When the Producers Guild of America asked him to write a story with a car in it, Alvaro Ron thought of his grandfather. Ron’s grandfather drove actors and actresses in the ’50s, such as Ava Gardner and Charlton Heston, while they filmed in Spain. Read more...
Photo: UCLA alumnus Alvaro Ron created the seven-minute short film, “The Red Thunder,” for the Producers Guild of America’s Make Your Mark competition. Ron’s film was a finalist for the short film contest. (Courtesy of Alvaro Ron)
UCLA music lecturer Gloria Cheng realized she was in the midst of a legendary gathering of musicians. John Williams, Don Davis, Michael Giacchino, Randy Newman and Bruce Broughton huddled around a piano with a slew of sheet music – compositions they had written not for film, but for Cheng herself to perform. Read more...
Photo: UCLA music lecturer Gloria Cheng assembled a group of acclaimed film composers, including Randy Newman and Michael Giacchino, to score individual piano pieces for her to perform. The album, titled “Montage,” will be released Tuesday. (Jose Ubeda/Daily Bruin staff)
The last time a film as promisingly ludicrous as “Kingsman: The Secret Service” came out, it was also by the hand of director Matthew Vaughn. “Kick-Ass” was a gleefully unprofessional way to handle cinematic adaptations of comic books, and it was all the better for it. Read more...
Photo: (20th Century Fox)
“Jupiter Ascending”Directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana WachowskiWarner Bros.2.0 / 5.0 paws Ever since their peak with 1999’s “The Matrix,” a film that fits the idea of “cultural touchstone” to a T, the Wachowskis have fallen further and further down the rabbit hole. Read more...
Photo: (Warner Bros.)
Kathy Wazana left her home country of Morocco at the age of 10. Growing up in Canada, Wazana said she was taught that Morocco was a hostile place for Jewish people. Read more...
Photo: In Kathy Wazana’s documentary “They Were Promised the Sea,” Wazana explores the meaning of Muslim and Jewish identities, spurring from her own background as a Jewish person born in Morocco. On Wednesday, the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies will be screening the film followed by a discussion with Wazana. (Courtesy of Kathy Wazana)
UCLA alumnus Randall Park said he’d never thought acting would be anything more than a hobby. It wasn’t until later that he would drop everything to pursue acting as a full-time career. Read more...
Photo: UCLA alumnus Randall Park portrays Kim Jong-un in Seth Rogen and James Franco’s film, “The Interview.” On Wednesday, Park will star as father Louis Huang in ABC’s new show, “Fresh Off the Boat.” (Courtesy of Matt Sayles)
One has to wonder where exactly the cult-like admiration for “SpongeBob SquarePants,” arguably the most popular production Nickelodeon has ever had, comes from. Is it the endless barrage of pop culture references? Read more...
Photo: “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” follows the famous Nickelodeon characters as they try to track down the Krabby Patty secret recipe, which has disappeared. The film combines both cartoon and live-action sequences. (Paramount Pictures)
