Variety 10/6/2021

It will be a downright fiasco if the leadership of Hollywood’s studios, networks and streamers doesn’t do everything in its collective bargaining power to prevent the labor union representing camera operators, editors, production designers, grips and other workers from going out on strike. Such a self-inflicted action — after what was a devastating year for the entire industry as it involuntarily navigated its way through an unforeseen pandemic — would be, well … unconscionable. As one of my colleagues said to me, “This is a CEO moment,” a time when the influential heads of the most powerful media companies must step up and make sure the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers finds a way to satisfy IATSE’s understandable call for better working conditions and improved wages. This week,…

In 2015, IATSE International President Matthew Loeb went into the negotiating room determined to do something about long hours worked on productions. The issue has been a sore point among members for years, especially after there were car accidents caused by drowsy driving. In the final hours of negotiating, Loeb made a fervent speech to his counterparts at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. “I only wish every rank-and-file member could have witnessed his fire and passion,” Scott Bernard, the business representative of Local 695 reported afterward. And yet, Bernard said, “the employer refuses to bend.” Loeb is once again enmeshed in negotiations with the AMPTP, and he is once again trying to make some progress on the issue. On Oct. 4, more than 52,000 IATSE members —…

Danish TV drama “The Killing” was an international smash nearly 15 years ago, winning a BAFTA Award and even spawning an English-language American adaptation that ran on AMC (and later, Netflix). But until this year, the original series had never been available in the United States. “The Killing” (or, in Danish, “For-brydelsen”) was added to boutique streaming service Topic in September. The streamer, owned by First Look Media and available in the U.S. and Canada, is growing its roster of international fare, having recently added two more Scandinavian series: “The Bridge” (“Bron”) — which was adapted as a U.S. drama on FX — and “Follow the Money” (“Bedrag”). “The Killing” was lauded for its unique storytelling, which follows a Danish detective inspector (played by Sofie Gråbøl) as she solves a…

“Ummm.” Monica Lewinsky takes a long pause. “I know this is going to sound weird. It’s a totally legitimate question. I don’t know how to answer that.” She thinks about it before finally saying: “In some ways, I just feel too close to it.” Lewinsky is speaking about her experience with Bill Clinton, and responding to whether he would have been “canceled” had his White House affair with an intern occurred in current times. “I would hope that we would be having a different kind of conversation,” Lewinsky says. “I would hope that most of the blame would not have rested on my shoulders, and most of the consequences.” Nearly 25 years later, even in the post-#MeToo era, Lewinsky is not sure how differently things would have turned out today.…

Utkarsh Ambudkar Ghosts Vscore = 54 This new laffer should raise his spirits. Zoe Perry Young Sheldon Vscore = 52 She figures to make a Big Bang in Season 5. Mandeep Dhillon CSI: Vegas Vscore = 48 She’s betting the house on this reboot. Jason Genao On My Block Vscore = 46 He’ll do the math to improve his number.…

Despite having never made a documentary, Todd Haynes didn’t hesitate when Universal Music Group’s David Blackman approached him in 2018 to make a nonfiction feature about the enormously influential rock band the Velvet Underground, which was initially mentored by Andy Warhol and launched the careers of Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico. The Oscar-nominated director — known for narrative features including “Far From Heaven” “Carol,” “Dark Waters” and the Bob Dylan meditation “I’m Not There” — wasn’t worried about taking on a nonfiction project because “ultimately all films are narrative experiences and are dramatic experiences. Documentaries need to work in many of the same ways that fictional films need to work in order to reach audiences.” Haynes spent the better part of three years researching, interviewing subjects and sifting through…