The Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, also known as “the Oscars of Science,” is an awards show unlike any other.
Founded and funded by Silicon Valley titan Yuri Milner and his artist wife Julia Milner, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative co-founder Priscilla Chan, the Breakthrough Prize recognizes “scientists changing the world” with award statuettes and sizable cash prizes. And on Saturday night, at the ceremony’s 10th edition — the second in a row held on the roof of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, with the Hollywood Hills glistening in the background — presenters, performers and audience members included a collection of A-listers that could give the Oscars a run for their money.
One could turn left and spot Bill Gates and Robert Downey Jr. sitting at the same table, or right and find tablemates Bradley Cooper and Rupert Murdoch schmoozing.
Founded and funded by Silicon Valley titan Yuri Milner and his artist wife Julia Milner, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative co-founder Priscilla Chan, the Breakthrough Prize recognizes “scientists changing the world” with award statuettes and sizable cash prizes. And on Saturday night, at the ceremony’s 10th edition — the second in a row held on the roof of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, with the Hollywood Hills glistening in the background — presenters, performers and audience members included a collection of A-listers that could give the Oscars a run for their money.
One could turn left and spot Bill Gates and Robert Downey Jr. sitting at the same table, or right and find tablemates Bradley Cooper and Rupert Murdoch schmoozing.
- 4/14/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The offer from Curiosity Stream represents an even steeper discount than its Black Friday sale, but it’s only available for a limited time!
Documentaries that are as educational as they are entertaining are hard to come by. Fortunately for audiences who seek out high-quality documentaries, there’s an on-demand streaming service that provides a great selection of these titles: Curiosity Stream. This service carries thousands of titles, and new subscribers can get a great deal on Curiosity Stream between now and Wednesday, March 20 if they sign up with a special promo code! Thanks to Curiosity Stream’s spring sale, customers can save 40% on the Curiosity Stream Standard plan or its Smart Bundle, which adds even more value! You can pay as little as $23.99 for a year of Curiosity Stream with this discount, so don’t wait!
How to Get 40% Off Curiosity Stream Annual Plans Click here to get this offer from Curiosity Stream.
Documentaries that are as educational as they are entertaining are hard to come by. Fortunately for audiences who seek out high-quality documentaries, there’s an on-demand streaming service that provides a great selection of these titles: Curiosity Stream. This service carries thousands of titles, and new subscribers can get a great deal on Curiosity Stream between now and Wednesday, March 20 if they sign up with a special promo code! Thanks to Curiosity Stream’s spring sale, customers can save 40% on the Curiosity Stream Standard plan or its Smart Bundle, which adds even more value! You can pay as little as $23.99 for a year of Curiosity Stream with this discount, so don’t wait!
How to Get 40% Off Curiosity Stream Annual Plans Click here to get this offer from Curiosity Stream.
- 3/18/2024
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
The Beatles‘ John Lennon took well-known contrarian opinions on politics and religion, particularly Christianity. He also took a contrarian opinion on human evolution. He had plenty to say about why he didn’t believe that humanity evolved from monkeys. John’s views are at odds with modern science.
The Beatles’ John Lennon felt evolution could have gone differently
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John brought up the concept of human evolution from apes. “That’s another piece of garbage,” he opined. “What the hell’s it based on? We couldn’t’ve come from anything — fish, maybe, but not monkeys. I don’t believe in the evolution of fish to monkeys to men. Why aren’t monkeys changing into men now?”
“It’s absolutely irrational garbage, as mad as the ones who believe...
The Beatles’ John Lennon felt evolution could have gone differently
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John brought up the concept of human evolution from apes. “That’s another piece of garbage,” he opined. “What the hell’s it based on? We couldn’t’ve come from anything — fish, maybe, but not monkeys. I don’t believe in the evolution of fish to monkeys to men. Why aren’t monkeys changing into men now?”
“It’s absolutely irrational garbage, as mad as the ones who believe...
- 2/19/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Richard Dawkins is not moved by religious or otherwise supernatural claims. He was, however, so moved by an Elvis Presley song that he came to the conclusion that heaven itself wanted him to hear it. Interestingly, he agreed with the track’s lyrics on a deep level. Here’s a look at how Dawkins lost his faith and how Elvis found his own form of spirituality.
Richard Dawkins connected with the view of nature in 1 Elvis Presley song
In his 2013 book An Appetite for Wonder, Dawkins said he was raised Anglican. However, he became disillusioned with Christianity as a young man due to the doctrine of original sin. He still believed in God because he felt the glories of the natural world pointed to the existence of a designer. He was also a huge fan of the “Blue Suede Shoes” singer. “I worshiped Elvis and I was a strong believer in a non-denominational creator god,...
Richard Dawkins connected with the view of nature in 1 Elvis Presley song
In his 2013 book An Appetite for Wonder, Dawkins said he was raised Anglican. However, he became disillusioned with Christianity as a young man due to the doctrine of original sin. He still believed in God because he felt the glories of the natural world pointed to the existence of a designer. He was also a huge fan of the “Blue Suede Shoes” singer. “I worshiped Elvis and I was a strong believer in a non-denominational creator god,...
- 2/10/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Get access to one of the top educational streaming services on the market with a big discount on a lifetime Curiosity Stream account.
If you love to learn, Curiosity Stream is a fantastic streaming service to consider. This on-demand streaming platform carries a huge selection of world-class documentaries, featuring highly respected names like David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking, and many other leaders in their respective fields. For a limited time, new subscribers can get a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream’s Standard plan for just $169.97, a 57% discount from the $399.99 standard retail price. The offer expires at 11:59 p.m. Pt on Sunday, Jan. 21, so don’t wait!
How to Get Curiosity Stream Lifetime Subscription for $169.97 (57% Off) Click here to get the deal from Curiosity Stream and Stack Social. Click “Add to Cart.” Enter your payment information, create your account, and finish signing up. Get the Deal $169.97/life stacksocial.com Get 57% off...
If you love to learn, Curiosity Stream is a fantastic streaming service to consider. This on-demand streaming platform carries a huge selection of world-class documentaries, featuring highly respected names like David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking, and many other leaders in their respective fields. For a limited time, new subscribers can get a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream’s Standard plan for just $169.97, a 57% discount from the $399.99 standard retail price. The offer expires at 11:59 p.m. Pt on Sunday, Jan. 21, so don’t wait!
How to Get Curiosity Stream Lifetime Subscription for $169.97 (57% Off) Click here to get the deal from Curiosity Stream and Stack Social. Click “Add to Cart.” Enter your payment information, create your account, and finish signing up. Get the Deal $169.97/life stacksocial.com Get 57% off...
- 1/19/2024
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
If you’re looking to stream documentaries featuring the likes of David Attenborough and many more, you need to check out Curiosity Stream’s holiday deal.
A well-made documentary film can do much more than simply educate the viewer about a particular topic. It can ignite passions for more information, or even spark enough outrage to create a social movement, depending on the subject of the film itself.
Curiosity Stream is a repository for such top-quality documentaries. The streamer has thousands of documentary films on every subject imaginable, from science and nature to history to food and everything else. To celebrate Black Friday, Curiosity Stream is allowing customers who sign up for either of its annual plans to take 30% off their subscription price for the year.
How to Get 30% off Annual Plans of Curiosity Stream Click here to get this Black Friday deal from Curiosity Stream. Click “Sign Up Now...
A well-made documentary film can do much more than simply educate the viewer about a particular topic. It can ignite passions for more information, or even spark enough outrage to create a social movement, depending on the subject of the film itself.
Curiosity Stream is a repository for such top-quality documentaries. The streamer has thousands of documentary films on every subject imaginable, from science and nature to history to food and everything else. To celebrate Black Friday, Curiosity Stream is allowing customers who sign up for either of its annual plans to take 30% off their subscription price for the year.
How to Get 30% off Annual Plans of Curiosity Stream Click here to get this Black Friday deal from Curiosity Stream. Click “Sign Up Now...
- 11/24/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
Get ready for blastoff, NASA lovers! The space exploration agency has announced this week that amongst other improvements to its digital platforms, it is launching a new on-demand streaming app titled NASA+. No exact date was given, but the service is due to roll out sometime in 2023.
NASA+ will offer original series, featuring footage from some of its most famed missions. The service will also give users access to live content during NASA missions and will be free to all subscribers, despite the fact that there will be no ads on the platform.
Watch a Preview of NASA’s New Streaming Platform NASA+:
“We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with NASA’s new streaming platform,” said Marc Etkind from the Office of Communications at NASA. “Transforming our digital presence will help us better tell the stories of how NASA explores the unknown in air and space,...
