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"Cinematography is the ultimate team sport," Adam Bricker tells Gold Derby after receiving two Emmy bids this year for Chef's Table and Hacks. Nominations morning was "insane" and "very special" to him, particularly as the former series is celebrating its 10th anniversary. "There are a lot of people that go into these things, and I'm just so happy that everyone's work has gotten out there and been appreciated."

The Chef's Table team celebrated four culinary superstars for its recent Legends season: Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Thomas Keller, and Alice Waters. This was a particularly fitting journey for Bricker, who has been with the show since the very beginning in 2015. "The show has changed my life," he readily admits. "We evolved not just as filmmakers, but also as people." The challenge of capturing these icons was a "daunting" task, but one he couldn't wait to take on.

Bricker, nominated specifically for the Oliver episode,...

The days may be getting longer, but the darkness still descends as the Vizio WatchFree+ team delivers this list of horror films available for free in July!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

Centuries-old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray and wreak havoc in the foreign land.

Cast: Gary Oldman (The Professional), Winona Ryder (Heathers), Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs)

Daniel Isn’t Real (dir. Adam Egypt Mortimer)

A troubled college freshman, Luke, suffers a violent family trauma. He then resurrects his charismatic childhood imaginary friend Daniel to help him cope, not realizing how dangerous Daniel is.

Cast: Miles Robbins (Halloween), Patrick Schwarzenegger (The White Lotus), Sasha Lane (Utopia)

Wish Upon (dir. John R. Leonetti)

A teenage girl discovers a box that carries magic powers and a deadly price for using them.

Cast: Joey King (Bullet Train...

The food documentary has become a television staple, a reliable format of sumptuous visuals and reverential profiles. For a decade, Chef’s Table has been a benchmark of the genre, and its anniversary season, Legends, does not deviate from the formula. It instead sharpens its focus on four figures whose reputations precede them: Thomas Keller, Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, and Alice Waters.

The series presents itself as a commemorative collection of portraits, examining the lives behind the lore. The program’s premise is that to understand their food, one must first understand their personal histories, the professional missteps, and the philosophical shifts that guided them.

The show operates with a quiet confidence, asserting that these are not just cooks; they are architects of contemporary food culture, and their stories are essential chapters in modern cuisine’s history. It sets out to chronicle how influence is built, one dish and one decision at a time.

Gold Derby recently gathered together four top TV documentary filmmakers to discuss their passion for nonfiction storytelling, the art of translating someone else's life to the screen, and what films and TV shows inspired them to embark on careers in Hollywood. Joining our Meet the Experts: TV Documentary and Nonfiction roundtable panel are Brats director Andrew McCarthy, Chef's Table directors David Gelb and Brian McGinn, and Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band director Thom Zimny.

Watch the full roundtable above. Click each person's name to watch an individual discussion.

"You just don't know what the hell is going to happen," says McCarthy, reflecting on the unpredictable nature of documentary filmmaking. He emphasizes the importance of adapting to unfolding realities. "I thought I would know where I wanted to go. Then, being able to see what is actually happening versus what I wanted to have happen — things were...

David Gelb and Brian McGinn revolutionized food storytelling with their Netflix series Chef's Table, launched in 2015. Inspired by Gelb's critically acclaimed 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Chef's Table has spent the past decade shining a spotlight on the world's most exceptional chefs. Beyond its core seasons, the series has expanded into unique breakout installments dedicated to barbecue, pizza, and noodles. This evolution continues with Chef's Table: Legends, a 2025 spin-off series that debuted on April 28. The four-part series honors a select group of iconic chefs whose pioneering work and global influence have reshaped modern gastronomy.

"Brian selected the chefs for the bulk of it — especially the Legends season," Gelb tells Gold Derby. "Brian is so steeped in chef lore. He knows every chef, every story. When it came to picking out legends he had a very specific agenda. We wanted to do something that was bigger than just being a successful chef.

The 10th-anniversary edition of Chef's Table premiered April 28 on Netflix, with a special Legends theme to celebrate iconic chefs and documentary subjects José Andrés, Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Jamie Oliver.

