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Los Angeles Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How to make the most of the Festival of Books
Last week, we told you about some of the can't-miss panels and events happening on Saturday, April 25. From a discussion on romance literature to a talk on book bans, there's no shortage of fun events and fantastic authors for attendees to enjoy. But on Sunday, there's even more, so be sure to stick around to take full advantage of the book bonanza. This year's fest is attracting some of the biggest names in Hollywood. The director of last year's smash-hit movie musical 'Wicked,' Jon M. Chu, will be speaking to Times reporter Ashley Lee at 1:30pm. Actor, producer and political activist Wilmer Valderrama will speak with De Los editorial director Fidel Martinez on the Main Stage at 11:30 a.m. Musician Robyn Hitchcock will be in conversation with Jonathan Lethem at 11 a.m. Actor Josh Gad will also be in attendance, talking with Jon Lovett, host of the 'Pod Save America' podcast, at 12:40pm. Chelsea Handler, who released a Netflix special at the end of March, recently turned 50 and she, like many women, is 'not going anywhere. That's why men are so scared of us, because we have become so powerful and so independent,' she said in a recent interview with The Times. Don't miss the conversation between reporter Yvonne Villarreal and Handler on the Main Stage at 1:50 p.m. It's the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. To celebrate, we've got a special screening of the first episode of Masterpiece's 'Miss Austen', with appearances by writer Gill Hornby and the show's executive producer, Christine Langan. These festivities kickoff at 10 a.m. Author 'Pemi Aguda, who is a finalist for the Art Seidenbaum Award at Friday night's Book Awards presentation, will be part of a panel called 'The Oddities of Earthlings: Magical Realism in Contemporary Fiction' that begins at 10:30 a.m. She will be joined on the panel by Hilary Leichter, Muriel Leung and Claire Stanford. Also at 10:30 will be a powerful panel on American politics. 'Unequal Ground: The Silent War Against the Poor and Marginalized' features Melissa Ann Chadburn, Bernadette Atuahene, Sarah Jones and Andrea Freeman discussing the ways that racism and other forms of systematic oppression have played out in agriculture and food policies. Some of the most-acclaimed writers gather for 'The Call Is Coming From Inside the House,' a panel about writers writing novels about writers. Featuring Danzy Senna, Edan Lepucki, Ashley Whitaker and Nnedi Okorafor, the panel is a must-see for aspiring authors. The 'Under My Skin: Gender and Identity in Fiction' panel is happening at a time when the trans community is being targeted by the Trump administration. Taking place at noon, the panel will feature authors Emily St. James, Rax Will, Daniel Lavery and Zee Carlstrom, who will talk about their work that navigates questions of gender, identity and belonging in an often hostile and ever-evolving world. For further reading, check out this recent Publishers Weekly story featuring interviews with trans and nonbinary writers. Percival Everett, hailed as one of his generation's greatest writers, received the 2024 National Book Award for 'James.' He will also be on hand at the festival for a one-on-one discussion with Héctor Tobar. Tickets are going fast for this panel, so don't hesitate to secure your spot. A conversation on this year's devastating fires will take place at 1:30 p.m. 'Red Flag Warning: California, Wildfires and Where We Go From Here' will feature a discussion on the state's present and future challenges as climate change makes wildfires more frequent and more intense. Obi Kaufmann, Manjula Martin, Jordan Thomas, Jack Dolan, and Lucero Chavez-Ramirez will participate in the panel. One of the ways that I've been combating my own climate anxiety is by turning a yard full of invasive weeds into a pollinator garden full of native plants, so I'm stoked for The Times' Native Plants booth at this year's fest, featuring staff from the Theodore Payne Foundation and the California Native Plant Society. Those who visit the booth (and who subscribe to the Plants newsletter) will receive free sunflower (helianthus) seeds and have a chance to take home pots of native flowers. On Saturday, the CNPS will offer advice on growing in your particular zip code. The sunflower-seed giveaway helps support bird-friendly gardening, according to Times' plants writer Jeanette Marantos, which is perfect because this time of year is also when prime bird migration takes place. (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) Want to learn more about birds? You're in luck! Amy Tan's 'The Backyard Bird Chronicles' is a recent bestseller. And actor Lili Taylor debuts next week with 'Turning to Birds: The Beauty and Power of Noticing.' Octavia Butler, the visionary Southern California writer, will soon be accessible for those who prefer to take in their literature via comic books and graphic novels. One of L.A.'s buzziest bookshops, Octavia's Bookshelf, unveiled the graphic novel adaptation of 'Parable of the Talents,' by Damian Duffy, John Jennings and David Brame. Los Angeles native Matthew Specktor argues that the fascist attack on the arts should concern us all, especially the denizens and fans of the film industry: 'The pleasure of making beautiful things and reveling in beautiful things and making art is a bizarre thing in America.' The legacy of Indian boarding schools, a shameful chapter of recent American history, is the focus of 'Medicine River' by Mary Annette Pember. 