NASA+ will offer original series, featuring footage from some of its most famed missions. The service will also give users access to live content during NASA missions and will be free to all subscribers, despite the fact that there will be no ads on the platform.
Watch a Preview of NASA’s New Streaming Platform NASA+:
“We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with NASA’s new streaming platform,” said Marc Etkind from the Office of Communications at NASA. “Transforming our digital presence will help us better tell the stories of how NASA explores the unknown in air and space,...
- 7/28/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
It might be summer, but that doesn’t mean that the learning has to stop. For a limited time, you are able to get an incredible deal on the documentary and educational streaming service Curiosity Stream. Through July 15, you can save 55% on a Curiosity Stream Standard Plan: Lifetime Subscription. Normally, that would cost $399.99, but if you take advantage of this offer, you can get it for just $179.97.
How to Get 55% Off Lifetime Subscription to Curiosity Stream Click here to activate the deal. Click “Add to Cart,” then check out. Enter your payment and contact information, and complete the sign-up process. Lifetime Subscription $179.97 (55% Off) curiositystream.com
This deal provides a wealth of knowledge and high-quality programming, and with a lifetime subscription, you will be able to enjoy all that Curiosity Stream has to offer now and everything else it adds in the future. The streamer’s expansive library offers experts like...
How to Get 55% Off Lifetime Subscription to Curiosity Stream Click here to activate the deal. Click “Add to Cart,” then check out. Enter your payment and contact information, and complete the sign-up process. Lifetime Subscription $179.97 (55% Off) curiositystream.com
This deal provides a wealth of knowledge and high-quality programming, and with a lifetime subscription, you will be able to enjoy all that Curiosity Stream has to offer now and everything else it adds in the future. The streamer’s expansive library offers experts like...
- 6/29/2023
- by Matt Tamanini
- The Streamable
If you’re like us, you love a good documentary. And, if you got your love of educational films from your mom, then the folks over at [Curiousity Stream] have an awesome deal going on just in time for Mother’s Day.
You can save 25% off all Curiosity Stream annual plans and gift cards with promo code MOM23. Simply visit the Curiosity Stream website and sign up for either their Standard Annual plan at just $39.99 annually, or you can opt for the Annual Smart Bundle for just $69.99 per year.
Don’t delay — this promotion is only good through Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14.
How to Save 25% Off Curiosity Stream Annual Plans Visit the Curiosity Stream website. Select a plan, then set up your login information. Go to “Add Promo Code” and enter “MOM23” to save 25% off your plan. Enter your payment and contact information, and complete the sign-up process. Sign Up $4.99+ / month curiositystream.
You can save 25% off all Curiosity Stream annual plans and gift cards with promo code MOM23. Simply visit the Curiosity Stream website and sign up for either their Standard Annual plan at just $39.99 annually, or you can opt for the Annual Smart Bundle for just $69.99 per year.
Don’t delay — this promotion is only good through Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14.
How to Save 25% Off Curiosity Stream Annual Plans Visit the Curiosity Stream website. Select a plan, then set up your login information. Go to “Add Promo Code” and enter “MOM23” to save 25% off your plan. Enter your payment and contact information, and complete the sign-up process. Sign Up $4.99+ / month curiositystream.
- 5/8/2023
- by Jeff Kotuby
- The Streamable
Nonfiction films can be an incredibly powerful way to get information. Truth is often so subjective that humans tend to believe what their eyes tell them first, which is why documentaries are such an impactful genre of storytelling. Well-made documentaries and docuseries can show beauty and wonder, but can also hold dark and sometimes uncomfortable truths.
Sadly, there is less of this content being made, according to new data from Diesel Labs. Diesel’s numbers indicate that the growth rate in releases of documentary films and series slowed dramatically in 2022. The release volume of such content only grew by 10% last year, as compared to a rate of 126% in 2021. In fact, last year was the only year since 2017 in which the release volume of documentaries did not exceed the previous year’s rate by more than 35%.
While seemingly all streaming services are investing in docs these days, this downturn in production...
Sadly, there is less of this content being made, according to new data from Diesel Labs. Diesel’s numbers indicate that the growth rate in releases of documentary films and series slowed dramatically in 2022. The release volume of such content only grew by 10% last year, as compared to a rate of 126% in 2021. In fact, last year was the only year since 2017 in which the release volume of documentaries did not exceed the previous year’s rate by more than 35%.
While seemingly all streaming services are investing in docs these days, this downturn in production...
- 4/25/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
Elon Musk has had a busy few days. Over the weekend, he ordered the “w” in the the sign on Twitter‘s San Francisco headquarters painted over, so that it read “Titter.” Then, on Monday, he changed his Twitter display name to “Harry Bōlz” before tweeting, “Impersonating others is wrong!” He later added: “I’m just hoping a media org that takes itself way too seriously writes a story about Harry Bōlz… ” Then, on Tuesday, he announced that the site’s unpaid “legacy” verification checks, formerly scheduled for removal on April Fool’s Day,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Miles Klee
- Rollingstone.com
April is international Earth month, a time for people the world over to pause and recognize that we only get one planet, and it must be cared for. To commemorate the month in style, Xfinity is unveiling its newest partner in its yearlong “Free This Week” promotional campaign.
That partner is the documentary film service Curiosity Stream. Between Monday, April 10 and Sunday, April 16, Xfinity users will get access to every title on Curiosity Stream at no extra cost. This service carries nearly 2,000 documentaries, covering subjects including nature and wildlife, space, science and health and so much more.
Sign Up $4.99+ / month curiositystream.com
The offer is a bit different from some other Free This Week windows. Users will get access to the entire suite of Curiosity Stream content, whereas with some other Free This Week offerings, customers only got partial access to services, or the ability to watch select titles only.
That partner is the documentary film service Curiosity Stream. Between Monday, April 10 and Sunday, April 16, Xfinity users will get access to every title on Curiosity Stream at no extra cost. This service carries nearly 2,000 documentaries, covering subjects including nature and wildlife, space, science and health and so much more.
Sign Up $4.99+ / month curiositystream.com
The offer is a bit different from some other Free This Week windows. Users will get access to the entire suite of Curiosity Stream content, whereas with some other Free This Week offerings, customers only got partial access to services, or the ability to watch select titles only.
- 4/11/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
If you didn’t take advantage of the deal that Curiosity Stream was offering on its lifetime subscription a few weeks ago, you might be kicking yourself now.
That’s because the price of a monthly subscription to the documentary film-focused service is going up. In its fourth quarter 2022 earnings report, released late last week, Curiosity Stream announced it was increasing the monthly rate of its Standard plan from $2.99 to $4.99. The annual plan is doubling in price, jumping from $19.99 to $39.99. The Smart Bundle plan, which offers access to Da Vinci Kids, Tastemade, and more, will remain at $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
7-Day Free Trial $2.99+ / month curiositystream.com
“We had long maintained our pricing despite the significant investments we have made to expand our content library and improve the user experience,” company president and CEO Clint Stinchcomb said. “We believe our new price points continue to represent exceptional value relative...
That’s because the price of a monthly subscription to the documentary film-focused service is going up. In its fourth quarter 2022 earnings report, released late last week, Curiosity Stream announced it was increasing the monthly rate of its Standard plan from $2.99 to $4.99. The annual plan is doubling in price, jumping from $19.99 to $39.99. The Smart Bundle plan, which offers access to Da Vinci Kids, Tastemade, and more, will remain at $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
7-Day Free Trial $2.99+ / month curiositystream.com
“We had long maintained our pricing despite the significant investments we have made to expand our content library and improve the user experience,” company president and CEO Clint Stinchcomb said. “We believe our new price points continue to represent exceptional value relative...
- 4/3/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
If documentary films are your bread and butter, it’s past time to consider a subscription to Curiosity Stream. The service carries thousands of documentary films, and its library is constantly growing. You’ll be able to watch educational, quality documentaries on a host of subjects from history, science and nature to food, sports and economics.
The best news is, right now you can get a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream for just $169. That’s a $250 value, but for a limited time you can save $81 (33%) and never have to worry about a monthly bill from Curiosity Stream ever again.
Your lifetime Curiosity Stream subscription allow you to watch in full HD, as well as download content to watch offline whenever you feel like it. New documentaries and more content are added weekly, so there’s always something fresh and entertaining to watch. Check below for details on how to grab this deal!
The best news is, right now you can get a lifetime subscription to Curiosity Stream for just $169. That’s a $250 value, but for a limited time you can save $81 (33%) and never have to worry about a monthly bill from Curiosity Stream ever again.