The four international tastemakers recently joined creator-executive producer David Gelb for an intimate FYC event at the Aster in Hollywood, in which they opened up about Chef's Table: Legends. Following the moderated conversation, Television Academy members enjoyed a reception that spotlighted the chefs' recipes:

Andrés: ham carving, taco station, soy chicharron and wasabi guacamole station, and liquid olives Waters: grazing table featuring assorted organic crudité and Chez Panisse green goddess dressing Keller: cornets of regiis ova ossetra caviar, and french onion soup with whipped cave aged gruyere Oliver: spring bruschetta with asparagus & ricotta, and rainbow tomato crostini

"What an incredible group of chefs to have in one place at the same time," noted Gelb. "The big question for myself and our team,...

Culinary legends united in Napa Valley May 1 to celebrate about 10 years of the Netflix series “Chef’s Table.” Topics of conversation ranged from everything including their personal inspirations, the dishes that put them on the map, and how they feel about corndogs. Chefs Thomas Keller, Jamie Oliver and Alice Waters were joined by David Gelb, the creator of “Chef’s Table” for an evening of clips, conversation and fine dining as part of the Reel Taste Film Awards, hosted by The Culinary Institute of America at Copia with the Napa Valley Film Festival.

All three chefs appear on the new season of “Chef’s Table: Legends,” now streaming on Netflix. Clips of the series were interspersed with a Q&a and the evening was topped off with a multi-course menu inspired by some of the chef’s most well-known dishes. At the end of the conversation, the chefs were jokingly asked if they...

Chef Jamie Oliver’s story, at least in terms of his rise to fame with “The Naked Chef,” is a story about filmmaking. He and the BBC Two documentary crew behind the series broke with the studio-based, locked down and orderly conventions of cooking shows to shoot Oliver a lot more in the style of a documentary — lots of handheld, verite footage and the sense, well before ring-lit YouTube tutorials and Twitch muckbangs, of cooking with a mate.

It’s a fitting detail to come up during Oliver’s episode of “Chef’s Table: Legends” because over the course of its 10 seasons, the Netflix series has itself reshaped the landscape of documentary food programming. “Chef’s Table” embraces a visual approach that owes more to narrative-style cinematography as it does to the conventions of documentary. The goal was to give every plate and the environment surrounding each subject the same visual intention...

To make it 10 years in a world that always feels hungry for the next big thing is no small feat. Chef’s Table, then, has much to celebrate as it enters its second decade of documenting the most interesting, innovative, and out-of-this-world chefs from all over the globe. Over the course of its lifetime, the docuseries has become the gold standard in foodie entertainment with hour-long, exhaustively detailed and sumptuously shot episodes about the culinary world’s brightest stars, including Massimo Bottura, Dominique Crenn, Francis Mallmann, Mashama Bailey, Evan Funke, and Asma Khan, to name a few.

Created by Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentarian David Gelb, Chef’s Table is an immersive experience that involves the show’s crew spending weeks with their subjects to get a close, inside look at the detailed workings of their kitchens. Think of it as the “slow food” of cooking shows, concerned with quality and care...

For a decade, the Emmy-nominated Chef’s Table docuseries has paid tribute to a diverse group of chefs, restaurants, and dishes that have all made an indelible mark on the world. Now in celebration of the franchise’s 10-year anniversary, Chef’s Table is back with a special season to highlight some of the most prominent culinary figures in food today.

On April 28, Chef’s Table: Legends, produced by David Gelb’s Planetarium and Boardwalk Pictures, will feature a star-studded lineup whose influence has transcended borders (and mediums) and inspired generations of cooks and food lovers alike. “They are icons that should need no introduction,” the Chef’s Table production team said. “And yet, we found ourselves alternately surprised and enthralled by the vulnerability, the intimacy, and the previously untold stories that they shared with us.”

Below, dig into what you need to know about this special installment of Chef’s Table.

The...

The 2025 Tribeca Festival has set its selection of shorts across narrative, documentary, animated works and music videos.

