Latest news with #RyanFleck
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
With 'Atmosphere,' Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space
Taylor Jenkins Reid recalls a moment writing her new novel, 'Atmosphere: A Love Story,' set against NASA's robust 1980s shuttle program, where she felt stuck. She went, where she often goes, to her husband to talk it through. 'I said, 'I can't write this book. I don't know enough about the space shuttle. I don't know what happens when the payload bay doors won't shut and you have to get back within a certain amount of revs, but they can't land at White Sands. They have to land at Cape Kennedy.' And he's like, 'Just listen to yourself. You know so much more than you knew a couple months ago. Keep doing what you're doing.'' 'Atmosphere," out Tuesday, follows the journey of astronomer Joan Goodwin, an astronomer selected to join NASA's astronaut program. She and fellow trainees become like family and achieve their dream of going to space — until tragedy strikes. The story unfolds in two timelines: One when Joan first joins the NASA program and the other in December 1984 when a mission goes terribly wrong. The duo behind 'Captain Marvel,' Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, are adapting the book into a film with a theatrical release in mind. Reid knew that she had to do more than just her average six to eight weeks of research. Research and rabbit holes, by the way, are Reid's jam. She's written blockbuster novels set in the golden age of Hollywood in 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," the 1970s rock scene in 'Daisy Jones & the Six," 1980s surf culture in 'Malibu Rising' and professional tennis in 'Carrie Soto is Back.' With 'Atmosphere,' though, it took extra time, reading and understanding. 'It feels like a fever dream now when I think about it," Reid told The Associated Press. "It was a very intense period of time.' For this endeavor, she needed assistance. 'I had to reach out to people, complete strangers that I did not know and say, 'Will you please help me?'" Reid was surprised at how many people said yes. One of the most important voices was Paul Dye, NASA's longest-serving flight director. 'He spent hours of time with me," Reid said. "He helped me figure out how to cause a lot of mayhem on the space shuttle. He helped figure out exactly how the process of the connection between mission control and the space shuttle work. The book doesn't exist if he hadn't done that.' In an interview, Reid also talked about astronomy, social media and yes, the latest on 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' movie at Netflix. Answers are condensed for clarity and length. —- AP: How has writing 'Atmosphere' changed you? REID: I'm really into astronomy. Last Thanksgiving my family took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. I routed us through Scottsdale, Arizona, because I wanted to go to a dark sky park. Because of light pollution, we can only see the brightest stars when we go out and look at the night sky in a major city. Whereas when you go to a dark sky park there is very limited man-made light. So you can see more stars. We got there and it was cloudy. I was beside myself. The next night we got to the Grand Canyon and all the clouds had disappeared and you could see everything. I stood there for hours. I was teary-eyed. I can't emphasize enough: If anyone has any inclination to just go outside and look up at the night sky, it's so rewarding. AP: Last fall you left social media. Where are you at with it now? REID: I didn't realize how much social media was creating so many messages in my head of, you're not good enough. You should be better. You should work harder. You should have a prettier home. You should make a better dinner. And when I stopped going on it, very quickly I started to hear my own voice clearer. It was so much easier to be in touch with what I thought, how I felt, what I valued. I was more in touch with myself but also I'm going out into the world and I'm looking up at the sky and I am seeing where I am in relation to everything around me and I starting to understand how small my life is compared to the scale of the universe. AP: Serena Williams is executive producing 'Carrie Soto' for a series at Netflix. Did you meet her? REID: Yes. It's the only time I've been starstruck. I was in my bones, nervous. I had to talk to myself like, 'Taylor, slow down your heart rate.' The admiration I have for her as an athlete but also as a human is immense. The idea that I might have written something that she felt captured anything worth her time, is a great honor. And the fact that she's coming on board to help us make it the most authentic story we possibly can, I'm thrilled. It's one thing for me to pretend I know what it's like to be standing at Flushing Meadows and win the U.S. Open. Serena knows. She's done it multiple times. And so as we render that world, I think it is going to be really, really special because we have Serena and her team to help us. AP: Now for your favorite question. What's up with the 'Evelyn Hugo' movie? REID: There's not much that I am allowed to say but a lot of times I think people mistake me not saying anything as a lack of interest or focus and that's not the case. Everyone is working incredibly hard to get this movie made and everyone knows that there is a lot of pressure to get it exactly right. We're all hard at work. We're taking it very seriously and I give Netflix so much credit because they have such an immense respect for the readership of that book. They want to make them happy.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
With 'Atmosphere,' Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space
