Donovan was there during The Beatles‘ trip to India. He and the Fab Four were having the sort of heady conversation people should have at a spiritual retreat. Donovan and the Fab Four had some very similar opinions.
Donovan and The Beatles discussed ‘the inner world’ in India
During a 2013 interview with Performing Songwriter, the “Sunshine Superman” singer explained how he became interested in meditation. “Reading Jack Kerouac and hearing the word ‘Zen’ and going on to Buddhism, then rediscovering the Eastern philosophies and the word’ meditation,’ I realized that there was an actual technique for finding the inner world that we’d lost in the West.”
The “Hurdy Gurdy Man” star felt that the world needed more spirituality. “The great teachers — Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Joseph Campbell — spoke of being able to enter the inner world, where all things come from and all things return,” he said. “Not a religion.
Donovan and The Beatles discussed ‘the inner world’ in India
During a 2013 interview with Performing Songwriter, the “Sunshine Superman” singer explained how he became interested in meditation. “Reading Jack Kerouac and hearing the word ‘Zen’ and going on to Buddhism, then rediscovering the Eastern philosophies and the word’ meditation,’ I realized that there was an actual technique for finding the inner world that we’d lost in the West.”
The “Hurdy Gurdy Man” star felt that the world needed more spirituality. “The great teachers — Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Joseph Campbell — spoke of being able to enter the inner world, where all things come from and all things return,” he said. “Not a religion.
- 3/31/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Rustin is a biographical drama film directed by George C. Wolfe, from a screenplay by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black. The Netflix film is based on the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who helped Martin Luther King Jr. and others organize the 1963 March on Washington. The film shows us how history erased him from the civil rights movement he helped build just because an openly gay Black man. Rustin stars Colman Domingo in the lead role of Bayard Rustin, with Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, Aml Ameen, Lilli Kay, and Johnny Ramey starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the Netflix film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Selma Credit – Paramount Pictures
Synopsis: Selma is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.
Selma Credit – Paramount Pictures
Synopsis: Selma is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.
- 11/19/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a legal war drama film written and directed by William Friedkin. The Showtime film is based on Herman Wouk‘s 1952 play named The Caine Mutiny, which was based on Wouk’s book of the same name. The film revolves around a trial against a naval officer who is accused of mutiny. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial stars Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, and Jake Lacy. So, if you love the film here are some similar shows you could watch next.
A Few Good Men (AMC+ & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Columbia Pictures
Synopsis: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore star in Rob Reiner’s unanimously acclaimed drama about the dangerous difference between following orders and following one’s conscience. Cruise stars as a brash Navy lawyer who’s teamed with a gung-ho litigator (Moore) in a politically explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier,...
A Few Good Men (AMC+ & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Columbia Pictures
Synopsis: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore star in Rob Reiner’s unanimously acclaimed drama about the dangerous difference between following orders and following one’s conscience. Cruise stars as a brash Navy lawyer who’s teamed with a gung-ho litigator (Moore) in a politically explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier,...
- 10/14/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
In 1969, the mysterious Tom Forçade insinuated himself into the top echelons of countercultural politics by taking control of the Underground Press Syndicate, a coalition of anti-establishment newspapers across the country. Wiry and manic, Forcade wore a black hat and refused to have his face photographed. Weathering government surveillance and harassment, the First Amendment warrior embarked on a landmark court battle to obtain press credentials for the Nixon White House. But simultaneously, his audacious exploits of the early 1970s—pieing Congressional panelists, stealing presidential portraits, and picking fights with other activists...
- 8/26/2023
- by Sean Howe
- Rollingstone.com
Jeremy Strong is best known for playing the second-eldest, and the most neurotic of all the Roy children on HBO’s Succession. Although this is the role that he is best known for, Strong has been a working actor for more than twenty years, appearing in a variety of movies, television, and theater productions, using his method of acting to get to the heart and soul of all his characters.
Jeremy Strong has played a wide range of characters Jeremy Strong attends the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s “Succession” I Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Strong started his acting career at Yale, then moved on to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Before breaking out on Broadway, Strong also spent time with the Steppenwolf Theater Company. He made his Broadway debut in a revival of A Man for All Seasons in 2008.
That same year, Strong also made his film debut playing Peter in Humboldt County.
Jeremy Strong has played a wide range of characters Jeremy Strong attends the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s “Succession” I Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Strong started his acting career at Yale, then moved on to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Before breaking out on Broadway, Strong also spent time with the Steppenwolf Theater Company. He made his Broadway debut in a revival of A Man for All Seasons in 2008.
That same year, Strong also made his film debut playing Peter in Humboldt County.
- 4/11/2023
- by Terri Deno
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Jeremy Strong says his buzzy 2021 New Yorker profile was a moment of shame but that he’s not planning on changing how he approaches his craft despite the online backlash or his co-stars’ responses.
In a new GQ cover story, Strong addresses the viral profile written by Michael Schulman that garnered a wave of questions (and jokes) about the impact of the actor’s chosen performance style, as well as a slew of Hollywood responses in support of the Emmy nominee.
In the New Yorker story, the intensity of Strong’s acting choices were called into question, with one particular note — about his request to be tear-gassed while filming a scene as social activist and anti-war leader Jerry Rubin in Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7 — resurfacing to mixed online reactions.
The response to that profile was, for the Succession and Armageddon Time actor, “15 minutes of shame, with a long tail,...
In a new GQ cover story, Strong addresses the viral profile written by Michael Schulman that garnered a wave of questions (and jokes) about the impact of the actor’s chosen performance style, as well as a slew of Hollywood responses in support of the Emmy nominee.
In the New Yorker story, the intensity of Strong’s acting choices were called into question, with one particular note — about his request to be tear-gassed while filming a scene as social activist and anti-war leader Jerry Rubin in Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7 — resurfacing to mixed online reactions.
The response to that profile was, for the Succession and Armageddon Time actor, “15 minutes of shame, with a long tail,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated Saturday (Originally published Friday): Aaron Sorkin posted an open letter Friday disputing what he calls the “distorted picture” of actor Jeremy Strong created by a recent New Yorker profile. Late Friday, the New Yorker responded with a statement to Deadline, which is below. Strong is currently receiving raves for his work on HBO’s Succession, to which the profile is pegged, with the series’ executive producer Adam McKay also weighing in on the controversy.
Sorkin has worked with Strong on two projects. The first is the 2017 film Molly’s Game, which also starred Jessica Chastain. The second is last year’s Trial of the Chicago 7. Sorkin wrote and directed that film in which Strong plays onetime Yippie Jerry Rubin.
“After reading Michael Schulman’s profile of Jeremy Strong — a profile in which I participated — I wanted to speak up,” wrote Sorkin. “I think I helped Mr. Schulman create what...
Sorkin has worked with Strong on two projects. The first is the 2017 film Molly’s Game, which also starred Jessica Chastain. The second is last year’s Trial of the Chicago 7. Sorkin wrote and directed that film in which Strong plays onetime Yippie Jerry Rubin.