Expanded eligibility to projects previously screened in New York or online for out-of-competition consideration led to record submissions and 93 short films this year, a high among major fests.

The music video lineup curated by Sharon Badal, spans the world premiere of Kid Cudi’s new short film Neverland, directed by Ti West and produced by Monkeypaw Productions; Rock the Bells from LL Cool J; Jack White’s That’s How I’m Feeling; and Madame President by Grace Bowers.

Tribeca, which runs June 4–15 in NYC, is also deepening its investment in shorts by introducing the inaugural Shorts Cinema screening room at its Spring Studios festival hub to allow more filmmakers and fans to discover the next generation of independent film, where shorts are often a first stop.

“This year we received a staggering number of short submissions,...

The 2025 Tribeca Festival, presented by Okx, has unveiled its short films lineup — including a reunion between “X” actor Kid Cudi and director Ti West. This year’s music-centric Tribeca Festival includes features from Miley Cyrus, Billy Joel, and more. On the shorts side, Cudi and West collaborated on the music video “Neverland,” with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions producing.

The 2025 Tribeca Festival will take place June 4-15 in New York City. In total, the festival will premiere 93 short films. The 2025 Tribeca Shorts program also broke its own records for submissions due to an expanded eligibility to include projects previously screened in New York or online for out-of-competition consideration.

The festival is additionally introducing an inaugural Shorts Cinema at Spring Studios dedicated to screening only the programmed shorts. The Shorts Cinema and Storytelling Summit will take place on the same floor at Spring Studios.

The programming ranges from narrative shorts to documentary shorts,...

The Culinary Institute of America at Copia has launched the Reel Taste Film Awards in partnership with the Napa Valley Film Festival, honoring films that illustrate the relationship between culture, art and food.

The awards events will include filmmaker panel discussions, immersive dining experiences, and cooking and beverage classes.

The series kicks off May 1 with a tribute to David Gelb, creator of Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” with a panel featuring renowned chefs Thomas Keller, Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver, featured in the “Chef’s Table: Legends.” Also featured are a tribute to Gelb’s documentary “Jiro Dreams of. Sushi” and an award for Oliver and Simon English, directors of documentary “Feeding Tomorrow.”

“We are proud to launch this annual event to bring attention to the very best in culinary storytelling and welcome these amazing films and filmmakers into our freshman class,” said Thomas Bensel, managing director for the CIA’s California campuses.

Netflix has released the trailer and key art for Chef’s Table: Legends, which will pay tribute to the culinary icons who have helped shape the modern world of food. The four-episode season will launch on April 28.

This season, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Chef’s Table franchise, will feature a lineup of legendary celebrity chefs whose influence has transcended borders (and mediums) and inspired generations of cooks and food lovers alike.

The featured chefs include Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Thomas Keller, and Alice Waters. The series is directed by David Gelb, Clay Jeter, and Brian McGinn.

Chef’s Table: Legends is executive produced by David Gelb, Brian McGinn, Andrew Fried, and Danny O’Malley. The production companies include David Gelb’s Planetarium and Boardwalk Pictures.

“Ten years ago, Chef’s Table set out to tell the deeply personal stories behind the world’s most visionary chefs. We wanted to...

It’s Anya Taylor-Joy’s world. We are just living in it. Her latest film, The Gorge, recently became Apple TV+’s biggest launch. The streaming giant doesn’t normally disclose specific numbers, but exceptions tend to be made for Number 1, which was the case with the new flick. A recent report by Deadline reveals that the film has driven double-digit growth globally for the streaming service and boosted new viewership figures by over 80% since its debut on Friday, February 14. Impressive!

Taylor-Joy has been on a roll in the 2020s, wowing fans with her performances in Peaky Blinders, The Northman, Amsterdam, Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. She also did excellent work on The Menu, a movie that continues to soar, two years after its release. In February, the black comedy horror hit Netflix’s Top 10 chart in U.S., proving that quality never goes out of fashion.

