“Most happy songs are actually sad as fuck, and people are just too stupid to get it,” a music producer opines in the midst of another late-night recording session, sleepily insisting that Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” sounds like it was written by someone with a gun to their head. The moment is a total non-sequitur, typical of a film that doesn’t follow a plot so much as it sifts through a psychic pall, and also typical of a filmmaker whose woozily impressionistic (yet wildly unsubtle) character sketches have long been fascinated by the forced smiles that stretch across modern American life....

Though the Taylor Swift “In Conversation” event Saturday as part of the Tribeca Festival was billed as an hour-long chat with Swift and director Mike Mills about Swift’s work as the director, producer, writer, and star of “All Too Well: The Short Film” it just wouldn’t have been a complete event without, you know, the singer actually singing. Which she did, as the event drew to a close. “Do you have an extra 10 minutes?...

So much for the premature demise of the Technicolor brand, although its historic connection with excellence in color marks the end of an era. But then our emotional connection to “glorious Technicolor” (“Gone With the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz”), associated with the three-strip camera and dye-transfer printing, essentially vanished when the company abandoned film stock and went digital in the 21st century. “The sale of Technicolor Post was the first step in a wider, ongoing strategic plan to establish a future-facing Technicolor business,” said Christian Roberton, president of Technicolor Creative Studios....

Just three days after filming resumed at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in Hertfordshire, England, production on “The Batman” has once again been halted, as a crew member (later revealed to be star Robert Pattinson himself) has tested positive for COVID-19. Warner Bros. confirmed the news to IndieWire, and a spokesperson from the studio said the crew member, who wasn’t identified, is now “isolating in accordance with established protocols. Filming is temporarily paused....

Writer-director Matt Reeves explained that while his take on the Dark Knight is definitely gritty — and reportedly inspired by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide — the film was always meant to appeal to a wide range of audiences. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. DC fans also shouldn’t be holding their breath for a #ReevesCut anytime soon....

“Your first thought is, ‘Oh my God, I’m absolutely terrible,’” Robert Pattinson confessed to Moviemaker Magazine after first watching back his “Batman” scenes. Reeves, he said, had asked him for a lot of takes, and he was also challenged by one particular element of the costume design. “There’s a whole different language, body language, you have to learn to make it do what you want it to do,” Pattinson continued....

A great camera lens gets you one step closer to crafting a perfect shot, but selecting the right one can feel like its own art form. If you’re not sure where to start, you’ll need to know some of the basics, like the difference between prime lenses and zoom lenses. Prime lenses: Fixed on one focal length, they’re generally heavier and more expensive. Zoom lenses: These are adjustable and cover a range of focal lengths....

In the fall of 2003, a new nurse arrived at a quiet hospital in the middle of New Jersey. He was mild-mannered and affable, with an impressive resume of former gigs. His name was Charles Cullen. Call him Charlie. He quickly became friends with fellow nurse Amy Loughren, who was also good at her job and kind to those who came into her orbit. Both were hiding secrets: Amy had recently learned she had a disease that required a heart transplant, one she could not afford until she had finished up six months at her new-ish gig at the hospital (that’s, of course, when her medical benefits kicked in); Charlie was a serial killer....

“I knew that it would be a lovely challenge to take a room where a lot of people are sat down for a lot of the time, and actually give that kinetic energy and make it dynamic as a space,” Mylod told IndieWire. “This was a journey that is totally controlled by the chef. How would he do it? That was really interesting exercise, particularly, I suppose coming off the back of having just shot Season 3 of ‘Succession,’ which has such a different camera grammar, such a different metronome to the edit – some similar overlapping themes, certainly, but a very different metronome to it....

Working from a Black List-touted script by Samy Burch with a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik, “May December” centers on a married couple whose lives begin to buckle under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a movie about their past — including the couple’s notorious May-December tabloid romance that once gripped the nation. The cast also includes Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), with Killer Films as usual producing the latest Haynes joint....

