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The Water Cooler spends some time deserted with Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien for Sam Raimi’s ‘Send Help.’ Help! Clarence is deserted on a remote island–someone save him! Or, perhaps, Megan and Joey are talking about Sam Raimi’s Send Help and he’s a little under the weather. Even an S.O.S. can be dramatic. If you follow Megan on any social platform, you will notice how much she loves Raimi’s latest, which finds Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien butting heads and slaughtering boars after their plane crashes on a business trip to Bangkok. McAdams’ Linda has the survival skills, but O’Brien’s Bradley thinks he’s still in control. How does Raimi fare when giving this workplace hierarchy dark comedy his trademark bloody twists? A few new trailers dropped this week, and Joey and Megan give their instant reactions to The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Is the lighting that bad for Miranda Priestly’s return? Will the Ryan Murphy produced limited series be more in line with the quality of The People vs. OJ Simpson? We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follows below.     Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/ The post Sending Up a Flare: The Water Cooler Survives ‘Send Help’ [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

The Contending’s Clarence Moye returns to his original interview with the great Catherine O’Hara, gone too soon at 71. We were not ready to say “Goodbye” to Catherine O’Hara today. When a friend send the news that she’d passed, it felt like a punch to the gut. I mourned not only the great comedic performances she’d given — Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman, Beetlejuice, and her Emmy-winning work in Schitt’s Creek — but I also mourned the great performances she’d yet to give. No matter her age, O’Hara always seemed down to play, and I always imagined her bringing that same inspired lunacy straight into her 90s. But the universe had different plans for her. In 2017, I had the great fortune of speaking with Catherine O’Hara when I wrote for Awards Daily. It would emerge as one of my very favorite interviews. She was kind, she was generous, and she was very, very funny as she dove into the process of Schitt’s Creek and Moira Rose. We talked just as the comedy hit Netflix and exploded into pop culture. She and the rest of the main cast would eventually go on to win well deserved Emmys for their work. Here, in this podcast interview, O’Hara and I chat about her work on the series and her partnership with Eugene and Dan Levy. Listening to the podcast again today, I’m struck by how, at times, I wished I’d asked different questions. I wished I’d broadened our conversation to compare Moira to the great roles of her career. I wished I’d gushed a little less. Yet, she remained friendly, open, and ever in praise of the collaborative process that gave us Schitt’s Creek. So, join me in remembering this great actress: her brilliance, her razor-sharp humor, and her life. And in the words of Annie Murphy’s Alexis Rose: “Goodbye to a great actress. ”   Click here for my full podcast interview with the brilliant Catherine O’Hara or via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.   Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/    The post The Great Catherine O’Hara At the Peak of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ [PODCAST] appeared first on The Contending.

With a few days behind us, we gather around the Water Cooler to chat about the 2026 Oscar nominations and spitball potential winners. We let the dust settle from last Thursday’s 2026 Oscar nominations, and now we’re ready to break them down. We chat about our surprises, our disappointments, and our favorite nominations. We also take our first stab at winner predictions. We have a long way to go before the 2026 Oscars, including major guild wins. Things are bound to change before we lock things in, but these predictions are what we’re feeling in late January. Following that, Megan recently reviewed Sam Raimi’s Send Help. Rachel McAdams plays a mousy woman trapped on a deserted island with her dude-bro boss. Based on the trailer, we think she’s not up for his shit. Megan weighs in on the film and McAdams’s performance. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follows below.   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/   The post Weighing In On 2026 Oscar Nominations, Potential Winners [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

Team Contending gathers around the Water Cooler to unveil their latest and semi-final 2026 Oscar nomination predictions in all 24 categories. It’s finally that time of year. On Thursday, January 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will unveil the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards. The nominations will be read live by Danielle Brooks (Oscar nominee for The Color Purple) and Lewis Pullman. To prepare for the big day, Team Contending gathers around the Water Cooler to dish on their 2026 Oscar nomination predictions in all 24 categories. We’ll be finalizing our predictions on the site by end of day Tuesday! Be sure to stay with The Contending all week as we cover the 2026 Oscar nominations! We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follows below.   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/   The post 2026 Oscar Nomination Predictions In 24 Categories [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