'Pember's book blends her research and reportage with memoir,' writes Charles Arrowsmith. Aimee Semple McPherson's Venice Beach drowning and subsequent reappearance in the Mexican desert made her a local legend. Author Claire Hoffman notes that 'Aimee's disappearance had made national news, but her resurrection made global headlines.' Over at the New Yorker, festival participant Elaine Pagels discusses the mysterious companion of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, with writer Eliza Griswold. Pagels will appear at a panel on Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. The anniversary of Shakespeare's birth was April 23rd. (Happy 459th, Will!) This past week, he was in the news when scholars announced that they had identified the correspondents in a letter fragment found in a book in 1978. Shakespeare had long been thought to have lived in London alone, having left his wife behind in Stratford. But based on the letter, Shakespeare scholar Matthew Steggle says that the couple resided together at a house on Trinity Lane. The young correspondent beseeches 'Good Mrs. Shakspaire' to release funds in a trust held by her husband. 'The letter writer thinks that 'Mrs Shakspaire' has independent access to money, [Steggle said.] 'They hope that Mrs Shakspaire might 'paye your husbands debte.'' If only the Shakespeares had had access to what is likely to be paid next month for the bard's work. Sotheby's has announced that a complete set of all four folios will be auctioned on May 23rd. It is the first time since 1989 that a complete set has been available to purchase. But pack your checkbook. It's expected that the bidding may go as high as $4.5 million. We hope to see you at the Festival of Books for a chance to meet new friends—all those lovely books waiting to find their new forever home with you. After all, as Groucho once reminded us, 'Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.'
Los Angeles Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The wait for ‘Stranger Things' continues. But there's a new doc to tide fans over
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who still remembers the Upside Down. It's now been 35 months since Netflix's megahit horror series 'Stranger Things' released new episodes. And while the eerie nostalgia hit is set to return for its fifth and final season this year, there are at least some options to help fans grapple with the last stretch of waiting. In this week's Break Down, Ashley Lee gives a look at a new documentary about the making of its stage show, 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow,' which opened on Broadway earlier this week. Also in Screen Gab No. 178, filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden drop in to discuss their film 'Freaky Tales,' plus several titles to add to your watch list. Must-read stories you might have missed Penn Badgley says goodbye to 'You': 'I can't do this man anymore': The actor spoke to The Times about the finale of 'You,' and what it was like to let go of his character Joe, a delusional, disturbed and dangerous sociopath. 'Star Wars' has always been a family saga. For 'Andor,' Tony Gilroy tapped his brothers: The creator and executive producer of 'Andor' relied on his brothers Dan, a writer, and John, an executive producer and editor, to finish the latest season of the 'Star Wars' series. They traveled hundreds of miles to watch 'Sinners' make Hollywood history in Imax 70mm: 'It was a no-brainer': Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' is screening in Imax 70mm in only eight theaters in the U.S. These moviegoers traveled thousands of miles to watch the movie in its intended format. YouTube turns 20 years old. How it changed TV as we know it: Over the last two decades, YouTube has transitioned from a place with amateur videos to one that's become a major force in TV with billions of global viewers and hosting some of the world's largest concerts and sports games. Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times 'SoCal Snowy Owl' ( Chris Angel's moving short film is centered on the mysterious arrival and monthlong residence of a magnificent female Arctic snowy owl on a suburban street in the Orange County town of Cypress from mid-December 2022 through mid-January 2023 — a rare event that drew crowds to the neighborhood and made national news. Broader scientific context and various hypotheses are briefly, not quite authoritatively offered, but above all this is a story of human connection and community, of challenged individual lives changed for the better by a bird, and of wild nature transforming the suburban environment. Residents, birders of all ages, nature photographers and local officials recall the magic days before 'Snowy,' as the regulars called her, took off again, like something out of a fairy tale. — Robert Lloyd 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' (VOD), 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (Prime Video) Most people will never see the recently opened Broadway productions of 'Good Night, and Good Luck' and 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' two of the hottest — and expensive — tickets on the Great White Way. But there's no need to fret. The excellent film versions of the narratives can be seen from the comfort of your living room. Set in the era of 1950s broadcast television news at the height of McCarthyism, the stage production of 'Good Night, and Good Luck' borrows heavily from the 2005 film featuring George Clooney, who also directed and co-wrote the screenplay. In the film, David Strathairn plays CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow. In the stage version, Clooney — sporting a dark brunette dye job — takes over the lead role of Murrow. As for David Mamet's 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' the impressive Broadway cast includes recent Oscar winner Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean in the newest portrait of desperate real estate salesmen dealing with personal and professional crises. The cast of the 1992 film is just as dazzling — Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris and Jonathan Pryce — and the drama is quietly explosive. — Greg Braxton A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching There's a movie out right now that combines an NBA star-turned-kung fu master, the gory murder of Nazis, teen punks, racist police and old-school rap battles. 'Freaky Tales,' which is now streaming on Prime Video, is a pop-culture fever dream from filmmaking duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden that is set in 1987 Oakland, where Fleck grew up, and tells four interconnected stories about underdogs — an aging hit man (Pedro Pascal) and Golden State Warrior Eric 'Sleepy' Floyd (Jay Ellis), Gilman Street Punk rockers and freestyle rappers. The film was inspired by Bay Area rapper Too Short's song of the same name, which appeared on his 1987 album 'Born to Mack.' In this week's Guest Spot, Fleck and Boden discussed the joys of leaning into the bizarre, what they're watching and more. — Yvonne Villarreal You have worked together for more than two decades, on projects like 'Half Nelson' and 'Captain Marvel.' The idea for 'Freaky Tales' has been swirling, at least in Ryan's mind, since age 10. What was it like to tap into the enthusiasm of your younger selves and lean into the chaotic fun? Fleck: We've LOVED movies and HATED Nazis for as long as we can remember. So, yeah, it was a total blast to tap into those visceral feelings of both celebration and joy for a time and place and specific type of movie, while also tapping into violent rage against hateful motherf—. Unpack your process of deciding which historical events would set the foundation for the film and how you would create your fictional world from there. Boden: The movie walks a path with one foot in a familiar world and the other foot in a wildly alternate dimension. The title is inspired by a Too Short song, so we knew his music would be a big part of the story. It was when Ryan introduced me to 'Don't Fight the Feeling,' this battle-rap song between Too Short and Danger Zone, that our version of 'Freaky Tales' started to fall into place. I just loved that this 20-something hip-hop star had the confidence to put a song on his album where these two women totally cut him down. So part of 'Freaky Tales' becomes our reimagining of how this song might have come to be. Fleck: Everyone in the Bay Area who was alive then remembers the Sleepy Floyd game where he went off against the Lakers. I heard the game on the radio as a kid, and the Warriors play-by-play was electrifying — the announcer literally shouted 'Sleepy Floyd is Superman!' and that resonated for years in my imagination. We knew 'The Legend of Sleepy Floyd' had to be the basis for a heroic story as well. 924 Gilman in Berkeley in the '80s was a world I always knew about peripherally but got more interested in over time. The events that inspired the first chapter we only learned about in recent years, and they helped us pull together the final missing pieces of our East Bay underdog puzzle. Gilman was an