Your lifetime Curiosity Stream subscription allow you to watch in full HD, as well as download content to watch offline whenever you feel like it. New documentaries and more content are added weekly, so there’s always something fresh and entertaining to watch. Check below for details on how to grab this deal!
- 3/15/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
Bill Maher believes that the tribal mentality of hate of “the other” that is festering in this country very possibly could lead to a civil war.
“Everything that they say can’t happen here, of course it can,” the comedian said on his “Club Random” podcast. “They used to say terrorism couldn’t happen here and then that happened here. We’re not exempt. Americans, they think their s— don’t stink, and they think that they somehow live in this gilded cage, where the stuff that other countries endure, well, we’ll endure it too — and that could include authoritarianism.”
On this week’s episode of “Club Random,” Maher invited evolutionary biologist and critic of creationism Richard Dawkins, to discuss science, Covid, vaccinations and such, but the conversation veered a little off track and led to state of the country and social behavior of those in it.
Also Read:...
“Everything that they say can’t happen here, of course it can,” the comedian said on his “Club Random” podcast. “They used to say terrorism couldn’t happen here and then that happened here. We’re not exempt. Americans, they think their s— don’t stink, and they think that they somehow live in this gilded cage, where the stuff that other countries endure, well, we’ll endure it too — and that could include authoritarianism.”
On this week’s episode of “Club Random,” Maher invited evolutionary biologist and critic of creationism Richard Dawkins, to discuss science, Covid, vaccinations and such, but the conversation veered a little off track and led to state of the country and social behavior of those in it.
Also Read:...
- 12/13/2022
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
“There is an enormous amount of division within society,” Hilary Lawson, the founder of HowTheLightGetsIn festival, tells The Independent. “We need to talk about the ideas that underly those divisions rather than retreating to our different tribal identities.”
Lawson’s brainchild, which is the biggest philosophy and music festival in the world, is something of a panacea to the average literary festival. This is because first off, the festival has music, and secondly, the festival is centred around panel debates and discussions.
“We are fundamentally different to literary festivals in many ways, and that is centrally because we are about ideas and the edge of ideas,” Lawson, whose festival is due to take place at Kenwood House in north London this weekend, explains.
“It is very much about seeking to provide a framework outside of the literary celebrity game of providing authors with vehicles for promoting their book and selling them.
Lawson’s brainchild, which is the biggest philosophy and music festival in the world, is something of a panacea to the average literary festival. This is because first off, the festival has music, and secondly, the festival is centred around panel debates and discussions.
“We are fundamentally different to literary festivals in many ways, and that is centrally because we are about ideas and the edge of ideas,” Lawson, whose festival is due to take place at Kenwood House in north London this weekend, explains.
“It is very much about seeking to provide a framework outside of the literary celebrity game of providing authors with vehicles for promoting their book and selling them.
- 9/29/2022
- by Maya Oppenheim
- The Independent - Music
There are not many festivals where you could easily cross paths with a Nobel Laureate or a Pulitzer Prize winner while queuing for some food - unless you are sauntering around HowTheLightGetsIn festival that is.
Something of an ideological lucky dip, HowTheLightGetsIn, the biggest philosophy and music festival in the world, is known for its eclectic line-ups. Previous speakers at the event span from Noam Chomsky, renowned academic, to Brian Eno, the English musician, Ed Milliband, former Labour Party leader, Philip Pullman, best-selling author, to two authors both famed for whipping up controversy, Richard Dawkins and Slavoj Zizek.
Update - due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth 11 on September 8 the festival is now taking place on October 1-2.
At its core, HowTheLightGetsIn is about trying to liberate philosophy from the far-flung elitist ivory tower of academia and make it more digestible and rousing for wider audiences. And it is Hilary Lawson,...
Something of an ideological lucky dip, HowTheLightGetsIn, the biggest philosophy and music festival in the world, is known for its eclectic line-ups. Previous speakers at the event span from Noam Chomsky, renowned academic, to Brian Eno, the English musician, Ed Milliband, former Labour Party leader, Philip Pullman, best-selling author, to two authors both famed for whipping up controversy, Richard Dawkins and Slavoj Zizek.
Update - due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth 11 on September 8 the festival is now taking place on October 1-2.
At its core, HowTheLightGetsIn is about trying to liberate philosophy from the far-flung elitist ivory tower of academia and make it more digestible and rousing for wider audiences. And it is Hilary Lawson,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Maya Oppenheim
- The Independent - Music
A new documentary feature about Lynn Margulis, a scientific rebel who challenged entrenched theories of evolution to present a new narrative: life evolves through collaboration.
Symbiotic Earth: How Lynn Margulis rocked the boat and started a scientific revolution will premiere worldwide in March 2018 at Oxford University on March 3, the Museum Blau of the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona on March 7 and the David Brower Center in Berkeley on March 18. The premieres will launch a worldwide series of community screenings.
Symbiotic Earth is the story of a scientific rebel. A model of female empowerment, Lynn Margulis fought the male establishment and, through her persistence and triumphed.
As a young scientist in the 1960s, Margulis was ridiculed when she articulated a theory that symbiosis was a key driver of evolution. Instead of the mechanistic view that life evolved through random mutations and competition (the Darwin model of “survival of the fittest”), she...
Symbiotic Earth: How Lynn Margulis rocked the boat and started a scientific revolution will premiere worldwide in March 2018 at Oxford University on March 3, the Museum Blau of the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona on March 7 and the David Brower Center in Berkeley on March 18. The premieres will launch a worldwide series of community screenings.
Symbiotic Earth is the story of a scientific rebel. A model of female empowerment, Lynn Margulis fought the male establishment and, through her persistence and triumphed.
As a young scientist in the 1960s, Margulis was ridiculed when she articulated a theory that symbiosis was a key driver of evolution. Instead of the mechanistic view that life evolved through random mutations and competition (the Darwin model of “survival of the fittest”), she...
- 12/14/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Stephen Cone has the tenacity of first-time director, yet he has eight feature films and dozens of shorts to show for it. His vision for filmmaking, grit in self-fundraising, and ability to collaborate with fresh faces (like Joe Keery of Stranger Things fame) and veteran actors alike results in nimble productions with a quick turn-around.
The Film Stage’s Jose Solís reviewed Cone’s newest film Princess Cyd, which opens today in NY and Chicago, saying: “With this, Cone also continues to be one of the few directors who has chosen to contextualize faith rather than demonize it. He shows greater interest in the places where we are like each other, all while celebrating what makes us different.”
Offering a look into his still-young career, Eric Hynes, Associate Curator of Film at the Museum of the Moving Image, programmed Talk About the Passion: Stephen Cone’s First Act, going from...
The Film Stage’s Jose Solís reviewed Cone’s newest film Princess Cyd, which opens today in NY and Chicago, saying: “With this, Cone also continues to be one of the few directors who has chosen to contextualize faith rather than demonize it. He shows greater interest in the places where we are like each other, all while celebrating what makes us different.”
Offering a look into his still-young career, Eric Hynes, Associate Curator of Film at the Museum of the Moving Image, programmed Talk About the Passion: Stephen Cone’s First Act, going from...
- 11/3/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Ricky Gervais has a new Office at SiriusXM.
The award-winning comedian and actor is launching his new show, Ricky Gervais Is Deadly Sirius, next week, broadcasting his signature caustic sense of humor from London, New York and around the world.
“I started out in radio, and SiriusXM made me an offer to return that I couldn’t refuse,” Gervais, 56, said in a statement. “With 32 million subscribers, editorial control, my own playlist and absolute freedom of speech, it’s the perfect platform for me, and hopefully the listener too.”
(He began his career as a radio host in his native London.
The award-winning comedian and actor is launching his new show, Ricky Gervais Is Deadly Sirius, next week, broadcasting his signature caustic sense of humor from London, New York and around the world.
“I started out in radio, and SiriusXM made me an offer to return that I couldn’t refuse,” Gervais, 56, said in a statement. “With 32 million subscribers, editorial control, my own playlist and absolute freedom of speech, it’s the perfect platform for me, and hopefully the listener too.”
(He began his career as a radio host in his native London.
- 10/19/2017
- by Michele Corriston
- PEOPLE.com
An investigative reporter attempts to debunk Christianity after his wife is born again in this earnest movie based on Lee Strobel’s bestselling book
From the faith-based studio that brought you God’s Not Dead – and launched a streaming service for Christians presumably reluctant to Netflix and chill – comes this preachily earnest drama adapted from a best-selling book by Lee Strobel (played by Mike Vogel). Set in 1980, Strobel is a card-carrying atheist working as an investigative reporter in Chicago when his wife finds God. Turning to the tools of his trade, Strobel sets out to prove that Jc is up there with the tooth fairy – interviewing historians, archeologists and doctors. Instead, he’s rattled by the experts and experiences a crisis of atheism (as portrayed here, he’s no Richard Dawkins). For a Christian film, this is decently acted, but with the sentimentality cranked up, it drags on for what feels like eternity.