The Copenhagen Test co-star Saul Rubinek talks about three recent major projects, including Peacock’s acclaimed thriller. Seasoned character actor Saul Rubinek’s incredibly diverse resume boasts collaborations with some of cinema’s greatest filmmakers. He worked with Oliver Stone on Wall Street and Nixon. He co-starred in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning masterpiece Unforgiven. He was also featured in Tony Scott’s True Romance, based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino. His career also boasts memorable turns on such long-standing television series as Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lost, Hunters, and most recently Peacock’s The Copenhagen Test. Created by Thomas Brandon, The Copenhagen Test stars Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Melissa Barrera (Scream). Liu plays Alexander Hale, an intelligence agent whose brain is hacked which allows access to everything he sees and hears. Rubinek’s Victor Simonek, a former intelligence analyst who now runs a restaurant, mentors Alexander, but is there more to their partnership? Rubinek joined the series thanks to a lifetime of adoration for the spy thriller novels of Ian Fleming or, later, John le Carré. Rubinek considers showrunner Brandon’s work a descendant of the storytelling-focused spy novels he loved. “This piece, when I read it, I realized, ‘Oh my god, this is a grandchild of that world!’ This writer knows it and is not talking down to the audience. It is complex, interesting, and propulsive,” Rubinek explained. “The real metaphor here that Thomas Brandon is using is creating a situation that poetically, entertainingly, and very excitingly creates a situation where the ends and the means are put right up against each other. Especially on an immigrant kid who needs maybe more than anybody else to prove his loyalty to the country that has stopped giving his parents safety.” Here, in a podcast interview with The Contending, Saul Rubinek talks about much from his extensive career within theater, film, and television. He praises The Copenhagen Test show runners Thomas Brandon and Jennifer Yale for their ability to create an atmosphere of safety. He marvels at their ability to create a set that sponsored artistic freedom and risk-taking. He also calls series star Liu a “generous leader” who deeply understands the mutual support system between star and supporting cast required to create something great. Rubinek also shares several stories from his personal life, many of which he describes in his new book All in the Telling: a somewhat true story, which is now available on Amazon. He dives into his incredible past, including his introduction into theater in his Canadian childhood. He also shares perspectives on his recent critically acclaimed performance as “Saul Rubinek” (or a variation of himself) in the recent off-Broadway play Playing Shylock. Rubinek will soon re-stage this performance in Montreal. Rubinek is a gifted character actor whose performances grace many of film and television’s best creations. But, most importantly, Rubinek is a gifted storyteller with a great deal to share. Click here to listen to the full podcast with The Copenhagen Test co-star Saul Rubinek! The Copenhagen Test streams exclusively on Peacock.    Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/ The post ‘The Copenhagen Test:’ Saul Rubinek On What Led Him To Peacock’s Acclaimed Thriller appeared first on The Contending.

We recap the 2026 Golden Globes, led by One Battle and Hamnet, and break down the 2026 Oscar Actress races. One Battle After Another and Hamnet took home the big Best Picture wins at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards. On this week’s podcast, we review the ceremony and host Nikki Glaser, its winners, and the best / worst moments of the evening. Plus, following last night’s actress wins, how does the 2026 Oscar Actress landscape change? Is Teyana Taylor the de facto frontrunner? Is Jessie Buckley unstoppable? Will Rose Byrne’s acclaimed performance in the challenging If I Had Legs I’d Kick You finally bring the actress Oscar attention? We tackle these questions and more as we dive into the 2026 Oscar Actress races. We close our podcast with a Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen! Our video podcast follows below!   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/     The post 2026 Golden Globes & Analyzing the 2026 Oscar Actress Races [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

