Theaters today love big summer movies—think giant explosions, familiar heroes, and endless sequels. These films fill screens and wallets, crowding out smaller stories that need space to breathe. A fresh crime comedy from Neon, built around a shoplifting crew led by Keke Palmer, now tests whether suc
In 2009, a big Hollywood movie faced a sudden change before filming even started. Ryan Gosling was initially cast to play a father in "The Lovely Bones, " but he gained weight for the role without the director's go-ahead. When the team realized the character's look didn’t fit the story, they had to
Los Angeles city council member Nithya Raman walks through a silent film set, telling voters that the city’s once‑busy studios have shrunk since 2018. She says her own family ties to the industry make the issue personal, and she vows to keep Los Angeles as a global filming hub. The production slu
A top Iranian filmmaker recently shared strong feelings about events back home. He had just been in Tehran last week and right now, those memories and headlines still weigh on him. The problems he's talking about – protests crushed in January and new conflicts that started in late February – aren’t
A Toronto director has just signed with a major agency after her first movie impressed critics and audiences alike. The film, which blends personal memories with creative storytelling, follows an eight-year-old girl whose family moves from Hungary to Canada. Things take a difficult turn when her old
A few years back, a quiet film about an unusual love story surprised everyone. Nobody expected much from it, but it won a top prize in Switzerland. The person behind it didn’t care about flashy blockbusters. Instead, they focused on films that felt real and risky. This person runs a company that doe
These days, it feels like every movie theater is packed with spandex-clad heroes throwing punches. Fans keep buying tickets, but critics and moviegoers alike whisper the same complaint: where’s the fresh thinking? Some argue fans are simply tired of the same old formula, but others dig deeper. A clo
Two of the biggest players in movies and TV are teaming up in a deal worth more than most countries’ GDP. Warner Bros. and Paramount, both household names, are merging in an $81 billion takeover. That money could fund a hundred movies—or just one really expensive one. The new giant would control fam
Hollywood used to bank on star power alone. A single well-known name on a movie poster meant sold-out shows, regardless of the plot. That trick worked for years—think back to superhero hits like Iron Man in 2008—but times have changed. Studios now play it safer, betting on pre-existing stories from
Los Angeles once struggled to keep big productions from leaving town. Too many city departments worked separately, each with its own rules and delays. Enter Steve Kang, hired to act like a fast-track fixer. His goal wasn’t to change laws but to connect the dots between agencies. One test came when t
