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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What's the Secret to Comedic Timing? The Creators and Artisans of ‘The Four Seasons' Pull Back the Curtain
There's something very aspirational these days about being able to take a vacation during spring, summer, fall, and winter. But the creative team behind 'The Four Seasons' miniseries had some goals of their own in mind when adapting the 1981 Alan Alda film of the same title. Co-creators, writers, and executive producers Tina Fey, Tracey Wigfield, and Lang Fisher, have all been involved in legendary comedy series from '30 Rock' to 'Never Have I Ever,' but 'The Four Seasons' demanded more character-driven and even 'indie movie' focus to its visual style than your standard sitcom. ' In the shows that Tina and Tracey and I have done before, it's been really rapid fire and there's been a lot of tight coverage and I feel like when we first started talking to [cinematographer Tim Orr], we'd like to play things looser,' co-creator and director Lang Fisher told IndieWire as part of a recent USG University Panel. 'To have more cinematic composition in the shots we're doing and more movement and, you know, to have it feel more like an indie movie.' More from IndieWire Cowboys vs. Accountants: The Real World of International Production Financing | Future of Filmmaking Summit at Cannes Richard Linklater Explains Why You Need to Be a 'Cheap Hustler' to Make Indie Films | Future of Filmmaking Summit at Cannes The plot of that indie movie is, fittingly, broken up into fourths as it checks in on a set of friends, all well-to-do couples, across four different vacations. Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver's Nick and Anne go through the biggest changes, beginning with a hail mary vow renewal that the latter puts on to save their marriage; but Tina Fey and Will Forte's Kate and Jack have their own struggles about how they do (or don't) show up for each other; and Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani's Danny and Claude sometimes have very different ways of looking at the world. Co-creator and actor Tina Fey was drawn to the original movie's tone, as well as the groundedness of Alda's writing. 'It felt like you were just really with these people. I loved what we refer to as the container play rules of the original. We're only seeing them on vacation. We never see their homes. We never see them at work. We pick up clues about who they are and what they do on the vacations,' Fey said. The original cast wasn't too shabby, either, and one of the highlights of the second episode of the Netflix series is the rare Alan Alda appearance, as he shows up at the vow renewal to give a little relationship advice to the current iteration of characters before dealing with the consequences of a spicy cup of coffee. 'It was all people that you love from other things coming together. And so that was our goal as producers,' Fey said. 'Could we put together this ensemble that people go, 'Wait, I like these people from other things and now they're all together. There's something kind of fun about that.' Assembling the right team behind the camera was just as crucial. 'We want this to be a beautiful show,' Co-creator and writer Wigfield told IndieWire. 'We want the visual language of the show to be prettier, slower, cozy, [to] welcome you in. But these kinds of words are nonsense coming out of my mouth if we don't hire the right people to interpret them and make real decisions based on them.' Chief among the interpreters were cinematographer Tim Orr and production designer Sharon Lomofsky, who tried to craft each season to be very classy and elegant while also hinting at the mess each of the characters would very much like to leave behind on vacation. 'We all wanted to make it feel timeless to where the cinematography was naturalistic and grounded but still had a richness and texture that was built through the lighting and where we placed the camera and how we moved it,' Orr told IndieWire. Orr avoided handheld coverage, which might be more ungainly, and an over-reliance on the tight shot-reverse shots sitcoms often employ to make sure that each improv riff gets captured. Dolly work and wide shots, to capture a sense of environment and of the characters' relationship to each other, and to themselves, did more storytelling work. 'And that's a thing I really appreciated about this show, is that there was a fearless attitude towards it [being OK] to play it in that wide shot,' Orr said. Likewise, Lomofsky wanted the homes and vacations we see in the show to look quite classy but to always give the audience some information about the characters they wouldn't necessarily say themselves. 'It's a dance and a symphony, picking the right [color] palettes for each bedroom but making it all feel like one house,' Lomofsky told IndieWire. From an exploding pottery shed to eco-yurts on a beach resort that Lomofsky and her team constructed truly out of nothing but a mud field, the production designer had a lot of logistics to manage in her builds. But some of the groundedness that supports the comedy comes out of building in a sense of history into the vacation houses that we see, down to the smallest details. 'It was all composing different eras, in a way, because we are staying in this [vacation] house for a really long time and bringing in collections over time and family photographs, which take a lot to actually do. We had to do photo shoots to do the family photos on the wall,' Lomofsky said. 'What I'm always going for is that it looks effortless — but it's really not effortless at all.' 'The Four Seasons' is streaming on Netflix. IndieWire partnered with Universal Studio Group for USG University, a series of virtual panels celebrating the best in television art from the 2024-2025 TV season across NBC Universal's portfolio of shows. USG University (a Universal Studio Group program) is presented in partnership with Roybal Film & TV Magnet and IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking. Catch up on the latest USG University videos here. Best of IndieWire 2023 Emmy Predictions: Who Will Win at the Primetime Emmy Awards? 2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special 2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
West Australian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
WIN a double pass to the preview performance of Never Have I Ever
SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE West Rewards is giving you and a guest the chance to attend the opening night of Never Have I Ever by Deborah Frances-White, on Saturday 14 June at the Heath Ledger Theatre . This explosive, sharply funny play takes a bold look at the contradictions of modern society, power dynamics, and sexual politics. Expect to laugh, be moved, and leave with plenty to reflect on. Discover more about this captivating production here . For your chance to win, enter your details below. Entries close on Sunday 1 June , at 11:59 pm. All entrants may only enter once. All entrants found to have entered more than once per entry form will have their subsequent entries disqualified. T&Cs apply .
Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Creative Powerhouse and Cultural Icon Mindy Kaling to Headline eXpcon Miami 2025
BELLINGHAM, Wash., May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — eXp Realty®, the most agent-centric real estate brokerage on the planet™ and the core subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPI), today announced that award-winning writer, producer, actor and best-selling author Mindy Kaling will deliver the keynote address at eXpcon™ 2025, taking place Oct. 20–22 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Kaling, known for redefining comedy and storytelling through hit series including The Office , The Mindy Project , Never Have I Ever and Running Point , brings a unique and inspiring voice to the stage. Her work spans television, literature and film, and her influence continues to shape modern media and leadership narratives. 'Mindy Kaling's ability to blend humor, humanity and honesty has captivated millions,' said Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty. 'Her voice resonates with anyone carving out a path on their own terms — something our agents know well. She is the perfect keynote to inspire, energize and challenge the way we think about success, storytelling and leadership.' A Tony Award winner, New York Times best-selling author, Emmy nominee and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Kaling continues to build meaningful conversations around identity, entrepreneurship and resilience — key themes that align with the eXp community. eXpcon is the company's signature annual conference, designed to connect, educate and celebrate agents, brokers, partners and staff from around the world. The multiday event features top-tier training, masterminds, product innovation, and networking experiences. Registration is now open. To attend eXpcon 2025 and see Mindy Kaling live in Miami, visit . About eXp World Holdings, Inc. eXp World Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPI) (the 'Company') is the holding company for eXp Realty® and SUCCESS® Enterprises. eXp Realty is the largest independent real estate brokerage in the world, with over 81,000 agents across 27 international locations. As a cloud-based, agent-centric brokerage, eXp Realty provides real estate agents industry-leading commission splits, revenue share, equity ownership opportunities, and a global network that empowers agents to build thriving businesses. For more information about eXp World Holdings, Inc., visit: . SUCCESS® Enterprises, anchored by SUCCESS® magazine, has been a trusted name in personal and professional development since 1897. As part of the eXp ecosystem, it offers agents access to valuable resources to enhance their skills, grow their businesses, and achieve long-term success. For more information about SUCCESS, visit . Media Contact eXp World Holdings, Inc. mediarelations@ Investor Relations Denise Garcia investors@ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
San Francisco Chronicle
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: Netflix's ‘The Four Seasons' is overprivileged and out of touch
'The Four Seasons' was a 1981 film about growing old together, not only with one's spouse but also alongside one's dearest friends. Yet, while the new Netflix adaptation brings together a new cast of aging stars, it's not the bodies onscreen that feel dated. Featuring Gen X-ers Tina Fey, Colman Domingo and East Bay's own Will Forte, plus at least on-the-cusp boomer Steve Carell, the series-long expansion of the movie by the same name — written and directed by its original star Alan Alda of 'M*A*S*H' fame — actually regresses the older narrative. Updating the story for 2025 requires a heavy lift, and an acclaimed trio of showrunners — Fey, Lang Fisher (' Never Have I Ever,' ' Brooklyn Nine-Nine ') and Tracey Wigfield ('30 Rock,' ' The Mindy Project ') — certainly make an effort. Unfortunately, it turns out that these three very successful TV writers don't exactly live on the cutting edge of storytelling for the streaming era. The original film's premise is that three middle-class couples of mostly white people navigate love's changing nature through middle age over the course of four seasonal vacations within one year, all to the tune of Vivaldi's famous violin concerto. Here, over the course of eight episodes, we see some beat-for-beat repeats: On the first vacation in spring, everyone jumps impishly from their leisure boat into the water, fully clothed! On a later vacation in summer, one of the wives is replaced awkwardly by a younger blond who sports a fetching white bikini! Yes, there is, once again, so. Much. Vivaldi! The remake gets a small diversity update by casting one of the couples as San Francisco theater veteran Domingo and Marco Calvani, a pair of gay men — although the former is forced unfairly into a 'two-fer' role as the sole person of color. (In the original, that place went to the great Rita Moreno, the East Bay's beloved EGOT.) Gone is a critical confrontation when the younger blond would have stood up for herself against the withering disdain of her partner's older friends. Such a scene would have added much-needed dimension to the role of Ginny (Erika Henningsen), but there's not much to her here beyond the pejorative label 'Yoga Barbie' that another character assigns to her. And rather than keeping the couples middle class, they're rewritten as much wealthier. Carell's Nick is referred to as 'king of the hedge fund,' while Domingo's Danny appears to be a jet-setting interior designer. The other characters are so thinly written in this update, that unlike the original, work