Alexandr Molochnikov’s Oscar-shortlisted film, Extremist, is ripped from the headlines. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has turned into all-out war, and citizens across multiple continents protest in any way that they can. Extremist tells the true story of Sasha Skochilenko, a Russian artist and musician who finds herself behind bars after she places facts about the conflict on stickers on products in a nearby store. While Molochnikov never shies away from the real implications behind Skochileno’s imprisonment, Extemist turns this story on its head to surprise the audience with a remarkable ending. More filmmakers should take risks with how they tell real-life stories, and Molochnikov explains that he wasn’t ever scared or worried to write a film that hones in on the truth. You cannot avoid the news of the war in Ukraine, and one way to protest the violence is by not shying away from it. Molochnikov shows two different worlds living side-by-side. Skochilenko fills her world with color and life, galavanting around the woods with her friends and her lover, Sonya. Under the Russian rule, the filmmaker bathes the film in greys and blues, so a shade of red lipstick or shimmer of gold glitter sparkles even brighter. It’s almost as if the visual palette is an accompanying protest. Extemist avoids becoming another true story tale for the light infused within it. The film feels very present, not just because this event happened so recently but also because our anger and frustration with this war is something that we see and hear about almost every day. If a regime can steal your freedom for simply telling the truth, they can do anything. If a sticker can land you in prison, what will happen when you march in the streets? Extremist can be viewed via The New Yorker’s YouTube page here. Click here to listen to my conversation with Extremist director Alexandr Molochnikov.   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/ The post Alexandr Molochnikov On the Explosive Conclusion of Live Action Short Contender ‘Extremist’ appeared first on The Contending.

The Water Cooler weighs with their 2026 Golden Globe predictions. Plus, Megan brings news from this weekend’s Critics Choice Awards. On our first podcast of 2026, we take stock of the upcoming 2026 Golden Globe Awards. On the TV front, will they mostly rubber stamp the 2025 Emmys and award The Pitt, The Studio, and Adolescence? Or will another series break through? On the film front, how many of its 9 leading nominations will One Battle After Another receive? What about Sinners or one of the three multi-nominated foreign language films? Find out where we stand on our 2026 Golden Globes Predictions podcast. Check out the website later this week for predictions from the full team at The Contending. But first, Megan has returned from her first trip to the Critics Choice Awards. She recaps her experience at the ceremony, and we review the winners and their potential impact on the awards race. We also spitball potential nominations we’d love to see at the upcoming The Actor Awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards). We close our podcast with a Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen! Our video podcast follows below!   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/   The post 2026 Golden Globe Predictions, Fallout from Critics Choice [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

To close out 2025, we finally make our Fantasy Oscar 2nd round draft trades and review Marty Supreme and Song Sung Blue. It’s our final podcast of 2025. To celebrate, we finally squeeze in our wildly overdue Fantasy Oscar second round draft trades with a few modifications. We’ll be posting a new page on the website so you can track our progress as we march to the Dolby and the 2026 Oscars. Then, we review two new Christmas releases: Marty Supreme and Song Sung Blue. Hopefully, you’ve read Megan’s take on the film, but what did Joey and Clarence think? And does the Neil Diamond-inspired Song Sung Blue make us joyful or… blue? Find out on this week’s podcast! SPOILER ALERT WHERE WE DISCUSS THE ENDING OF BOTH FILMS: Marty Supreme: 50:00 – 55:00 Song Sung Blue: 1:12:25 – 1:18:14 We close our podcast with a Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen! Our video podcast follows below!   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/       The post ‘Marty Supreme,’ ‘Song Sung Blue,’ & Fantasy Oscar 2nd Round Draft [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