anti-racist, anti-violent punk community that was being harassed by neo-Nazi boneheads, so they decided to fight back. We pushed the fight way beyond reality, of course, and invented our own love story around it. It must have been surreal to have Too Short and Sleepy Floyd perform cameos in the film. What's a memory that stands out from those days of production? Boden: We always knew we wanted to pepper the movie with amazing Bay Area cameos, but getting Too Short and Sleepy Floyd in the mix was particularly memorable. Too Short played Ben Mendelsohn's cop partner, which was a particular treat for Ben, who was as big a Too Short fan as anyone on set. It was so fun watching Ben Mendelsohn fanboy over Too Short! We had Sleepy at Giant Burger congratulating Jay Ellis (playing Sleepy) after his record-breaking 4th quarter. Apparently, each take, Sleepy would go up to Jay and improvise an entirely fresh new way to fawn over how amazing 'Sleep Floyd' was! He was cracking Jay up, and Jay could barely keep a straight face! What have you watched recently that you're recommending to everyone you know? Fleck: 'Once Upon a Time in Queens' (2021). This was an ESPN '30 for 30' series about the 1986 Mets that I only recently watched, and it knocked me out. Similar to 'Freaky Tales,' which is set in 1987, the show beautifully transports you to a special time and place. I was a 10-year-old kid living in California, but I'll never forget watching Game 6 of that World Series. This show had me in tears. Pure magic. Boden: 'I'm Still Here' [VOD]. Yes, it was nominated for multiple Academy Awards last year, and even won best international film. And yet I still find that most people I talk to haven't seen this movie. I was just floored by it — the texture of the world and the family, how lived-in the relationships felt, how immediate and disorienting the pivotal disruption to it all; and so very relevant. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you must. What's your go-to 'comfort watch,' the film or TV show you return to again and again? Fleck: 'Dazed and Confused' [Prime Video]. I first saw this movie in high school and wished it would never end. But that's what we love about movies: We get older, and they stay the same age. Boden: 'Running on Empty' [VOD]. I like a good cry. And this movie provides it for me every time without fail. Even better, it's not a tragic cry but a good old-fashioned hopeful cry. I mean ... the ending! And that scene between Annie Pope (Christine Lahti) and her own father! So good. I first saw it when I was younger than its lead, River Phoenix, [who was] 18. But even then, the film not only drew me to him as a character but also to the complex emotional mazes of his parents. [Screenwriter] Naomi Foner and [director] Sidney Lumet absolutely killed it! Times staffers chew on the pop culture of the moment — love it, hate it or somewhere in between 'Stranger Things' fans eagerly awaiting the fifth and final season of the sci-fi phenomenon can momentarily appease their anticipation with 'Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things The First Shadow' (Netflix), the documentary that goes behind the scenes of the buzzy new stage show. Written by Kate Trefry, a writer on the series since its second season, the play is a prequel that's set in 1959 Hawkins, Ind., when Dr. Brenner is just getting his start in his lab and Bob Newby, Joyce Maldonado and Jim Hopper are in their last year of high school. It's also a connector of sorts for the series' fourth and fifth seasons, since the play introduces a new student named Henry Creel, who arrives alongside a wave of shocking crimes around town. But even if you haven't seen an episode of the hit series — and are unfamiliar with the phrases 'The Mind Flayer' or 'The Upside Down' — the behind-the-scenes film is still a compelling watch. It captures the race-against-the-clock endeavor to debut the ambitious stage production on the West End last year, complete with the numerous scary and spectacular moments intended to enthrall the franchise's most die-hard fans. (I recently spoke with Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher, who designed the play's illusions and visual effects and are, of course, featured in the documentary — funnily enough, one of the trickiest bits in the play is the on-demand nosebleed.) Netflix released the documentary in time for the opening of the play on Broadway earlier this week, likely as a tactic to entice casual 'Stranger Things' viewers to purchase tickets to see the stage show in either London or New York. But I found it thrilling to watch a cast and creative team build a production from the ground up and overcome the countless hurdles that come with putting on a show — even one as moneyed as this. — Ashley Lee READ MORE >> Designing illusions for 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' and 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'
