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☆ ‘The Whale’: Inside a Debate About a Portrait of Severe Obesity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ How James Cameron’s Water Obsession Led to the ‘Avatar’ Sequel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Since getting certified in a YMCA pool at age 16, filmmaker James Cameron has done roughly 1,000 scuba dives. In a solo submersible, he once went down nearly 7 miles to the deepest point of the ocean with the most extreme water pressure. Various forces threatened to crush Mr. Cameron when he was making his biggest waterborne feature films to date: “Titanic” (1997) and “The Abyss” (1989), which he shot in a flooded nuclear containment vessel with actors on the edge.

☆ Now at a Theater Near You: Cannibalism, Vomit and Severed Fingers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( John Jurgensen | Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

At first, film programmer Ben Delgado felt a little squeamish about the picture he’d selected to open a new festival in Iowa City. On one hand, the coming-of-age story was being praised for its beauty and had already won awards at the Venice Film Festival. On the other hand, would the flesh-eating in “Bones and All” be a deal breaker for older-skewing cineastes in his area? “That’s not exactly the audience you expect to come out to a cannibal love story,” said Mr. Delgado, programming director of the FilmScene nonprofit cinema. The movie ended up being the talk of the inaugural Refocus Film Festival, he said.

☆ In ‘Yellowstone,’ Kevin Costner Isn’t the Only Big Gun
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“Yellowstone” was built around the star wattage of Kevin Costner. It’s the character Beth Dutton who lights up the show’s massive fan base the most. Played by Kelly Reilly , Beth is the daughter of Mr. Costner’s powerful Montana rancher John Dutton. She is a human switchblade who favors straight liquor, cigarettes and eviscerating people with the saltiest language on basic cable. In a sometimes violent TV drama full of tough cowboys, the woman who refuses to ride a horse is the fiercest.

When measured on the grime factor, “The Rings of Power” has emerged as the dirtier show because of its settings. Elves slog through mud to dig tunnels for their captors. Hobbit-like nomads called Harfoots have soiled skin and shrubbery in their hair. Fighters get caked in ash from an erupting Mount Doom. Ben Rothstein/Amazon

☆ How ‘Andor’ Designers Took ‘Star Wars’ Back to the Analog Era
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

To construct the world of the “Star Wars” prequel series “Andor,” the show’s designers went back to the 1970s to find inspiration—and spare parts. A vintage Polaroid camera, an early portable cassette player, and a lot of beefy buttons, switches and knobs all got built into the retro-futuristic gadgets that have important functions in the show.

☆ Here’s the Dirt on ‘House of the Dragon’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In a recent “House of the Dragon” episode, search parties hunt for a prince hiding in Flea Bottom, a slum lined with brothels and itchy-looking commoners. Scenes were shot in the Spanish city of Cáceres, where medieval authenticity came with a catch: Crews were restricted on the amount of simulated filth they could slather on the ancient walls and cobblestone streets of the tourist destination, a UNESCO World Heritage site. “The disadvantage is it can look a little Disney -fied and clean,” said Jim Clay, the show’s production designer.

☆ Here’s the Dirt On ‘House of the Dragon’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In a recent “House of the Dragon” episode, search parties hunt for a prince hiding in Flea Bottom, a slum lined with brothels and itchy-looking commoners. Scenes were shot in the Spanish city of Cáceres, where medieval authenticity came with a catch: crews were restricted on the amount of simulated filth they could slather on the ancient walls and cobblestone streets of the tourist destination, a UNESCO World Heritage site. “The disadvantage is it can look a little Disney -fied and clean,” said Jim Clay, the show’s production designer.

☆ Why Did ‘House of the Dragon’ Replace Its Biggest Young Stars? The Showrunner Explains
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“Game of Thrones” killed off major characters. “House of the Dragon” is recasting them. The sixth episode of HBO’s new spinoff introduced new actors in existing roles, including the two most important ones: a princess and a queen at the center of a mounting war of succession. The casting shuffle was designed to signify a 10-year time jump in the story’s chronology, and the characters’ shift from adolescence to adulthood.

☆ WOW, a New Women’s Wrestling Show With a Heavy Dose of Empowerment
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( John Jurgensen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

On a new television show, a character named the Beast hoists her opponents onto her shoulders before slamming their backs to the canvas in a signature move called a power bomb. Outside the ring, the Beast is Twana Barnett. She works as an emergency medical technician and Covid compliance officer.

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