rarely enters their banal conversations that drip with privilege and not much else. Particularly grating is when the two — beautiful — middle-aged actors, Fey and Kerri Kenney ('Reno 911!') crack fatphobic jokes, especially at their own expense. It's not funny, and it's not believable in the least, especially when, in one scene, Kenney is a vision clad in a sleeveless, backless gown. Love and the dilemmas of aging are both meaty subjects, as audiences have seen recently in far edgier, envelope-pushing narratives like ' Babygirl ' and ' The Substance.' I'm not at their protagonists' age bracket yet, but those stories dared to stir up dreams of what my menopause era could look like, even if they were fantasies that starred impossibly well-toned, rich white women. Despite all the undeniable talent involved in 'The Four Seasons,' its real failure is one of untapped imagination.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ryan Phillippe, Michael Cimino: 'Motorheads' characters mature by repairing cars
LOS ANGELES, May 20 (UPI) -- Ryan Phillippe and Michael Cimino say their new show, Motorheads, premiering Tuesday on Prime Video, shows teenagers maturing through working on cars. Phillippe, 50, plays Logan Maddox, a mechanic whose sister, Samantha (Nathalie Torres), moves back to their hometown with her two children, daughter Caitlyn (Melissa Collazo) and son Zac (Cimino). Logan lets Zac and his friends use his shop to fix up their cars, but can't stop them from racing against their classmates. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Phillippe and Cimino agreed that auto work and other crafts teach valuable skills and lessons. "It requires commitment and patience," Phillippe said. "Any time kids have a project that means something, that they're passionate about, is a good point of focus." For Phillippe, prior to acting, that focus was Tae Kwon Do and Aikido, which he still practices. "When I was very young and I got into martial arts, that taught me a lot of discipline and focus," he said. Cimino, 25, added that the process of maturing also requires making mistakes from which one can learn, something Zac does. Cimino previously played high schoolers in the series Love, Victor and Never Have I Ever, and in films like Senior Year. "The way he's learning how to express himself is through racing and honestly, through making those mistakes and hanging out with the wrong people," Cimino said. "Zac is very much trying to find his own path and forge his way." Cimino and his character share an interest in cars. The week of his interview, Cimino had completed an auto project of his own. "I have two Miatas and there was one I was working on this week," he said. "I was changing the brakes and upgrading it and I just got it running again." Cimino praised the Mazda Miata's weight distribution, which he said makes it more maneuverable than other models. "I think there's something fun about driving a slow car fast," he said. "You don't need a really fast car to enjoy ripping through the canyons." The actors also appreciate how Motorheads shows how the characters improve with practice. Cimino believes in the rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, that mastery takes thousands of hours of experience. "I still take acting class," Cimino said. "I really find it interesting to work with people like Ryan or people that just have way more experience than me. I feel like I learned so much from that." Phillippe agreed with that lesson. He was a teenager when he debuted on the soap opera One Life to Live in 1993, and appeared in movies from Crimson Tide and Crash to Gosford Park and Macgruber in his 20s and 30s. "Natural talent will only take you so far," Phillippe said. "Everything has to be honed and it has to be cultivated from that point." When it came to driving on Motorheads, Cimino let the stunt drivers handle the scenes. Though Cimino obtained a Level 2 stunt driving certification, he understood the production not allowing its lead actors behind the wheel. "With insurance and everything like that, realistically it's more wise to let someone else drive," Cimino said. "I'm hoping for the day that I can really hop behind the wheel and show my stuff." Cimino was allowed to drive Dottie, a training vehicle the characters practice on in a junkyard. "When I was driving it, we had a bunch of cameras strapped to it so like you better drive carefully," Cimino said. "Like, don't crash this car now because there's a bunch of cameras on it. So I had to drive it very slowly." Having been a part of teen ensembles like Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer, Phillippe enjoyed his new role as a mentor. "I felt a little bit like Yoda on set sometimes," he joked. "It's a great group of kids. It's infectious to be around that kind of energy. I like to share whatever I can in regards to my experience to help them with where they're headed. So it's a really nice position to be in." Those two Phillippe movies in particular have been revived with new casts: Prime Video produced a Cruel Intentions series last year and a new I Know What You Did Last Summer movie opens this summer. Jennifer Love Hewitt reprises her role from the original I Know What You Did Last Summer, in which Phillippe's character did not survive. "It certainly makes me feel a little bit like a dinosaur, the fact that they're remaking so many projects that I've been in," Phillippe said. "It's certainly a compliment for the originals that we made and I'm curious to see what the new I Know What You Did Last Summer movie is like. It's always fun to see who they cast and which direction they go to modernize."