Per the Academy, the Governors Award is presented each year to “an individual, company, organization or project for outstanding achievement in the arts and sciences or management of television which is either of a cumulative nature or so extraordinary and universal in nature as to go beyond the scope of the Emmy Awards presented in the categories and areas of the competition.” Perry and The Perry Foundation were chosen this year for their ongoing efforts to be inclusive in terms of employment in front of and behind the camera, as well as other philanthropic initiatives....

These shifts leave theaters in a new-product desert. They also put Universal in a strong position to make its first short-window arrangement under the deal it made with AMC Theaters this summer. IndieWire has confirmed that “Freaky” (November 13) and “The Croods: A New Age” (November 25) will go quickly to PVOD: 21 days for “Freaky” (December 4) and 28 days for “The Croods” (December 23). Universal is also offering the titles to other theaters, with the same terms....

As previously announced, Pedro Almodóvar will kick off the 2021 Venice Film Festival with the world premiere of his new drama “Parallel Mothers.” The film will debut in competition and vie for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. “Parallel Mothers” is written and directed by Almodóvar, and stars both regular and new collaborators, including Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Julieta Serrano, and Rossy De Palma. Almodóvar attended Venice last year to world premiere his short film “The Human Voice” out of competition....

ViacomCBS announced four new shows during its upfront event, three of which are spin-offs of existing crime franchises. “NCIS: Hawai’i” will air on CBS on Monday at 9 p.m., while “FBI: International” will air on Tuesday at 9 p.m. “CSI: Vegas” will air at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The half-hour “Ghosts,” the company’s fourth new show, will air on Thursday at 9 p.m. Though “Ghosts” is not based on a crime franchise, it bares the same name as a BBC comedy that centered on a young couple who inherit a mansion inhabited by ghosts, and the British network serves as one of the production companies on the ViacomCBS series....

Vincent Price rose to fame in “The Fly,” “House on Haunted Hill,” “Witchfinder General,” “House of Wax,” and “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” but his filmography goes much deeper than horror movies. A true renaissance man of the arts, Price earned a degree from Yale, where he studied English and art history. He worked as a lecturer before breaking into acting and landed his first leading role in the 1938 comedy, “Service de Luxe....

During an anniversary of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” press conference with actor Tom Felton, a Sky News reporter was prohibited from asking about Rowling’s involvement. Felton was interviewed as part of the Mandrakes and Magical Creatures feature at Warner Brothers Studios. Sky News reporter Claire Gregory asked, “And you’re sort of, you’re still, you and the other stars of the film, still very much the face of the franchise, if you like....

During Dave Chappelle’s San Francisco comedy show, Musk received loud boos onstage, with audience members refusing to let Musk speak into the mic. A since-deleted series of Twitter videos show Musk floundering alongside Chappelle and later, Chris Rock. While phones were not allowed inside the stadium, multiple people leaked footage from the show. “Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the richest man in the world,” Chappelle said while performing at the Chase Center (via Gizmodo)....

Products featured are independently selected by our editorial team and we may earn a commission from purchases made from our links. Showtime’s awards darling “Homeland” has ended, but the premium cable network’s longest-running series, “Shameless,” is still up and running. The comedy is entering its 11th and final season, which is scheduled to air sometime in 2021. But you don’t have to wait until next year to catch up with the Gallagher family and their Chicago adventures: All 10 seasons of the half-hour series are available to stream via Showtime....

Both separated from their spouses (Holmes is married to attorney Marilee Fiebig; Robach is married to actor and “Melrose Place” star Andrew Shue), Holmes and Robach are “probably” still being paid right now, two employment lawyers independently told IndieWire for this story. Meanwhile, ABC and “GMA3” producers are likely reviewing their contracts and observing public reaction. The show’s third co-host, Jennifer Ashton, is probably just trying to keep everyone’s pulse rate and blood pressure under control; good thing she’s a doctor....

But let’s start with a look at those series which recently took their final bow. While it might be something of a long shot to see “Homeland” return to its former glory, particularly given the final season’s invisibility at last year’s Emmy Awards, it’s not unthinkable that Claire Danes slip into a lead actress lineup or two in acknowledgment of her final turn as Carrie Mathison. It’s also fair to mention “Shameless,” currently airing its 11th and final season....