Film
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Jessica Berndt has worked in film/TV music for almost a decade, most recently as music supervisor with independent label Secretly Group. “I had a few items on [my] music supervision bucket list,” she says. “An A24 film was at the top.”
In 2021, that dream inched closer when A24 launched its own record label, A24 Music. The in-house entity partnered with Secretly Distribution to build its own catalog of musical intellectual property and ensure its releases appeared on streaming services and in record stores. While it’s rare for a film company to start its own label (excluding major conglomerates like Disney), A24 Music showed signs early on it could be the first successful independent filmmaker to bet on a label: To promote its 2016 Academy Award-winning best picture, Moonlight — which features an Oscar-nominated score by Nicholas Britell (Succession, The Big Short, If Beale Street Could Talk) — A24 hosted a live performance of its score in London.
Ever since, A24 has maintained a music focus across its projects, from 2021’s C’mon C’mon (scored by The National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner) to the upcoming MaXXXine (starring Moses Sumney and Halsey). And in May, Berndt was able to cross off that No. 1 goal from her bucket list with the release of trans horror film I Saw the TV Glow, for which she was co-music supervisor alongside Secretly Group founder Chris Swanson.
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Like Moonlight and others before it, I Saw the TV Glow leaned heavily on its soundtrack as a marketing tool, using its roster of featured artists to drum up anticipation among its target demographic months before release. Featuring a score by Alex G and original songs by a slate of indie-rock staples including Caroline Polachek, Jay Som and a title track from Phoebe Bridgers and Sloppy Jane (both of whom make cameos in the movie), Berndt says a catchy new song can drive as much advance interest in a film as a well-edited trailer.
While star-powered soundtracks have experienced a revival in the last decade — including for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Black Panther, The Lion King and Barbie — no one has done it in the indie space quite like A24. The company has expanded its brand as a film company into a formidable and growing music catalog, as well as a meaningful merchandise business and podcast network.
It’s that very strategy that enticed Jen Malone to work with the company as music supervisor on the hit HBO show Euphoria, which was a turning point for series co-producer A24 as a music-focused outfit. “Music can often be an afterthought in TV and film,” Malone says. “In Euphoria, we decided at the top that music was going to be like a character in the show, and A24 supported that the whole way through.”
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Euphoria spawned virality for a number of songs on its soundtrack and, in some cases, led to a streaming uptick of over 2,100%, according to Luminate, following a synch. Whether that was for Labrinth’s original score and songs for the show — two of which he and Euphoria star Zendaya performed at Coachella in 2023 (“All for Us” and “I’m Tired”) — or older licensed works like Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down the Line,” Sinéad O’Connor’s “Drink Before the War” and DMX’s “Party Up,” Euphoria played a large role in igniting trends that would later perpetuate as popular sounds on TikTok.
A24 also creates extended Spotify playlists based on its soundtracks, as well as special-edition vinyl records, both of which continue to strengthen viewers’ relationship with a film long after the lights come on in the theater. On A24’s website, hot pink I Saw the TV Glow vinyl is for sale next to a myriad of other superfan offerings, from coffee-table books and posters to oddities like Marcel the Shell figurines, Everything Everywhere All at Once hot dog fingers and Hereditary-themed gingerbread kits.
And now, just a few years in, A24 Music is rolling out its most ambitious project yet: a star-studded set titled Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to the Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense arriving in July. It follows A24 remastering and rereleasing the band’s 1984 classic concert film, Stop Making Sense, last year.
And everyone seemingly did get involved with the album, which is just as stacked with major stars like Lorde, Paramore and Miley Cyrus as it is with indie breakouts like The Linda Lindas and Blondshell. “I feel like there’s a real sense of play permeating the entire project,” says Evan Whikeheart, head of label and shared services at Secretly Distribution. “It was a real joy to hear how all these artists from different musical backgrounds came together to interpret these songs.”
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Representatives close to A24 Music tell Billboard it’s still the early days of its exploration into music-focused programming but cite a desire to “attribute the success of A24 Music to all the incredible artists we work with.” (The company declined to be interviewed for the story.) Yet Talking Heads’ David Byrne says the A24 team is largely responsible for the tribute album’s success, saying that he was “absolutely hands off” with the process. “When I saw the list of artists who wanted to do it, I have to say I was pretty excited,” Byrne says. “I thought ‘Damn, this is going to be an amazing record.’
“It’s hard to imagine that yet another generation might connect with this film,” he continues. “We like to believe that life is short and art is long, but here, it is really happening.”
