the making of the award-winning documentary Good Night Oppy. This doc explores the unbelievable true story of the NASA Mars rover “Opportunity.” A mission that was designed for 90-days mission ended up… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Catherine Called Birdy” actors Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott.
In this edition of Open Dialogue, Thomas Manning chats with Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott about their roles in Catherine Called Birdy, a medieval coming-of-age comedy directed by Lena Dunham. Clips are used by permission for review, interview and media… Read More ›
Darius Marder’s award-winning “Sound of Metal” joins the Criterion Collection.
Of the many things that occurred as a result of COVID-19 in 2020, as it related to the film industry, was that movies were either pushed over and over, rescheduled to a later date entirely, or sold to streamers. Films… Read More ›
“Thirteen Lives” presents a scripted and altered version of the 2018 Tham Luang Cave rescue.
June 23rd, 2018: after a football practice, 12 teammates and their assistant coach decided to explore the nearby Tham Luang Cave in the Tham Luang – Khun Nam Namg Non Forest Park of Northern Thailand. Unexpectedly, a storm hit, flooding… Read More ›
30 Helens agree: “Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks” is a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to comedy legends who’re still at it. [SXSW Film Festival]
You can get a sense of a person by the comedy they ingest or reference. Often, their humor is shaped by those they enjoy or admire, so you can tell what they find sacred or profane. It’s the same thing… Read More ›
Regina Hall and Zoë Renee bring the damn house down with their performances in “Master.” [SXSW Film Festival]
One of the larger debates during my senior year of high school was the rift between my Black friends debating the merits of attending a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) or that of a Primarily White Institute (PWI), and… Read More ›
Explore Zamunda a bit more with the home release of “Coming 2 America.”
When it came to film releases in 2020, the modus operandi was “make it work.” Sometimes that meant stalling until a theatrical release was possible and sometimes that meant selling to a streamer. In the case of Eddie Murphy’s Coming… Read More ›
Saying goodbye in “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” doesn’t mean forever. Just, for now.
All things come to an end and it seems that even immortal monsters have to say goodbye so that something new can begin. This is the relative theme coursing through the fourth, and reportedly final, installment of Sony Picture Animations’s… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Being the Ricardos” actor Tony Hale.
Tony Hale has long been a fan of Lucille Ball; he believes her comic genius is on par with the legends of cinema. You can find Hale starring in the Aaron Sorkin film Being the Ricardos from Amazon Studios. This… Read More ›
A Conversation with “Bingo Hell” director/co-writer Gigi Saul Guerero.
In this conversation, EoM contributor Thomas Manning speaks with director Gigi Saul Guerreo about her new horror film Bingo Hell, a Blumhouse production distributed through Amazon Studios. Over the course of their discussion, Guerrero speaks about her creative partnership with… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “What Drives Us” editor and key storyteller Dean Gonzalez.
What Drives Us is a doc that explores the passion behind touring musicians and some of the vehicles that got them there. From big names like Ringo Starr, U2, AC/DC to under the radar bands like Radkey and Starcrawler, this… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Them” cinematographer Checco Varese.
Checco Varese has worked in nearly every aspect of cinematography. He’s been a news photo journalist; he’s shot major music videos, he’s worked for NatGeo; he’s worked on indie and feature films (It: Chapter 2, The 33, Pacific Rim) and… Read More ›
“Coming 2 America” is a serotonin-filled blast from the past.
To paraphrase a line from director Craig Brewer’s (Dolemite Is My Name) Coming 2 America, Hollywood is nothing but superhero films, remakes, and sequels no one asked for. Without getting into the numerous ways that’s an oversimplification that ignores the… Read More ›
Explore somewhere unexpected in time anomaly dramedy “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.”
Books are a frequent source of mining in cinema. Sometimes their adaptations becomes something larger than possibly imagined (The Shawshank Redemption), while others support the notion that the imagination of the reader trumps anything celluloid can conjure (Artemis Fowl). Audiences… Read More ›
Documentary “All In: The Fight for Democracy” is a compelling proclamation that our democratic republic cannot function when we devalue the voting process.
Let me ask you something: What is the responsibility of the legislative branch of the United States government? Where does the Constitution of the United States place the final authority on decisions in our country? Which officer presides over an… Read More ›