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'Justified: City Primeval' Showrunner & Director Michael Dinner Jul 19, 2023

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One of the greatest series in the history of TV, Justified, is back on the air with a haunting new subtitle. We talk this week with showrunner, writer, and director of Justified: City Primeval, Michael Dinner. He explores the reasons the show is making a triumphant return, what it was like coming back to a career-defining project after many years, and how this season was adapted from unexpected source material.

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'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Director Kemp Powers Jul 04, 2023

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If you've seen Across the Spider-Verse you won't be surprised to learn such a complex film took three directors to helm. One of those directors, Kemp Powers, joins us to explain how they pulled it off with the same grace, ambition, and heart that defines the spider-people at the center of the story. Kemp breaks down the experience of essentially "shooting" the movie for four years, and how even when directing a crew of thousands he managed to work in personal inspiration from his own life. After you listen you'll want to run right out to the theater to catch all the incredible details Kemp points out.

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'Past Lives' Director Celine Song Jun 27, 2023

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One of our favorite things to do on Toolkit is speak with rising stars in the world of directing, and we got to do just that this week with Celine Song, whose debut film 'Past Lives' is landing firmly in the top of most "best of the year so far" lists. She explores how she tackled challenges unique to this particular love story, especially the careful presentation of language. Song wrote the script in two languages and sought an unusual level of control over subtitles in order to protect the nuances of the love story, just two of many reasons 'Past Lives' feels both deeply personal and incredibly confident in its craft.

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'Random Acts of Flyness' Creator Terence Nance Jun 20, 2023

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The creator and star of one of the most visually inventive and challenging shows of the year sits down with us this week to discuss the rich culture (and pop-culture) that informs the project. It's a series you have to see to fully comprehend, and Terence provides fascinating insights into how such an ambitious project came to life.

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'The Flash' Director Andy Muschietti Jun 16, 2023

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Helming any superhero blockbuster is a massive balancing act, and few filmmakers had as much to bring together as Andy Muschietti for this multiverse-hopping epic. Hear him explain how he approached the legendary iconography of Batman (Batmen?) and the impressive technique used to capture his star's dual performance.

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'Extraction 2' Director Sam Hargrave Jun 14, 2023

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Stunt coordinator turned director Sam Hargrave joins us to walk through his process making this satisfying sequel. He shares his thoughts on why so many stunt performers have recently become some of our best action directors, and explains how his close collaboration with star Chris Hemsworth allows for moving moments between the action (as well as incredible feats like 21 minute long take fight scenes).

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'Mrs. Davis' Creators Tara Hernandez & Damon Lindelof Jun 13, 2023

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It's an unusually zany quest for the holy grail on today's Toolkit as we sit down with the co-writers and creators of Mrs. Davis. They discuss the challenges of balancing wild comedic antics with some truly deep questions about religion and technology, and how a special blend of influences from Looney Tunes to Quentin Tarantino and Monty Python helped it all come to life.

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'Succession' Director Mark Mylod Jun 06, 2023

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We can't stop thinking about the end of Succession, so we had to sit down with Mark Mylod to dig into his directorial journey across the four seasons of this incredible show. He breaks down the many infamous moments from the finale, and also reveals which episodes along the way taught him what the style of the show would become. It's a conversation that will make you want to rewatch the series from the beginning with open eyes.

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'The Fisher King' & 'Time Bandits' Director Terry Gilliam Jun 05, 2023

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Two of Terry Gilliam's masterpieces recently received lavish Criterion Collection re-releases, packed with the insights and special features expected from the series. We felt this was a perfect excuse to sit down with Terry and take a humorous and thoughtful look back on the making of The Fisher King and Time Bandits. Hear the master reflect on everything from working with Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, to making an unusual kids movie within the studio system, and drop in many funny anecdotes along the way.

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'The Last of Us' Director Craig Mazin Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

Craig Mazin is a huge fan of The Last of Us and it's characters, and that passion comes across beautifully when he described making the show. He dives deep into his meticulous approach to preserving the world of the game, adapting an interactive action game into a TV drama, and his feelings about the story's infamous relationship to the power and horror of love.

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