Interview: “Baby Driver” Actor CJ Jones

Posted on July 20, 2017 at 8:00 am

“Baby Driver” has great action and music, but the heart of the film is in the quieter moments with Ansel Elgort’s character, Baby, and his deaf foster father, played by deaf actor CJ Jones. I spoke to Edgar Wright about working with Jones, and so I was especially glad to see this interview with Jones by Haben Girma. Here’s an excerpt:

Haben: Film is very visual. Deaf culture and American Sign Language are very visual, too. Do you think being Deaf gives you an advantage over hearing actors?

CJ: Oh, that’s an interesting question. Well, Haben, it is not about being hearing or Deaf, it is not about being black or white, it is not about labels. It’s about talent, integrity, uniqueness, and passion. I got the role because I demonstrated that I have the talent the director was looking for. I fit his vision. He was very happy that he made the right decision hiring an authentic Deaf actor.

Here’s a clip from Bleeding Cool:

Trailer: The Disaster Artist, With James Franco as Tommy Wiseau in “The Room”

Posted on July 19, 2017 at 4:00 pm

This looks like a great movie about a terrible movie. Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” is a legendary catastrophe of a film, sometime referred to as the “Citizen Kane” of terrible movies. In “The Disaster Artist,” James Franco directs and stars in the story of how that movie was made. This new trailer looks terrific.

San Diego Comic-Con 2017: Preview

Posted on July 19, 2017 at 3:09 pm

It’s my favorite event of the year, San Diego Comic-Con!

Some of what I’m looking forward to:

The annual MAD Magazine panel
Behind-the-scenes panels with designers, finding out about costumes, sets, and props
Superhero movie composers
The Simpsons panel
Women in Animation and Women Rocking Hollywood (women directors), hosted by my friend Leslie Combemale
Marty Krofft and the new Sigmund and the Sea Monsters!

And, as always, the costumes and new technology and movie previews and surprises!

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Festivals

Edna Mode: A Fashion World Tribute

Posted on July 19, 2017 at 8:00 am

The fans at Disney’s D23 gathering were treated to this adorable tribute to “The Incredibles” breakout star, Edna Mode. She’ll be returning for “Incredibles 2!”

Dog Day Afternoon: The Real Story

Posted on July 19, 2017 at 8:00 am

Bilge Ebiri explores the real story behind one of the most indelible movies of the 1970’s, Dog Day Afternoon. The gritty reality of Sidney Lumet’s direction, the strangeness of the story (according to the film, the motive for the robbery was money to pay for the sex reassignment surgery of the transgendered romantic partner of one of the robbers) and the stunning performances by Al Pacino, John Cazale, and Chris Sarandon captured the moment. Audiences of the era remembered the bungled bank robbery as it unfolded, with the hapless criminals stuck inside the surrounded bank ordering pizzas and the hostages and the crowd outside rooting for the robbers.

Ebiri looks at the contemporary coverage of the robbery and the film. According to this story, there was a mob involvement as well. And the guy behind it all learned that “moviemaking, like crime, does not pay.”

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The Real Story