This story will appear in the June 8, 2024, issue of Billboard.
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We’re still two months away from seeing what director Fede Álvarez has in store for us when he resurrects a classic horror franchise with Alien: Romulus—and judging from the latest trailer, it’s going to be scary good.
Taking place in-between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens, Romulus is set to be a standalone story which features the terrifying Xenomorph creatures that became iconic back in the 1980’s. After a team of space-traveling colonizers stumble upon an empty space station, the group soon realizes that they’re not alone and learn exactly why the space station is now “abandoned” as it’ crew fell victim to the alien lifeforms whose sole purpose is to kill and reproduce (and not in the sexy way).
Now that they find themselves fighting for their lives and looking for a way off the space station, the colonizers find themselves on the run from face-huggers and Xenomorphs who don’t tend to leave any witnesses at their crime scenes. They G’d up like that.
Check out the trailer to Alien: Romulus below and let us know if you’ll be checking for this when it hits theaters this coming August 16.
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OG Hip-Hoppers know what De La Soul brought to the rap game when they burst onto the scene with their classic debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, in 1989. Lucky for us, their catalog was finally made available to stream just last year—though, unfortunately, Dave aka Trugoy The Dove passed away just before it came to fruition.
In a new documentary dubbed De La Soul: Chapter 3, the group takes viewers on the painstaking journey they went through to get their music on digital platforms so us older Hip-Hop heads could once again vibe and groove to the sounds that changed the culture in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Whether it was due to sample clearances or just the contractual drama the group had with their old label, Tommy Boy, the Long Island, N.Y., representatives had a tough time getting their art into the (digital) hands and ears of their hardcore day ones for quite some time.
Now that it’s finally out for all to enjoy, we’re going to see the raw emotions and moments it took for them to get there.
In an IG post for the upcoming documentary, the caption describes just how deep this mission was for the group and why we should all pay attention once it drops.
“‘Chapter 3’ chronicles the iconic studio sessions leading up to the 2023 re-release and remaster of De La Soul’s catalog, one of the most storied music collections in hip-hop. These sessions marked the first time in almost three decades that Posdnuos, Dave, Maseo, and producer Prince Paul ventured into the same studio together in service of a De La Soul project.”
“‘Chapter 3’ captures the journey of these four grown men with a legacy to protect, as well as the memories and moments that helped them build it. The documentary provides an intimate look at the creative process, camaraderie, and passion that has defined De La Soul’s enduring legacy.”
Chapter 3 is set to livestream on June at 3 p.m. local time on De La Soul’s pages on YouTube, Facebook, X and their official website as well.
June 7 — Los Angeles, CA @ 3 PM
June 8 — Sydney, Australia @ 3 PM
June 9 — Chicago, IL @ 3 PM
June 10 — London, UK @ 3 PM
June 11 — Paris, France @ 3 PM
June 12 — Seoul, South Korea @ 3 PM
June 13 — São Paulo, Brazil @ 3 PM
June 14 — New York, NY @ 3 PM
Check out the trailer for the upcoming documentary, and let us know if you’ll be tuning in when it drops in the comments section below.
RIP Dave.
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For months now it’s been rumored that the next Venom film would be the final entry into the surprisingly successful Sony franchise and when it was revealed that the title was Venom: The Last Dance, that pretty much confirmed everyone’s suspicions.
While details about the film are still being kept under wraps for the most part, Sony has released it’s first trailer for Tom Hardy’s swan song as Spider-Man’s deadliest foe and it really seems like this may be it for Marvel’s lethal protector as he’s basically waving goodbye to the Sony Spider-Verse.
In the new trailer we find Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) aimlessly walking the streets in the same attire he was wearing during the post-credits scene to Spider-Man: No Way Home, but before long he finds himself not only hunted by the U.S. Government, but also symbiote’s from his home planet who are crash landing on earth. Now on the run from both humans and aliens, Venom has to figure out how to stop his brethren from taking over the world while trying to keep government soldiers off his ass.
Needless to say, it seems like it’s going to take Venom sacrificing himself in some way, shape or form to end what he and his peoples started in the first installment to Sony’s Spidey spinoff franchise.
Will Venom actually die off before even meeting Spider-Man in this universe? With hints throughout the trailer that this is the end of the road for Hardy’s iteration of the popular anti-hero, it seems like Tom Hardy vs. Tom Holland (Spider-Man) might never happen. Guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
Check out the trailer for Venom: The Last Dance below and let us know if you’ll be checking for it when it hits theaters this coming October.