From the faith-based studio that brought you God’s Not Dead – and launched a streaming service for Christians presumably reluctant to Netflix and chill – comes this preachily earnest drama adapted from a best-selling book by Lee Strobel (played by Mike Vogel). Set in 1980, Strobel is a card-carrying atheist working as an investigative reporter in Chicago when his wife finds God. Turning to the tools of his trade, Strobel sets out to prove that Jc is up there with the tooth fairy – interviewing historians, archeologists and doctors. Instead, he’s rattled by the experts and experiences a crisis of atheism (as portrayed here, he’s no Richard Dawkins). For a Christian film, this is decently acted, but with the sentimentality cranked up, it drags on for what feels like eternity.
- 9/14/2017
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Frederick Wiseman’s films are often filled with moments that subtly and unexpectedly jolt viewers who think they know what they’re in for. In Ex Libris, in which he focuses on The New York Public Library, such a moment comes when Francine Houben, creative director of the firm selected to renovate the institution’s iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman building in midtown Manhattan, explains that libraries are not about books, or their storage, but about people. With this simple statement Houben encompasses the spirit of Wiseman’s generous, enlightening look at one of the most important organizations in the city, and as the film suggests, perhaps also an essential tool in preserving the American ideal of freedom and equality.
Even if it sounds like a platitude, the notion that knowledge frees the spirit has rarely been captured with the insightfulness Wiseman grants his film. He removes the romanticism fiction often...
Even if it sounds like a platitude, the notion that knowledge frees the spirit has rarely been captured with the insightfulness Wiseman grants his film. He removes the romanticism fiction often...
- 9/13/2017
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher, host Maher jokingly reminded a twitchy nuke-armed Kim Jong-il that “his good friend” Dennis Rodman lived in Los Angeles. He also took General John Kelly to task for “keeping Trump under control” and said that the Gop has devolved into a party that acts like the “crazy ex-girlfriend” to the Democrats with their troll-like actions and thoughtless governance. Maher had Richard Dawkins as his top-of-the-show interview guest and Jim Parsons as his mid-show interview guest, with Fareed Zakaria and Jon Meacham on his panel. He summed up the Gop in his New...read more...
- 8/12/2017
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
This week’s Real Time with Bill Maher will cover the arts, history, journalism and science — with guests including Jim Parsons, Richard Dawkins and Fareed Zakaria. The opening interview will be with evolutionary biologist and frequent Real Time guest Dawkins. His latest book Science in the Soul: Selected Writings of a Passionate Rationalist was released this week, and he will likely discuss science, artificial intelligence, the nature and politics of religion, and the U.S. president. In a fascinating interview with Scientific American this wee, Dawkins said of Trump as if addressing him: “Mr. Trump, you appear to be laboring under the delusion...read more...
- 8/11/2017
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
It didn't take long after Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser were arrested in suburban Waukesha, Wisconsin, for the local crime story to become a national obsession. In late spring 2014, Weier and Geyser, both 12, stabbed their friend Peyton Leutner 19 times and left her for dead. After the two were caught walking down the side of a highway a few hours later, the girls told police they had done it to prove their loyalty to "Slender Man," a mythological bogeyman whose crowd-sourced legend had been making its way around online forums for several years.
- 1/19/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Author: James Kleinmann
Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese was in New York this week to promote his new film Silence. The awards contender tells the story of two Christian missionaries (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) – at a time when Christianity was outlawed and their presence forbidden.
The celebrated director’s 28-year journey to bring Shusaku Endo’s 1966 acclaimed novel to life is released in UK cinemas on New Year’s Day 2017.
HeyUGuys was at the New York press conference, with Martin Scorsese and some of the cast in attendance including Adam Driver, Liam Neeson and Issey Ogata. Here are five things we learned.
1. Scorsese says he’s explored questions about faith throughout his career, back to ‘Mean Streets’ in 1973.
Martin Scorsese: “What true faith is or what true...
Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese was in New York this week to promote his new film Silence. The awards contender tells the story of two Christian missionaries (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) – at a time when Christianity was outlawed and their presence forbidden.
The celebrated director’s 28-year journey to bring Shusaku Endo’s 1966 acclaimed novel to life is released in UK cinemas on New Year’s Day 2017.
HeyUGuys was at the New York press conference, with Martin Scorsese and some of the cast in attendance including Adam Driver, Liam Neeson and Issey Ogata. Here are five things we learned.
1. Scorsese says he’s explored questions about faith throughout his career, back to ‘Mean Streets’ in 1973.
Martin Scorsese: “What true faith is or what true...
- 12/12/2016
- by James Kleinmann
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It’s always fascinating to see Hollywood tippy-toeing around the subject of religion, particularly during the golden age, when the urge to avoid offense trumped any kind of dramatic sense. Alien beings—and Scotsmen such as I—would have to presume from the state of the nation’s movie product that the dominant religion in the country, and certainly among studio heads, was Catholicism, so celebrated is it in nearly every picture with a religious subject.Douglas Sirk’s The First Legion (1951), playing in the Film Society of Lincoln Center's retrospective on the director, chooses, via its title, a military metaphor for the Jesuits who are its main protagonists, anticipating the later Battle Hymn (1957) in its blend of the martial and the spiritual. A shame this promising idea wasn’t carried further, so that the various ranks of priest might have been presented in the manner of their equivalents in,...
- 12/17/2015
- by David Cairns
- MUBI
Has the storm over the Church of England’s prayer advert revealed flaws in the way film advertising is managed in the UK? Or is the church benefiting from a PR sting?
The row over the “ban” of a Church of England cinema advertisement featuring the Lord’s Prayer continues to rumble on, with an early day motion put down in the House of Commons urging that the decision by media agency Dcm (Digital Cinema Media) be “reconsidered and overturned”.
The move by Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist MP for Strangford, followed a Monday-morning front-page assault by the Daily Mail – (“Hypocrisy of the cinemas”) – and interventions from everyone from David Cameron to Richard Dawkins.
Continue reading...
The row over the “ban” of a Church of England cinema advertisement featuring the Lord’s Prayer continues to rumble on, with an early day motion put down in the House of Commons urging that the decision by media agency Dcm (Digital Cinema Media) be “reconsidered and overturned”.
The move by Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist MP for Strangford, followed a Monday-morning front-page assault by the Daily Mail – (“Hypocrisy of the cinemas”) – and interventions from everyone from David Cameron to Richard Dawkins.
Continue reading...
- 11/24/2015
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Neil deGrasse Tyson on StarTalk Season 2: Cosmos, Comedy and Why Charlie Sheen (?!) Is a Dream Guest
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, which means he’s smarter than we are.
He’s also a darling of late-night talk shows — thanks to his affable manner and gift for translating science into normalspeak — which means he’s way cooler than we are.
So naturally, we leapt at the chance to talk with him in his office at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he is director of the Hayden Planetarium. Our excuse? The return of his Emmy-nominated, science-by-way-of-comedy National Geographic Channel series StarTalk, which kicks off Season 2 on Saturday (11/10c).
Below are some highlights from the conversation,...
He’s also a darling of late-night talk shows — thanks to his affable manner and gift for translating science into normalspeak — which means he’s way cooler than we are.
So naturally, we leapt at the chance to talk with him in his office at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he is director of the Hayden Planetarium. Our excuse? The return of his Emmy-nominated, science-by-way-of-comedy National Geographic Channel series StarTalk, which kicks off Season 2 on Saturday (11/10c).
Below are some highlights from the conversation,...
- 10/25/2015
- TVLine.com
At SXSW last night, National Geographic Channel presented a sneak peek of its first-ever late-night talk series "StarTalk," as show host and prominent astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson - joining via Skype - answered fan questions and revealed that the series premiere date is set for Monday, April 20, at 11 p.m. Et/10 p.m. Ct (with encores each Friday at 7 p.m. Et/6 p.m. Ct). World-renowned cultural luminaries across science, entertainment and politics, like President Jimmy Carter, Richard Dawkins, Chris Hadfield,Norman Lear, Christopher Nolan, George Takei and others, were announced as guests. Based on Dr. Tyson’s prominent...
- 3/18/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
It doesn’t require a “spoiler alert” warning to say that almost nothing happens on this week’s installment of The Good Wife.
And yet, if the seeds randomly scattered over the course of the hour take root, it could be the start of everything that’s to come in the complicated, mixed-up, ethically murky life of Alicia Florrick — political candidate, power spouse, occasional trial attorney and most certainly a woman in denial about her mourning over the tragic death of her lover Will Gardner.
