Fred Topel

Chinese box office phenom Ne Zha 2 begins with a helpful recap for new viewers, and those already familiar with the franchise, to keep track of the elaborate tale. The animated sequel, which has been on a record-breaking spree since releasing in China during the Lunar New Year holiday and reaches…

Taika Waititi mixed jokes and sincerity in his acceptance speech for the Norman Lear Achievement Award on Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards for his work in television. He thanked his partners at FX and on the shows Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. "Thank you so much for…

Jane Fonda and Kate Hudson presented the Producers Guild of America Trailblazer Awards to posthumous recipients Paula Weinstein and Lynda Obst. Fonda worked with Weinstein on the films 9 to 5 and Monster-in-Law and the TV series Grace and Frankie. Having made her first film in 1958, Fonda said it was…

At the top of Saturday night’s PGA Awards, the guild’s co-president Donald De Line made a plea to industry suits in the room to keep production in Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires. “Now more than ever it's important that we gather together having just endured the most devastating…

Wicked producer Marc Platt previewed this year’s Wicked: For Good while speaking about his Producer’s Guild Award-nominated first film on Saturday morning. At the PGA’s annual breakfast panel for nominees for Theatrical Motion Picture, Platt, who also produced the Broadway show, said he…

One of Them Days is the kind of comedy Hollywood used to make regularly. The film keeps the premise simple and trusts the characters to react in funny ways. Even though it is more of a rarity in today's IP landscape, One of Them Days proves that comedy especially need not be overthought. Dreux…

During FYC season, you not only get opportunities to hear the filmmakers talk about their latest work, but sometimes other equally prominent filmmakers moderate the Q&A. Christopher Nolan interviewed Ridley Scott after a screening of Gladiator II at the DGA Theater in West Hollywood on Tuesday…

In I Am: Celine Dion, the French-Canadian singer allowed director Irene Taylor and cinematographer Nick Midwig to film her struggles with stiff person syndrome. Dion received the diagnosis in 2022 and later had to cancel her world tour due to muscle spasms and rigidity. One such spasm occurred while…

Frida is not just a documentary about the art and life of Frida Kahlo. Director Carla Gutierrez wanted to use the tools of the format to capture Kahlo's emotions. Those tools included narration, archival material, score and the creative touch of animating Kahlo's paintings. "We wanted to make…

The DailyWire+ satirical documentary Am I Racist? broke records by making more than $12 million at the box office. It also landed a session in Deadline's awards-season showcase Contenders Documentary. In the movie, director Justin Folk films Matt Walsh infiltrating leaders in diversity…

Swedish duo Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson directed and starred in the documentary The Last Journey. In the film, Sweden’s submission to the International Feature Oscar race, Hammar and Wikingsson take Hammar's father, Lars, a retired teacher, on a road trip through France to help him deal with…

The documentary War Game films a simulation of a military coup after a disputed presidential election. The 2024 election ended decisively in favor of Donald Trump, who will take office in January. Directors Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber filmed the scenario designed by Vet Voice Foundation CEO Janessa…