“After reading Michael Schulman’s profile of Jeremy Strong — a profile in which I participated — I wanted to speak up,” wrote Sorkin. “I think I helped Mr. Schulman create what...
- 12/12/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s been more than 40 years, but filmmaker Robert Greenwald remembers the call that came in from a man on the run. The caller, one of America’s most famous fugitives, used an assumed name.
“Robert, it’s Barry,” the man said in a gravelly voice. It wasn’t long before Greenwald discerned he was speaking with Abbie Hoffman, the “radical” leftist whose conviction in the celebrated Chicago Seven trial had been vacated. But a pending drug charge had prompted Hoffman to go on the lam.
“He would never say ‘Abbie’ [on the phone] because he was underground and assumed all the phones were tapped,” Greenwald recalls. “But I figured out pretty quickly that ‘Barry’ was Abbie.”
After that initial call Greenwald and Hoffman got to know each other and met up on occasion, in less than clandestine circumstances. Sometimes the setting was Venice Beach, not in a darkened café, but out in the sunshine,...
“Robert, it’s Barry,” the man said in a gravelly voice. It wasn’t long before Greenwald discerned he was speaking with Abbie Hoffman, the “radical” leftist whose conviction in the celebrated Chicago Seven trial had been vacated. But a pending drug charge had prompted Hoffman to go on the lam.
“He would never say ‘Abbie’ [on the phone] because he was underground and assumed all the phones were tapped,” Greenwald recalls. “But I figured out pretty quickly that ‘Barry’ was Abbie.”
After that initial call Greenwald and Hoffman got to know each other and met up on occasion, in less than clandestine circumstances. Sometimes the setting was Venice Beach, not in a darkened café, but out in the sunshine,...
- 11/4/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Aaron Sorkin had a massive job ahead of him when researching the screenplay for his second directorial effort, “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Back in 2007 when the project was to be directed by Steven Spielberg, Sorkin begin plowing through tens of thousands of pages of the official trial transcript to first get the facts down, then applied his character-writing skill to shape his script into a crowd-pleasing movie, the result of which has garnered Sorkin an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Sorkin’s screenplay for “Chicago 7” will battle with it out with scripts for Emerald Fennell‘s genre-bending “Promising Young Woman,” Lee Isaac Chung‘s family remembrance “Minari,” Will Berson and Shaka King‘s historical biopic “Judas and the Black Messiah” and the drama “Sound of Metal” written by Darius Marder and his brother Abraham Marder.
SEEAaron Sorkin interview: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ director-writer
The...
Sorkin’s screenplay for “Chicago 7” will battle with it out with scripts for Emerald Fennell‘s genre-bending “Promising Young Woman,” Lee Isaac Chung‘s family remembrance “Minari,” Will Berson and Shaka King‘s historical biopic “Judas and the Black Messiah” and the drama “Sound of Metal” written by Darius Marder and his brother Abraham Marder.
SEEAaron Sorkin interview: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ director-writer
The...
- 4/20/2021
- by Tom O'Brien
- Gold Derby
Narratively speaking, Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” stands apart from the rest of the Best Picture and Original Script nominees for its scope and multi-layered approach. The fact-based drama balances three story threads in a “Rashomon” fashion: the overheated courtroom drama, how the peaceful demonstrations turned violent during the ’68 Democratic Convention in Chicago, and the bitter political rivalry between Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) and Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen).
That’s a lot of history and conflict to pack into 130 minutes, which is why Sorkin cleverly wrote a sprawling 12-page prologue to set up the whole movie, calling for archival footage, tricky tonal shifts, and jumping back and forth in time. And the six and a half-minute sequence (view below) proved quite the challenge and opportunity for Oscar-nominated Alan Baumgarten to edit. “It serves several purposes,” he said. “It provides a bit of a history lesson,...
That’s a lot of history and conflict to pack into 130 minutes, which is why Sorkin cleverly wrote a sprawling 12-page prologue to set up the whole movie, calling for archival footage, tricky tonal shifts, and jumping back and forth in time. And the six and a half-minute sequence (view below) proved quite the challenge and opportunity for Oscar-nominated Alan Baumgarten to edit. “It serves several purposes,” he said. “It provides a bit of a history lesson,...
- 4/14/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
It took writer and director Aaron Sorkin fourteen years after the initial meeting with Steven Spielberg at his house on a Saturday back in 2006 to finally get “The Trial of the Chicago 7” made. And according to Sorkin, it finally came together thanks to former president Donald Trump.
“I don’t want to give Donald Trump credit for anything, but he’s the one who got Chicago seven made,” Sorkin tells moderator Jimmie Briggs at The Wrap’s screening series of the film. “Because he would have these protests, he would have these rallies, and there would be protesters at the rallies, and he would start getting nostalgic about the old days when they ‘Carry that guy out of here on a stretcher,’ ‘I’d like to beat the crap out of him,’ ‘Let’s punch him right in the face.'”
“Suddenly, American and Anti-American was being defined the old stupid way,...
“I don’t want to give Donald Trump credit for anything, but he’s the one who got Chicago seven made,” Sorkin tells moderator Jimmie Briggs at The Wrap’s screening series of the film. “Because he would have these protests, he would have these rallies, and there would be protesters at the rallies, and he would start getting nostalgic about the old days when they ‘Carry that guy out of here on a stretcher,’ ‘I’d like to beat the crap out of him,’ ‘Let’s punch him right in the face.'”
“Suddenly, American and Anti-American was being defined the old stupid way,...
- 4/10/2021
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
While Nomadland picked up Best Picture at the Critics Choice a couple of weeks back—a pretty reliable Oscar top prize indicator—at Sunday night’s SAG, it wasn’t even nominated in that category. Instead, that prize went to Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, possibly bolstering its chances at the Academy show on April 25th.
The ‘Best Picture’ prize at SAG is actually awarded to the Best Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, and in accepting the award on behalf of the all-star cast, Frank Langella, who played Judge Julius Hoffman, recalled Martin Luther King’s words:
“God give us leaders, said the Reverend Martin Luther King, before he was shot down in cold blood on this very date in 1968—a profound injustice. The Trial of the Chicago 7 began 18 months later, ruled by a corrupt judge—me. Aaron Sorkin was determined to tell their story...
The ‘Best Picture’ prize at SAG is actually awarded to the Best Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, and in accepting the award on behalf of the all-star cast, Frank Langella, who played Judge Julius Hoffman, recalled Martin Luther King’s words:
“God give us leaders, said the Reverend Martin Luther King, before he was shot down in cold blood on this very date in 1968—a profound injustice. The Trial of the Chicago 7 began 18 months later, ruled by a corrupt judge—me. Aaron Sorkin was determined to tell their story...
- 4/5/2021
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated with full winners list: The Trial of the Chicago 7 won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture prize, SAG’s version of Best Picture, at the 27th annual SAG Awards on Sunday night. It was one of 13 awards honoring the year’s best film and TV acting performances.
The late Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis took the best leading male and female actor in a motion picture honors for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. In the supporting actor category, Yuh-Jung Youn took the trophy for Minari and Daniel Kaluuya for his role as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Among the movie categories, the marquee ensemble prize is often an Oscar bellwether. Last year, Neon’s Parasite surprised with a win and it later repeated the feat by taking the Academy Awards’ Best Picture prize.The Trial of the Chicago 7 faced off against Da 5 Bloods,...
The late Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis took the best leading male and female actor in a motion picture honors for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. In the supporting actor category, Yuh-Jung Youn took the trophy for Minari and Daniel Kaluuya for his role as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Among the movie categories, the marquee ensemble prize is often an Oscar bellwether. Last year, Neon’s Parasite surprised with a win and it later repeated the feat by taking the Academy Awards’ Best Picture prize.The Trial of the Chicago 7 faced off against Da 5 Bloods,...
- 4/5/2021
- by Denise Petski and Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The decision to incorporate actual archival footage from the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago in “The Trial of the Chicago 7” may have been risky but recently Oscar-nominated editor Alan Baumgarten explains that he and writer/director Aaron Sorkin both came to the decision rather easily. “It was quite easy and we both came to it independently. There was archival material written into the prologue that was very effective,” Baumgarten tells us in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). It was when Sorkin was watching the riot sequence for the second time that he floated the idea of using such footage in the film. “As soon as he mentioned it, I said, ‘Great! I’m all for it. Give me a couple days and let me show you something.’ We quickly locked into the fact that it was going to be used sparingly. It was really...
- 3/31/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Succession Emmy winner and The Trial of the Chicago 7 star Jeremy Strong is set to play Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, in the Bron and 21 Laps feature production Splendid Solution.
The project will be adapted by Gillian Weeks from Jeffrey Kluger’s New York Times bestseller, which tells the true story of Salk’s triumphant quest to create the vaccine as polio ravaged the U.S.
Salk’s battle against the virus, his perseverance and eventual triumph made him a cultural hero and icon for a generation.
Splendid Solution will be the second film adaptation of Kluger’s work, the author’s Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 having served as the inspiration for Ron Howard’s double-Oscar-winning 1995 blockbuster Apollo 13 ($355.2M WW box office).
Shawn Levy (Free Guy) and Dan Levine (Arrival) will produce on behalf of 21 Laps Entertainment, with Becca Edelman and Emily Feher managing the project.
The project will be adapted by Gillian Weeks from Jeffrey Kluger’s New York Times bestseller, which tells the true story of Salk’s triumphant quest to create the vaccine as polio ravaged the U.S.
Salk’s battle against the virus, his perseverance and eventual triumph made him a cultural hero and icon for a generation.
Splendid Solution will be the second film adaptation of Kluger’s work, the author’s Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 having served as the inspiration for Ron Howard’s double-Oscar-winning 1995 blockbuster Apollo 13 ($355.2M WW box office).
Shawn Levy (Free Guy) and Dan Levine (Arrival) will produce on behalf of 21 Laps Entertainment, with Becca Edelman and Emily Feher managing the project.
- 3/30/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Emmy winner Jeremy Strong will star as Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, in the upcoming film “Splendid Solution.”
Produced by Bron Studios and 21 Laps, the feature film adapts Jeffrey Kluger’s 2004 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, which follows Dr. Salk on his quest to find a cure for the deadly virus. Kluger’s 1994 book “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13” was also the inspiration for Ron Howard’s Oscar-nominated “Apollo 13.”
Gillian Weeks will write the screenplay for the new film, produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Levine for 21 Laps Entertainment, with Becca Edelman and Emily Feher overseeing the project.
“We can’t think of a more timely story to tell — of one man’s journey to save the world from a devastating pandemic while overcoming misinformation from the media…and how he believed so much in the vaccine that he...
Produced by Bron Studios and 21 Laps, the feature film adapts Jeffrey Kluger’s 2004 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, which follows Dr. Salk on his quest to find a cure for the deadly virus. Kluger’s 1994 book “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13” was also the inspiration for Ron Howard’s Oscar-nominated “Apollo 13.”
Gillian Weeks will write the screenplay for the new film, produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Levine for 21 Laps Entertainment, with Becca Edelman and Emily Feher overseeing the project.
“We can’t think of a more timely story to tell — of one man’s journey to save the world from a devastating pandemic while overcoming misinformation from the media…and how he believed so much in the vaccine that he...
- 3/30/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Sacha Baron Cohen, who earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” discussed the duality of his performance as Vietnam War protester and left-wing provocateur Abbie Hoffman in a new featurette available exclusively on TheWrap.
“In a way, there’s two Abbies,” Cohen said. “There’s the public persona of Abbie where he’s trying to inspire people and then there’s the private Abbie. So there’s a balance between the clown and the intellect.”
Cohen’s co-stars in writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s film compared noted the similarities between Hoffman and Cohen himself — and the British star’s work as a satirist, most notably in the two “Borat” films (the second of which earned Cohen a screenplay Oscar nomination this year).
“Sacha has demonstrated a lot of courageousness in terms of standing up to power,” said Jeremy Strong, who plays Jerry Rubin in the film.
“In a way, there’s two Abbies,” Cohen said. “There’s the public persona of Abbie where he’s trying to inspire people and then there’s the private Abbie. So there’s a balance between the clown and the intellect.”
Cohen’s co-stars in writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s film compared noted the similarities between Hoffman and Cohen himself — and the British star’s work as a satirist, most notably in the two “Borat” films (the second of which earned Cohen a screenplay Oscar nomination this year).
“Sacha has demonstrated a lot of courageousness in terms of standing up to power,” said Jeremy Strong, who plays Jerry Rubin in the film.
- 3/24/2021
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
As the awards calendar hurtles toward the delayed Oscars on April 25, we have a clear frontrunner for Best Picture. Last year, Bong Joon Ho’s dark drama “Parasite” rode the Palme d’Or from May through to a Best Picture win. But it was, finally, a global blockbuster that appealed to the mainstream.
That wasn’t an option this pandemic award season. Even if the list of 2021 Oscar contenders is smaller-scale and more independent than usual, the film that boasts wide appeal across the Academy’s 23 branches will finally take home the Best Picture Oscar. With six nominations including Best Picture, Actress, Director, Editor, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography, Chloé Zhao’s hybrid cinéma vérité “Nomadland” (Searchlight/Hulu) is the film that hits the lonely pandemic zeitgeist in this weird year — even if the film didn’t score the SAG Ensemble nomination that “Parasite” did in 2020. “Nomadland” did win the Venice...
That wasn’t an option this pandemic award season. Even if the list of 2021 Oscar contenders is smaller-scale and more independent than usual, the film that boasts wide appeal across the Academy’s 23 branches will finally take home the Best Picture Oscar. With six nominations including Best Picture, Actress, Director, Editor, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography, Chloé Zhao’s hybrid cinéma vérité “Nomadland” (Searchlight/Hulu) is the film that hits the lonely pandemic zeitgeist in this weird year — even if the film didn’t score the SAG Ensemble nomination that “Parasite” did in 2020. “Nomadland” did win the Venice...
- 3/20/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
As the awards calendar hurtles toward the delayed Oscars on April 25, we have a clear frontrunner for Best Picture. Last year, Bong Joon Ho’s dark drama “Parasite” rode the Palme d’Or from May through to a Best Picture win. But it was, finally, a global blockbuster that appealed to the mainstream.
That wasn’t an option this pandemic award season. Even if the list of 2021 Oscar contenders is smaller-scale and more independent than usual, the film that boasts wide appeal across the Academy’s 23 branches will finally take home the Best Picture Oscar. With six nominations including Best Picture, Actress, Director, Editor, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography, Chloé Zhao’s hybrid cinéma vérité “Nomadland” (Searchlight/Hulu) is the film that hits the lonely pandemic zeitgeist in this weird year — even if the film didn’t score the SAG Ensemble nomination that “Parasite” did in 2020. “Nomadland” did win the Venice...
That wasn’t an option this pandemic award season. Even if the list of 2021 Oscar contenders is smaller-scale and more independent than usual, the film that boasts wide appeal across the Academy’s 23 branches will finally take home the Best Picture Oscar. With six nominations including Best Picture, Actress, Director, Editor, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography, Chloé Zhao’s hybrid cinéma vérité “Nomadland” (Searchlight/Hulu) is the film that hits the lonely pandemic zeitgeist in this weird year — even if the film didn’t score the SAG Ensemble nomination that “Parasite” did in 2020. “Nomadland” did win the Venice...
- 3/20/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
This is weird, right? In a normal year this kind of article would have been written closer to New Year’s Day, and the awards season red carpets would’ve been rolled up weeks ago. But 2020 really was a weird experience, to put it mildly. And among other problems, it caused the Oscars race to bleed all the way into April. Indeed, it’s mid-March and the weekly Sunday night ceremonies have barely begun.
Nevertheless, and despite hand-wringing from this time last year about whether there would even be anything worthy of nomination in 2020, we’ve just come through a resilient and even hopeful period for quality cinema. Movie theaters remain largely closed throughout the U.S. and Europe, yet filmmakers have found a way to get their passion projects out via streaming, video-on-demand, and for a precious few in limited capacity movie theaters. Through it all, the industry endured...
Nevertheless, and despite hand-wringing from this time last year about whether there would even be anything worthy of nomination in 2020, we’ve just come through a resilient and even hopeful period for quality cinema. Movie theaters remain largely closed throughout the U.S. and Europe, yet filmmakers have found a way to get their passion projects out via streaming, video-on-demand, and for a precious few in limited capacity movie theaters. Through it all, the industry endured...
- 3/12/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Even though Aaron Sorkin has a great love for politics, he admits that he didn’t know who the Chicago 7 were at first. It all started when he met with Steven Spielberg at his house and the director said he wanted to make a movie about the Chicago 7. “I said, ‘The Chicago 7? Count me in! That sounds great.’ I left his house, called my father and asked him who the Chicago 7 were,’ Sorkin reveals to us in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). He was familiar with several of the figures, but he had to do a lot of research on the subject. “Most critically, I got to spend time with Tom Hayden and that’s what gave me a look into the tension between Tom and Abbie Hoffman.”
SEEWill Aaron Sorkin join an elite group with Oscar wins for writing and directing ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7...
SEEWill Aaron Sorkin join an elite group with Oscar wins for writing and directing ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7...
- 3/5/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Thursday marked the 51st anniversary of the verdict featured in The Trial of the Chicago 7, and in honor of the milestone, Netflix is streaming the 2020 film for free on their YouTube for 48 hours starting at midnight. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, and Eddie Redmayne, the Aaron Sorkin-directed film follows the infamous case of eight men - Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale - who were indicted for inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
"It's our honor to share their story with the world."
"Since my initial introduction fourteen years ago, my relationship to the story of The Trial of the Chicago 7 has changed significantly," Sorkin said in a statement shared by Netflix. "When we began shooting last winter, we knew the story we were telling was not only an important chapter of American history,...
"It's our honor to share their story with the world."
"Since my initial introduction fourteen years ago, my relationship to the story of The Trial of the Chicago 7 has changed significantly," Sorkin said in a statement shared by Netflix. "When we began shooting last winter, we knew the story we were telling was not only an important chapter of American history,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Monica Sisavat
- Popsugar.com
The riot scenes in “The Trial of the Chicago 7” posed the biggest challenges to the re-recording mixer, Julian Slater, and the supervising sound editor, Renee Tondelli, in getting the sounds aspects just right. “The riot scenes and the demonstrations had a certain rhythm to them. You start a slow build and don’t want to reach the end too quickly,” Slater tells Gold Derby in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). He specifically cites the score composed by Daniel Pemberton as an accelerant but needing to be a counter to that on the mixing end. “You need to balance that with the energy of the crowd yet whilst hearing everything that’s being said.” Tondelli concurs, saying that, “It was a chaotic score and we went against that, we didn’t go for chaos.”
SEEDaniel Pemberton interview: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ composer
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,...
SEEDaniel Pemberton interview: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ composer
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Updated with full list: The nominations for the 27th SAG Award were announced Thursday in a virtual ceremony featuring Lily Collins and Daveed Diggs reading off nominees in 13 film and TV categories honoring the best acting of the past year.
Much like it did at the Golden Globes the day before, Netflix led the way with 30 total nominations. The Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture ensemble race features three Netflix dramas: Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Trial of the Chicago 7 along with A24’s Minari and Amazon Studios’ One Night In Miami. Outside of Chicago 7 it is a fully new slate of films from the admittedly apples-to-oranges Best Motion Picture lists set by the Golden Globes on Wednesday.
Last year, Parasite won the film ensemble award, pushing it down the road to the eventual Best Picture Oscar.
Other notables o the film...
Much like it did at the Golden Globes the day before, Netflix led the way with 30 total nominations. The Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture ensemble race features three Netflix dramas: Da 5 Bloods, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Trial of the Chicago 7 along with A24’s Minari and Amazon Studios’ One Night In Miami. Outside of Chicago 7 it is a fully new slate of films from the admittedly apples-to-oranges Best Motion Picture lists set by the Golden Globes on Wednesday.
Last year, Parasite won the film ensemble award, pushing it down the road to the eventual Best Picture Oscar.
Other notables o the film...
- 2/4/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Frank Langella does not mince words when it comes to describing his real-life character, Judge Julius Hoffman, in Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” “He’s about as a big a son-of-a-bitch as I’ve ever seen, both on paper and in real life. I was happy to play him.” In our exclusive video interview, he describes Hoffman as “unrelentingly cruel, determined to convict everybody, utterly corrupt and, I think, going a little nuts in the head.” In addition to being happy to play the judge, he found that playing that role gave him a unique perspective on the other cast members that he enjoyed. “I also had, from a perch and when I was off-camera, I had the luxury of watching each of them figure out their characters.”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is available to stream on Netflix, is written and directed by Emmy and Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin.
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is available to stream on Netflix, is written and directed by Emmy and Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin.
- 1/26/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
If there is one film this season that seems to be increasingly relevant by the day it is Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, and that became abundantly clear after a conversation with writer-director Aaron Sorkin and some of his superb ensemble cast at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event.
The astounding thing is the events of the film took place over a half century ago but couldn’t feel more relevant. It is about a group of protesters accused of crossing state lines to cause a riot at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention, and the subsequent trial in which they are tried as insurgents and instigators. Sound familiar? History is clearly repeating itself –the recent invasion of the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists and Donald Trump supporters is just the most recent evidence of that — but it is uncanny how urgently prescient this movie is, a...
The astounding thing is the events of the film took place over a half century ago but couldn’t feel more relevant. It is about a group of protesters accused of crossing state lines to cause a riot at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention, and the subsequent trial in which they are tried as insurgents and instigators. Sound familiar? History is clearly repeating itself –the recent invasion of the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists and Donald Trump supporters is just the most recent evidence of that — but it is uncanny how urgently prescient this movie is, a...
- 1/23/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
In doing research to prepare for playing Black Panther leader Bobby Seale in “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Yahya Abdul-Mateen II actually found an interview with Seale talking about cooking as an incredible look into the leader’s perseverance. “He had just been out of solitary confinement… but he goes into talking about how to make a stew. He has this smile on his face and he is not in prison when he is talking about this food. He’s in his kitchen at home,” he tells us in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). It was something that Abdul-Mateen had not read about Seale, even though he grew up in Oakland, California where Seale founded the Panthers. “We hear about the powerful revolutionary acts but it’s also a revolutionary act of survival to…have the humanity and strength to still connect to something that could...
- 1/19/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” about protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the ensuing trial, features great work by writer-director Aaron Sorkin, who is quick to salute his below-the-line colleagues: “They’re not there to take my instructions; they’re there to top my instructions. I consider these people to be co-authors of the film.”
Alan Baumgarten, editor
“In the opening seven minutes, we wanted to do two things. One is to set the context of a nation coming off the rails, with temperatures rising on both sides. I also wanted to introduce our main characters and show that they are four distinct groups. Alan has a habit of making things look easy.
When Alan and I were done with our first cut, there were three or four places where my heart sank; the dramatic impact wasn’t landing somehow. With a few quarter turns of the screw,...
Alan Baumgarten, editor
“In the opening seven minutes, we wanted to do two things. One is to set the context of a nation coming off the rails, with temperatures rising on both sides. I also wanted to introduce our main characters and show that they are four distinct groups. Alan has a habit of making things look easy.
When Alan and I were done with our first cut, there were three or four places where my heart sank; the dramatic impact wasn’t landing somehow. With a few quarter turns of the screw,...
- 12/26/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
“The Trial of the Chicago 7″ has been selected for the inaugural ensemble tribute by the Independent Filmmaker Project at the upcoming Gotham Awards on Jan. 11, 2021.
The film, directed by Aaron Sorkin from his own script, follows the story of the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The film began streaming on Netflix in October.
The ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, Michael Keaton as Ramsey Clark, John Carroll Lynch as defendant David Dellinger, Alex Sharp as defendant Rennie Davis and Frank Langella as presiding judge Julius Hoffman. Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Fred Hampton, Caitlin Fitzgerald portrays FBI agent Daphne O’Connor, Alice Kremelberg...
The film, directed by Aaron Sorkin from his own script, follows the story of the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The film began streaming on Netflix in October.
The ensemble cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, Michael Keaton as Ramsey Clark, John Carroll Lynch as defendant David Dellinger, Alex Sharp as defendant Rennie Davis and Frank Langella as presiding judge Julius Hoffman. Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Fred Hampton, Caitlin Fitzgerald portrays FBI agent Daphne O’Connor, Alice Kremelberg...
- 12/17/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
It’s a long time until the April 25 Oscars, but hopefully “The Trial of the Chicago 7” will maintain its momentum.
The film about the 1968-’69 turmoil in America was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and offers great work by the cast and artisans. Some critics may carp about a few details, but the Netflix film gets the Big Picture right: the division in the country, the rampant lunacy and the oppression in the name of justice. And of course, parallels to today are sobering.
Most U.S movies about the Vietnam era are told from the troops’ Pov: “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Platoon,” “Full Metal Jacket,” et al. Rare films such as “Coming Home” and “Born on the Fourth of July” addressed the war at home, but very few centered on protesters, so “Chicago 7” is a welcome addition.
Variety didn’t cover the Chicago 7 trial, but it...
The film about the 1968-’69 turmoil in America was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and offers great work by the cast and artisans. Some critics may carp about a few details, but the Netflix film gets the Big Picture right: the division in the country, the rampant lunacy and the oppression in the name of justice. And of course, parallels to today are sobering.
Most U.S movies about the Vietnam era are told from the troops’ Pov: “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Platoon,” “Full Metal Jacket,” et al. Rare films such as “Coming Home” and “Born on the Fourth of July” addressed the war at home, but very few centered on protesters, so “Chicago 7” is a welcome addition.
Variety didn’t cover the Chicago 7 trial, but it...
- 12/4/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
To say The Trial of the Chicago 7 has a strong ensemble cast would be an understatement. And to say it has a Strong cast would be an accurate statement, since Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Strong plays activist Jerry Rubin in the film. But though he may be an award-winner, he realizes that hardly makes him [...]
The post ‘Chicago 7’ Cast Is Jeremy Strong’s Dream Team appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post ‘Chicago 7’ Cast Is Jeremy Strong’s Dream Team appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 11/19/2020
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Aaron Sorkin, the Emmy (“The West Wing”) and Oscar-winner (“The Social Network”), first came to fame in 1989 when he was all of 30 with his hit Broadway play “A Few Good Men.” This taut thriller told the tale of a young Jag attorney defending Marines accused of murder at Guantanamo. Three years later, Sorkin adapted his script for Rob Reiner’s film version.
That blockbuster starred Tom Cruise and Demi Moore and made almost $250 million. It was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture and Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson) as well as film editing and sound mixing. While the film lost all four races, Nicholson’s reading of the line “You can’t handle the truth” has become part of the pop culture lexicon.
Sorkin has returned to court with his new film “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which premiered in October on Netflix. It stars more than a few...
That blockbuster starred Tom Cruise and Demi Moore and made almost $250 million. It was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture and Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson) as well as film editing and sound mixing. While the film lost all four races, Nicholson’s reading of the line “You can’t handle the truth” has become part of the pop culture lexicon.
Sorkin has returned to court with his new film “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which premiered in October on Netflix. It stars more than a few...
- 11/17/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
It was recently reported that the entire cast of “The Trial of the Chicago 7” would be campaigned as supporting actors at the Oscars. But with so many male actors filling the ensemble, who as the best chance of breaking through?
As of this writing “Chicago 7” actors make up three out of the top five slots in our official Best Supporting Actor odds, which are based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users. To date only “On the Waterfront” (1954), “The Godfather” (1972) and “The Godfather Part II” (1974) have ever racked up three nominations in the category. What’s more, “Chicago 7” accounts for five of our top 11 and six of our top 15, so the field is flooded with actors from the historical drama. Let’s consider those six most likely contenders from the film.
SEE12 best Sacha Baron Cohen movies ranked, including ‘Borat,’ ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7...
As of this writing “Chicago 7” actors make up three out of the top five slots in our official Best Supporting Actor odds, which are based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users. To date only “On the Waterfront” (1954), “The Godfather” (1972) and “The Godfather Part II” (1974) have ever racked up three nominations in the category. What’s more, “Chicago 7” accounts for five of our top 11 and six of our top 15, so the field is flooded with actors from the historical drama. Let’s consider those six most likely contenders from the film.
SEE12 best Sacha Baron Cohen movies ranked, including ‘Borat,’ ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7...
- 11/6/2020
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
When an accomplishment onscreen seems effortless, it reflects true mastery of a craft. For five costume designers of potential Oscar contenders, the weight of their undertaking — wrestling with ensemble casts and specific periods — remains undetectable on the screen.
Donna Berwick’s work on director Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” about four Vietnam veterans returning to the country, meant designing for a cast in the present day as well as the 1960s.
With only about a week of prep time in Los Angeles before flying to Thailand for filming, Berwick was provided with customary initial measurements and sizing for the cast ahead of any fittings. The information turned out to be completely outdated for multiple actors. When they tried on their custom-sewn military uniforms, “the pants were too small,” says Berwick. “We had to cut them open and add pieces.”
During the present-day scenes, a distinctive pop of color comes...
Donna Berwick’s work on director Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” about four Vietnam veterans returning to the country, meant designing for a cast in the present day as well as the 1960s.
With only about a week of prep time in Los Angeles before flying to Thailand for filming, Berwick was provided with customary initial measurements and sizing for the cast ahead of any fittings. The information turned out to be completely outdated for multiple actors. When they tried on their custom-sewn military uniforms, “the pants were too small,” says Berwick. “We had to cut them open and add pieces.”
During the present-day scenes, a distinctive pop of color comes...
- 11/5/2020
- by Zoe Hewitt
- Variety Film + TV
Having served as the costume designer for both of Aaron Sorkin’s directorial features, Susan Lyall has learned how to find the right outfits that serve his vision. “He responds more to images rather than a discussion. He’s more inclined to describe an emotion or what he hopes to achieve than to tell you it needs to be a yellow dress,” says Lyall in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). This allowed Lyall the freedom to bring many different ideas to Sorkin which he very much appreciated. “He would say that if he costumed ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7,’ that everyone would be wearing khaki pants and a blue shirt from The Gap.”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is currently streaming on Netflix, examines the federal trial of seven anti-war protesters who were charged with crossing state lines in order to incite a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is currently streaming on Netflix, examines the federal trial of seven anti-war protesters who were charged with crossing state lines in order to incite a riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
- 10/23/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Photo: 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'/Netflix 'The Trial of the Chicago 7': In August of 1968, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, and history was made. In addition to nominating Hubert Humphrey as the Democratic nominee that would replace President Johnson and ultimately lose to Richard Nixon that election year, riots broke out between police and anti-war/civil rights activists. The court case that was held to prosecute the group of men believed responsible for conspiracy against the police went down in history as it called into question the American government’s respect for the first amendment all taking place in a time on the precipice of radical revolution. After the leader of The Black Panthers, Bobby Seale, was dismissed from the case, the men ultimately tried in court were David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, Tom Hayden, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, John Froines, and Lee Weiner.
- 10/19/2020
- by Christopher Davis
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
‘Succession’ Star Jeremy Strong in Talks to Join Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein Biopic ‘Maestro’
“Succession” star Jeremy Strong is in talks to join the cast of the Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” which will star and be directed by Bradley Cooper, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Strong would play biographer John Gruen, a critic for The New York Herald Tribune and New York magazine, who wrote the authorized biography “The Private World of Leonard Bernstein.”
“Maestro” was originally set at Paramount, but Netflix will now take over with Martin Scorsese and Todd Phillips set as producers. Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment are still attached. Cooper will also produce via his Joint Effort banner as well as Kristie Macosko Krieger, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Fred Berner and Amy Durning.
Cooper also co-wrote the film and is set to star in the film, the follow-up to his directorial debut “A Star Is Born.” “Spotlight” screenwriter Josh Singer co-wrote the script with Cooper.
Production is...
Strong would play biographer John Gruen, a critic for The New York Herald Tribune and New York magazine, who wrote the authorized biography “The Private World of Leonard Bernstein.”
“Maestro” was originally set at Paramount, but Netflix will now take over with Martin Scorsese and Todd Phillips set as producers. Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment are still attached. Cooper will also produce via his Joint Effort banner as well as Kristie Macosko Krieger, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Fred Berner and Amy Durning.
Cooper also co-wrote the film and is set to star in the film, the follow-up to his directorial debut “A Star Is Born.” “Spotlight” screenwriter Josh Singer co-wrote the script with Cooper.
Production is...
- 10/19/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Emmy winner and “Succession” star Jeremy Strong is in talks to portray the writer John Gruenn in Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” the Leonard Bernstein biopic for Netflix.
Strong won the Emmy last month for outstanding actor in a drama series for his portrayal of Kendall Roy in HBO’s “Succession.” He also plays Jerry Rubin in Netflix’s recent film “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” His other credits include “Lincoln,” “The Big Short” and “Molly’s Game.” Gruen wrote the authorized biography “The Private World of Leonard Bernstein,” published in 1968.
Cooper is producing, co-writing, directing and starring in “Maestro,” portraying Bernstein over a span of three decades. Bernstein became the first American to conduct a major U.S. symphony when he made his debut at 25 at the New York Philharmonic. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1954 for composing the score for “On the Waterfront.” His career took off...
Strong won the Emmy last month for outstanding actor in a drama series for his portrayal of Kendall Roy in HBO’s “Succession.” He also plays Jerry Rubin in Netflix’s recent film “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” His other credits include “Lincoln,” “The Big Short” and “Molly’s Game.” Gruen wrote the authorized biography “The Private World of Leonard Bernstein,” published in 1968.