RelatedGood Wife Boss: Alicia-Kalinda Separation ‘Intentional’
It’ll only take me a paragraph to recap...
And yet, if the seeds randomly scattered over the course of the hour take root, it could be the start of everything that’s to come in the complicated, mixed-up, ethically murky life of Alicia Florrick — political candidate, power spouse, occasional trial attorney and most certainly a woman in denial about her mourning over the tragic death of her lover Will Gardner.
RelatedGood Wife Boss: Alicia-Kalinda Separation ‘Intentional’
It’ll only take me a paragraph to recap...
- 3/9/2015
- TVLine.com
Recently, CBS served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "The Good Wife" episode 14 of season 6. The episode is entitled, "Mind's Eye," and it turns out that we're going to see some pretty dramatic and interesting stuff go down as Alicia preps for a very important interview while Louis tries to pressure Alicia's firm to a settlement for his wrongful eviction case against the firm, and more. In the new, 14th episode press release: Alicia will prepare for an interview that could impact the outcome of the race for State's Attorney. Press release number 2: Alicia is going to prepare for a key interview which could impact the outcome of the race for State's Attorney. Also, Louis Canning will pressure Florrick/Agos/Lockhart to agree on a settlement in his wrongful eviction case against the firm. Michael J. Fox reprises his role of Louis Canning. David Hyde Pierce returns as Frank Prady.
- 3/1/2015
- by Derek
- OnTheFlix
Larry Wilmore may not be the only African American host in late night television. Neil deGrasse Tyson, noted astrophysicist and the Internet’s favorite person ever behind Benedict Cumberbatch and Patrick Stewart, is reportedly moving his hit podcast Star Talk to the National Geographic Channel, Deadline reports.
The show is inspired by NPR’s Car Talk and features Tyson speaking with celebrities about everything from science to pop culture to comedy. “It will be National Geographic’s very first talk show so we look forward to how this plays out,” Tyson said to a group of journalists at the Winter TV Press Tour 2015.
Tyson previously hosted Fox’s remake of the documentary series Cosmos, and we previously reported that he has an awful lot of thoughts about Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. He recently also attracted some unwanted attention from religious types after tweeting that Isaac Newton shared a birthday with Jesus Christ.
The show is inspired by NPR’s Car Talk and features Tyson speaking with celebrities about everything from science to pop culture to comedy. “It will be National Geographic’s very first talk show so we look forward to how this plays out,” Tyson said to a group of journalists at the Winter TV Press Tour 2015.
Tyson previously hosted Fox’s remake of the documentary series Cosmos, and we previously reported that he has an awful lot of thoughts about Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. He recently also attracted some unwanted attention from religious types after tweeting that Isaac Newton shared a birthday with Jesus Christ.
- 1/9/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
South Park is about to begin its 18th season in the UK, and despite nearly two decades of episodes, it doesn't show any sign of getting 'lame', as Cartman might say.
Unlike other rival shows, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's cartoon has got better with age, and continues to push boundaries and stay relevant.
To celebrate its return, we have chosen our personal favourite 25 from its first 247 episodes.
25. Woodland Critter Christmas - Season 8
A thoroughly bizarre but memorable episode, in which Stan finds himself in the middle of the woods with a bunch of seemingly cute woodland animals. With an irritating voiceover narrating his every move, the critters turn out to be the most evil creatures known to man. Things are pretty f**ked right here, as he would say. Eventually, it is revealed that Cartman is the creator of such an awful story, and it's all just so...
Unlike other rival shows, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's cartoon has got better with age, and continues to push boundaries and stay relevant.
To celebrate its return, we have chosen our personal favourite 25 from its first 247 episodes.
25. Woodland Critter Christmas - Season 8
A thoroughly bizarre but memorable episode, in which Stan finds himself in the middle of the woods with a bunch of seemingly cute woodland animals. With an irritating voiceover narrating his every move, the critters turn out to be the most evil creatures known to man. Things are pretty f**ked right here, as he would say. Eventually, it is revealed that Cartman is the creator of such an awful story, and it's all just so...
- 10/1/2014
- Digital Spy
With series 8 referencing 'heaven', Nathan traces Doctor Who's varied relationships with atheism and faith...
I was a massive Simpsons fan as a child. And when I say ‘massive’, I really do mean - huge. It’s still one of the more memorable moments prior to my wedding day: emptying out my childhood bedroom with my (now) wife, only for her to discover notebooks filled with minute observations about the show. Obscure number plates, birthdays of secondary characters, dates of key events and much more besides. Having already paid for the reception venue she couldn’t exactly retract her commitment to marry me, although my mind contemplated that possibility when she hyperventilated laughing at ‘little Nathan’, circa 1999.
My point is this: I wasn’t just a fan, I was an über-fan.
You might be asking, “what’s this got to do with Doctor Who?” - trust me, I’m getting there.
I was a massive Simpsons fan as a child. And when I say ‘massive’, I really do mean - huge. It’s still one of the more memorable moments prior to my wedding day: emptying out my childhood bedroom with my (now) wife, only for her to discover notebooks filled with minute observations about the show. Obscure number plates, birthdays of secondary characters, dates of key events and much more besides. Having already paid for the reception venue she couldn’t exactly retract her commitment to marry me, although my mind contemplated that possibility when she hyperventilated laughing at ‘little Nathan’, circa 1999.
My point is this: I wasn’t just a fan, I was an über-fan.
You might be asking, “what’s this got to do with Doctor Who?” - trust me, I’m getting there.
- 9/26/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The evolution of eyes, love and death are the themes in director Mike Cahill's latest sci-fi drama. Here's our review of I Origins...
I Origins is the second film from writer and director Mike Cahill, who previously brought us the low-key and beautifully-acted 2011 sci-fi drama, Another Earth. I Origins has a similar sensibility, in that it’s intimately shot and muses on fundamental existential themes - this time love, grief, guilt and the possibility of life after death.
Michael Pitt plays Dr Ian Gray, a scientist who’s set himself the task of charting the evolutionary origins of the eye. A staunch atheist (we know this because he reads Richard Dawkins books) Dr Gray aims to prove that the eye isn’t the product of a divine being, as creationists believe, but rather the result of billions of years of evolution. While Dr Gray's still a young scientist studying...
I Origins is the second film from writer and director Mike Cahill, who previously brought us the low-key and beautifully-acted 2011 sci-fi drama, Another Earth. I Origins has a similar sensibility, in that it’s intimately shot and muses on fundamental existential themes - this time love, grief, guilt and the possibility of life after death.
Michael Pitt plays Dr Ian Gray, a scientist who’s set himself the task of charting the evolutionary origins of the eye. A staunch atheist (we know this because he reads Richard Dawkins books) Dr Gray aims to prove that the eye isn’t the product of a divine being, as creationists believe, but rather the result of billions of years of evolution. While Dr Gray's still a young scientist studying...
- 9/24/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
It's almost September, which means a whole new slew of titles on Netflix! August proved pretty lucrative on the quality title front, but it looks as though September it's going to blow the rundown out of the water.
TV takes spotlight this month, with the latest full seasons of "The Walking Dead," "New Girl," "The League," "The Blacklist," "Arrow," "Bones," and "Parks and Recreation" primed and ready for streaming before their fall premieres. And fans still mourning the loss of "How I Met Your Mother" (in more ways than one) can rewatch the ninth and final season to their heart's content. Ah, memories. Showtime's recently departed "Californication" can be seen in its entirety (Seasons 1 -7) as well, starting September 1. That's a lot of TV.
Movie fans have plenty to look forward to from Netflix in September, too. Sam Raimi's undersung 1998 thriller "A Simple Plan" hits the streaming service September...
TV takes spotlight this month, with the latest full seasons of "The Walking Dead," "New Girl," "The League," "The Blacklist," "Arrow," "Bones," and "Parks and Recreation" primed and ready for streaming before their fall premieres. And fans still mourning the loss of "How I Met Your Mother" (in more ways than one) can rewatch the ninth and final season to their heart's content. Ah, memories. Showtime's recently departed "Californication" can be seen in its entirety (Seasons 1 -7) as well, starting September 1. That's a lot of TV.
Movie fans have plenty to look forward to from Netflix in September, too. Sam Raimi's undersung 1998 thriller "A Simple Plan" hits the streaming service September...
