- Social:
filmmaker
Writer and director who has a partnership with Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote several films.
PROFILE
Adam McKay
Guest
FROM Adam McKay
The Business
Adam McKay: The Big Short Writer-director Adam McKay was known for making Will Ferrell comedies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights before he took on the The Big Short , the complicated story behind the 2008 financial meltdown, based on a book of the same title by Michael Lewis. McKay’s decision to go in a pretty different direction has paid off in the form of five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. He tells us how he intentionally broke movie-making rules to create a film that defies genre, or possibly creates a new one: “traumedy.” McKay also explains how the star-studded cast of the The Big Short came together quickly and how the film ended up coming in under budget and with an earlier release date than originally planned. He says it was actually his idea to release it at the end of 2015, rather than 2016, which ended up putting the movie in awards contention.
The Treatment
Adam McKay: The Big Short "What if pop culture told us what we needed to know?" Director Adam McKay discusses the state of pop culture and economic oversights highlighted in The Big Short.
Which Way, L.A.?
How Filmmakers View Sony's Decision to Pull "The Interview" The government now says it's "99% certain" that the vast and sophisticated cyber attack against Sony Pictures was the work of North Korea. A subsequent threat to movie theaters led Sony to cancel tonight's premiere and the Christmas Day general release of The Interview . That's the dark comedy about the assassination of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. Now Paramount has cancelled scheduled screenings of Team America: World Police, which lampoons a North Korean dictator -- even though it's been playing since 2004. The question we pose to filmmaker Adam McKay is, "what's next?"
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
The Treatment
Kenya Barris: Black-ish Black-ish creator Kenya Barris joins Elvis Mitchell to discuss utilizing his show as a conversation starter.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?