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For a while now Giancarlo Esposito had been campaigning to be the next Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so when word spread that he’d been tapped to join the MCU, many assumed it was to lead the X-Men whenever that project went into production.
Now Variety is reporting that Esposito is indeed gearing up to make his MCU debut, but it won’t be as one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe. Instead, the Emmy Award-winning actor will be joining the star-studded cast of Captain America 4: Brave New World, which is set to release early in 2025. He joins the likes of Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford and Liv Tyler amongst many others and though he hasn’t said which character he’ll be taking on, it definitely won’t be Professor X.
Variety reports:
“There’s something about being original. We’ve seen different versions of Professor X,” Esposito told the crowd. “Wouldn’t you like to see me play a character in a Marvel movie who is original, and new, and fresh? So, mark my words: This will happen sooner than you think.”
Esposito’s role in “Brave New World” is being kept under wraps (though it has been described as villainous). The Marvel movie is rolling on additional photography ahead of its Feb. 14, 2025 theatrical release date.
So we’re getting a brand new villain that hasn’t even appeared in the comics or that hasn’t made their cinematic debut?
While we don’t know much about Captain America 4, rumors circulated that an early test screening for Marvel executives didn’t go over so well and reshoots were ordered as they felt the film needed some improvements. There’s even word that WWE superstar Seth Rollins role as the leader of the Serpent Society has been cut out completely from the film as execs felt it complicated the plot and wasn’t necessary to the overall story. We’re lowkey disappointed about that.
Who do you think Giancarlo Esposito is going to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Will it be a brand new character or someone who hasn’t made it to film yet? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Great news ’80s babies! It looks like He-Man will once again call on the power of Greyskull as the live-action version of The Masters Of The Universe has officially cast their blonde superhero, and it ain’t Dolph Lundgren.
According to Deadline, teen heartthrob, Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea Of You) will be taking on the mantle of Prince Adam aka He-Man in Amazon MGM’s upcoming Masters Of The Universe film. Though details about the film itself aren’t being released, the film will surely pin He-Man against his archnemesis, Skeletor, with the fate of the universe on the line. Truth be told, there’s no way it can be any worse than the 1987 live-action version of the cartoon franchise that starred Dolph Lundgren and arguably ended whatever career he had left. That joint was ridiculously bad.
The new film will be helmed by Travis Knight and will be penned by Chris Butler, David Callaham and Aaron Nee.
Deadline reports:
Centering on the battle between the heroic He-Man (aka Prince Adam of Eternia) — the universe’s most powerful man — and the evil Skeletor, the Masters of the Universe franchise was introduced by way of a line of popular action figures in 1982. A year later, the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universepremiered, becoming one of the first children’s programs to be syndicated on television during its two-season run. Several other film and television adaptations followed, and today the franchise continues to span such consumer touchpoints as toys and video games.
“We’re thrilled to bring the beloved Masters of the Universe to life and couldn’t be more excited to announce the immensely talented Nicholas Galitzine as our He-Man,” said Julie Rapaport, head of film production and development at Amazon MGM Studios. “Joining forces with director Travis Knight, Mattel, and Escape Artists, this reintroduction of the character and his universe will be an epic film that will delight audiences from here to Eternia.”
We personally feel that Alan Ritchson (Jack Reacher) or even Zac Efron (The Claw) would’ve been a better casting choice, but that’s just us. Those dudes are basically the real life versions of He-Man in 2024.
Masters Of The Universe is set to release in theaters June 5, 2026. Will you be checking it out? Let us know in the comments section below.
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One of the culture’s literary pioneers is sharing her journey with the world. dream hampton has released the trailer to her new documentary, It Was All A Dream.
As exclusively reported by Variety, the esteemed writer is going into her personal archives for her newest endeavor. This week, Hampton released the trailer to her forthcoming film and she makes it clear she was really moving and shaking during Rap’s golden era. In the 90-second clip we see footage of her interacting with the likes of the late great Notorious B.I.G., Method Man, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, Ice-T, Mobb Deep and more.
In it she narrates each piece of archival footage in relation to the original writing assignment that featured the respective talent. Hampton detailed how the project came about in a formal statement. “Last summer, I was moving my daughter across the country and found two boxes of footage I forgot I had and spent the last few months making this film,” she explained. She would also reveal that Notorious B.I.G.’s son, CJ Wallace, was the first person to see the film and encouraged him to be one of the executive producers. “I named it It Was All a Dream not because of my name or ‘Juicy,’ but because of the golden haze that has cloaked this era.”
dream hampton has written for multiple publications and once served as the Chief Editor at The Source magazine. You can watch the trailer below.
