‘Joy Ride’ Writers Explain How an Emotional Letter Led to That Cardi B Needle Drop

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor For cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, the challenge with Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was about capturing what was going on inside the head of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the A-bomb — what he’s thinking and what we can read in his eyes. For costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, whether it was a two-piece suit or three-piece suit, it was his silhouette.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Award-winning scenic designer David Korins calls his work on Broadway’s newest sensation “Here Lies Love” the “most ambitious piece of theater I’ve ever done.” And that’s a high bar: Korins counts The Oscars, “Beetlejuice” and “Hamilton” among his credits. Set to throbbing beats from David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, “Here Lies Love” centers on the Philippines’ controversial former First Lady, Imelda Marcos. The idea was to make the show as immersive as possible and turn a Midtown Manhattan theater into a disco ballroom.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This contains spoilers from “Barbie,” now playing in theaters. “Barbie” Production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer reckon that by this time next year, there will be a pendulum swing and no one will want to go near the color pink. But for now, it’s Barbie’s world and everyone, everywhere is obsessed. Greenwood says Greta Gerwig, Mattel and producers Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley gave her and Spencer a free hand when it came to building the world.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This contains spoilers from “Swagger” Season 2, now streaming on AppleTV+. As Reggie Rock Bythewood was gearing up for AppleTV+’s second season of “Swagger,” the filmmaker was thinking about how to elevate the series and take it to another level. One film that came to mind was Sam Mendes’ “1917” and how cinematographer Roger Deakins had shot the film and presented it as if it were one continuous long shot. The series follows a team of basketball players inspired by NBA star Kevin Durant and in the latest “maze,” as Bythewood calls it, the team down to six players, Jace (Isaiah R. Hill), Phil (Solomon Irama), Musa (Caleel Harris), Drew, Royale (Ozie Nzeribe), and Nick (Jason Rivera) head to Maryland’s Youth Facility, a detention center for young offenders for a game. “I thought about ‘1917’ and the entire film is shot as if it were one shot. So, Cliff Charles, the D.P., and I talked about doing one that way,” says Bythewood.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor In 2020’s “Tenet,” Christopher Nolan blew up a 747, and for his latest feature, “Oppenheimer,” he recreated the Trinity Test without using visual effects, opting to find a way to do it in-camera instead. “Obviously, we couldn’t make an explosion the size of the actual explosion so we used trickery,” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema explains, and no, they didn’t detonate a real atomic bomb. The ten-minute sequence capturing the first-ever successful atomic bomb detonation came together through many experiments. It was a given that Nolan would do the scene in-camera. “We’re suckers for this absolute depth of resolution that IMAX give us,” van Hoytema says. “But when you go to VFX, you have to scan it, and the moment you do that, it loses half of its resolution.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Elton John, David Letterman and more stars paid tribute to Tony Bennett after his death on Friday morning, with John saying “he’s irreplaceable.” Bennett, whose professional career spanned eight decades and who achieved a No. 1 album at age 85, died Friday morning in New York City. He was 96. John, who performed “Rags to Riches” with Bennett, shared his tribute via Instagram. He wrote, “So sad to hear of Tony’s passing. Without doubt the classiest singer, man, and performer you will ever see. He’s irreplaceable. I loved and adored him. Condolences to Susan, Danny and the family.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Sabrina Wu’s family and friends didn’t really comprehend that they were starring in the raunchy comedy “Joy Ride” alongside Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu and Sherry Colauntil until the movie hit theaters. Before then, the stand-up comic’s only Hollywood job was as a writer on Disney+’s “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” “I remember calling my dad and telling him I got the part,” Wu tells me. “This is verbatim what he said: ‘Sabrina, I can’t wait to show you my new car.’ It went right over his head because it was too bizarre.” Like their character Deadeye, the 25-year-old Wu uses “they/them” pronouns. They asked that Deadeye not have a big coming-out scene about their gender identity. “I definitely begged them to do it that way because I don’t think this R-rated comedy needed a moment where I’m like, ‘Hey, guys, I’m nonbinary.’ The level of care that kind of scene needs is not one that is for this genre,” Wu recalls.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story includes plot details for “Joy Ride,” now playing in theaters. Director Adele Lim made sure there were intimacy coordinators on set for one of the raunchiest scenes in “Joy Ride” — when Stephanie Hsu‘s character Kat reveals a massive genital tattoo of a devil. “Joy Ride,” the new raunchy R-rated comedy, stars Ashley Park as Audrey, a high-powered attorney who travels to China on business. Joining her on the trip are friends Lolo (Sherry Cola) and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). Hsu plays Audrey’s college friend, Kat, who is now a Chinese soap opera star. The four find themselves in various wild scenarios that include drugs, sex and basketball star Baron Davis.