Two people sitting alone in a room talking is the basic premise of Ira Sachs’ marvelous new drama, Peter Hujar’s Day. Some contemporary audiences might not be used to such a simple concept, but the performances from Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall (and Sachs’ direction) are an exercise in how communication can be balanced by nuanced listening. Wouldn’t you just die to have Rebecca Hall listen to you speak about your day? Would you be able to take in someone speaking about their day like Hall does as Linda Rosenkrantz? The famed journalist wanted to capture an ordinary day in the life of an artist in New York City in 1974, and it’s surreal to hear Whishaw’s Hujar casually mention names like Susan Sontag, Allen Ginsburg, and William S. Burroughs. Without seeing any of these other people, Sachs’ writing allows these titans of the literary and artistic worlds to become everyday people again. Sachs’ film is not a biopic as much as a sliver of time in the life of two friends and two people creating something wholly unique with one another. Hall has always brought a bold intelligence to all of her characters, but because Sachs’ script requests her to listen so much, you are drawn in by how her Linda observes and absorbs Peter’s words. She almost instructs the audience how to take in information. As the camera initially spends so much time on Whishaw, Linda primarily asks questions in response to color Peter’s stories more deeply before the interview settles evolves into a conversation between two friends. At one point, Peter asks Linda how much tape is left and suggests that he is worried that what they are doing isn’t good. ‘It’s all good,’ she says. ‘No, you’re not boring me.’ It’s a line that could be seen as comforting a friend, but she’s also working as a journalist. After we talk about Hall adjusting her voice to sit further back in her register, we discuss how her physicality becomes more relaxed as the day wanes into night. Because she loves the era so much, it was easy and exciting for her to research and settle into this period. I originally wondered if Linda was concerned if Peter was telling her the truth about his day, and then I thought…would it matter? While Whishaw spiritedly takes the opportunity to expel so much information, it’s entirely thrilling to see how Hall consumes it and volleys back. We are so steeped in our own media and image that something like Peter Hujar’s Day is a breath of fresh air. Rebecca Hall is so luminous that she almost doesn’t have to say a word.   Click here to listen!   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/ The post Rebecca Hall On the Importance of Listening for ‘Peter Hujar’s Day’ [Podcast] appeared first on The Contending.

The Kiss of the Spider Woman production design team sits down to discuss their and Bill Condon’s vision for the Broadway adaptation. Looking at the Kiss of the Spider Woman production design, viewers may be initially unaware of its deep connection to classic movie musicals. Sure, many discerning viewers caught the references to Singin’ in the Rain baked into Jennifer Lopez’s show-stopping performance of “Gimme Love!,” but there are deeper cuts imbedded within the film’s extensive production design. Director Bill Condon, production designer Scott Chambliss, and set decorator Andrew Baseman are all students of classic Hollywood musicals. This extensive knowledge perfectly meshed with Spider Woman‘s main character, Molina (Tonatiuh), who escapes the terrors of prison life for the cinematic life of their inspiration, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). So, along with Singin’ in the Rain, we receive visual nods to other classic musicals such as Broadway’s Coco, Small Town Girl, The Band Wagon, and other MGM musicals. Not just nods, but in many cases, their sets are built in the same abstract manner of their inspirations. “For me, that was a huge part of the joy of designing this film was going into that vocabulary of design for film that is, to me, that the abstraction of that and the poetry that is within that abstraction gives you room to dream,” Chambliss explained. “When you remember these numbers, at least for me, I remember them as much more elaborate than they really are. They’re so suggestive. When I finally started seeing some of these musicals that I treasured since I was an early teenager on the big screen, I discovered, ‘Oh my god, there’s almost nothing in that set’.” Bizarrely, many younger critics faulted the film’s design because it looked inauthentic and artificial. But that’s the literal point. Molina’s  recounting of Luna (and her alter ego, the Spider Woman) are all realized in deliberate homages to the sets of classic Hollywood musicals. As such, the production design needed to recapture those decidedly more antiquated, more sparse, and yes, more artificial appearances so prominently featured within the older Hollywood aesthetic. But the film doesn’t all take place in Molina’s fantasy world. Several scenes take place within the confines of Molina’s harsh prison reality. That offered Chambliss and Baseman a unique challenge. “It’s clearly two extreme opposites, and contrast is key. Focusing in on what exactly those contrasts are made up of is the task of production design itself,” Chambliss said. “For both [Baseman] and I, who love the old musicals that are part of the fantasy world of this movie, we came at the project with a lot of information and a rich history of learning about that period of musical filmmaking.” Here, in a conversation with The Contending, Chambliss and Baseman describe the vast influences of and challenges inherent in bringing Kiss of the Spider Woman to the big screen. They talk about writer / director Bill Condon’s influences and structure for the film. They also talk about the parallels between Molina’s prison cell and their outside apartment, which we do eventually see. Additionally, they reveal how Molina’s prison cell helps define their character. Finally, they reveal the inspiration for the gorgeous theater-set sequence that closes the film and how budget constraints ultimately led to something more artistic and visually stunning. Click here to listen to my chat with Kiss of the Spider Woman production design team of production designer Scott Chambliss and set decorator Andrew Baseman!       Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/   The post ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Production Design Echoes Classic Movie Musicals appeared first on The Contending.

