Costume Designers Guild draws the lines at Comic-Con
A sea of close to 150,000 Comic-Con attendees will swarm the San Diego Convention Center July 21-25, dressed in costumes they made impersonating their favorite idol, action hero or theme. Of course, most of these costumes were originally designed and illustrated by professional costume designers and costume illustrators for movies and television shows. In... »
Much Ado About Nothing
Call it much ado about nothing. Just about a year after their last contract expired, the Screen Actors Guild finally reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers last week, following an overwhelming vote by the membership to cut a deal. In the end, a faction-torn SAG membership basically capitulated... »
The Oscar interviews: Stephen Daldry on The Reader
Of “Readers,” writers, and other close collaborators: Director Stephen Daldry on making The Reader When Below the Line caught up with director Stephen Daldry, he was in town for the kick-off to award season, as a Golden Globe nominee for best direction for The Reader — a couple of weeks ahead of knowing he’d... »
The Pink Panther 2
The Tornado has struck. The insidiously clever cat burglar has stolen the likes of The Shroud of Turin, the Imperial Sword of Japan and, lest we forget, France’s glorious gem The Pink Panther. The world can only hold its breath as it awaits the assembly of the greatest international detectives to crack the case.... »
The Oscar interviews: Eric Barba on supervising FX in time passage — and reversal — in Benjamin Button
“More on the breakthrough side:” Eric Barba on supervising FX in “Benjamin Button” by Mark London Williams Eric Barba has a long, fruitful history with director David Fincher, currently Oscar and DGA-nominated for overseeing writer Eric Roth’s translation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novella “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Unlike the eponymous hero, Barba... »
Some words of wisdom on Hollywood, "stimulii," and right-wing fear of showbiz, from "SoCalDem"
While perusing showbiz headlines in the service of an easier blog reading experience for you, I came across this salient screed/posting from someone named “SoCalDem,” over at the Democratic Underground board. Germane to many below-the-line issues, the comment is reproduced here for your general perusal and rumination: The “Hollywood” diversion “Republicans are slavering and... »
The Oscar interviews: Director Danny Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire
So begins our award-season series of blog posts with interviews and profiles from both current, and previous, issues of Below the Line, on this season’s Oscar nominees: Danny Boyle: From “Sunshine” to “Slumdog,” and sleeping with cameras by Mark London Williams In his latest film, the India-set magical realist romantic fable “Slumdog Millionaire,” director... »
Fighting acne on vampire skin: Supervisor Richard Kidd on effects work in Twilight
A post-supervisor profile from the latest print issue of BTL… Writers, of course, don’t have to worry about effects budgets — or even existing digital technology. Except, perhaps, for the Amazon Kindle. At least, if you’re an author of books. But then again, if you’re one of those anointed scribes whose book becomes a... »
Of the UAW, SAG, and "interesting times" for labor columnists
from the current print issue of BTL… Union Roundup by Mark London Williams It’s a lively time to be a labor columnist — even a Hollywood labor columnist, a sentence whose very construct might garner laughs in auto plants and machine shops anyplace east of Barstow. The reason things are so lively is that... »
Post-rumor day: "Screen Actors Guild sets strike vote on Jan. 2"
Here’s a snippet from the AP article, reporting news that’s all over the (showbiz side of) the web today: LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Screen Actors Guild plans to send strike authorization ballots to more than 100,000 union members on Jan. 2, a date that leaves the Golden Globes safe but puts Oscar night... »
Latest Headlines
Director Series
Get Low Director’s First Feature Attracts All-star Cast and CrewAugust 2010 | By Jack Egan
Get Low, a small-budget gem now in theaters, is directed by long-time cinematographer Aaron Schneider, his first time at the helm of a feature... »
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois show How to Train Your Dragon
April 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
Helmed by Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Sanders and writer/director Dean Deblois (Lilo & Stitch, Mulan), the DreamWorks Animation SKG production of »
Exclusive Film Reviews
Up in the AirDecember 2009 | By Len Klady
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has an amiable disposition that belies the fact that it’s best to stay out of his path. You see he’s... »
The Young Victoria
December 2009 | By Len Klady
The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »