Moviefone Editorial

Category: Documentaries

  • ‘Lorne’ Exclusive Interview: Director Morgan Neville

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    Opening in theaters on April 17th is the new documentary from Oscar winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (‘Man on the Run’) called ‘Lorne’, which chronicles the life and career of ‘Saturday Night Live’ creator Lorne Michaels.

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    'Lorne' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Lorne’ director Morgan Neville.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Morgan Neville about his work on ‘Lorne’, the style of the documentary, making it funny, his unprecedented access to ‘Saturday Night Live’, the show’s darkest period, conducting the interviews, what he learned about Lorne from making the movie, and the future of the long running show.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: Morgan Neville Talks Paul McCartney Documentary ‘Man on the Run’

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    Moviefone: To begin with, the film plays almost like an ‘SNL’ parody of a celebrity biopic with animated sequences and Chris Parnell’s narration. Was that what you set out to do from the beginning or did you have to pivot when you realized you might not get what you need from Lorne Michaels himself?

    Morgan Neville: I think my intent in the beginning was, I want this to be funny. I didn’t know how exactly. But beyond that, I don’t entirely have a plan about what the film is going to be. I know it had all these great ingredients. I know Lorne’s story is interesting. He’s a fascinating character who rarely does interviews or shows people into his life. I know the show is fascinating. I knew there were lots of interesting things, but I didn’t know how it would fit together. When we started shooting, what you see in the beginning of the film is my first day of shooting, where the cameras come out, and then Lorne vanishes. I felt like one of the themes of the film is basically the theme of me making the film. You go from somebody who really doesn’t seem like he wants a film made about him to somebody who has made his peace with it and is willing to give us a glimpse inside. That was my experience of making the film. So, the idea of bringing Chris Parnell in is a way of channeling ‘SNL’, but also the ‘TV Funhouse’. I mean, it’s also something that I’ve done with a lot of my films. I want the subject of the film to help me decide how to tell the story, so it feels like the telling of it is related to the subject. So, I just kept thinking, well, what is the ‘SNL’ version of a documentary about Lorne? Not to say that because it’s funny that there’s no substance there. Because one thing I’m also proud of is how the emotion sneaks into the film quietly, in a way you’re not expecting. Lorne, in the beginning, is like, “Why is this guy even here? Why is he torturing this poor crew?” But then you understand a lot more about what makes him tick and he opens in that way.

    MF: The movie is very funny. Can you set out to make a funny documentary, or is that a result of the subject you are focusing on?

    MN: I think humor is one of the great under discussed things in documentary film. I think some of my favorite documentaries are funny in different ways. That could be anything from the films that inspired me to make documentaries, like ‘Sherman’s March’, ‘Roger & Me’, and ‘The Atomic Cafe’. I mean, all the documentaries that got me excited, that are funny in different ways. Even in films I’ve made, like, ‘Best of Enemies’ or ‘Won’t you be my Neighbor?’ There are some big laughs in those films, too. But I think humor is such a great way of letting the audience exhale and open themselves up in a way if they’re laughing. They’re way more receptive to what you might want to share with them. So, I love that, and why can’t documentaries be comedies sometimes? So, this was me intentionally in the beginning saying, “I do want this to be a funny film.” Because it’s a film, most people who are going to watch it are comedy fans. I’ve seen a lot of documentaries about comedy that are really depressing. There are a lot of dark stories in comedy. But I always wanted to remember the comedy part of it, too. ‘Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces’ was the first comedy documentary I did that was purely comedy, and this is the second. With both, I tried to balance the funny with some weight or gravitas at the same time.

    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.
    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.

    MF: Can you talk about the unprecedented access that you had to Lorne and ‘Saturday Night Live’ and what did you learn about him as a person from your access?

    MN: I think people think of Lorne as sitting on a throne, deciding who makes it in comedy and who doesn’t make it, and that he is just sitting there, flipping his finger, and deciding the fate of people. I think Lorne sees himself as beleaguered, in the trenches, and worrying about next week’s show and making 100 phone calls to sponsors, network people, affiliates, agents, studios, and cast members to just keep all the plates in the air. So, it’s funny that everybody thinks Lorne is just sitting pretty. I think Lorne feels like he’s just barely making it, because I asked everybody in the film, “At what point do you think Saturday Night Live became a show that was not going to disappear?” Some people said, “Well, when the show reinvented itself after 1995 with Will Ferrell and that amazing cast, or maybe after 9/11, when it became a place where people came together and mourned and laughed together for the first time.” I asked Lorne that question, and he said, “Maybe this year.” You know, fifty years in! So, I think Lorne’s the last person to pat himself on the back and feel like, job well done, we don’t have to worry anymore. I think Lorne is thinking about, “When this cast gels, where’s it going to be in two years?” He’s thinking about things like that. “Oh, this writer I have who might want to leave, maybe I can get him to work on a TV show, and I can get him a development deal.” He’s constantly pulling levers to keep everything kind of bubbling along and that’s something, People don’t see him sweat, but I think he feels like he’s in the thick of it. I think it’s maybe part of why he made the film, is for people to understand that producing is a real job. It’s not just sitting back and collecting checks. It’s a lot of invisible things that people just don’t understand.

    MF: You mention in the film that the closest Lorne came to losing control of the show was in the mid- ‘90s, which culminated in the firing of Norm MacDonald. In discussing it with Lorne, did he express any regret in how that went down and being unable to protect Norm in the same way he has protected so many ‘SNL’ performers before and after?

    MN: I don’t think so. I love Norm’s comedy. But, let’s face it, Norm was asking for it and in the funniest way possible. Norm was warned again and again and again. So, I think Norm enjoyed poking the bear, and I don’t think Norm felt like Lorne was to blame for any of that. I think the other person in that equation was Jim Downey, the legendary writer who started in season two, and was on and off the show for decades, who I interviewed in the documentary. Jim, at that time, was running ‘Weekend Update’ with Norm, and the two of them were thick as thieves, and they were the ones who were enjoying poking the bear. When Norm got fired, Jim got fired too, but Lorne quietly got Jim back the next year. I think Lorne both felt a loyalty to Jim, and really wanted to protect Jim. Norm was going to be fine. Lorne told the bosses, “Okay, I’ll let them go,” and then quietly rehired Jim, and helped Norm land his next thing. Again, it’s something that made Lorne incredibly unhappy to have to go through, but he is the king of the long game. You may lose the battles, but he always wins the war.

    John Mulaney in 'John Mulaney: Baby J' Photo: Netflix.
    John Mulaney in ‘John Mulaney: Baby J’ Photo: Netflix.

    MF: Of all the interviews you conducted, who had the most insight into Lorne and was there anyone you wanted to interview but were unable to?

    MN: I mean, the only person I really wanted to interview who said no was Dan Aykroyd, and he had said he was just talked out from doing documentary interviews, which is fine. I get it. But at the same time, for a film like this, you could interview so many people, and I interviewed even more than I normally like to. I normally don’t like to interview a ton of people for a film because I want there to be a smaller chorus of voices. But even here, I could have interviewed another fifty people for this film easily. So, I wanted people from different chapters of his life, people like Howard Shore, who he met at camp as a 14-year-old to Rosie Shuster, his first wife he met in high school who became one of the original writers on ‘Saturday Night Live’. But one of my favorites was John Mulaney because he is both, such a great talker, but also a real student of Lorne’s. They’re friends, but I think John has studied Lorne, and I think when they’re together, John constantly peppers Lorne with questions, and he’s collecting as much information about Lorne as he can. So, I think he was ready to talk. I think he loved talking about Lorne. I think we did, like, a two-hour interview, and I said, “Well, I think that’s good,” and he was like, “Well, let’s keep going.” So we went for another hour, and then when we did the round table, he said, “Oh, I want to do that.” So, I got him together with Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Fred Armisen. But I think Mulaney was probably the MVP of talking about Lorne.

    MF: Finally, I get the sense from the film that Lorne Michaels is ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ is Lorne Michaels, and that there is no retiring for him. He’ll leave the show when he must and it may go on for a while, but that will be the end of the show as we currently know it. What is your sense of the future of the series and how long do you think it will go on without Lorne Michaels at the helm?

    MN: I think Lorne is not going to run the show for another fifty years, but he wants it to continue, and I think it will continue, just because, for no other reason, the IP of ‘SNL’ is very valuable, and people still watch and will continue to watch. It’s one of the last places where we come together to watch things. You know, it’s like sports and ‘Saturday Night Live’. There aren’t a lot of places where we all come together to watch things. So, I think there are a lot of reasons why it will continue. I just don’t think it’ll be the same, because, in part, Lorne’s not doing it, but also because I can’t imagine it continuing to be as wasteful as it is. I mean, Lorne says that in the film. It’s made wastefully, but that’s because by being wasteful, you get to discover more things. He’s producing way more than he needs for a week. So, if you’re able to throw out a third of all your work every week and just pick the best two thirds, it makes it better. But it’s also kind of crazy to know you’re going to throw out a third of all your work every week. I also don’t think there’s one person to fill Lorne’s shoes, which are impossible to fill. But I think the thing about Lorne is he’s managing two different ways. He’s managing down, which is him with the writers and the cast, and all of that, which he’s great at. You hear all those stories of how he works with cast members. But the other part of his job is he’s managing up. So, dealing with the network people, and the sponsors, and affiliates, and studios, and all of that, in a way that is invisible, and is a very different skill than dealing with writers. So, you know, part of me feels like it would take at least two people to do his job.

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    What is the story of ‘Lorne’?

    ‘Lorne’ is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.

    Who appears in ‘Lorne’?

    'Lorne' opens in theaters on April 17th.
    ‘Lorne’ opens in theaters on April 17th.

    List of Morgan Neville Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Lorne’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies on Amazon

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Lorne’

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    Opening in theaters on April 17th is the new documentary ‘Lorne’, which was directed by Morgan Neville (‘Man on the Run’) and chronicles the life and career of ‘Saturday Night Live’ creator Lorne Michaels.

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    Related Article: Morgan Neville Talks Paul McCartney Documentary ‘Man on the Run’

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.
    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.

    Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville accomplishes the near impossible by capturing the illusive Lorne Michaels in the new film ‘Lorne’. The documentary, which is very funny, is almost an ‘SNL’ parody of celebrity biopics with pitch perfect narration from alum Chris Parnell and TV Funhouse style animation.

    Neville was given unprecedented behind the scenes access to Michaels and ‘Saturday Night Live’ and lifts the curtain to show how the sausage is really made. With interviews from ‘SNL’ alum like Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Kristen Wiig and Mike Myers, the movie explores Michaels’ career, the history of the show, and how ‘SNL’ is really made.

    Story and Direction

    'Saturday Night Live's Studio 8H.
    ‘Saturday Night Live’s Studio 8H. Photo: NBC.

    Director Morgan Neville is no stranger to documenting famous people, as his last film, ‘Man on the Run’ was centered on Paul McCartney. But the opening scene of ‘Lorne’ makes one think that Neville has finally met his match in Lorne Michaels. The ‘SNL’ creator seems surprised and annoyed that he even agreed to having a documentary crew follow him around, and virtually disappears once the movie begins.

    This forces Neville to pivot quickly and results in a movie that is closer to an ‘SNL’ parody of a documentary, which makes for a very funny movie. Some of the techniques that Neville uses to offset the loss of his subject include focusing on interviews with ‘SNL’ cast and alum instead and incorporating cartoons and narration. Those choices, whether out of desperation or not, transform the film from a standard celebrity documentary to a truly funny and entertaining experience on its own terms.

    But despite his best efforts, the film eventually does breakdown Michaels’ defenses and gives an honest and in-depth look behind the curtain at the man that created a comedic industry. In fact, Neville’s access to ‘Saturday Night Live’ was astounding and gives a rare never-before-seen look at exactly how the show is really made with glimpses into the writer’s room, pitch meetings, guest meetings, rehearsals, and finally choosing the sketches for that episode.

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    In addition to chronicling how the show is made week to week, the film also goes through Michaels’ personal history, the beginnings of his career, how he created the show, ‘SNL’s ups and downs including his exit in 1980, his return in 1985, almost losing the show in the 90s, and the various cast changes, as well as his film career, which includes writing ‘Three Amigos’ and producing ‘Wayne’s World’.

    Morgan Neville is the best documentarian working today and has made some of the finest documentaries in recent years including the Oscar winning ‘20 Feet from Stardom’, ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’, and ‘Man on the Run’. But ‘Lorne’ might be his best work yet, cracking the code on one of the most important figures in entertainment history.

    Celebrity Interviews

    John Mulaney and Tina Fey at Netflix's Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
    John Mulaney and Tina Fey at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.

    While reluctant at first, Lorne Michaels does eventually sit down for several interviews and is surprisingly open, despite his reputation for being guarded. However, his insight into his past and the inner workings of the show are delivered cryptically and in a very Lorne Michaels way. But we do get a rare look at his lakeside hideaway retreat in an undisclosed area of Maine, as well as his rigorous late-night schedule.

    You really come to understand that Michaels is a creature of habit, basically living the same schedule for fifty years, even eating at the same handful of New York restaurants and ordering the same meals for decades. People often wonder why ‘SNL’ has such a strange schedule, working late into the night and into the early morning most days. It’s because of Lorne, that’s his schedule, the show just adopted it.

    Neville assembles a fantastic group of Lorne’s friends and former ‘SNL’ cast members including Steve Martin, Paul Simon, John Mulaney, Tina Fey, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, and Mike Myers.

    John Mulaney had the most insight about Lorne, while Tina Fey acted like she didn’t really know him at all. But the most fascinating exchange was watching an intimate dinner between Michaels and friend Steve Martin.

    My one critique is I do wish Neville had interviewed more of the earlier cast members, as there seemed to be a focus on only cast members from the last 25 years. Where was Chevy Chase and Bill Murray? Where was Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler? What about Will Ferrell? But this may just be a result of who was available and not by design.

    Final Thoughts

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    ‘Lorne’ is a brilliant documentary that delivers a rare look at an almost mythic figure in popular culture and gives true insight without damaging the myth. At the same time, for fans of ‘Saturday Night Live’ or comedy in general, the movie is a must see that really dissects how the series became an institution and why it is still going strong after fifty years.

    ‘Lorne’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.

    'Lorne' opens in theaters on April 17th.
    ‘Lorne’ opens in theaters on April 17th.

    What is the story of ‘Lorne’?

    ‘Lorne’ is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.

    Who appears in ‘Lorne’?

    • Lorne Michaels as Himself
    • Tina Fey as Herself
    • Maya Rudolph as Herself
    • John Mulaney as Himself
    • Andy Samberg as Himself
    • Bill Hader as Himself
    • Fred Armisen as Himself
    • Conan O’Brien as Himself
    • Chris Rock as Himself
    • Jimmy Fallon as Himself
    • Seth Meyers as Himself
    • Kristen Wiig as Herself
    • Mike Myers as Himself
    • Steve Martin as Himself
    • Paul Simon as Himself
    'Lorne' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Lorne’ director Morgan Neville.

    List of Morgan Neville Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Lorne’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies on Amazon

     

  • ‘Man on the Run’ Interview: Director Morgan Neville

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    Debuting on Prime Video February 27th is the new documentary ‘Man on the Run‘, which was directed by Morgan Neville (‘Piece by Piece’) and follows the life of Paul McCartney from his formation of Wings through the 1970s.

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    'Man on the Run' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Man on the Run’ director Morgan Neville.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Morgan Neville about his work on ‘Man on the Run’, how he got involved in this project, McCartney’s post-Beatles career, the legacy of Wings, conducting the interviews, choosing to only use the audio in the film, and what it was like for him to spend time with Paul McCartney.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: Director Kevin MacDonald Talks Documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’

    Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Prime Video.
    Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Prime Video.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved in this project and what interested you in telling the story of Wings and focusing on this specific post-Beatles point in Paul McCartney’s life?

    Morgan Neville: I got a call from Paul’s manager, almost five years ago, saying, “Would you be interested in working on a documentary that touches on the Wings era of Paul’s career?” Within three seconds, I said, “Yes.” I’ve been an obsessive Beatles and Paul McCartney fan my whole life and a big Wings fan. The first record I ever bought was a Wings record, so I go way back. But I also knew that this period of his life was one that people don’t know that much about. So, the film begins essentially the day the Beatles break up, and then Paul must figure out all kinds of existential questions about, “Who am I, who am I as an artist? What kind of person am I?” You know, in a very short period, he gets married, has a kid, adopts his wife, Linda‘s child, and the Beatles break up. Then he moves to a rural farmhouse in Scotland. I mean, this is all like within nine months this happens. So, that’s kind of the beginning that sets up this story. But what you see is that Paul really struggles through this time for all these different reasons. So, it was kind of understanding the human part of it that I find very relatable.

    (L to R) Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.
    (L to R) Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.

    MF: What was it like conducting the interviews and can you talk about making the choice to only use the audio in the film?

    MN: I did many interviews with Paul over many months. I never filmed them. I just did audio. Part of it was we could have more intimate conversations, I guess, and really try to take our time and talk. But the other thing I knew was that I don’t want to have 80-year-old people saying, “50 years ago this was a great thing.” Those types of films are very retrospective. Somehow, when you take those off camera, it just becomes a present tense story. So, you’re just kind of flowing through it, and all the voices from the archive voices to the new voices, just become this soup. I feel like it’s a bit of a trance that the film can put you in. It feels like you never leave that decade, really, the 1970s through the film.

    Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.
    Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.

    MF: Finally, as a fan, what was it like for you to spend time with Sir Paul McCartney and really get to know him on a personal level because of this project?

    MN: Totally surreal. I am a huge fan, but I think about 15 minutes into the first interview, I said, “Okay, I have to take my fan hat off and put my filmmaker hat on and just talk to him as Paul.” Then there are moments where my fan hat pops back on. But the amount of trust and space he gave me to make this film is kind of remarkable. So, I am I’m very grateful to him and grateful to consider him a friend.

    Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Rupert Truman. Copyright: © MPL Communications Ltd.
    Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Rupert Truman. Copyright: © MPL Communications Ltd.

    What is the story of ‘’Man on the Run’?

    Paul McCartney forms new band Wings after Beatles breakup. Archival home footage shows his life with Linda McCartney, who influenced his music. The film follows Wings from formation through the 1970s, during which McCartney wrote hit songs.

    Who is featured in ‘Man on the Run’?

    'Man on the Run' premieres on Prime Video February 27th.
    ‘Man on the Run’ premieres on Prime Video February 27th.

    List of Rock and Roll Documentaries:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Man on the Run‘ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies On Amazon

  • TV Review: ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’

    (L to R) Stephen Lang and Director James Cameron on the set of 20th Century Studios' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. Photo by Mark Fellman. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Stephen Lang and Director James Cameron on the set of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo by Mark Fellman. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    On Disney+ on November 7 is ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films,’ a hefty promotional effort bigging up the technical (and performance) and performance achievements of the James Cameron-led team behind the sci-fi epics.

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    The new documentary series features Cameron, producer Jon Landau, plus a host of crewmembers and cast including Kate Winslet (‘Titanic’), Zoe Saldaña (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) and Sigourney Weaver (‘Aliens’).

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    Initial Thoughts

    Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in 20th Century Studios' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    With the third ‘Avatar’ movie, ‘Fire and Ash,’ headed our way next month, the promotional efforts on behalf of the franchise as a whole are ramping up.

    And chief among them is this new behind-the-scenes documentary, which, thanks to its being commissioned by James Cameron, has full access to the production and the many talented people involved in these giant undertakings.

    The big issue, of course, is that it’s almost entirely laudatory, the various cast and crew enthusing about how much technology is used in service of performance, to the point where it can become grating.

    Script and Direction

    Director James Cameron at D23 2024 presenting 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. Photo: Disney.
    Director James Cameron at D23 2024 presenting ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo: Disney.

    This is your basic Disney documentary format –– lots of footage of people working out the various of shooting performance capture in and under water, development trials, many, many shots of divers, all interspersed with talking heads about the process.

    It doesn’t push boundaries the way Cameron tends to when he makes movies, but then, it doesn’t really need to.

    Cast and Performances

    Varang (Oona Chaplin) in 20th Century Studios' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Varang (Oona Chaplin) in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    As the documentary itself endlessly argues, it’s the people that make the film itself work –– the various experts in diving, stunts, cameras and more, plus the actors who were the benefit of their hard work and put their own graft in to imagining everything while acting against almost nothing.

    The highlights include Kate Winslet discovering a heretofore unknown talent for holding her breath and Sigourney Weaver explaining her joy at performing certain scenes.

    Final Thoughts

    Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in 20th Century Studios' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    Perhaps the biggest issue here is that it’s all so basic; in stark contrast to the huge leaps in technology and the many inventions of Cameron especially. While a lot of the footage will be catnip (Na’vi-nip?) to those who love behind-the-scenes documentaries, it also gets awfully repetitive, battering home the message that the invention was in service of the actors’ work.

    And given that it’s confusingly broken up into a 55-minute chunk and a roughly 30-minute one (plus a brief clip of ‘Fire and Ash’), some judicious editing could have squeezed this all down into little more than an hour. But since when does James Cameron do anything small scale?

    ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’ receives 68 out of 100.

    A scene in 20th Century Studios' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    A scene in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    What’s the story of ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’?

    This new two-part documentary provides a fascinating glimpse into the making of the Oscar-winning box office phenomenon ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and a first look at the upcoming ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ and features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and interviews with cast and filmmakers.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’?

    • James Cameron as himself
    • Zoe Saldaña as herself
    • Kate Winslet as herself
    • Cliff Curtis as himself
    • Jon Landau as himself
    Poster for documentary 'Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films'. Photo: 20th Century Studios/Disney.
    Poster for documentary ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’. Photo: 20th Century Studios/Disney.

    List of Movies Directed by James Cameron:

    Buy ‘Avatar’ On Amazon

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  • ‘Mr. Scorsese’ Interview: Director Rebecca Miller

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    Premiering on Apple TV beginning October 17th is the new five-episode documentary series ‘Mr. Scorsese’, which was directed by Rebecca Miller (‘The Ballad of Jack and Rose’) and chronicles the life and career of Oscar winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese (‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Irishman’).

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    In addition to Scorsese, the series includes new interviews with Robert De Niro (‘Raging Bull’), Leonardo DiCaprio (‘The Departed’), Daniel Day-Lewis (‘Gangs of New York’), Margot Robbie (‘The Wolf of Wall Street’), Cate Blanchett (‘The Aviator’), Jodie Foster (‘Taxi Driver‘), Steven Spielberg (‘Saving Private Ryan’), Spike Lee (‘Do the Right Thing’), and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones.

    (L to R) Rebecca Miller and Martin Scorsese in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Rebecca Miller and Martin Scorsese in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Rebecca Miller about her work on ‘Mr. Scorsese’, how she got involved in the project, interviewing Martin Scorsese, his working relationship Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and editor Thelma Schoonmaker, which interview surprised her the most, pacing the series over five episodes, what Scorsese had to say about ‘Taxi Driver’, and what she hopes people take away from watching the series.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: Director Martin Scorsese Talks ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and His Body of Work

    'Mr. Scorsese' director Rebecca Miller.
    ‘Mr. Scorsese’ director Rebecca Miller.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved with this project and when conducting the interviews with Martin Scorsese, what was it like essentially directing the greatest director of all time?

    Rebecca Miller: Well, I got involved with it really by a formless hunch, a feeling. I had made another documentary, Damon Cardasis my producing partner said, “What would you like to do?” Because I said I’d like to make another one. He said, “What’s the subject?” I thought of Martin Scorsese first. You know, he made it so easy in a way to interview him. He almost makes fun of himself in the very beginning of the series where he’s making jokes about, “You need a slate” and stuff like that. But really, he was just so open, I think, is the word. Just very open. I wasn’t really directing him so much as just listening to him, you know, and then asking the next question. We led each other into some very unexpected places.

    (L to R) Archival photo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on the set of "The Aviator" featured in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Archival photo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on the set of “The Aviator” featured in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    MF: Mr. Scorsese has had many great collaborators over the years, but the three that stick out from the documentary were Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Can you talk about interviewing them and is there a through line between their collaborations that you can put your finger on?

    RM: The first word that comes to mind is trust. In fact, he mentions that with regards to them. You know, he knew that De Niro, even though he was becoming a star after ‘Mean Streets’, he could trust him. That he wasn’t going to abandon him or allow anyone to take the work away from him, because that was still a possibility from Marty at that time. With Thelma, he knew that he could trust her to help him make the work that he needed to make and not be obstructionist or egotistical about it. The same thing with, I think with Leonardo, because that’s what Marty needs is to be able to trust people that he’s collaborating with. Then once that trust is there, you’re free to experiment and to really be wild because you trust each other.

    (L to R) Archival photo of Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker featured in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Archival photo of Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker featured in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    MF: Of all the interviews you did with Mr. Scorsese’s friends, family and colleagues, was there one interview that really surprised you and was there anyone you wanted to speak with but were unable to?

    RM: I got to talk to so many people, and people that I never expected to be able to speak to. His childhood friends were like a particular boon, it was just so amazing that I got to talk to them, especially because one of them died shortly after I interviewed him. But also, the model for Johnny Boy (from ‘Mean Streets’), you know, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn’t even know that I would necessarily have them.

    (L to R) Robert De Niro, Frank “Butch” Piccirillo and Martin Scorsese in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Robert De Niro, Frank “Butch” Piccirillo and Martin Scorsese in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    MF: Can you talk about pacing and the challenge of fitting in all aspects of Mr. Scorsese’s life and career into just five episodes?

    RM: I mean, I didn’t want to rush, but on the other hand, I really wanted there to be a sense of pacing and of urgency, because his work has that, and his personality has that. I wanted it to reflect his personality. I wanted the film to feel like Marty himself. Maybe that’s why sometimes there are certain cuts that feel like his cuts, because they’re originating with him and his personality. Then, of course, his work is an outgrowth of his personality. But you know, the number of segments really, at first it was going to be one feature film. Then I quite quickly realized there was no way I could do it that way, because the childhood and early adulthood really needed time, so you could understand how deeply connected his work in general is to those early years. Once you do that, once you spend that first episode, then you need more time to get to the rest of it. Because essentially, the series is really the dance between the art and the life. They’re creating each other. Art’s creating life, life’s creating art, and at a certain point, we kind of ran out of life in a way. That’s the point where you’re like, “Okay, that’s the end”. So, it’s the dance between those two things.

    Archival photo of Martin Scorsese on the set of 'Gangs of New York' featured in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    Archival photo of Martin Scorsese on the set of ‘Gangs of New York’ featured in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    MF: Was there any movie that you asked Mr. Scorsese about where you were surprised by his answer?

    RM: Well, I mean, I was very intrigued by his answers to ‘Taxi Driver’. I talked to him about it. I asked, “What is it about you at that time that’s in that film?” And you can see him close his eyes and sort of be resistant, but also want to give an answer. He gives this extraordinary answer but over throughout, there’s this thread of the deep connection between what he’s going through as a person, his own suffering, his obsessions, and the films that he’s making.

    Archival photo of Martin Scorsese on the set of 'The Departed' featured in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    Archival photo of Martin Scorsese on the set of ‘The Departed’ featured in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    MF: In the series, Mr. Scorsese talks says that in the stories he tells, the human struggle is what he is most interested in? Can you talk about his passion for that idea in terms of his filmography?

    RM: I think overall, there’s a sort of sense of, as Nicholas Pileggi says, “Underdogs trying to score”, and very often, these people are struggling to become themselves. It’s like they want to become themselves, but in that process of trying to become themselves, like Jake LaMotta (in ‘Raging Bull’), for example, you can lose your soul, and that’s interesting too. The loss of the self, the loss of the soul, the kind of darkness that can come into sight of people. It’s not always good news in Scorsese’s universe.

    Martin Scorsese in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    Martin Scorsese in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    MF: Finally, what will you remember most about making this series and what do you hope fans learn about Mr. Scorsese and his work that they did not already know?

    RM: I mean, just having him in my life and the friendship that I have with him is such an immense reward. The idea that I was able to maybe give him back to the people that love him in a form that they didn’t know or anticipate, and to shed something new on the films and maybe bring people back to the films or to the films when they haven’t seen them, that to me is a great reward.

    Martin Scorsese in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    Martin Scorsese in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    What is the story of ‘Mr. Scorsese’?

    Explore the many lives of Martin Scorsese through intimate interviews with the man himself, access to his private archives, plus conversations with Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Daniel Day-Lewis, Steven Spielberg, and more.

    Who is featured in ‘Mr. Scorsese’?

    • Martin Scorsese as Himself
    • Francesca Scorsese as Herself
    • Thelma Schoonmaker as Herself
    • Isabella Rossellini as Herself
    • Robert De Niro as Himself
    • Leonardo DiCaprio as Himself
    • Margot Robbie as Herself
    • Cate Blanchett as Herself
    • Spike Lee as Himself
    • Steven Spielberg as Himself
    • Mick Jagger as Himself
    Martin Scorsese in 'Mr. Scorsese,' premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    Martin Scorsese in ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ premiering October 17, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    List of Martin Scorsese Movies:

    Buy Martin Scorsese Movies on Amazon

  • ‘Stans’ Exclusive Interview: Director Steven Leckart

    Eminem (Center) and his fans at the New York City premiere of 'Stans'. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.
    Eminem (Center) and his fans at the New York City premiere of ‘Stans’. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.

    Premiering on Paramount+ August 26th is the new documentary ‘Stans’, which was directed by Steven Leckart and chronicles both the career of rapper Eminem (Marshall Mathers) as well as his relationship with his fans.

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    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Steven Leckart about his work on ‘Stans’, the decision to focus on the fans, finding them for the film, working with Eminem, the legacy of the song ‘Stan’, and the moment when Eminem became the GOAT.

    Related Article: Director Kevin MacDonald Talks Documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’

    'Stans' director Steven Leckart at the SXSW London Screen Festival. Photo: Joe Maher/Getty Images.
    ‘Stans’ director Steven Leckart at the SXSW London Screen Festival. Photo: Joe Maher/Getty Images.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how this documentary came together and was it your idea or Eminem’s to focus on his fans?

    Steven Leckart: So, the project predates me in terms of the original conceit, and Paul Rosenberg, who is Eminem’s longtime manager and is a producer on the film with us was an incredible collaborator. Paul has made it clear that they didn’t want to make anything conventional. They didn’t want to just look at his career and put him in a chair and tell his whole story. Paul has said very clearly and said this to me that the idea of doing that, I think it’s twofold. One, he’s such an unconventional artist that to do something so straightforward would be just not interesting, but also not very on brand for them. I think the other piece of it is, and Paul has said this, that apart from just that’s who he is as a person, you don’t necessarily do a whole retrospective of your career and life when you’re only in your early 50s and you’re still putting out music and doing things. The story’s not over. So why would you do that? So, I was delighted when I met them about five years ago and that they didn’t want to do anything conventional. Then because of the song ‘Stan’ and the way it’s impacted pop culture and become part of the ethos, so to speak, they thought, ‘Well, why don’t we turn the camera around on the fans?” Because if you know about the song ‘Stan’, it’s written from a fan’s perspective. So, when I came along, that was kind of all sitting there, but it was like, “Well, how do we navigate?” I think it’s important that we find a way to weave Marshall’s perspective through interviews and do some filming, but where’s the line in terms of when it’s him versus the fans? So, figuring out that balance is something we all collaborated very intensely on together, and as a filmmaker, it added to the challenge and that’s why I was so grateful and excited about this project.

    Eminem in 'Stans'. Photo: Paramount+.
    Eminem in ‘Stans’. Photo: Paramount+.

    MF: Can you talk about working with Eminem on this project and what was it like to sit down with him and interview him?

    SL: Well, by the time we sat down to do the interview, obviously we’d met each other and he’s a producer on the movie. It was a long time coming. So, by the time we sat down, it was like I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve for the film. We had already been in the edit. When I met everybody, my promise to them was that we would be incredibly mindful of his time, and we wouldn’t waste his time. That’s not just because I think that’s a better way to manage the situation. It’s just, as a filmmaker, I like to be efficient. So, I wanted to make sure that what we did was we got a lot of depth in as little time as possible while simultaneously serving the needs for the film to have some balance between just being fans and needing his perspective. Because the film, if you think about it, is very much about the double-edged sword of the relationship between an artist and the fans. So, to not have the artist’s perspective to come in and punctuate it at times would’ve been a real missed opportunity. So, by the time we sat down, one, I’d met him before and we had, I think from the beginning, a nice rapport. He’s incredibly funny, sharp, witty, and all the things you’d probably expect. But what I found to be profound for me and very moving, was the way he could turn on a dime and become incredibly sincere, earnest and thoughtful. I think that’s what will be ultimately surprising to a lot of people in the film is just how much depth is there. But if you go to the records, it’s there. We just don’t necessarily know that if you haven’t listened to all the records or if you just know the singles. It’s in the albums. So, to me, he was exactly what you see in the movie, and I’m proud of that interview.

    Katie in 'Stans'. Photo: Paramount+.
    Katie in ‘Stans’. Photo: Paramount+.

    MF: Can you talk about finding the “Stans” to interview for this project and did any of them alarm you?

    SL: No, there was no one that was scary to me, and there was nobody that I was concerned about being in a room with, partially because we just vetted people quite a lot on the front end. We did casting-tapes and calls with people. So, we started with a link that went out over Eminem’s social media, which was fantastic because basically we put out this link to a questionnaire and we presented all the questions. So, we were able to kind of go through all of that and get a sense of each person already. Then we also asked for a 60-minute video. So, then we sort of culled from that. Then we worked with a great casting team, and they would go through the stuff, and they’d set up Zooms with people, and we would talk every few days about, “What are you seeing? Who are you finding? This person seems charming. Okay, but do they have all the story points that we’re looking for?” The thesis in POV of the movie is one of the lyrics from the song ‘Stan’, which is, “I’m just like you.” So, Stan in the original song writes to Marshall in his letter and says, “I’m just like you. Here’s how I’m just like you.” So, we looked through the profiles for people who felt they were just like him and could articulate why they were just like him. We found people that reflected on different parts of his life. Some people were like Venn diagrams, they had it all. Some people only had one kind of piece. Then we were looking for people that just popped off-screen, people that would be memorable, whether you like them, or you’re intrigued by them or you’re not sure. That was really by design. But everyone by and large was incredibly sweet. Then there were several people that I also talked to before we went to film with them, partially because I understood that if you’re going to make a film about people who will open-up about very deeply personal things, I wanted them to know who I was before we showed up on set. It was important to me to sort of, I think give them a safe space, and made them feel like they knew the interviewer before they showed up. It’s been great seeing and hearing from so many of them since they all now seen the film and that feels good that they expressed such vulnerability and they’re okay with it. Some people could feel a little either embarrassed or exposed, but they’re just like Eminem in that way because Eminem exposes so much of his own vulnerabilities in the music. It’s an interesting fun house mirror.

    (L to R) Eminem and Zolt at the New York City premiere of 'Stans'. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.
    (L to R) Eminem and Zolt at the New York City premiere of ‘Stans’. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.

    MF: Can you talk about the legacy of the song ‘Stan’ and how it has managed to stay in the pop culture zeitgeist for so long?

    SL: I mean, I think it’s a perfect storm and confluence of everything that you hear in the song coming together. You have this Dido sample, which was a huge pop song that wound up in this movie ‘Sliding Doors’ with Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s just a love song, and it starts with a conga beat, and it’s just so soothing and gentle. Yet to make something that takes that and flips this on its head in terms of the narrative that was created by Eminem and his rapping, that’s what makes it so fascinating because it’s dark and light running together. I think that’s what we wanted to do in the movie was to have dark and light running concurrently together. I think what’s made it sustain is the fact that there was really nothing like it at the time. The song’s also been prophetic. Having a major artist write something about fame was I think a little bit interesting and new, right? Because he was newly famous when he wrote that song. I think that struck a chord, and then the video itself, which was co-directed by Dr. Dre, is cinematic. They shot on film; they had a crane. I mean, there’s stunts involved where a car is driving over a bridge. I think at the time it came out, people were really stunned by it and shocked. Then I think even people discovering it today, it’s just a masterpiece.

    Eminem performing on stage in 'Stans'. Photo: Paramount+.
    Eminem performing on stage in ‘Stans’. Photo: Paramount+.

    MF: Finally, since you’ve done so much research on Eminem and his career, when do you think was the exact moment that he went from a respected rapper to the GOAT?

    SL: I’m trying to remember if I can, when I feel like I heard about the GOAT conversation coming up, but I can’t remember exactly. I think looking back, I really think ‘8 Mile’ solidified the legacy and the legend of him because it gave a glimpse of where he came from, which is battle rap, which so many fans didn’t know about, but for fans who did know, it provided a sense of deep authenticity to him to come from that scene. I think the movie made average people who don’t know anything about hip hop aware of it. I think for people who are hardcore, I’m going to argue with you about this rapper versus this rapper, to see his old battle raps, which you can do on YouTube now, and find those raps, you realize just how preternaturally talented he was. I think the other aspect more recently that’s become clear about him as why people argue he’s the GOAT, is that he treats it like a 9 to 5 job. He goes to the studio in Michigan five days a week and works five days a week on music. I’m not the first person to say that. People know that. It’s hard to imagine any other rapper that’s going to work as hard as he works to create the art that he creates for as long as he’s planning to create it. I think that’s the other aspect that leads to people feeling he’s the GOAT. To me, he’s certainly on the Mount Rushmore. That’s not debatable.

    Eminem at the New York City premiere of 'Stans'. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.
    Eminem at the New York City premiere of ‘Stans’. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.

    What is the plot of ‘Stans’?

    A revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super-fandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.

    Who is featured in ‘Stans’?

    'Stans' premieres on Paramount+ August 26th .
    ‘Stans’ premieres on Paramount+ August 26th .

    List of Rock and Roll Documentaries:

    Buy Eminem Movies On Amazon

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  • Movie Review: ‘Folktales

    Hege and Odin in FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    Hege and Odin in FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release.
    Photo credit: Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    ‘Folktales’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.

    Opening in theaters in New York on July 25th before releasing in Los Angeles and additional cities on August 1st, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing’s ‘Folktales’ offers a fascinating, emotional look at a very untraditional –– yet historic high school in Norway.

    With life lessons including survival in arctic conditions and the care and training of sled dogs, it’s a different education, but clearly a valuable one.

    Related Article: ‘Folktales’ Exclusive Clip

    Initial Thoughts

    Romain and Mjød in FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Tori Edvin Eliassen. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    Romain and Mjød in FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Tori Edvin Eliassen. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    Documentaries focused on the teen experience often fall into the category of stresses, strains and bad behavior, with some redemption to be found.

    And while tempers can run high here, ‘Folktales’ instead chooses to focus on the educational, spiritual and moral advantages of the Pasvik Folk High School in Norway, where youngsters are given training in survival, teamwork and self-esteem.

    Script and Direction

    Heidi Ewing, co-director of FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Mei Tao. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    Heidi Ewing, co-director of FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Mei Tao. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady have previously been behind the likes of ‘Jesus Camp’, ‘Endangered’ and ‘The Boys of Baraka’ and they certainly bring all their experience to bear here.

    While ‘Folktales’ sometimes feels like it will slip from dreamlike into out-and-out sleepy, the gentle tone and unhurried narrative wins you over.

    Cast and Performances

    Bjørn Tore and Tigergutt in FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Tori Edvin Eliassen. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    Bjørn Tore and Tigergutt in FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Tori Edvin Eliassen. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    The various teenagers that the directors choose to focus on are well selected; the likes of young Hege, dealing with grief and body issues, figures out her destiny among the sled dogs who form a crucible part of the syllabus.

    Romain, meanwhile, discovers the confidence he needs after previously quitting the course because of the pressures of the wilderness and his own emotional issues.

    If there’s one issue to be raised it’s that trying to blend the story of the teens with that of the dogs sometimes sees competition rise –– you occasionally find yourself wishing the filmmakers would cut back to the animals rather than the whiny kids.

    And we’d have to offer a trigger warning because the film doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of dealing with working animals.

    Final Thoughts

    A scene from FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Tori Edvin Eliassen. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    A scene from FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo credit: Tori Edvin Eliassen. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    ‘Folktales’ is a confident, uplifting and interesting look into a world many people outside Norway may never have heard about. For that reason, it’s more than worth tracking down –– even if you have to take a sled to your nearest theater.

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    What’s the story of ‘Folktales’?

    On the precipice of adulthood, teenagers converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway. Dropped at the edge of the world, they must rely on only themselves, one another, and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions.

    Theatrical one-sheet for FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
    Theatrical one-sheet for FOLKTALES, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

    Other Movies featuring dogs:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Folktales’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady Movies on Amazon

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  • ‘Wick Is Pain’ Interview: Chad Stahelski and Josh Oreck

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    Available on digital May 9th is the new documentary ‘Wick Is Pain’, which chronicles the making of the ‘John Wick’ franchise and was directed by Jeffrey Doe. The film features interviews with franchise director Chad Stahelski, Keanu Reeves, director David Leitch and producer Basil Iwanyk.

    Related Article: Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger Talk Roku Docuseries ‘Visionaries’

    (L to R) Josh Oreck and Chad Stahelski attend 'Wick Is Pain' Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
    (L to R) Josh Oreck and Chad Stahelski attend ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with ‘John Wick’ franchise director Chad Stahelski and ‘Wick Is Pain’ producer Josh Oreck about their work on the new documentary, revisiting the origins of the franchise and Stahelski’s career, utilizing existing behind-the-scenes footage from all four films, Stahelski’s long friendship with Keanu Reeves, how the ‘John Wick’ fighting style changed the industry, making a painfully truthful documentary, and the legacy of the popular franchise.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski attend 'Wick Is Pain' Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski attend ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Chad, I was surprised to learn from the documentary that you had a really hard time making the first ‘John Wick’. Was it difficult for you to revisit those moments for this documentary?

    Chad Stahelski: I think the first time Josh showed me all the footage again, but you have a very different experience when you’re watching it alone. When you watch it alone, it makes your palms sweat and it makes you have a psychosomatic response of, “Boy, I made a lot of mistakes.” But watching it with a few people that were there, like Josh, we all watched it together and it’s okay, it’s kind of comedy. You just watch and realize many mistakes, and it brings back all the good nostalgia. It’s always like anything, right? After college, you don’t remember all the stressful tests and all the things. You remember the good times and it’s like that. Now that it’s over and we were somewhat successful, there’s no stress, so it’s very fun to watch. At the time, no, it was not very enjoyable to live through.

    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski on the set of 'John Wick: Chapter 4'. Photo: Niko Tavernise for Lionsgate.
    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski on the set of ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’. Photo: Niko Tavernise for Lionsgate.

    MF: Was it cathartic in a way to revisit that time in your life now after all the success you’ve had with the franchise?

    CS: In a way, a little bit cathartic. Success builds confidence a little bit, right? So, the only thing I really had, and my parents were like this, my brothers, we have a strong sense of that gut instinct of, “Hey, if I really believe in this, good.” If you have an argument with someone, you can sleep at night, you are in the right. If you had an argument with someone and you couldn’t sleep at night, you were probably in the wrong. You learn to trust your gut a little bit. As a competitor and as a performer, I always kind of trusted my gut more than anything. So, when you’re dealing with all these creative talks and you’re pitching, “Well, we’re going to kill a puppy and we’re going to make it like Odysseus. It’s going to be a Greek mythology, and we’re going to have him fight a female assassin, and then he’s going to go ride a horse and kill 1,000 people.” There’s a lot of people that are going to tell you that may not be the best way to take your career. “Those aren’t the best ideas, those are silly, those are stupid, that isn’t going to work. People aren’t going to watch it. That’s too much, that’s not enough.” Even people on your team are telling you twenty different directions, and it’s so easy to get lost in a creative process that’s as much collaborative as it is making a film. If I was a painter, I would paint what I see in my head. My brush stroke controls it. In a movie, I must go through a minimal of 200 to 300 people to make even the most basic of decisions. To get a movie greenlit, make the movie, do the stunts, get it finished and sell it, it’s 1,000 people, to be generous, right? Now, each one of those has their own version of the movie in their head, and each one of those is going to tell you, some have influenced, some don’t. So, how do you know? That’s where the phrase ‘Death by a thousand cuts” comes in. If I do a little of what you think and a little of what he thinks and a little of what they think and a little of this, I start to lose what I think. So, what I’m saying is, I’ve kind of always followed my instinct on ‘John Wick’. A thousand people are telling me what I should do, do I think about it? Yeah, you should think about it. But then again, the decision’s still mine. You must know when to say, “I’m doing it this way.” Or “Maybe I should try this.” Look, it’s cathartic in the way that I’ve learned to process. I’ve learned to try everything, listen to everybody, but make the decision based on what I feel. Looking back over ten years and four films, there’s two or three things in each movie I regret, and I now know, thanks to Josh and his documentary, those are the three or four things where I listened to somebody else. I’ve learned that all the moments when people cheer, cry and yell, it’s because they felt good. So, if nothing else, I’ve learned. If anything, I’ve gained confidence to trust my gut.

    Josh Oreck attends 'Wick Is Pain' Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
    Josh Oreck attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

    MF: Josh, having access to the behind-the-scenes footage from all four ‘John Wick’ movies, did you sort of use that as a blueprint for making this documentary?

    Josh Oreck: Part of it was having this enormous trove of footage. Another part of it is just having had known Chad and Keanu since before that, since their ‘Matrix’ days where they had a different relationship that evolved into what we see in this documentary. Knowing that there was a bigger story to be told than what we had already done with the footage in the DVD extras and in the press materials for the movies. So, just knowing that there was both a more complicated backstory, for lack of a better term. Then also just stuff in our footage that we didn’t need to talk about, like the struggle to get financing, when the movie came out. We just needed to sell the movie and get people’s butts in seats. So, being able to come back to it and say there was so much of this journey that hadn’t been put to the screen was a good guiding factor there. Then, on top of it all, just there was so much good stuff that we wanted to still show. Finally, to be able to get Chad and Keanu to come in and having them be able to come back in and give some perspective to things was a really nice way of being able to relive ten years in an unusual fashion.

    Chad Stahelski attends 'Wick Is Pain' Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
    Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

    MF: As much as this is a documentary about the making of ‘John Wick’, it’s also a documentary about Chad’s life and career. Josh, can you talk about that?

    JO: I mean, I would probably just add a tiny bit to it. I would add the immense force of nature that is Keanu Reeves into that. I don’t think that it’s not trying to delve into his inner psychology, but he’s an immense presence here. The relationship between those two is front and center in this film and obviously goes back 25 years. But, I feel enormously privileged and I feel amazed by what I’ve seen in watching Chad go from someone who was a performer when I first met him, to being a director who’s firing at the highest level, making films that he wants to make, that people go to see, that, to me, are really pieces of great cinematic art. That’s an amazing journey that I’ve been able to document the entire bit of thus far, and it’s been a real privilege.

    (L to R) Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves in 'Wick is Pain'. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
    (L to R) Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves in ‘Wick is Pain’. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.

    MF: Chad, can you talk about your long friendship with Keanu and how has that relationship grown and changed since making the ‘John Wick’ movies?

    CS: I think any good relationship comes from a lot of shared interest, and I guess, respect for the other person. Having known Keanu for twenty years beforehand, seeing his work ethic. Remember, I’m younger and I met him when he was at the top of his career. I didn’t meet him till ‘The Matrix’. I was only 24 at the time, and I was just medium way through stunts, a medium level performer, kind of getting in. There wasn’t a lot yet for martial art guys to get in. It was a different time before ‘The Matrix’. Now, it’s like everybody’s a martial arts guy. But there were times that I looked at him going, “Oh my God, I’m going to have to train way harder. This guy’s good.” I was used to doubling people on different shows and the cast members hadn’t had a lot of experience in the fight world or wire work. I meet Keanu who works so hard. I was like, “Well, if he’s in the gym at 7:00am, I better be here at 6:30am. If he leaves at 4:00pm, I’m leaving at 5:00pm”. You just make a commitment that I’m going to work my ass off because he’s working his off. I just figured that’s the way you do it. This is the actor. If he’s trying this hard, I got to try that hard. Imagine that for 10 years of doubling this guy and always having that work ethic, trying to keep up with him. You see that and then you see the way he relates to people. You’ve heard the stories and what he gave for wrap gifts on ‘The Matrix’, all the stunt guys, and he’s legendary for being humble, having humility and having this gentleman-like persona. It’s all true. So now, you’ve got that, so you’re learning to be a good human at the same time. In those quiet moments when we’re not working, we’re all on location. So, you go see movies and you realize that Keanu Reeves is a true audience member. He’s not going there for a professional study. He’s going to a movie theater because he loves movies. He loves it in the theater. So now, I’m laughing, and he’s laughing. You realize you’re not at work, this is just who this guy is. He wants to work hard, but he loves movies, and we both love movies. So, when it came time to do a movie, he’s like, “I want to make an action movie with a guy that loves movies. I don’t want to work with a director that says he loves movies but doesn’t really love action movies.” We all have the same pitches. We’re not idiots. We know why action movies don’t work. We know why some things are cheesy. We know the studios or different entities; we know their games on how they screw things up. We’ve been in it. We’ve been part of those movies, and you can see it getting screwed up. You can see it not servicing the crowd. So now, we’ve got a few people together that all love the same things, that all want to avoid the same trappings, and that know avoiding those trappings is going to take a lot of extra work, a lot of extra time for a lot less money. So, how do we do it? I think that’s the bonding thing that everybody talks about and is that mutual respect, that force of sheer will that you have a common goal and whatever that goal costs, you’re going to pay it. Now you have that, you’re looking across the line at each other going, “Okay, you in? I’m in. Okay.” Once you have that connection, you can do anything, and that’s the team we tried to build over 10 years.

    Keanu Reeves as John Wick in 'John Wick: Chapter 4'. Photo Credit: Murray Close for Lionsgate.
    Keanu Reeves as John Wick in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’. Photo Credit: Murray Close for Lionsgate.

    MF: Chad, can you talk about creating the ‘John Wick’ fighting style and incorporating “Gun-Fu” into the franchise, and the way that it has changed the industry?

    CS: I don’t know if we changed anything. I look at action design, or let’s just say fight choreography, just like fashion. Hey man, bell-bottoms were cool. They kind of made a comeback and will come back again. Cutoffs, the tank top. Who knows? I’m not a big fashion guy, but it’s all around. Look, Gun-Fu was around way before me. Maybe the name is new, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, they were doing. It’s like Aikido, Aiki-jitsu, Jiu Jitsu, it’s been around since cinema’s been around. Right? It’s just, we kind of, we were coming off the success of all the ‘Bourne’ movies and what they had done with that. Then ‘Taken’, the shaky cam and it was a very cool time. Look, we just wanted to do something different. We wanted to stand out, so we wanted longer takes and we couldn’t really do what we wanted to do with just punching, kicking and fast editing. We needed the slow editing style, longer takes, we needed the grappling and the close quarter gun stuff, so I didn’t have to edit back and forth. The technology had changed where we had what they either call plug guns or non-guns now that don’t fire blanks the way they used to. So, they’re very, very, very safe. We managed to do close quarter stuff like that. So, we took advantage of the time, the changing fashion sense of things, and kind of put that together with what we thought was a great character trait. John Wick is this husky, Sombo-esque Jiu Jitsu guy. He wants to get close and talk to you in it. We thought that was a cool way because Keanu had done all ‘The Matrix’s, and we just wanted to have a little bit of differentiation between us and Neo. So, rather than all the wire work, we went with really grounded hardcore stuff, and it gave us a way to shoot things and it gave us a way to characterize John Wick that he hadn’t seen Keanu do before. The most I can take credit for is trying to be clever of being different and utilizing techniques which hadn’t been seen in recent times. Did we invent it? No. Did we classicalize it? Maybe. But did we just bring it to the forefront of the fashion movement in action design? Yes, we’ll take a little credit for that. We were kind of clever in that way. But it was nothing more than a reinvention or a rediscovering of stuff that had been around.

    Keanu Reeves in 'John Wick'. Photo: David Lee for Lionsgate.
    Keanu Reeves in ‘John Wick’. Photo: David Lee for Lionsgate.

    MF: Josh, the documentary is incredible truthful and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Was there any subject that felt too personal, or that you decided not to include for any reason?

    JO: Well, I appreciate that. I think Chad really wanted to put it all out there at the service of what we’re trying to do, which is show how complicated it is to make a movie, and that involves a lot of personal sacrifices that people make. Chad talks about his own personal life being thrown into disarray because of working on these films. The core relationship between him and David Leitch was something that has been fraught, and we talk about it in the movie. I just think that we were lucky in that Chad was willing to allow us to tell these stories. I think it’s a cool thing, and it’s something that over time we’ll be happy that we didn’t avoid Chad talking about that his marriage broke up or things like that. But these things are things that happen because of this business that we’re in that’s really so consuming. So, we’re just trying to make something that’s true to the form.

    Chad Stahelski attends 'Wick Is Pain' Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.
    Chad Stahelski attends ‘Wick Is Pain’ Screening At Beyond Fest at Aero Theatre on May 08, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

    MF: Chad, was there any subject that you did not feel comfortable talking about or wanted to avoid?

    CS: No. Look, there’s always a fine line to walk and that’s where Josh is great. You don’t want to be too much the a**hole, but you don’t want to be coated with sprinkles and rainbows. The whole thing, the goal of the documentary, at least from my point of view, is to show people there’s nothing glamorous about making a movie. The glamour happens after. That’s another day. That’s way down the road. It’s work. Is it satisfying work? Yeah, but it’s work. Now, do you consider it a job, or do you consider it your life? That’s up to you. I consider it my life. It’s my career, it’s where I choose to be. I like hard work. Movies are hard work. To make a great movie is hard work. Like in anything, if you devoted 18 hours of your day to your job right now, how do you think your relationship’s going to work out? Now, is that because of the job or is that because of you? That’s because of you. So, on one side, I don’t think doing ‘John Wick’ cost me a relationship. I don’t think it cost me friendships, so I don’t think that was the motivating thing. I can be a bit of an a**hole when I work, but you can’t separate them. So, you got to walk that line of, no, you don’t blame the work, you don’t blame the job. You blame how you are in the job or how you react to the work. The thing is, we can’t stop doing it. You can’t stop trying to be good. I can’t stop trying to be good. Because you’re having a bad day, you must work through it. Does it influence you? Is there a cost of it? Yes, but you chose that cost. I don’t blame anything. I was an a**hole. I made my mistakes. Name me a relationship where there isn’t antagonism or controversy or debate. Dave (Leitch) and I fight like cats and dogs. We had so many arguments. At the same time, I have a personal thing I’m going through. That’s not his problem, he has his career too. So, we had arguments. One of us has got to cover for the other one. There’s no one job or career that doesn’t have all this stuff. So, you don’t want that to be the focus of the film. It’s not about being dramatic like that, but you also don’t want to exclude it. So, I would say the bar for Wick’s pain is, what’s staying on brand for what we’re trying to say? Is it entertaining? Is it telling a bit of the truth? Is it trying to skew one thing or another? No, it’s just part of it. It’s life. It’s every other job. Making movies are tough. But it’s your choice. No one’s sending an invitation going, “You got to make a movie for us. We’re dying to have you.” You chose to do it and that’s a sacrifice you make. Now, you talk about looking back, is there anything I would’ve changed making the movie? Nope. I would take every mistake all over again because without making the mistakes, I wouldn’t be here. Now, if you asked me if there were a few life things I would’ve changed, yes, because I don’t think it would’ve affected my filmmaking. I think there are better ways to handle myself as a human being. That I would like another go at, but I can’t do that. So, yeah, live and learn.

    Keanu Reeves in 'John Wick'. Photo: David Lee for Lionsgate.
    Keanu Reeves in ‘John Wick’. Photo: David Lee for Lionsgate.

    MF: Finally, Chad, what do you think is the legacy of the ‘John Wick’ franchise?

    CS: I think Keanu says it on the documentary. He defines what it is. My favorite part of the documentary is the last two minutes with Keanu. I used to do a lot of climbing and that’s the big metaphor we always use. No one climbs for the view. You can’t just climb for the view. You climb because you love the climb. Talk to any climber in the world that loves to climb, ask them if it hurts. They look at you funny. “What are you talking about? Of course, it hurts.” You’re pulling yourself up in sub-zero weather. It hurts. What does that have to do with it? What does pain have to do with the result? Why else would you climb a mountain? Because you love it. It’s not about the pain or loving pain. It’s about the achievement. It’s about the satisfaction. It’s about the love that you put into the pain while you get to the top. So, when Keanu defines what pain is, pain is love. Tell me friendship without pain. Tell me love without pain. Tell me success without pain. Where is this rule that greatness and success don’t cost anything? The difference between us and everybody else out there is I wake up expecting the day to be absolutely filled with shit and obstacles and pain, and that you don’t stay in bed. Maybe it’s the people that wake up expecting the day to go smoothly that look at every little thing as painful because it’s an obstacle. You’re trying to achieve things. You’re trying to get the audience, hundreds of millions of people to see stuff that you’ve come up with. I mean, did you think that was going to be easy? We just wake up knowing it’s going to be painful and not letting that get in the way. So, when Keanu says all this stuff is pain, of course it is, but we don’t see pain as a negative. Pain is the necessary step you must take to get through it. It’s the veil of success that you want to go through.

    wH2rVco7MN2RHkfnU8Fg57

    What is ‘Wick Is Pain’ about?

    Witness the never-before-seen footage and true story behind the ‘John Wick’ phenomenon – from independent film to billion-dollar franchise.

    Who appears in ‘Wick Is Pain’?

    • Chad Stahelski as Himself
    • Keanu Reeves as Himself
    • David Leitch as Himself
    • Basil Iwanyk as Himself
    'Wick is Pain' will be available on digital May 9th.
    ‘Wick is Pain’ will be available on digital May 9th.

    List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘John Wick’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘John Wick’ Movies On Amazon

     

  • ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ Interview: Director Kevin MacDonald

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    Opening exclusively in IMAX theaters on April 11th before opening wider on April 18th is the new documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko‘, which focuses on John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 18-month stay in Greenwich Village from 1971–1973, and leading up to their 1972 concert, “One to One”, which was the only full live concert that Lennon participated in after The Beatles broke up in 1970.

    The film was directed by Kevin MacDonald (‘The Last King of Scotland’, ‘Marley’), and features never-before-seen footage from the “One to One” concert, with remastered audio overseen by Sean Ono Lennon.

    Related Article: Mary McCartney Talks Abbey Road Documentary ‘If These Walls Could Sing’

    (L to R) John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the documentary 'One to One: John & Yoko'. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
    (L to R) John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Kevin MacDonald about his work on ‘One to One: John & Yoko’, how he became involved with the project, creating a film around the footage, focusing on this specific point in John and Yoko’s lives and American history, their incredible relationship, the genius of Yoko Ono, and what John was looking for at that point in his life.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    'One to One: John & Yoko' director Kevin MacDonald. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
    ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ director Kevin MacDonald. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved with this project and your choice to focus on this specific time in John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s lives, as well as what was going on in America at that time?

    Kevin MacDonald: Well, how this came to me is that the producer, Peter Worsley, had been chasing for years the rights to be able to use this concert. It’s a legendary concert, the only full-length concert that John ever gave after leaving The Beatles. So, it’s got incredible value, but it had always been swept under the carpet because it was so badly filmed and so badly recorded. So, the family didn’t really like it being out there because they felt like it didn’t represent John at his best. But with recent advances in sound technology, it sounds amazing, and it’s been remixed. We went back to the original negative of the film so we could improve everything. So, that became the core of the idea. It’s like he came to me and said, “Let’s make a film around that.” I’m a long time Beatles fan from when I was a kid, really. (John) was my first hero in pop culture, I suppose, when I was like 12 or 13, and then he died. So those things that meant a lot to you as a kid tend to be the things that are seared into you deep down. So, it is a lifelong dream to make something about him. But really there are three strands to the documentary. One is the musical strand, and that’s why it’s on IMAX. Because if you want to imagine what it was like to see John Lennon live, well this is your best opportunity to get close to that. The second strand is their personal life, what they’re going through. In this very brief period of about 15 months when they moved to New York from London, and they arrive in late ’71 until they move into the famous apartment in the Dakota building in New York in early ’73. So it is that time in this apartment where they’re living in a one room place with a huge bed and a big TV. They’re watching a lot of TV, and they’re mixing with all these radicals like Jerry Rubin and Allen Ginsberg, the poet, and all these people who are very activist and very progressive. They’re recording their own phone calls because they think the FBI are listening into them. So, they want to have their own record of what they’re saying. So, all the way through the film, you hear their intimate phone conversations. That’s the second strand. Then the third strand is what they’re watching on TV in their apartment, what I’m imagining they’re seeing on TV. So, it’s America in that period. So, you’ve got the whole lead up to Watergate, you’ve got the Vietnam War going on, you’ve got the Attica Prison riots, you’ve got also ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ and ‘Bonanza’ and all these ads for Chevrolet. It’s like basically what TV would’ve been like for them that they’re seeing. What’s so remarkable, I didn’t set out to make a political film, but when you watch this film, you’re like, holy s**t. America is the same now as it was then. You have somebody running for president being shot live on camera, you have a black woman running for president, you have sit-ins on the campuses because of a foreign war. Then it was Vietnam, now it’s Gaza. It’s just endless the number of similarities and echoes with today. But I also wanted to make a film that worked as a movie, that’s kind of a different movie experience. It’s not like a documentary, it’s not like a drama. It’s something immersive, but hopefully also emotional and obviously musical. You’ve got this great concert at the heart of it.

    MF: In addition to the concert footage, as you mentioned, the film also includes footage from TV shows, commercials, and news reports from that time. How did you decide what clips to use and how they would fit in the narrative of the film?

    KM: Well, we watched a lot of stuff. I mean, a lot. Hundreds of hours of material. So, you’d go like “I wonder what was happening in foreign policy then?” You’d go and look at all the stories and then go, “None of it’s that interesting.” Or we started looking through news shows and every day, it seemed like in 1972 there was a hijacking. So, we thought, “Well, we have to put in a plane hijacking because they’re just everywhere.” Then you start looking. “Who are the people who are doing the hijacking? Oh, it’s the Black Panthers or some offshoot of the Black Panthers.” So, you go down these wormholes and we tried to relate what was happening in John and Yoko’s life to what’s happening in what you’re seeing in the archive, but also relate it to the songs. So, there’s obviously a sequence which is about Vietnam and about the war and the horrors of the war and why they’re so active in trying to bring peace. We decided to set this footage as quite in your face footage of the war against ‘Instant Karma’, one of John’s great solo songs. Which is counterintuitive because Karma is not obviously a song about warfare or whatever, but it is a counterpoint that really is fun. Each one, the song makes you look at the footage differently and the footage makes you look at the song differently. Then there’s examples where, for instance, when we’re talking about John’s own personal life. He’s talking about how he has a huge chip on his shoulder, and trauma over his childhood. Not being brought up by his mother and father, and how his mother was killed almost in front of him by a drunken policeman driving too fast one night when he was 15. Then we go to ‘Mother’, the song that he wrote about his mother and how he felt abandoned. It’s one of the most moving parts of the film. So yeah, the personal and the political are intertwined in it.

    (L to R) John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the documentary 'One to One: John & Yoko'. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
    (L to R) John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

    MF: Everyone knows that John Lennon was a genius, but Yoko Ono may be the most maligned and misunderstood person in pop culture over the last 60 years. However, I walked away from this film realizing that Yoko was a genius too, and the driving force behind John’s solo music and activism. Did you walk away from this project with a newfound respect for Yoko Ono as well?