Ahhhh, the shortlists. Most of Film Twitter tuned into Tuesday’s announcement to see what feature films would get a leg up (Wicked: For Good) and what the new Best Casting category would look like. For people like me and ShortStick founder, Brandon MacMurray, we wanted to see what films made an impact in the short film categories. Across all three short film categories–Animated, Documentary and Live Action–nearly 500 films qualified, so parsing through so many shorts was no small feat. Brandon and I give our reactions to what we were happy to see and what we were bummed to find out didn’t make the cut. Alexander Farah’s tender, lovely One Day This Kid was both of our biggest disappointment in terms of omissions–stream it on Criterion Channel now! We chatted hours after the shortlists dropped, so these reactions are very fresh! Make sure you follow Brandon and his team over at Shortstick for predictions, interviews, and upcoming coverage of festivals throughout the year. Click here to listen! Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/ The post An Immediate Reaction to the Shortlisted Shorts with Brandon MacMurray [Bonus Podcast!] appeared first on The Contending.

This week, we’re sadly but fondly revisiting the films and legacy of the late Rob Reiner. Plus, we break down the 2026 Oscars shortlists. This weekend, we sadly lost one of the 1980s greatest directors: Rob Reiner. While few praised Reiner’s visual style, he excelled at working with and getting great performances from actors in a wide array of genres. From Stand By Me to When Harry Met Sally to A Few Good Men, Reiner made significant contributions to cinema without receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Director (he was only nominated for producing A Few Good Men). We look fondly at his career before moving on to the 2026 Oscars shortlists. What films benefitted the most? What films were kneecapped? Find out on this week’s podcast! We close our podcast with a Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen! Our video podcast follows below!   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/   The post 2026 Oscars Shortlists, Saying Goodbye To the Great Rob Reiner [VIDEO] appeared first on The Contending.

Fantastic Four production designer Kasra Farahani talks about optimism, The Jetsons, and other inspirations for his gorgeous designs. The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in an entirely different Earth, Earth-828 to be exact. Here, there are no Avengers or X-Men or any of the traditional superheroes we’ve become acquainted with in the advent of Marvel Studios. Instead, the only super-powered beings within this multiverse iteration of Earth are the Fantastic Four, led by Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal). A da Vinci-level inventor/architect, Richards’s influence on this Earth manifests visually in a gorgeous array of retro-futuristic buildings and interior designs tilted toward mid-century modern. Fantastic Four production designer Kasra Farahani dabbled in retro-futurism before. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on the Loki Disney+ series. However, his work here in the world of the Fantastic Four exists on an entirely different plane from that of Loki‘s TVA (Time Variance Authority). “It was interesting when my phone rang for this job because I immediately thought, ‘Oh, mid-century retro-futurism is something I’ve done a lot already in Loki. But after looking more into the source material, I realized it was very different than that of Loki. There, we were going after the feel of an ominous Orwellian monolith,” explained Farahani. “It was clear in the source material for Fantastic Four that this was something very different. It is about optimism first and foremost and about dynamism and acceleration and forward movement.” In initial conversations with director Matt Shakman (WandaVision), Farahani learned that his vision for the film stemmed from the real-world events of the early 1960s. Both artists felt inspired by the optimism of the jet age, best reflected in the advent of the Apollo programs and enhanced space exploration. Additionally, during that period, technology became increasingly married to people’s everyday lives. As a result, early 1960s fashion, product design, and architecture were all heavily influenced by the intersection of technological advancements that made the seemingly impossible more achievable. Here, in Fantastic Four, that aesthetic intersects with the birth and ascension of Reed Richards, a figure that Farahani equates to an “Oppenheimer meets da Vinci-type figure.” His designs stand out within the film and feel like monuments to human potential. It’s a sense that Walt Disney and other visionaries tapped into for New York’s 1964 World’s Fair. “The 1964 World’s Fair is an amazing collection of all of these ideas manifested on a very, very large architectural scale. Considering the amalgamation of all the pavilions, it looked like a small city from the future,” Farahani remarked. “Whether you’re looking at The Jetsons or the World’s Fair or automobile design from that period, it’s undeniable that they’re all looking to the jet age and space flight as a source of inspiration, trying to capture the optimism and hope and kind of sense of awe that those things had in society and distill it into ordinary products that people can buy.” All of those inspirations manifested as the accelerating curves and monolithic white surfaces of Farahani’s production design. Yes, the concept is retro-futurism, but unlike the dark, 50s-based sci-fi world of Loki, everything here feels bright and curvy. There are, in fact, no straight lines in the Richards-built structures in the film. For example, the bathroom countertops seen in the first frames of the film are wavy. The light fixtures are circular. Even Richards’s lab features colored circles that represent the organization of his mind and thought process. There’s so much going on within the design that it’s impossible to encapsulate all details within a written piece, so I encourage you to check out the audio of my conversation with Fantastic Four production designer Kasra Farahani. Here, he elaborates on the connections between Fantastic Four, The Jetsons, the World’s Fair of 1964, and the optimism baked into his designs. He talks about the balance between the playfulness and reality of the production design. He also discusses which architects and structures most inspired his interpretations. Finally, he begrudgingly reveals which aspect of the film’s design was his personal favorite, something he likens to choosing a favorite among one’s children. Click here to listen to my full interview with Fantastic Four production designer Kasra Farahani. You can also see samples of his incredible, Oscar-worthy work below! The Fantastic Four: First Steps streams exclusively on Disney+.   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/   Photos Courtesy of Strategy PR.  The post ‘Fantastic Four’ Production Designer Inspired By Optimism In Jet Age, 1964 World’s Fair appeared first on The Contending.

Fantastic Four VFX Supervisor Scott Stokdyk talks about bringing the core four, plus a new Silver Surfer, to vivid, authentic life. Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t the first film to render the famed comic book quartet on the big screen. Aside from the famed never-released early 90s attempt, there have been three previous Fantastic Four films. Yet, none of those films’ visual effects truly felt fully realized in representing the core four’s — Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, The Thing — cosmic-birthed powers. Earlier attempts felt cartoonish, overly exaggerated, or strictly phoned in. Thankfully, Marvel Studios and director Matt Shakman vastly improved the Fantastic Four VFX. Thanks to Academy Award-winning VFX Supervisor Scott Stokdyk, the update feels real and authentic. Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic’s infamous stretching ability never becomes the butt of a joke. Ben Grimm / The Thing conveys the humanity of Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s performance. Even the controversial female Silver Surfer / Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner) is gorgeously rendered, refuting early reactions to split-second glimpses of the character in the trailer. They’re exactly rendered as Stokdyk and team intended, online buzz be damned. “I have to tune that out. At this point it’s like, it’s so easy to get caught up in first reaction kind of things. When I’m just in it and working on it, I just want to make these shots the best they are and focus on that,” Stokdyk explained. “If I think they look good and I know they’re going to look good, then I’m not worried about it.That’s just kind of noise to me.” Here, in an interview with The Contending, Stokdyk talks about the process of bringing to vivid life the Fantastic Four’s powers. He talks about digging into anatomy — muscle, skin, bones — and learning how they stretch. He talks about retaining Bachrach’s emotional performance as The Thing within that rocky exterior. He also talks about capturing Julia Garner’s fully committed performance as Shalla-Bal through visual effects as a fully chromatic character. “She’s so expressive, and there’s so many really deep emotional performances. On set, you’re just like flabbergasted on what she brings. Then, you get back, and you want to make sure the audience feels what I felt on set.” Stokdyk shares details about taking Ralph Ineson to galactic heights as Galactus, eater of worlds. He also reveals the extensive collaboration between multiple departments that helped fashion the excellent finished product. Finally, he reveals which character posed the biggest challenge to render through VFX. Click here to listen to my full interview with The Fantastic Four: First Steps Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk. The Fantastic Four: First Steps streams exclusively on Disney+.   Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! by cinematic alex https://tunetank.com/track/802-here-we-go/ The post ‘Fantastic Four’ VFX Supervisor On Artistic Challenges Posed By Each Character’s Powers appeared first on The Contending.