‘American Horror Stories’ delivers five uniquely alarming tales of terror that tackle liminal spaces, clones, Leprechauns, and more.

“You know, we invented hell.”

There was a lot of promise in American Horror Stories — an episodic anthology horror series — when it was first announced as a companion piece to American Horror Story proper. American Horror Stories’ first season was a lackluster effort that oddly felt compelled to needlessly connect its stories to American Horror Story. The second season worked out many of these kinks and, while still imperfect, there are some genuine gems in the mix, like the Twilight Zone-aping “Facelift.” The third season was an even greater improvement that arguably didn’t have any duds in the mix. More importantly, American Horror Stories seemed to finally find the right rhythm and creative team to do this series justice. Additionally, Season 3 eclipsed the modern seasons of American Horror Story and felt...

Netflix is once again setting a place at the Chef’s Table.

The sumptuously filmed culinary documentary will launch two new installments later this year, with a third due in 2025. First up is a spinoff titled Chef’s Table: Noodles, which will profile four chefs — L.A.’s Evan Funke, the U.K. and China-based Guirong Wei, Italian Peppe Guida and rising star Nite Yun of Oakland, California — who are renowned for their mastery of the title ingredient. It’s set to premiere Oct. 2.

A seventh season of the main series will follow on Nov. 27, focusing on chefs Nok Suntaranon of Philadelphia, Kwame Onwuachi in New York, Ángel León in Spain and Mexico City’s Norma Listman and Saqib Keval. Next year, Netflix will stream Chef’s Table: Legends, which “pay tribute to the culinary legends who have shaped the modern world of food as we know it.” Legends will coincide...

New episodes of Chef’s Table are coming to Netflix.

The streamer is serving up three additional seasons, beginning with Chef’s Table: Noodles on October. 2

That iteration will explore the rich and diverse world of noodles through the eyes of four masterful chefs, taking a deep dive into both traditional and innovative techniques.

A trailer released Wednesday for Noodles, which is embedded above, gives a glimpse at four of the chefs whose skills will be featured throughout, including:

Evan Funke – Renowned for his dedication to the craft of handmade pasta, Funke brings the vibrant flavors of Italian cuisine to life. Guirong Wei – A pioneer of Shaanxi cuisine in the UK, Wei’s noodle dishes are a perfect blend of bold flavors and meticulous technique. Peppe Guida (Italy) – Celebrated for his simple yet delicious approach to cooking with dried pasta, Guida’s dishes showcase the...

A subject’s charm can take a documentary a long way. That’s the case in Matt Tyrnauer’s latest project, Nobu, a glowing portrait of Nobu Matsuhisa. The Japanese chef is best known for his empire of luxury sushi restaurants (and more recently, hotels), where guests can experience his medley of dishes inspired by his Japanese roots and early foray into Peruvian cuisine. In Nobu, based on Matsuhisa’s memoir of the same name, Tyrnauer (also in Telluride this year with Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid) anchors the global phenom’s name to a personality.

Nobu is a straightforward and admiring portrait of its subject. The film will likely appeal to fans of the chef (especially since this year marks the 30th anniversary of the first Nobu restaurant), but it may not completely satiate the culinary-curious. Less process-oriented and more wide-ranging than David Gelb’s glossy doc Jiro Dreams of Sushi,...

One day, while watching the BBC documentary Planet Earth, director David Gelb had an idea for what he wanted to be his first feature film: a documentary featuring several sushi chefs, showcasing the artistic aspects of the sushi-making process. In 2010, while researching several restaurants for the project, then nicknamed Planet Sushi, he came across a small, 10-seat restaurant that didn't have any entrées or dishes other than sushi located inside a train station. What he found inside completely changed the film he had planned, and instead became Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a heartfelt documentary on the life of then 85-year-old Jiro Ono, a Japanese chef and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, the first sushi restaurant in the world to receive three stars from the Michelin Guide.

Donald Glover is a multitalented artist with a successful music career, acting roles, multiple awards, and a high bar for industry excellence. Despite his success, Glover has appeared in films with mixed reviews like "The Lazarus Effect" and "Solo: A Star Wars Story". Standout projects include "Atlanta", his magnum opus, and his recent show "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", highlighting his enjoyable role and chemistry with Maya Erskine.

