“The Shape of Water” makes audiences fall in love with a relationship between a mythical amphibian creature and a mute janitor. The plot of Guillermo del Toro’s latest film sounds a bit like an LSD-induced daydream: A mute janitor named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) falls in love with an amphibious creature (Doug Jones) that the U.S. Read more...
Photo: (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)
James Franco should teach a UCLA course on the art of impersonating Tommy Wiseau. In “The Disaster Artist,” Franco co-stars for the first time alongside his younger brother, Dave Franco, to re-enact the filmmaking process behind the infamous film “The Room.” Based on actor Greg Sestero’s book “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made,” James Franco’s film explains the reasons behind the unintentionally comedic details of the cult classic and shows how success can come from unexpected places. Read more...
Photo: (Courtesy of A24)
Ava Lalezarzadeh received 192 applications for eight open roles in her first film. Lalezarzadeh, a second-year theater student, and her casting director Emily Abbott, a third-year English student, turned away more than 150 people during their casting auditions for Lalezarzadeh’s original film “Pool Man.” The short film follows the story of a pool cleaner named John whose 5-year-old son is kidnapped, causing John to turn to religion. Read more...
Photo: Tanya Raisa, the actress who plays the character Joanne in the film “Pool Man,” poses next to Ava Lalezarzadeh, the writer and director, Grace Hawkins, the assistant director and Emily Abbott, the casting director (left to right). (Isa Saalabi/Daily Bruin)
“Ball in the Family” has officially become the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” of sports. The Facebook Watch show, which follows parent, coach and manager LaVar Ball’s life and his children’s basketball careers, debuted its second season Sunday to more than 300,000 viewers amid the current drama surrounding the family. Read more...
Photo: (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Death comes to life and life comes to death in Pixar’s latest animated film “Coco.” After a subpar “Cars 3” release, Pixar returned to its former glory with “Coco,” a film featuring exceptional animation, complex characters and hard-hitting themes about love, loss and legacy. Read more...
Photo: (courtesy of Disney•Pixar)
Jesus Martinez knew instantly that he wanted to work on “Coco” – it was one of the first times he saw a character on the big screen who looked like him when he was a kid. Read more...
Photo: UCLA alumnus Jesus Martinez worked as the layout and animation manager on the film “Coco.” Drawing on his knowledge of Mexican culture, Martinez shared with his crew details and materials such as videos that would increase the cultural authenticity of the film. (Photo courtesy of Debby Coleman, illustration by Amy Fang/Daily Bruin illustrator)
“Justice League” takes the stereotypical, end-of-the-world superhero movie plot and manages to make it even more predictable. With an overly straightforward plot, “Justice League” is the most recent film in the DC Extended Universe following the release of the critically acclaimed “Wonder Woman.” Although the film does adopt some of the strong humor and plot development that made “Wonder Woman” so successful, “Justice League” certainly does not do justice to the standard set by the earlier release. Read more...
Photo: (Courtesy of Clay Enos)