    KM: 100%. The more I saw of John and Yoko together, the more I realized how deep their love for each other was, but also their respect for each other. And how deeply John respected her, not just as a person, as a lover, but as an artist and how influential she was on him. I mean, for instance, it’s not in the film, but he has said elsewhere that ‘Imagine’, maybe his most famous song, she basically wrote the lyrics. They’re based on the poetry that she wrote in a book called ‘Grapefruit’, and he put the melody to it. So, they were sort of joined at the hip. I think what you realize is that when you look at the story of this period of the breakup of The Beatles and everything. From her point of view, not from his point of view, not from the fan’s point of view, you realize how difficult it was for her. She experienced a lot of racism, and she talks about it in the film. People had voodoo dolls that they stuck pins in of her, and it made her develop a stutter. She lost all her confidence and she had, I think two or three miscarriages at this period because of the pressure on her. You begin to then see her when she’s singing, and she’s singing from these incredible gutsy performances, these wailing songs which are so ahead of their time. It’s like punk, it’s like Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols) singing or something like that. You see that she was his equal and maybe in some ways his inspiration.

    MF: During the moment in time that the movie covers, John was really trying to distance himself from The Beatles legacy. Can you talk about his mindset at that time and what he was trying to accomplish both personally and professionally?

    KM: He arrives in New York and one of the things we have at the beginning of the film is a radio recording in which has got John and Yoko and people are saying, “Welcome to New York.” They’ve obviously only been there for a day or two. John says, “I’m here because I want to move on from The Beatles”, effectively. “I want to be me now,” he says. That’s sort of the feeling you get through the film, is that here’s someone who has been one of the most famous people in the world, in the greatest rock band of all time, but he’s trying to find out “Who am I now? I’ve been through this tumult of fame and everything, but who am I and what should I do now with my life?” He’s only 31 years old. But he’s had this whole legendary career, and he is trying to figure out what do I do next? Who am I? I think that in one way you can see the whole movie as being an answer to that question. Of him struggling to figure out who am I? What do I do?

    (L to R) Yoko Ono and John Lennon in the documentary 'One to One: John & Yoko'. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
    (L to R) Yoko Ono and John Lennon in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

    MF: Finally, to follow up on that, do you think John eventually figured that out before his passing in 1980?

    KM: I think he finally did. I think that in the years after our movie covers, he had basically a nervous breakdown. He split with Yoko, he went and had what’s called “The Lost Weekend” in LA where he got drunk for a year and a half every day and played music with Harry Nilsson and people. Then it made him miserable. I think he did have a nervous breakdown. I think partly because of all the effort they put in politically in the period we’re covering here, trying to get Nixon defeated, and then they failed miserably. They totally failed. He had to question the whole idea of maybe you can only do small things to change the world. You can raise money in the benefit concert, which is at the heart of this film, for Disabled kids. “I can do that. I can make their lives better. I can do these small things, but I’m not a politician. I’m going to concentrate on the things around me I can control.” I think that in the last period of his life, I think there was a contentment. He had a son, Sean Lennon, and he was basically a house husband. He looked after Sean a lot and still made some music, but he was very reclusive and very quiet. I think he found some sort of peace and some sort of harmony.

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    What is ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ about?

    The film is centered around concert footage and audio from Lennon and Ono’s “One to One” benefit concert held at Madison Square Garden in August 1972 on behalf of children at the Willowbrook institution in Staten Island. The “One to One” benefit concerts were the only performances which Lennon performed following The Beatles’ split in 1970. The film also follows the trajectory of their 18-month stay in a Greenwich Village apartment from 1971–1973.

    Who is featured in ‘One to One: John & Yoko’?

    (L to R) Yoko Ono and John Lennon in the documentary 'One to One: John & Yoko'. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
    (L to R) Yoko Ono and John Lennon in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

    List of Rock and Roll Documentaries:

    Buy Tickets: ‘One to One: John & Yoko‘ Movie Showtimes

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  • ‘Visionaries’ Interview: Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger

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    Premiering March 7th on the Roku Channel is the new docuseries ‘’Visionaries‘, which features ARCH Motorcycle founders Keanu Reeves (‘John Wick’ and ‘Speed’) and Gard Hollinger. The series chronicles their journey speaking to visionaries who are pushing the bounds of innovation and changing our world.

    Related Article: Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski to Produce New ‘John Wick’ TV Show

    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger star in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'.
    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger star in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of traveling to ARCH Motorcycle’s headquarters in Los Angeles to sit down and speak with Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger about their work on ‘Visionaries’. Reeves and Hollinger discussed the new series, their experience making it, how they chose the people they talked to and what they learned from them, how the experience changed their friendship, and the future of their motorcycle company.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.

    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'. Photo: Roku Channel.
    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’. Photo: Roku Channel.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Gard, can you talk about creating this series and how it applies to the work you are doing here at ARCH?

    Gard Hollinger: We both are curious. We both like stories and storytelling. I think we’ve sort of done that with ARCH in a way, and we had this opportunity to make a TV show. The production company we worked with, V10 and Roku supporting it, were very gracious in allowing us to share our ideas. They said yes to it, and we went on this journey.

    MF: How did you choose the people that you wanted to interview?

    GH: Well, first, we thought that they needed to somehow be helping shape and change the world. We clearly wanted their story to have heart. We wanted to be inspired by them and help share their story to inspire the viewer. I think all the visionaries share this ability to overcome obstruction, and we deal with that all the time. So, it’s just sort of changing how you think instead of looking at something as an obstruction, is it an opportunity and how is it an opportunity? Certainly, being inspired by their creativity to make something from nothing, including James Turrell and a crater or Paige Bradley and a sculpture. Yeah, it was an amazing experience.

    (L to R) Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'. Photo: Roku Channel.
    (L to R) Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’. Photo: Roku Channel.

    MF: Keanu, what did you learn from the people you interviewed and how has that informed your work at ARCH?

    Keanu Reeves: I would say perhaps broadening the horizon, making more that perhaps if we feel isn’t possible, maybe it can be possible.

    MF: Keanu, in the episode where you visited artist James Turrell’s volcanic installation, it seemed like you were really moved emotionally. What was that experience like for you personally?

    KR: It was extraordinary. The situation of what he had created and put us in positions to appreciate the celestial, I found very moving.

    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'. Photo: Roku Channel.
    (L to R) Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’. Photo: Roku Channel.

    MF: In one episode, Gard crashes the only prototype ARCH motorcycle. Keanu, as a company, how do you overcome that type of obstacle?

    KR: I would say doing the forensics on the crash helped evaluate the limits of the motorcycle. Also, through the storytelling, you wouldn’t have been in that position to crash if there wasn’t something about the potential of the motorcycle. You were testing the limit. It was a true test ride. I think through that crash, we saw the limits of the motorcycle, knew what perhaps suspension, ergonomically, obviously, the context of the crash, weather, temperature, track temperature, speeds that you’re going, and personal limits. But all of that, I think, worked toward a better motorcycle.

    MF: When you visited Relativity Space, engineer Tim Ellis was talking about how expensive it is to make a rocket that you are not even sure will work or not, and Keanu, you then compared it to making movies. Can you talk about what you mean by that?

    KR: I meant in a practical investment aspect, you go put all this personal energy, time of many people, financial elements, and investment, and you don’t know if it’s going to work. You’re going to release a film and it’s either going to go to the moon or go drop. But anyway, it was about that, the risk of it. A leap of faith.

    (L to R) Keanu Reeves, Gard Hollinger and Relativity Space's Tim Ellis in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'. Photo: Roku Channel.
    (L to R) Keanu Reeves, Gard Hollinger and Relativity Space’s Tim Ellis in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’. Photo: Roku Channel.

    MF: Gard, was making this series “a leap of faith” as well?

    GH: That I suppose, yeah. Anything creative is a leap of faith. This series, we hope people like it, and then that allows us to maybe meet some more visionaries.

    MF: What did you learn about yourself from making this series?

    GH: Oh, man, what did I learn about myself? That, I guess, I have other interests besides motorcycles.

    (L to R) Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'. Photo: Roku Channel.
    (L to R) Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’. Photo: Roku Channel.

    MF: Keanu, did you learn anything from this experience?

    KR: What did I learn? I don’t know if I learned it, but I felt it like, “Gosh, I got to do more.” Just more. Create more storytelling. I got to get over what’s obstructing and I got to do more. There’s more we can do.

    MF: Finally, Keanu, has this series brought you and Gard closer together, and what has it been like sharing this experience with him?

    KR: I don’t know if that was part of what happened in this experience or creating this piece. I think probably the strength of it was our bond and what we’ve done together in the past and bringing it to this project.

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    What is the plot of ‘Visionaries’?

    Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger are kindred souls with a bond built on a love of motorcycles and an insatiable curiosity about the world around them. In 2011, they founded ARCH Motorcycle to reimagine what a motorcycle could be. To them, ARCH is a mindset, a lens through which to see the world. This is a journey of curiosity, to understand where human creativity comes from and to shine a light on the visionaries who are pushing the bounds of innovation and changing our world.

    Who is in Visionaries’?

    • Keanu Reeves
    • Gard Hollinger
    • James Turrell
    • Paige Bradley
    • Tim Ellis
    (L to R) Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves in the Roku Channel docuseries 'Visionaries'. Photo: Roku Channel.
    (L to R) Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves in the Roku Channel docuseries ‘Visionaries’. Photo: Roku Channel.

    List of Keanu Reeves Movies:

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