Cooper is producing, co-writing, directing and starring in “Maestro,” portraying Bernstein over a span of three decades. Bernstein became the first American to conduct a major U.S. symphony when he made his debut at 25 at the New York Philharmonic. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1954 for composing the score for “On the Waterfront.” His career took off...
- 10/19/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Jeremy Strong is negotiating to co-star in Maestro, the Bradley Cooper-directed drama on composer Leonard Bernstein for Netflix. Strong just won the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for the HBO series Succession, and he plays Jerry Rubin in the Aaron Sorkin-directed The Trial Of The Chicago 7 which just premiered on Netflix.
Gruen, a renaissance man and critic for The New York Herald Tribune and New York magazine, wrote the authorized biography The Private World of Leonard Bernstein.
In his directorial followup to A Star Is Born, Cooper will star as Bernstein, and produce from the script he co-wrote with Oscar-winning Spotlight scribe Josh Singer. The drama spans over 30 years. Bernstein’s career is enough to fill a miniseries: his conducting debut at the New York Philharmonic at 25 when the conductor took ill; without even rehearsing, Bernstein did so well his star was launched...
Gruen, a renaissance man and critic for The New York Herald Tribune and New York magazine, wrote the authorized biography The Private World of Leonard Bernstein.
In his directorial followup to A Star Is Born, Cooper will star as Bernstein, and produce from the script he co-wrote with Oscar-winning Spotlight scribe Josh Singer. The drama spans over 30 years. Bernstein’s career is enough to fill a miniseries: his conducting debut at the New York Philharmonic at 25 when the conductor took ill; without even rehearsing, Bernstein did so well his star was launched...
- 10/19/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan intoned on his song “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” influencing a group of young mad bombers to blow against the wind. The group at the center of Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 didn’t blow up bathrooms in federal investigative agencies; they protested bombings, and all other forms of violence, when they stood against authority at the Democratic National Convention in 1968.
The Youth International Party, or Yippies, was non-violent, even if one of the co-founders, Abbie Hoffman (played by Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie), wrote his first radical tract, Fuck the System, under the pseudonym George Metesky, a mad bomber from the 1940s. The other, Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong on screen), blew bubbles while dressed as George Washington at his Huac hearing.
Rubin would go on to beat bongos as part of John Lennon...
The Youth International Party, or Yippies, was non-violent, even if one of the co-founders, Abbie Hoffman (played by Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie), wrote his first radical tract, Fuck the System, under the pseudonym George Metesky, a mad bomber from the 1940s. The other, Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong on screen), blew bubbles while dressed as George Washington at his Huac hearing.
Rubin would go on to beat bongos as part of John Lennon...
- 10/18/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Fresh off his Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series thanks to HBO’s “Succession,” Jeremy Strong is now officially part of the Oscar race with the release of Aaron Sorkin’s new Netflix political drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Strong is featured in Sorkin’s heavy-hitting ensemble as Jerry Rubin, the anti-war social activist and co-founder of the Youth International Party. Whatever challenges that came with playing a real-life person were made easier by a career-defining tip the late Philip Seymour Hoffman shared with Strong before his passing.
“I remember having a conversation with Phil Hoffman when he was getting ready to do ‘The Master,’” Strong told The Playlist this week in an interview. “And I started going on and on about L. Ron Hubbard. And eventually [Hoffman] was like, ‘No. You’re doing work as an actor to find an essence in yourself. You’re not trying to play,...
“I remember having a conversation with Phil Hoffman when he was getting ready to do ‘The Master,’” Strong told The Playlist this week in an interview. “And I started going on and on about L. Ron Hubbard. And eventually [Hoffman] was like, ‘No. You’re doing work as an actor to find an essence in yourself. You’re not trying to play,...
- 10/17/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Aaron Sorkin returns to the political drama sphere with The Trial of the Chicago 7, which is based on the infamous court case involving protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It was a tense time in America as citizens were unhappy with poverty, racial inequality, and the Vietnam War. Police brutality notoriously broke out at the demonstrations. Ultimately, eight organizers were arrested on charges of conspiracy to use interstate commerce with intent to incite a riot: Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale.
The presiding judge on the case was Judge Julius Hoffman. During the trial, the eight men and their lawyer ignored decorum and provoked the judge, hoping to reveal what they saw as the corrupt values of the establishment. Judge Hoffman demanded order using troubling measures, even gagging and tying Seale, who would be severed from the case. Only...
The presiding judge on the case was Judge Julius Hoffman. During the trial, the eight men and their lawyer ignored decorum and provoked the judge, hoping to reveal what they saw as the corrupt values of the establishment. Judge Hoffman demanded order using troubling measures, even gagging and tying Seale, who would be severed from the case. Only...
- 10/16/2020
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you haven’t seen “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”)
In Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) appeared in court wearing flowing black judge’s robes to taunt the judge. Did this really happen, though?
Yes, it did. During the five-month trial of the Chicago 7, who were charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot regarding anti-Vietnam War protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Hoffman, Rubin, and the other five defendants, as well as their attorney William Kunstler, disregarded all decorum of a courtroom from the very beginning, according to PBS.
Hoffman and Rubin did wear judge’s robes to the trial one day, according to PBS. When Judge Hoffman (no relation to Abbie) ordered them to remove the robes, they complied, revealing Chicago police uniforms underneath. The...
In Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) appeared in court wearing flowing black judge’s robes to taunt the judge. Did this really happen, though?
Yes, it did. During the five-month trial of the Chicago 7, who were charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot regarding anti-Vietnam War protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Hoffman, Rubin, and the other five defendants, as well as their attorney William Kunstler, disregarded all decorum of a courtroom from the very beginning, according to PBS.
Hoffman and Rubin did wear judge’s robes to the trial one day, according to PBS. When Judge Hoffman (no relation to Abbie) ordered them to remove the robes, they complied, revealing Chicago police uniforms underneath. The...
- 10/16/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
For cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, going from “Ford v Ferrari” to “The Trial of the Chicago 7” was more than merely shifting gears and genres within the period lane of the late 1960s. Shooting the timely conspiracy trial, showing Vietnam War protesters outside the 1968 Democratic Convention that turned horribly violent, required a new mindset and rapport with writer-director Aaron Sorkin, making his second outing behind the camera following “Molly’s Game.”
In fact, on “Chicago 7,” Sorkin’s technical inexperience demanded more visual heavy lifting from the cinematographer. Finally, Papamichael was able to facilitate Sorkin’s vision, just as he’s done all along with his frequent collaborators James Mangold and Alexander Payne (the Oscar-nominated “Nebraska”).
Papamichael realized on day one that “Aaron is all about the rhythm and the language,” he said. “And therefore he doesn’t want any shots that are not just on the person who’s speaking. And, you...