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A new dramatic anthology series starring Kandi Burruss and Marion “Pooch” Hall has premiered on Tubi.
The streaming service Tubi has become a rising player in producing Black-centered entertainment, and the latest series looks to turn heads thanks to its subject and cast. I Got A Story To Tell has premiered on the platform featuring Kandi Burruss, Marion “Pooch” Hall, Apryl Jones, Young Joc, Jess Hilarious and others. The series is produced by Smoot Films and directed by Steve C. Pitts, with news that the second season has allegedly already been given the go-ahead for production with an anticipated premiere set for some time in 2025.
I Got A Story To Tell is billed as “a gripping thriller anthology series that delves into the darker aspects of human nature,” with each episode taking a deeper look at how love, lust and horror can be intertwined to display “the macabre side of human experiences through tales that are as captivating as they are disturbing,” according to the press release. The first season consists of six episodes, each containing its own riveting story. It was produced in 2022, also scoring a viewing on BET Plus.
For Burruss, best known as a member of the Grammy Award-winning group Xscape and as a cast member of the Bravo reality series Real Housewives of Atlanta, her role as Tammi in the “Before I Let Go” episode was part of her commitment to becoming an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award) winner. As for Hall, the television veteran best known for his role on the long-running BET series The Game and Showtime’s Ray Donovan, appears in the season finale, “The Following of Angela Whitaker.” Hall is also currently starring in the upcoming World War II-set action drama film Murder Company alongside veteran actor Kelsey Grammer.
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To many 80’s babies, he is Batman but to others Michael Keaton is Beetlejuice and now that he’s once again donned the cow and the cape in 2023’s The Flash, Keaton is now resurrecting his other iconic character which helped propel him to superstardom in 1988.
Weeks ago fans got a small taste of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2 when a teaser trailer for the upcoming film was released and now they’re getting a bigger sample of what they can expect from Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and newcomer to the series, Jenna Ortega conjure up the rambunctious ghost that endeared himself to millions back in the 80’s (the character even got himself an animated show on FOX).
In the new trailer to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ortega and Ryder find themselves back in the house where it all started in which Ortega defiantly conjures up the comedic demon after saying his name three times. Now that he’s once again been unleashed on the world of the living, Ryder, Ortega and everyone else involved must experience the weird world of the dead as they try to figure out how to get out of this latest pickle.
Should be fun.
Check out the new trailer to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice below and let us know if you’ll be checking for this when it hits theaters this coming September 6.
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The female ensemble of Jacques Audiard’s crime musical Emilia Pérez — Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz — received the best actress honor at the prestigious 2024 Cannes Film Festival gala ceremony Saturday night (May 25).
“Women together — that’s something we wanted to honor when we made this award,” Cannes jury president and Barbie director Greta Gerwig said of the shared win, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Each of them is a standout, but together transcendent.”
In a groundbreaking moment for the trans community, Emilia Pérez star Gascón, who accepted the ensemble cast’s award with a tearful speech, is the first transgender actress to win at Cannes. The Spanish-language musical/crime pic about a Mexican drug lord (Gascón) embracing her true identity as a woman also received the jury prize at this year’s festival.
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Gomez was in Cannes for the film‘s premiere, press and photo calls earlier in the week, but not in attendance at Saturday’s gala. She portrays the wife of Gascón’s character in the film.
The singer-actress got the news of the win through a phone call from co-star Saldaña. “When @zoesaldana told me we all won best actress!!” Gomez captioned an Instagram Story reaction video, in which she’s seen sitting outdoors, and in which her excitement is palpable.
The Palme d’Or, the festivals’s top honor, was given to Sean Baker’s Anora. The Grand Prix went to Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light. Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig received a special award from the jury, and Jesse Plemmons won best actor for his work in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Kinds of Kindness.
George Lucas was presented with an honorary Palme d’Or on Saturday, for his contribution to cinema since 1971, when his directorial debut, THX-1138, received a nod in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes.
Cannes 2024 Winners List:
Palme d’Or
Sean Baker, Anora
Grand Prix
All We Imagine As Light
Jury Prize
Emilia Pérez
Best Director
Miguel Gomez, Grand Tour
Best Screenplay
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
Best Actress
Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez
Best Actor
Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
Honorary Palme d’Or
George Lucas
Special Award
Mohammad Rasoulof, The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Camera d’Or for Best First Film
Halfdan Ullman Tondel, Armand
Palme d’Or for Best Short Film
Nebojsa Slijepcevic, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent