Netflix has published an interview on how Toni Collette, Jessica Barden and director Minkie Spiro navigated Jane’s story, which contains spoilers to the series: Jane Queller is a teenage piano prodigy and heir to a corrupt millionaire whose life is turned upside down after she meets and falls in love with the leader of the Army of the Changing World (and budding domestic terrorist), Nick Harp. Laura Oliver is a middle-aged single mother whose quiet life gets interrupted when she stops a gunman at a local restaurant, making her famous overnight. The women could not be more different, and yet, they are the same. Pieces of Her follows Laura, played by Toni Collette, as she is forced to exit witness protection and confront her past life as Jane, played by Jessica Barden. Jane’s upbringing, including the pivotal moments that land her in government protection, unfolds via flashbacks teased throughout the season, takes shape in the second half. Minkie Spiro directed all eight episodes and was tasked with tracing the evolution of Jane’s trauma over multiple decades, two identities and two performers. “Trauma as a subject really fascinates me,” Spiro says. “I was interested in dealing with present trauma, but also how trauma rears its ugly head years later.” The complete interview can be read over at Netflix.

It’s a blessed day for Toni Collette fans – not only did we get a first trailer for Netflix’s “Pieces of Her” (see below), but also the first production stills from HBO Max’s upcoming “The Staircase” miniseries, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly: As chronicled in the genre-defining docuseries of the same name, The Staircase will dramatize the darkly fascinating story of how Michael, a novelist in Durham, N.C., was accused of murdering his wife after she was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of a set of stairs in their home. Michael was convicted of killing Kathleen in 2003, but the story didn’t end there. In 2017, he was freed after submitting an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. In addition to Firth and Collette, the eight-episode limited series boasts a star-studded cast including Michael Stuhlbarg, Juliette Binoche, Dane DeHaan, Rosemarie DeWitt, Tim Guinee, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sophie Turner, Vincent Vermignon, Odessa Young, and Parker Posey. The new Staircase is written and executive-produced by showrunners Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn, and set to debut in the spring. The Staircase docuseries first aired on the Sundance Channel in 2005, bringing increased attention to the case and spawning all manner of theories regarding Kathleen’s death. French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade shot additional material in 2012 and 2013, and three new episodes were made for Netflix, where the docuseries is available to stream in full.

Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of the 1946 noir novel Nightmare Alley sat on his “announced with intent” plate for quite some time. And while it didn’t boast the supernatural aspects that previous del Toro films are known for, much of the novel’s territory seemed to fall right into del Toro’s wheelhouse, especially the traveling carnival awash in both light and dark forces. Del Toro’s film hews closer to William Lindsay Gresham’s original novel than the 1947 Tyrone Power-led version; the earlier film significantly softened the book’s ending, which is startlingly dark even for noir. As We Got This Covered writes, the quality of Nightmare Alley is reflected in its many awards, and this morning’s announcement adds an Oscar nod to the list. And while many assumed it would take a place on the longer Best Picture list, some surprised fans still question why it didn’t garner further nominations in more categories. One of the primary elements for which the film has been lauded is its incredible visuals, so it came as no great surprise that veteran cinematographer Dan Lausten earned a nod from the Academy. The nomination for Best Production Design goes to del Toro regulars Shane Vieau and Tamara Deverell. A Best Costume Design nomination also goes to Luis Sequeira, who won for The Shape of Water. Many will argue that the performances by the Nightmare Alley cast were more than impressive enough to earn nominations, and that the adapted script did wonders with the original material, though it seems the Academy voters didn’t see it the same way. Expect to see more of this discussion hitting social media from the film’s devoted fans.

Happy New Year everybody! With HBO Max’s coming attractions trailer for 2022, the appropriate title for this update should be “First Seconds” really, since we get a blink-and-you-miss it moment of the upcomig miniseries “The Staircase”. But these moments are worth pausing since they reveal a first look at most of the series’ characters, including Colin Firth as Michael Peterson and Toni Collette as his wife Kathleen. In the courtroom scene we can also spot Michael Stuhlbarg as his lawyer David Rudolf, Parker Posey as the defense attorney Freda Black (this will be one performance to look forward to), as well as Sophie Turner and Patrick Schwarzenegger as two of the Peterson children, as well as Dane DeHaan as Peterson’s son, standing next to Toni Collette. No airdate has been released yet. Catch the first look below.

I recently stumbled across “Muriel’s Wedding” on Blu-Ray and was hesitant to buy it at first – simply because I have seen it countless times on VHS, DVD and on tv. Anyway, I bought and rewatched it – and I’ve never seen the film in such great image quality. I definately recommend getting the digitally restored Blu-Ray to revisit Porpoise Spot and the film itself – still a perfect heartfelt comedy and a timeless classic. So – as the last update for this year and as an early Christmas present to all you visitors – here are Blu-Ray captures from the film in wonderful high definition. Enjoy the Holidays everybody and see you all in 2022.

While we’re eagerly anticipating next week’s theatrical release of “Nightmare Alley” in the US (and hopefully a press tour for the film that will include at least some virtual appearances by Toni), an international trailer for the United Kingdom has been released, giving us more glimpses of Toni’s Zeena Krumbein, a featurette with a focus on the film’s noir effect, as well as a couple of television spots have been released. All clips can be viewed below and in the video archive.