- 8/28/2014
- by Tim Hayne
- Moviefone
Keeping his distance from highly profitable mainstream roles, versatile actor Michael Pitt has managed to construct a career out of those characters that speak to him regardless of how challenging they could be. His careful choices have taken him to work with some of the most important filmmakers working today. Legendary figures like Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci, Michael Haneke, and Gus Van Sant have cast him throughout his young but prominent career. In his latest adventure “I Origins” by Mike Cahill, Pitt plays Ian Gray, a man whose lost love will push him to seek closure through science. The complex blend of ethereal imagery and provocative science fiction gives the actor a chance to explore the character’s nuances. Always looking for something beyond the ordinary, Pitt seems like the perfect choice for the job.
The often hilarious and always insightful performer talked to us recently about the future of film, what interests him about each new character, and even the importance of spiritual conviction.
Carlos Aguilar: What drew you to a film like “I Origins”?
Michael Pitt: A couple things drew me to this film. One was that it was a character that I hadn’t played before. The other thing that was really interesting to me was working with Mike Cahill. I’ve worked with a lot great directors who have huge resumes, but I’m really trying to be active in my career in supporting the new generation of cinema. I like taking some time to try to support and be a part of that. Mike Cahill is one of the directors that I picked and he picked me, it was a mutual thing.
Aguilar: Where you a fan of Mike Cahill’s first feature “Another Earth”?
Michael Pitt: I was a fan of “Another Earth.” The things that I’m more interested in is making films that are unique, things that are being done that I don’t see anyone else doing. What I could see in “Another Earth” was that the director had a very distinct voice. He was making a science fiction film that is not like other science fiction films. This genre has become about how many bells and whistles can you blow, how many special effects can you get, but the writing of Sci-Fi, at its root, is for the thinking man. What I liked about “Another Earth” is that you have to think in order to watch that film. You can’t just sit there. He is asking you to be active and think. He is also trying to do very difficult things in this new film.
Aguilar: You have worked with some of the best directors from around the world, what makes Mike Cahill special or different from your previous experiences?
Michael Pitt: I think what makes him special is that he has a good understanding of the technical aspects of film, which I noticed right off the bat. He spent time as a cameraman and he spent time as an editor. I believe he understands what it is to be a filmmaker right now. Right now is a very interesting time because of the digital cameras, and the fact that you can edit anywhere. It’s a great time to be a filmmaker, is a great time to be starting off. I believe he understands the future of cinema.
The other thing I like about him is that he has a very clear vision of what he wants, very clear, but he is not like “You have to do this!” He knows how to let his actors do their job, whether he is aware of it or not. He always directs you towards his vision, but you can still move around. Many directors don’t know how to do this. Usually they are so tied to their script and they don’t see anything that is going on. On the other hand, some are so free that they have no vision. He has both, which I think is very special to have that early in your career.
Aguilar: How difficult was it to play a scientist that is confronted with this incredibly spiritual dilemma? It seems like he is very conflicted.
Michael Pitt: Is not difficult [Laughs]. No, it was an extremely challenging character because there were a lot of things that you needed to feel, but there were also a lot of things that you just needed to do. It was a full character. I needed to change the way I talk, my accent, the way I walk, all of that. On top of it I needed to show the things underneath, what he feels underneath, which is not as technical. It is difficult to explain how to do that. It is more like magic.
Aguilar: How did the two female characters, played by Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and Brit Marling, shape your performance?
Michael Pitt: It was amazing to work with Astrid and Brit. They are two completely different actresses. They are both very beautiful, lovely people and very talented. Working with Astrid was more primal and instinctual. English is not her first language, so it was better if we ran with it and rehearsed. With Brit, we sat down and talked for hours about what we wanted to do. Then we would go home and think about it. Once on set we would just try it. They were two different ways of working, but it was really amazing.
Aguilar: Are eyes the “windows to the soul”? Why do you think they are so important in Mike’s film?
Michael Pitt : No I don’t thin so. [Laughs]. Yes they are. I think they are important in life. Everyone looks into someone’s eyes and they feel things. In this film, Mike is trying to explain something that is like “magic”, but he does it through a scientist studying the eyes. It’s such an interesting way to play with that.
Aguilar: Did going to such spiritual place like India help your process as an actor?
Michael Pitt: No, we shot that in Brooklyn [Laughs]. No, we did go to India. It is an amazing country, so beautiful, corrupt, devastating, touching, spiritual, and scientific. I was going to make a film right after, if I hadn’t had to do that, I probably would have stayed for a while.
Aguilar: With science being at the center of “I Origins”, at least on the surface, do you think some people could find the film inaccessible?
Michael Pitt: Another interesting thing is that a lot of the films that I’ve made I wouldn’t say they are accessible. A lot of them are inaccessible. Mike has taken this very difficult subject and made it very accessible. His films are just going to get better and better, he is still very young.
Aguilar: How much was input did you have on your character? Where you able to be involved in creating him?
Michael Pitt: Nothing. He said, “I’m the puppet master and you are the puppet”[Laughs]. I had a lot of input. We developed this character together, which is amazing. Martin Scorsese never gave me my blocking, Gus Van Sant never gave me my blocking, but Michael Haneke gave me my blocking. What’s great about Michael Heneke - I know I’m straying right now - is that if you ask him “Why should I do it like that?” The answer is never “Because I told you so” or “Because I’m the director” That’s never the answer. He sits you down and he tells you exactly why, and he is happy to tell you. He’s thought about it, it’s never just bullshit. When a director does that you just say “Ok, you are smarter than me man”
Going back to Mike, what is cool about him is that we developed this character together every step of the way through. It was fun to be that involved.
Aguilar: It seems to me that both of Mike’s films are about a second chance. In “Another Earth” a woman sees a chance for redemption in a place far away, in “I Origins” the second chance comes in the form of reincarnation. It is very profound. What is you take on spirituality?
Michael Pitt : That’s interesting, I never though of that. That’s an interesting point. Without getting too personal about my beliefs, what I love about this film is that people can walk away from it saying, “It’s a very scientific film”, but I also love that they could walk away and say, “It’s a very spiritual film.” That’s kind of where I’m at. I think these two things can live next to each other. When people go at war they cheapen things. If a religious person says “No, no, no” and they won’t listen to science, it makes me think that they don’t have faith in their own religion.
I read this book by the Dalai Lama, who loves science, he so interested in it. The topic of this book is science over religion, but he was never threatened by the science. Because he was never threatened, it made me think, “This guy really believes in what he is saying”, it’s a very powerful thing when someone is confident in relation to this. In the same right, when I saw a debate between Richard Dawkins and a spiritual leader who was saying, “How could you say this? This is what I believe,” he became very insecure to me. He didn’t want to hear anything about science or data, or “There is evolution, we came from apes”. He didn’t want someone to prove him wrong.
Aguilar: Whose eyes would you say are unforgettable?
Michael Pitt: Eyes are so powerful. Astrid’s eye is on the poster for the film. Maybe the person whose eyes I will never forget is Astrid for certain. I’ve seen so many pictures of them [Laughs].
"I Origins" is now playing in L.A and NYC. It opens in more cities around the country on Friday July 25th.
The often hilarious and always insightful performer talked to us recently about the future of film, what interests him about each new character, and even the importance of spiritual conviction.
Carlos Aguilar: What drew you to a film like “I Origins”?
Michael Pitt: A couple things drew me to this film. One was that it was a character that I hadn’t played before. The other thing that was really interesting to me was working with Mike Cahill. I’ve worked with a lot great directors who have huge resumes, but I’m really trying to be active in my career in supporting the new generation of cinema. I like taking some time to try to support and be a part of that. Mike Cahill is one of the directors that I picked and he picked me, it was a mutual thing.
Aguilar: Where you a fan of Mike Cahill’s first feature “Another Earth”?
Michael Pitt: I was a fan of “Another Earth.” The things that I’m more interested in is making films that are unique, things that are being done that I don’t see anyone else doing. What I could see in “Another Earth” was that the director had a very distinct voice. He was making a science fiction film that is not like other science fiction films. This genre has become about how many bells and whistles can you blow, how many special effects can you get, but the writing of Sci-Fi, at its root, is for the thinking man. What I liked about “Another Earth” is that you have to think in order to watch that film. You can’t just sit there. He is asking you to be active and think. He is also trying to do very difficult things in this new film.
Aguilar: You have worked with some of the best directors from around the world, what makes Mike Cahill special or different from your previous experiences?
Michael Pitt: I think what makes him special is that he has a good understanding of the technical aspects of film, which I noticed right off the bat. He spent time as a cameraman and he spent time as an editor. I believe he understands what it is to be a filmmaker right now. Right now is a very interesting time because of the digital cameras, and the fact that you can edit anywhere. It’s a great time to be a filmmaker, is a great time to be starting off. I believe he understands the future of cinema.