Taylor Jenkins Reid recalls a moment writing her new novel, 'Atmosphere: A Love Story,' set against NASA's robust 1980s shuttle program, where she felt stuck. She went, where she often goes, to her husband to talk it through. 'I said, 'I can't write this book. I don't know enough about the space shuttle. I don't know what happens when the payload bay doors won't shut and you have to get back within a certain amount of revs, but they can't land at White Sands. They have to land at Cape Kennedy.' And he's like, 'Just listen to yourself. You know so much more than you knew a couple months ago. Keep doing what you're doing.'' 'Atmosphere,' out Tuesday, follows the journey of astronomer Joan Goodwin, an astronomer selected to join NASA's astronaut program. She and fellow trainees become like family and achieve their dream of going to space — until tragedy strikes. The story unfolds in two timelines: One when Joan first joins the NASA program and the other in December 1984 when a mission goes terribly wrong. The duo behind 'Captain Marvel,' Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, are adapting the book into a film with a theatrical release in mind. Reid knew that she had to do more than just her average six to eight weeks of research. Research and rabbit holes, by the way, are Reid's jam. She's written blockbuster novels set in the golden age of Hollywood in 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,' the 1970s rock scene in 'Daisy Jones & the Six,' 1980s surf culture in 'Malibu Rising' and professional tennis in 'Carrie Soto is Back.' With 'Atmosphere,' though, it took extra time, reading and understanding. 'It feels like a fever dream now when I think about it,' Reid told The Associated Press. 'It was a very intense period of time.' For this endeavor, she needed assistance. 'I had to reach out to people, complete strangers that I did not know and say, 'Will you please help me?'' Reid was surprised at how many people said yes. One of the most important voices was Paul Dye, NASA's longest-serving flight director. 'He spent hours of time with me,' Reid said. 'He helped me figure out how to cause a lot of mayhem on the space shuttle. He helped figure out exactly how the process of the connection between mission control and the space shuttle work. The book doesn't exist if he hadn't done that.' In an interview, Reid also talked about astronomy, social media and yes, the latest on 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' movie at Netflix. Answers are condensed for clarity and length. —- AP: How has writing 'Atmosphere' changed you? REID: I'm really into astronomy. Last Thanksgiving my family took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. I routed us through Scottsdale, Arizona, because I wanted to go to a dark sky park. Because of light pollution, we can only see the brightest stars when we go out and look at the night sky in a major city. Whereas when you go to a dark sky park there is very limited man-made light. So you can see more stars. We got there and it was cloudy. I was beside myself. The next night we got to the Grand Canyon and all the clouds had disappeared and you could see everything. I stood there for hours. I was teary-eyed. I can't emphasize enough: If anyone has any inclination to just go outside and look up at the night sky, it's so rewarding. AP: Last fall you left social media. Where are you at with it now? REID: I didn't realize how much social media was creating so many messages in my head of, you're not good enough. You should be better. You should work harder. You should have a prettier home. You should make a better dinner. And when I stopped going on it, very quickly I started to hear my own voice clearer. It was so much easier to be in touch with what I thought, how I felt, what I valued. I was more in touch with myself but also I'm going out into the world and I'm looking up at the sky and I am seeing where I am in relation to everything around me and I starting to understand how small my life is compared to the scale of the universe. AP: Serena Williams is executive producing 'Carrie Soto' for a series at Netflix. Did you meet her? REID: Yes. It's the only time I've been starstruck. I was in my bones, nervous. I had to talk to myself like, 'Taylor, slow down your heart rate.' The admiration I have for her as an athlete but also as a human is immense. The idea that I might have written something that she felt captured anything worth her time, is a great honor. And the fact that she's coming on board to help us make it the most authentic story we possibly can, I'm thrilled. It's one thing for me to pretend I know what it's like to be standing at Flushing Meadows and win the U.S. Open. Serena knows. She's done it multiple times. And so as we render that world, I think it is going to be really, really special because we have Serena and her team to help us. AP: Now for your favorite question. What's up with the 'Evelyn Hugo' movie? REID: There's not much that I am allowed to say but a lot of times I think people mistake me not saying anything as a lack of interest or focus and that's not the case. Everyone is working incredibly hard to get this movie made and everyone knows that there is a lot of pressure to get it exactly right. We're all hard at work. We're taking it very seriously and I give Netflix so much credit because they have such an immense respect for the readership of that book. They want to make them happy.
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'
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Freaky Tales' Review: Totally Oakland
Crammed to the margins with peaceable punks, vicious skinheads, ambitious rappers, racist police — oh, and a green supernatural whatsit — Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's 'Freaky Tales' is a nostalgic homage to the music, movies and personalities of the 1980s. Set in 1987 in Oakland, where Fleck grew up, this revenge-of-the-underdogs picture unfolds through a lens of pop-culture goofiness. Blending multiple genres — action, comedy, horror, martial arts — Fleck and Boden's screenplay is blunt and broad, a flurry of flyby references only loosely tethered to narrative logic. Bursts of animation and graphic-novel gore lend familiar gimmickry to the film's four, vaguely connected stories, none of which feel fully cooked. In the first, two teenagers (Ji-young Yoo and Jack Champion) and their fellow punks are forced to defend a beloved music venue from a tribe of marauding neo-Nazis. This segues into a sparking rap battle between a young female duo (Dominique Thorne and Normani, both standouts) and Too $hort (played by the hip-hop artist Symba). The third segment feels more robust, thanks to Pedro Pascal's performance as a burned-out enforcer trying vainly to escape his violent past. And a bloodily operatic finale sees a loathsome detective (Ben Mendelsohn) pay when a scheme to rob the home of the basketball star Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis) goes spectacularly awry. High on revolutionary spirit, 'Freaky Tales' is a frisky, frantic pastiche that doesn't always make sense. (In the third chapter, an unexpected cameo by a major celebrity is such a non sequitur even Pascal seems momentarily flummoxed.) Yet the visuals are meaty, and the filmmakers (whose last feature collaboration was on 'Captain Marvel' in 2019) show considerable affection for their movie's setting. I wish, though, they had focused less on the era's greatest hits and more on the details of their script. Maybe then we would have learned the provenance of that supernatural whatsit.