In fact, on “Chicago 7,” Sorkin’s technical inexperience demanded more visual heavy lifting from the cinematographer. Finally, Papamichael was able to facilitate Sorkin’s vision, just as he’s done all along with his frequent collaborators James Mangold and Alexander Payne (the Oscar-nominated “Nebraska”).
Papamichael realized on day one that “Aaron is all about the rhythm and the language,” he said. “And therefore he doesn’t want any shots that are not just on the person who’s speaking. And, you...
- 10/16/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“I don’t see how we could have made the film now had we not shot in Chicago,” writer and director Aaron Sorkin says of his new film “Trial of the Chicago 7,” now streaming on Netflix.
Five decades after it took place, Aaron Sorkin tells the story of the seven defendants who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy after protests broke out at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Accused of inciting riots, Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (“Succession’s” Jeremy Strong) were among those who stood trial along with Black Panther member Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Sorkin assembled an all-star team in front of and behind the camera for the powerful story that draws strong parallels in today’s world as it places a microscope on systemic injustice.
Sorkin recalls that 14 years ago, “Steven (Spielberg) said to me, ‘I want you...
Five decades after it took place, Aaron Sorkin tells the story of the seven defendants who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy after protests broke out at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Accused of inciting riots, Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (“Succession’s” Jeremy Strong) were among those who stood trial along with Black Panther member Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Sorkin assembled an all-star team in front of and behind the camera for the powerful story that draws strong parallels in today’s world as it places a microscope on systemic injustice.
Sorkin recalls that 14 years ago, “Steven (Spielberg) said to me, ‘I want you...
- 10/16/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
(This post contains Spoilers for Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on Netflix)
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is loaded with moments that will make you laugh, cheer or be outraged. But one of the film’s most alarming moments comes when Bobby Seale, the Black Panther party leader as portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, is ordered bound and gagged in his courtroom seat by judge Julius Hoffman.
The scene is a horrifying moment of racial injustice and prejudice that finally boiled over after numerous scenes of Seale being denied his rights, representation and more. It’s such an outrageous sight in a movie that prides itself on its accuracy that it begs the question, was Seale really bound and gagged in the way the movie suggests?
The truth is, yes, Seale was tied to his chair and gagged in full view of the jury,...
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is loaded with moments that will make you laugh, cheer or be outraged. But one of the film’s most alarming moments comes when Bobby Seale, the Black Panther party leader as portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, is ordered bound and gagged in his courtroom seat by judge Julius Hoffman.
The scene is a horrifying moment of racial injustice and prejudice that finally boiled over after numerous scenes of Seale being denied his rights, representation and more. It’s such an outrageous sight in a movie that prides itself on its accuracy that it begs the question, was Seale really bound and gagged in the way the movie suggests?
The truth is, yes, Seale was tied to his chair and gagged in full view of the jury,...
- 10/16/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
After violence disrupted the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, eight defendants were arrested for conspiracy to incite a riot — an event dramatized in Aaron Sorkin’s new The Trial of the Chicago 7. They included the countercultural figures Abbie Hoffman (played in the film by Sasha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) and Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne). In The Trial of the Chicago 7, writer and director Sorkin recreates the chaos surrounding the six-month trial, mingling day-to-day testimony with flashbacks of protestors and police preparing for demonstrations in places like Grant Park. In addition to following the defendants, Sorkin […]
The post "Make a Documentary of What's Happening in Front of You": Dp Phedon Papamichael on Shooting Aaron Sorkin's Courtroom Drama, The Trial of the Chicago 7 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Make a Documentary of What's Happening in Front of You": Dp Phedon Papamichael on Shooting Aaron Sorkin's Courtroom Drama, The Trial of the Chicago 7 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 10/16/2020
- by Daniel Eagan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
After violence disrupted the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, eight defendants were arrested for conspiracy to incite a riot — an event dramatized in Aaron Sorkin’s new The Trial of the Chicago 7. They included the countercultural figures Abbie Hoffman (played in the film by Sasha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) and Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne). In The Trial of the Chicago 7, writer and director Sorkin recreates the chaos surrounding the six-month trial, mingling day-to-day testimony with flashbacks of protestors and police preparing for demonstrations in places like Grant Park. In addition to following the defendants, Sorkin […]
The post "Make a Documentary of What's Happening in Front of You": Dp Phedon Papamichael on Shooting Aaron Sorkin's Courtroom Drama, The Trial of the Chicago 7 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Make a Documentary of What's Happening in Front of You": Dp Phedon Papamichael on Shooting Aaron Sorkin's Courtroom Drama, The Trial of the Chicago 7 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 10/16/2020
- by Daniel Eagan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
You’d think that a bunch of Yippies nominating a 145-pound pig, cheekily dubbed “Pigasus,” for president would need showcasing, but Aaron Sorkin is of a different mind. The venerable writer/director’s criminally pigless picture, The Trial of the Chicago 7, focuses instead on the eponymous group’s protracted trial following its heavy involvement in anti-war protests in ’60s Chicago.
Fiery bellies and a gravitational pull toward positive change drove these men to become ardent faces of a festering distaste for the United States’ wartime priorities. And Sorkin’s searing film does a decent job driving that earnestness home. It may skimp on necessary emotional beats and become more innocuous than it intends, but there’s an undeniable relevance to Sorkin’s latest effort that ultimately makes it a worthy expenditure of cognitive juice.
As one of its respective era’s most critical moments, the 1968 Democratic Convention cranked patriotic...
Fiery bellies and a gravitational pull toward positive change drove these men to become ardent faces of a festering distaste for the United States’ wartime priorities. And Sorkin’s searing film does a decent job driving that earnestness home. It may skimp on necessary emotional beats and become more innocuous than it intends, but there’s an undeniable relevance to Sorkin’s latest effort that ultimately makes it a worthy expenditure of cognitive juice.
As one of its respective era’s most critical moments, the 1968 Democratic Convention cranked patriotic...
- 10/16/2020
- by Hayden Mears
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Over half a century has passed since the events portrayed in the outstanding courtroom drama from Netflix, The Trial of the Chicago 7, took place and, given the current politically charged times, our relationship with authority and authoritarian rule hasn’t gotten any less prickly.
When first envisioned, the protest accompanying the Democratic National Convention in 1968, was intended to be a peaceful protest of the war in Vietnam. But, as most protests of the period went, this one quickly turned violent as police and members of the National Guard used force and violence to quell a supposed riot. The accused organizers of the alleged riot—who included Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Les Weiner, and Bobby Seale—were subsequently charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot, resulting in one of the most infamous trials in American history.
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin,...
When first envisioned, the protest accompanying the Democratic National Convention in 1968, was intended to be a peaceful protest of the war in Vietnam. But, as most protests of the period went, this one quickly turned violent as police and members of the National Guard used force and violence to quell a supposed riot. The accused organizers of the alleged riot—who included Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Les Weiner, and Bobby Seale—were subsequently charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot, resulting in one of the most infamous trials in American history.
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin,...
- 10/16/2020
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
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