The other thing I like about him is that he has a very clear vision of what he wants, very clear, but he is not like “You have to do this!” He knows how to let his actors do their job, whether he is aware of it or not. He always directs you towards his vision, but you can still move around. Many directors don’t know how to do this. Usually they are so tied to their script and they don’t see anything that is going on. On the other hand, some are so free that they have no vision. He has both, which I think is very special to have that early in your career.
Aguilar: How difficult was it to play a scientist that is confronted with this incredibly spiritual dilemma? It seems like he is very conflicted.
Michael Pitt: Is not difficult [Laughs]. No, it was an extremely challenging character because there were a lot of things that you needed to feel, but there were also a lot of things that you just needed to do. It was a full character. I needed to change the way I talk, my accent, the way I walk, all of that. On top of it I needed to show the things underneath, what he feels underneath, which is not as technical. It is difficult to explain how to do that. It is more like magic.
Aguilar: How did the two female characters, played by Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and Brit Marling, shape your performance?
Michael Pitt: It was amazing to work with Astrid and Brit. They are two completely different actresses. They are both very beautiful, lovely people and very talented. Working with Astrid was more primal and instinctual. English is not her first language, so it was better if we ran with it and rehearsed. With Brit, we sat down and talked for hours about what we wanted to do. Then we would go home and think about it. Once on set we would just try it. They were two different ways of working, but it was really amazing.
Aguilar: Are eyes the “windows to the soul”? Why do you think they are so important in Mike’s film?
Michael Pitt : No I don’t thin so. [Laughs]. Yes they are. I think they are important in life. Everyone looks into someone’s eyes and they feel things. In this film, Mike is trying to explain something that is like “magic”, but he does it through a scientist studying the eyes. It’s such an interesting way to play with that.
Aguilar: Did going to such spiritual place like India help your process as an actor?
Michael Pitt: No, we shot that in Brooklyn [Laughs]. No, we did go to India. It is an amazing country, so beautiful, corrupt, devastating, touching, spiritual, and scientific. I was going to make a film right after, if I hadn’t had to do that, I probably would have stayed for a while.
Aguilar: With science being at the center of “I Origins”, at least on the surface, do you think some people could find the film inaccessible?
Michael Pitt: Another interesting thing is that a lot of the films that I’ve made I wouldn’t say they are accessible. A lot of them are inaccessible. Mike has taken this very difficult subject and made it very accessible. His films are just going to get better and better, he is still very young.
Aguilar: How much was input did you have on your character? Where you able to be involved in creating him?
Michael Pitt: Nothing. He said, “I’m the puppet master and you are the puppet”[Laughs]. I had a lot of input. We developed this character together, which is amazing. Martin Scorsese never gave me my blocking, Gus Van Sant never gave me my blocking, but Michael Haneke gave me my blocking. What’s great about Michael Heneke - I know I’m straying right now - is that if you ask him “Why should I do it like that?” The answer is never “Because I told you so” or “Because I’m the director” That’s never the answer. He sits you down and he tells you exactly why, and he is happy to tell you. He’s thought about it, it’s never just bullshit. When a director does that you just say “Ok, you are smarter than me man”
Going back to Mike, what is cool about him is that we developed this character together every step of the way through. It was fun to be that involved.
Aguilar: It seems to me that both of Mike’s films are about a second chance. In “Another Earth” a woman sees a chance for redemption in a place far away, in “I Origins” the second chance comes in the form of reincarnation. It is very profound. What is you take on spirituality?
Michael Pitt : That’s interesting, I never though of that. That’s an interesting point. Without getting too personal about my beliefs, what I love about this film is that people can walk away from it saying, “It’s a very scientific film”, but I also love that they could walk away and say, “It’s a very spiritual film.” That’s kind of where I’m at. I think these two things can live next to each other. When people go at war they cheapen things. If a religious person says “No, no, no” and they won’t listen to science, it makes me think that they don’t have faith in their own religion.
I read this book by the Dalai Lama, who loves science, he so interested in it. The topic of this book is science over religion, but he was never threatened by the science. Because he was never threatened, it made me think, “This guy really believes in what he is saying”, it’s a very powerful thing when someone is confident in relation to this. In the same right, when I saw a debate between Richard Dawkins and a spiritual leader who was saying, “How could you say this? This is what I believe,” he became very insecure to me. He didn’t want to hear anything about science or data, or “There is evolution, we came from apes”. He didn’t want someone to prove him wrong.
Aguilar: Whose eyes would you say are unforgettable?
Michael Pitt: Eyes are so powerful. Astrid’s eye is on the poster for the film. Maybe the person whose eyes I will never forget is Astrid for certain. I’ve seen so many pictures of them [Laughs].
"I Origins" is now playing in L.A and NYC. It opens in more cities around the country on Friday July 25th.
- 7/24/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Ask around long enough among your friends and relatives, and you'll likely kick up tales suggesting the permeability of whatever shrouds this world from the others we like to believe are adjoining it. My own family, of recent Ozarkian extraction, has had its share of deathbed visions — a grandparent in hospice suddenly speaking to long-gone aunt so-and-so — and of relatives feeling intuitions so sharp and accurate that I doubt even Richard Dawkins could comfortably tell them, "I'm sorry, my dear, but you knowing that your sister was in danger from 100 miles away was just a trick of chemicals, not anything divine."
Not that such moments aren't quirks of chemistry, or the flowering together of feeling and memory and faith and electricity. At best, they're pr...
Not that such moments aren't quirks of chemistry, or the flowering together of feeling and memory and faith and electricity. At best, they're pr...
- 4/16/2014
- Village Voice
With a life and occupation not unlike Harry Houdini's, "The Amazing" Randi set out to shame fakers and sub-par psychics with his performances. But going beyond his bewitching story, the investigative documentary, "An Honest Liar," takes a closer look at the deceptive escapade that became his life-long career. Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom's documentary is coming to 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. Watch the trailer to see footage of real tricks, escape artistry, bending spoons, and bits of interviews with Alice Cooper, Richard Dawkins, Bill Nye, Penn & Teller, and Adam Savage weighing in on the hoodwinking wonder. The film world premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 18.
- 4/14/2014
- by Taylor Lindsay
- Indiewire
Alex Skerratt is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Former companion Lalla Ward and her husband Richard Dawkins will be sharing memories of the former Doctor Who script editor Douglas Adams at an upcoming memorial. Entitled Douglas Adams: A Conversation at the End of the Universe, the event will take place at London’s Highgate Cemetery on 11th March 2014, on what would have been Adams’ 62nd
The post Lalla Ward to Share Memories of Douglas Adams appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Former companion Lalla Ward and her husband Richard Dawkins will be sharing memories of the former Doctor Who script editor Douglas Adams at an upcoming memorial. Entitled Douglas Adams: A Conversation at the End of the Universe, the event will take place at London’s Highgate Cemetery on 11th March 2014, on what would have been Adams’ 62nd
The post Lalla Ward to Share Memories of Douglas Adams appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
- 2/12/2014
- by Alex Skerratt
- Kasterborous.com
Heard something inflammatory and outrageous this year? Odds are one of this lot said it. So in a head head-to-head contest, who's the most horrible troll of them all?
Don't feed the trolls. That's rule number one of the internet. When you're confronted with someone who enjoys deliberately making unnecessarily inflammatory statements, the best course of action is to deny them the emotional response they crave. Everyone knows that.
But, oh, it's hard. Especially when, as this year has proved, some people can actually make a pretty good living from being a troll. We've picked eight of the most recognisable – some politicians, some entertainers, some only known for how unremittingly awful they are – and pitted them against each other to find our Troll of the Year. So, yes, we're feeding the trolls. But at least we're feeding them to each other.
The contenders
Richard Dawkins Evolutionary biologist, 72. Favoured targets: Christians,...
Don't feed the trolls. That's rule number one of the internet. When you're confronted with someone who enjoys deliberately making unnecessarily inflammatory statements, the best course of action is to deny them the emotional response they crave. Everyone knows that.
But, oh, it's hard. Especially when, as this year has proved, some people can actually make a pretty good living from being a troll. We've picked eight of the most recognisable – some politicians, some entertainers, some only known for how unremittingly awful they are – and pitted them against each other to find our Troll of the Year. So, yes, we're feeding the trolls. But at least we're feeding them to each other.
The contenders
Richard Dawkins Evolutionary biologist, 72. Favoured targets: Christians,...
- 12/30/2013
- by Stuart Heritage
- The Guardian - Film News
Such is the Bible-based atmosphere of hostility toward legitimate scientific authority these days that Scientific American recently disabled reader comments on its online articles. In this age of disenlightenment, mass media is too willing to give scientific inquiry and irrational voodoo sorcery equal weight.
