Go behind the visuals of TRON: ARES with cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC – the mind behind the camera for films like The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl. We talk about the look of the new TRON film, his collaboration with director Joachim Rønning, shooting digitally on RED cameras, and how his decades-long partnership with David Fincher shaped his approach to modern cinematography.
If you’re into camera tech, lighting, or just want to know why TRON: ARES looks so good, this one’s for you.
After Reznor brought industrial grind into the mainstream, he became an in-demand film composer—and from Natural Born Killers to Tron: Ares, he’s done some of his best, most adventurous work for the screen. A definitive guide to Nine Inch Nails on film.
Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor can’t have known how different a line like “I don’t believe in your institutions” would sound decades later. Nine Inch Nails have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Reznor and his composing partner Atticus Ross have an Emmy, a Bafta, two Grammies, three Golden Globes, two Oscars (they’re just a Tony away from an EGOT), and a Country Music Award. In some ways Reznor is now the kind of establishment figure he always despised, a respected elder statesman to goths and queers everywhere. With Nine Inch Nails, he married industrial aesthetics to pop instincts; Prince and Bowie were always more important to the recipe than Skinny Puppy. Reznor and Ross won their second Oscar for a Disney movie, and might win for another one at next year’s ceremony. The institutions believe in them.
It makes a lot of sense that someone whose audience is wide enough to include every strain of angry queer teen and the staff of Pixar would embrace these contradictions as he got older, got sober, had children, and became close friends with the people he grew up admiring (Bowie, David Lynch, John Carpenter). There is something in Reznor’s voice that speaks to millions of people, something indefinable that has nothing to do with hooks or record-label muscle behind him. The subject matter has always been lacerating and bleak. On his albums, Reznor was a one-man band plus hired hands until around 2016, where he officially made Atticus Ross a full member. Contradictorily, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame he submitted every single touring musician as a band member and was forced to negotiate down to 7.
The Tron: Ares soundtrack, released a few weeks ago in advance of the Jared Leto-led threequel, is the first Nine Inch Nails album in five years credited to the band (as opposed to Reznor and Ross) and the first NIN release with sung vocals since 2018’s excellent but brief Bad Witch. It comes on the heels of a tour that everyone you know and admire went to, featuring startling production and the seamless incorporation of acoustic pianos and new collaborator Boys Noize. The pair have announced upcoming projects ranging from a new Naughty Dog video game to starting a production company that wants to branch into film production and fashion. Tron Ares, out today, isn’t even the only movie with a Reznor/Ross soundtrack in theaters right now—they also scored Luca Guadagnino‘s After The Hunt.
You can finally take writer/director Zach Cregger’s Weapons home.
The horror epic, about a classroom full of kids that mysteriously vanish at 2:17 a.m., was released in theaters this summer, where it promptly became a huge hit. It made more than $267 million worldwide, which is even more impressive when you consider that it was an original concept, not based on a preexisting property. There are even rumblings that the movie, which stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich, could be a low-key Oscar contender. (Amy Madigan should be a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actress.)
And if you wanted to further explore its mysteries over and over again, now is your chance, with the film available on digital (on Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango on Demand and other platforms) and physical media (DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD).
TheWrap spoke to Cregger about some of the things everyone has been talking about since the release of Weapons. “You hope people are going to respond to it and try and keep your expectations low and but that’s a hard thing to do,” Cregger said about the oversized response to Weapons. “But I was very pleasantly surprised.”
Read on for Cregger’s breakdown of some of Weapons most talked-about moments. But a massive spoiler warning should be issued ahead.
The Church of Tarantino is a podcast channel with weekly shows dedicated to discussing every and anything related to the films of Quentin Tarantino. One of our 4 unique monthly series drop an episode every Friday. Ranking Tarantino (1st Friday of the month), The Bible Study (2nd Friday of the month), Inglourious Blue Balls (3rd Friday of the month) & Tarantinoesque Film Review (4th Friday of the month). Whether we’re ranking various aspects of his films, dissecting his scenes, discussing all the projects he’s announced, or reviewing films that are like his, there’s something for every QT fan.
For this episode, join the Reverend inside Pam’s Coffy, for his first ever sit down with Mr. Quentin Tarantino, as they discuss the cancellation of The Movie Critic, the origin of The Adventures of Cliff Booth, why he handed it to Brad Pitt and David Fincher, his “favorite director”, what his next project is going to be, why Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is still unavailable to the public, the brilliance of the late great Michael Madsen and so much more, including the question he’s been dying to ask for over 2 and a half years: “What ever happened to the Untitled TV Series?” This is a must-listen for true Tarantino fans.
Frame & Reference is a conversation between Cinematographers hosted by Kenny McMillan. Each episode dives into the respective DP’s current and past work, as well as what influences and inspires them. These discussions are an entertaining and informative look into the world of making films through the lens of the people who shoot them.
Miles Perkins, Industry Manager, Epic Games July 28, 2025 Unreal Engine
Join Tim Miller, co-founder of Blur Studio and winner of multiple Emmy Awards, for a candid chat on his origins as an animator and visual effects artist, his “story first” philosophy, and his views on creativity. Tim’s curiosity and drive has led him to branch out from traditional visual effects to direct live-action features and explore real-time animation with Blur’s Secret Level series and the LOVE DEATH & ROBOTS anthology series.
With the critical success of MINDHUNTER, the Irish-born actor graduated from supporting tough guy parts in films like Fight Club to leading his own shows. As he prepares for the release of The Waterfront, he speaks to Annabel Nugent about his traditional parents, how he almost turned down Alien3 – and why for him, ‘chivalry is not dead’.
To hear Holt McCallany reel off his childhood heroes is to understand him a little better. “Steve McQueen, Burt Lancaster, Bob Mitchum, Gene Hackman, Jack Palance,” the actor says. “I loved Jack Palance. Lee Marvin. Charles Bronson.” He recites each name with cinematic gravitas and through semi-pursed lips as though he’s balancing an invisible cigarette out the corner of his mouth. “Those guys, they had this classic American… masculinity.”
The same can and has been said of McCallany, who at 61 has carved a career out of that same strong, silent archetype. He’s played parts on both sides of the law, including one tough guy unironically named Bullet. Bit parts in early David Fincher films like Alien3 and Fight Club introduced him as an excellent character actor, “that guy!” audiences are always happy to see, even if they may not know his name.
Fincher not only had his name, he had McCallany’s number, believing from the get-go that he was destined for bigger things, and eventually casting him as a lead in MINDHUNTER – the critically acclaimed Netflix neo-noir series about the FBI and serial killers. His performance as the straight-shooting, flat-top agent Bill Tench was so lauded, it inspired a think piece in Vulture titled: “Why MINDHUNTER’s Bill Tench Is So Lovable.” That article got to the crux also of what makes McCallany so, if not lovable, then watchable, because hand-in-hand with that stone-cold hardiness is an unexpected sensitivity. Flashes of openness where you’d expected a door slammed shut.
But McCallany downplays his part in the show’s success, attributing it instead to “the creative genius” behind the camera. He compares his role to that of a guest at a lavish dinner party: “There’s gorgeous tablecloths, beautiful crystal glasses, and delicious food. You just have to not spill food down your shirt and everybody goes, bravo!” It may sound like false humility, but in truth, there is a steely confidence to McCallany’s words: give him a good part, and he’ll do the rest.
Fearless anthology series LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS returns with a unique blend of styles, stories, and heroes you didn’t know you needed — from scheming felines to a traumatized toilet. “I try and get a mix of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy,” says creator and executive producer Tim Miller. “And we work with some really fucking fantastic artists.” Miller is a voracious reader, and the source material for the series is largely short stories he has enjoyed over decades, though Volume 4 has a first: a concert film … from none other than David Fincher.
Fincher may now be best known for films such as Fight Club and The Killer, but he first rose to prominence directing music videos. The episode Can’t Stop calls on a long-cherished idea of animating a band as puppets; in this case, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “This was a chance to exercise some old muscles, stretch — and it’s something I’ve always wanted to see,” says Fincher, who also executive produces the series. Each episode comes from a different team, and his was produced by Blur Studio, the VFX and production company co-founded by Miller. “I think Blur know that when I’m passionate about something, it’s going to be weird, and it’s going to be a lot of work,” says Fincher. “But who knows, it might be fun. It certainly will be challenging.” Creative risk and independent spirit are part of what’s led to the show’s 13 Emmy wins so far. But for the team, it’s really just the beginning of a long commitment to variety and invention. Says Fincher, “Hopefully by the time we get to Volume 20, there’s going to be something in here for everyone.”
Chad Smith remembers the night in 2003 when the Red Hot Chili Peppers played for an audience of 80,000 or so amid the rolling hills of the Irish countryside.
After a somewhat fallow period in the mid-’90s, the veteran Los Angeles alt-rock band resurged with 1999’s eight-times-platinum Californication and its 2002 follow-up, By the Way, which spawned the chart-topping single Can’t Stop. To mark the moment, the Chili Peppers brought a crew to document their performance at Slane Castle, where they headlined a full day of music that also included sets by Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, for an eventual concert movie.
Twenty-two years later, the Chili Peppers are bringing that 2003 gig to screens again — only this time they’re string puppets.
Can’t Stop is director David Fincher’s re-creation of the band’s rendition of that tune at Slane Castle. Part of the just-released fourth season of the Emmy-winning Netflix anthology series “Love, Death + Robots,” the animated short film depicts the Chili Peppers — Smith, Flea, singer Anthony Kiedis and guitarist John Frusciante — as dangling marionettes onstage before a veritable sea of the same. As the band rides the song’s slinky punk-funk groove, we see Flea bust out some of his signature moves and Kiedis swipe a fan’s cellphone for a selfie; at one point, a group of women in the crowd even flash their breasts at the frontman.
The puppets aren’t real — the entire six-minute episode was computer-generated. But the way they move looks astoundingly lifelike, not least when one fan’s lighter accidentally sets another fan’s wires on fire.
So why did Fincher, the A-list filmmaker behind Fight Club and The Social Network, put his considerable resources to work to make Can’t Stop?
“A perfectly reasonable inquiry,” the director, who executive produces LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS, said with a laugh.
Creator Tim Miller, supervising director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, and designer/director Robert Valley discuss the latest edition of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning animated short film anthology series that once again delivers a wide selection of funny, frightening, and thoroughly provocative works.
Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson tells IndieWire about being drawn to a grieving cyborg and her alien companion, who knows how to be adorable as a defense mechanism.
The Fincher Analyst 