Minority Mindset

At a recent event at the Julliard School celebrating the life and work of John Williams, the school’s president, Damian Woetzel, shared that Williams is currently collaborating with Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles on an upcoming film. The information was originally reported by journalist Doug Adams.

The story started when Frankie Muniz appeared on Hilary Duff’s Disney Channel show in 2002. While on set, he mentioned to Duff’s mom that he was filming a movie where he played a character similar to a young James Bond. Duff’s mom then convinced Hilary to play Natalie Connors in the film – Muniz had actually hoped Kristin Kreuk from Smallville would get the part. Muniz admitted he wasn’t entirely happy with the decision, but clarified it wasn’t because he didn’t want Hilary involved, though he felt he’d already revealed too much about the situation.

Claude Whelan was never really equipped for the job. I suspect he realized that himself, maybe even from the beginning, despite trying to convince himself he could lead a team of spies like a simple summer program. He became head of MI5 because those who appointed him wanted someone predictable, someone who wouldn’t take risks. He lacked cunning and mistakenly thought he was brilliant, a dangerous combination in the world of espionage. Now he’s likely gone, forced to resign after pushing his luck too far. Though he was a poor leader who hindered crucial intelligence gathering and nearly caused a catastrophe with his delusions of grandeur, it was certainly entertaining to watch him struggle.

Amazon Prime Video benefits from the huge financial resources of its parent company, Amazon, so its shows generally have high production values. But, as with any streaming service, a large budget doesn’t guarantee a good show, and some of their series haven’t been successful.

As a big fan of the Avatar films, I just saw some news that Avatar 3 will also be rated PG-13 when it hits theaters on December 19th. Apparently, that’s been officially confirmed – and it continues the pattern for the series, as all the previous Avatar movies, including the upcoming Fire and Ash, have all been PG-13.

Much of the discussion around A House of Dynamite centers on its ending: an incoming ICBM is destined to hit Chicago, and nothing can stop it. The filmmakers deliberately avoid showing the impact, leaving it ambiguous whether the warhead actually explodes. Earlier in the film, a malfunction is suggested as a possibility, and we never learn how the President reacts to his advisors’ conflicting advice. The movie concludes with scenes of characters arriving at Raven Rock, a military complex with a large underground bunker, and a shot of the commander at Fort Greely breaking down, before the credits roll.

According to Variety, the show is exploring filming locations at high-end hotels in Paris and the French Riviera. Previously, the last three seasons were all filmed at Four Seasons hotels, but HBO isn’t currently partnered with Four Seasons and is now considering other options.