But when, at the outset of The Unbelievers, physicist Lawrence Krauss expresses anthropological condescension about some Muslim kids outside bowing toward Mecca, viewers who agree with his opinions on religion in the public space might wish he would just shut his piehole.
A study in the frustrating insufferableness of people you probably agree with, the film follows Krauss and venerable biologist Richard Dawkins on their joint books-and-smugness tour,...
But when, at the outset of The Unbelievers, physicist Lawrence Krauss expresses anthropological condescension about some Muslim kids outside bowing toward Mecca, viewers who agree with his opinions on religion in the public space might wish he would just shut his piehole.
A study in the frustrating insufferableness of people you probably agree with, the film follows Krauss and venerable biologist Richard Dawkins on their joint books-and-smugness tour,...
- 12/10/2013
- Village Voice
More than 100 prominent people from literature, the arts, science, academia, human rights and the law have signed a declaration urging newspaper and magazine publishers to embrace the royal charter system of press regulation.
They join people who have been victims of press misbehaviour in arguing that charter will give "vital protection to the vulnerable" from abuse of power by the press.
The signatories include broadcasters Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, Gary Lineker and Rory Bremner. Actor Emma Thompson has signed, as have Professor Richard Dawkins and Sir Jonathan Miller.
Several film directors are on the list, such as Stephen Frears, Alan Parker, Mike Leigh, Beeban Kidron, Guy Ritchie, Stephen Daldry, Bill Forsyth, Peter Kosminsky, Terry Gilliam and Michael Apted.
Among the writers and playwrights are Alan Bennett, William Boyd, Alan Ayckbourn, Tom Stoppard, Monica Ali, Helen Fielding, Michael Frayn, Ian McEwan, A C Grayling, David Hare, Alan Hollinghurst, Jk Rowling, Salman Rushdie,...
They join people who have been victims of press misbehaviour in arguing that charter will give "vital protection to the vulnerable" from abuse of power by the press.
The signatories include broadcasters Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, Gary Lineker and Rory Bremner. Actor Emma Thompson has signed, as have Professor Richard Dawkins and Sir Jonathan Miller.
Several film directors are on the list, such as Stephen Frears, Alan Parker, Mike Leigh, Beeban Kidron, Guy Ritchie, Stephen Daldry, Bill Forsyth, Peter Kosminsky, Terry Gilliam and Michael Apted.
Among the writers and playwrights are Alan Bennett, William Boyd, Alan Ayckbourn, Tom Stoppard, Monica Ali, Helen Fielding, Michael Frayn, Ian McEwan, A C Grayling, David Hare, Alan Hollinghurst, Jk Rowling, Salman Rushdie,...
- 11/29/2013
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
‘The Unbelievers’ Review: It’s a Choice Between Fact and Fiction and the Whole World Has Gone Astray
There’s an argument to be made that atheists are one of the last groups of people (along with vegetarians and gingers) that you can still verbally discriminate against without fear of reprisal from society’s yappy watchdogs. “Hate” speech against Christians, African Americans, midgets, or the obese will be quickly and publicly chastised, if not charged with legal action, but atheists can be derided with little to no backlash. A 2011 North American study found that non-believers are considered less trustworthy than just about every other option, from Muslims and Jews to feminists and homosexuals. The only other group (in the study) to come close to that same level of mistrust? Rapists. Not so coincidentally, recent years have seen a surge in high profile and very vocal opponents to religion, faith, and the concept of creation. Christopher Hitchens found a late-career boon from the topic, Bill Maher welcomes every opportunity to crack wise against the faithful, and...
- 11/25/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
It's been 10 years since Kathy Burke stuck two fingers up at stardom. Here she talks about loving theatre, hating writing – and why Richard Dawkins gives her the hump
'Don't write about how much I'm chain-smoking," grumbles Kathy Burke. "Everyone opens with, 'After the fourth cigarette … ' and it's boring. So don't be doing that, Ryan, else I'll say you're just the same as everyone else." She releases a tight laugh and takes another puff. I mean: takes another sip of rosehip tea.
We're up on the roof of London's Tricycle theatre, sitting on two rickety chairs beneath a blank November sky. Downstairs, Burke has spent the morning directing a new production of Once a Catholic, Mary J O'Malley's comedy set in 1957 at Our Lady of Fatima convent school. Burke is a versatile actor, adored for her populist, prickly comedy: she was Linda, the voracious ginger foghorn with porthole specs in...
'Don't write about how much I'm chain-smoking," grumbles Kathy Burke. "Everyone opens with, 'After the fourth cigarette … ' and it's boring. So don't be doing that, Ryan, else I'll say you're just the same as everyone else." She releases a tight laugh and takes another puff. I mean: takes another sip of rosehip tea.
We're up on the roof of London's Tricycle theatre, sitting on two rickety chairs beneath a blank November sky. Downstairs, Burke has spent the morning directing a new production of Once a Catholic, Mary J O'Malley's comedy set in 1957 at Our Lady of Fatima convent school. Burke is a versatile actor, adored for her populist, prickly comedy: she was Linda, the voracious ginger foghorn with porthole specs in...
- 11/13/2013
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Friday night on HBO means one thing: Bill Maher and Real Time! October 25th sees Bill moderate a panel with Richard Dawkins, Maajid Nawaz, Valerie Plame, Michael Moore, and Al Sharpton. The salon allows Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, as the show includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists, and interviews with in-studio and satellite guests. Maajid Nawaz, co-founder of the think tank Quilliam, is the top-of-show interview guest. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins is the mid-show interview guest. The roundtable guests are documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, author Valerie Plame and talk-show host Rev. Al Sharpton. Dawkins has a memoir out, An Appetite for Wonder, the review is here. Michael Moore is allegedly hiding the...
- 10/25/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Oscar Wilde's magical stories for children have often been dismissed as lesser works, but as examples of how important imagination is to us all – young and old alike – they are a delight
"Far off, like a perfect pearl, one can see the city of God. It is so wonderful that it seems as if a child could reach it in a summer's day. And so a child could. But with me and such as I am it is different. One can realise a thing in a single moment, but one loses it in the long hours that follow … "
– Oscar Wilde, "De Profundis"
Oscar Wilde wrote "De Profundis" in Reading gaol where he was serving two years hard labour for being himself; he was homosexual. He was sent to prison in 1895 after one of the most notorious trials in English history. Wilde's fatal amour, Lord Alfred Douglas, was son of the Marquess of Queensberry,...
"Far off, like a perfect pearl, one can see the city of God. It is so wonderful that it seems as if a child could reach it in a summer's day. And so a child could. But with me and such as I am it is different. One can realise a thing in a single moment, but one loses it in the long hours that follow … "
– Oscar Wilde, "De Profundis"
Oscar Wilde wrote "De Profundis" in Reading gaol where he was serving two years hard labour for being himself; he was homosexual. He was sent to prison in 1895 after one of the most notorious trials in English history. Wilde's fatal amour, Lord Alfred Douglas, was son of the Marquess of Queensberry,...
- 10/17/2013
- by Jeanette Winterson
- The Guardian - Film News
There was a time when it was assumed that people who read comics were not very smart. They couldn’t understand a book without pictures, despite the opinion of Lewis Carroll, as expressed by Alice. This opinion began to lose ground in the 1970s, and by the 1980s, when Art Spiegelman published Maus, some people began to think that comics were for people who were too smart.
During my time at DC, I saw a parallel development among schoolteachers and librarians. When we first start displaying our wares at book shows, we initially faced skepticism. As comics stories like “The Death of Superman” made the news, and more serious work, like Sandman, got reviewed in mainstream media, these professionals began to understand how graphic story could get students and library patrons excited about reading.
For the most part, comics have played only minor roles in classrooms. The excellent “For Beginners...
During my time at DC, I saw a parallel development among schoolteachers and librarians. When we first start displaying our wares at book shows, we initially faced skepticism. As comics stories like “The Death of Superman” made the news, and more serious work, like Sandman, got reviewed in mainstream media, these professionals began to understand how graphic story could get students and library patrons excited about reading.
For the most part, comics have played only minor roles in classrooms. The excellent “For Beginners...
- 8/23/2013
- by Martha Thomases
- Comicmix.com
Atheist icon Richard Dawkins got in some hot water this week for controversial tweets about the Muslim faith, being accused of racism for mocking remarks about the lack of scientific progress in the Muslim community. On The O'Reilly Factor Friday night, Greg Gutfeld didn't quite defend Dawkins, but he did call out the "double standard" of Dawkins getting lots of...
- 8/10/2013
- by Josh Feldman
- Mediaite - TV
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