“Joy Ride” Los Angeles PremiereRegency Village Theatre, WestwoodHitting the “Joy Ride” premiere was quite a jaunt for comedy lovers in L.A., as Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu brought some of her pals and costars to the center of Westwood for the fun. Joined by her fellow stars Ashley Park, Sabrina Wu and Sherry Cola, Hsu shared her thoughts about the profound impact she believes the movie will have, saying, “People of all backgrounds will get to associate themselves with this film.”Front and center were two of Hsu’s biggest fans, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the triple Oscar-winning team behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” along with “Joy Ride” creatives Adele Lim, Teresa Hsiao and Seth Rogen.

If you’re like me, there comes a moment of truth in raunchy film comedies when you decide whether to fully join in the fun — or ride it out on the fence.

“Joy Ride” opened to strong numbers at the box office from Thursday previews alone.

Lionsgate knew they had a winner when Adele Lim‘s “Joy Ride” had its world premiere at SXSW back in March. Critics loved it at the festival, but now it’s time to see how the raunchy road trip comedy fares with audiences and other critical voices as the film hits theaters today.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Sony’s “Insidious: The Red Door” scared up $5 million in Thursday night screenings, a strong start for the moderately-priced horror flick. It was also nearly enough to displace “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which made $5.2 million on the same day. Indy may still top the box office in its second weekend of release, but “Insidious: The Red Door” is proving to be more competitive than some thought. The latest installment in the long-running horror franchise is expected to net $25 million during its debut weekend. The weekend’s other major new release, Lionsgate and Point Grey’s “Joy Ride,” earned $1.1 million in Thursday previews. The R-rated comedy is expected to generate between $7 million to $9 million in its debut. “Joy Ride” is the feature directing debut of “Crazy Rich Asians” co-screenwriter Adele Lim. It’s the story of four friends who embark on a trip to help one member of their group find her birth mother. Raunchy detours ensue. Critics have praised “Joy Ride,” providing it with a 92% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu star in the film.

Adele Lim isn’t stopping to the haters’ level.

Comedy fans are anxiously awaiting the premiere of “Joy Ride”, the hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centring on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure, starring Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu.

Adele Lim made her directorial debut with “Joy Ride”, the new comedy feature produced by Point Grey Pictures, the production company launched by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” features some of the titular hero’s most loathsome enemies — the Nazis — and it was up to military adviser Paul Biddiss to train over 300 extras to ensure the film’s battle scenes looked authentic. This fifth installment of the franchise sees James Mangold direct Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. The year is 1969, and this time, Nazi scientist Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) is on a mission to seek out the Dial of Destiny, which he believes will “correct” Hitler’s mistakes. Fact, fiction and fascists are set against the backdrop of the space race as Voller aims to go back in time and kill Hitler, take over the Third Reich and lead Germany to victory.

but there aren't many that can top the film's foursome impersonating a K-pop band to bypass airport security after their passports are stolen. Directed and co-written by co-scribe Adele Lim, follows four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey's (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the help of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend-turned-Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo's eccentric cousin.

Awkwafina is stepping out to support the cast of Joy Ride!

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story includes minor spoilers for the upcoming R-rated comedy, “Joy Ride.” Stephanie Hsu wants people to know that her big naked reveal in “Joy Ride” is hilarious, but it’s not her. “It’s a body double. Let me be clear and let my mother know,” the Oscar-nominated actor told me Monday at the film’s Los Angeles premiere. “Joy Ride” is a raunchy R-rated comedy that stars Ashley Park as Audrey, a high-powered attorney who travels to China on business. Joining her on the trip are friends Lolo (Sherry Cola) and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). Hsu plays Audrey’s college friend, Kat, who is now a Chinese soap opera star. The four find themselves in various bonker scenarios that include drugs, sex and even basketball star Baron Davis.