Donald Glover is a modern Renaissance man, recognized as a multi-talented artist with performances in several fantastic movies and shows under his belt. Aside from acting, Donald Glover is known best for his music career under the stage name Childish Gambino. He's written and directed for fantastic TV shows, starred in blockbuster movies, and is considered a successful comedian. In terms of career versatility in the entertainment industry, Glover sets a high bar for excellence across several mediums.

Donald Glover began his career...

There’s a scene in the 2010 film Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts’s character Liz basks in the experience of eating a guilt-free pizza. It was an important character moment for her–and for many audience members. And whatever your specific dietary preferences or requirements may be, we hope that you’ll enjoy whatever your guilt-free “pizza moment” is this Thanksgiving, surrounded by friends and family (chosen or otherwise.)

Food, of course, has played as major a role in cinema as any other basic human biological function, from the sprawling bowls of pasta in the works of Martin Scorsese, to the last decade’s trend of thoughtfully investigative health-leaning food docs such as Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives. Today, though, we’re leaving the scare-mongering at the kids’ table and indulging in some seriously calorie-dense, celebratory depictions of food on film.

So cinch up that lobster bib and...

The Hulu series The 1619 Project and the Showtime feature Nothing Lasts Forever scored a leading three nominations apiece today as the Cinema Eye Honors announced its first round of contenders for the prestigious documentary-focused awards.

The 1619 Project, based on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of slavery in North America and its impact up until the present day, earned nominations for Best Anthology Series, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Oprah Winfrey, Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams and Hannah-Jones are among the producers of the six-part series.

‘Nothing Lasts Forever’

Nothing Lasts Forever, director Jason Kohn’s glittering examination of the world of diamonds – the real kind and the emergence of undetectable “synthetic” diamonds – earned nominations for Best Broadcast Film, broadcast editing and broadcast cinematography. Scroll for the full list of nominations announced today.

Other films and series that scored multiple nominations include Hulu’s Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields...

Hulu’s “The 1619 Project” and Showtime’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” lead all broadcast documentaries in nominations for the 17th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were announced on Thursday during the Cinema Eye Fall Lunch at Redbird in downtown Los Angeles.

Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.

Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”

Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.

Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...

Ask any person on the street if they are at least somewhat familiar with comic book legend Stan Lee, and almost always the answer will be a resounding yes.

Lee has become such an icon in not just the world of superheroes, but in just popular culture as a whole. The man has helped create some of the most iconic characters in all of fiction, so naturally, considering the legacy that Lee has left on the world since his passing, it only makes sense for a documentary to be made about his life. However, while I’m sure that a great, honest and detailed documentary about Lee will exist at some point in my lifetime, this is certainly not that.

Regardless of my personal feelings about how this film approached its subject matter, it should be said that this is not a poorly-made documentary. The film is directed by David Gelb,...

Roy Thomas was hired by Stan Lee in 1965 and succeeded him as Marvel editor-in-chief in 1972 when Lee became the publisher. Here, Thomas examines Stan Lee, the new documentary on Disney+ that has sparked debate over who deserves primary credit for the success of the Marvel Universe and its heroes — Lee or close collaborators such as artists Jack Kirby, whose son Neil has expressed disappointment in the documentary’s sidelining of his father’s contributions.

“Stan Lee was his own greatest creation.”

That’s a line that’s often tossed around these days — the more so since Stan died in late 2018 and isn’t around to respond in person to it — and there’s an argument to be made for it, as anyone who watches the new David Gelb documentary Stan Lee, now streaming on Disney+, can testify.

After all, a young Stanley Martin Lieber (though around age 18, not 16 as he...

Stan Lee narrates his own amazing life story in a fun and creatively produced documentary that purposely skirts controversy. Director David Gelb celebrates the 100th anniversary of Lee's birth with a breezy retrospective of an extraordinary man. Models, animation, audio recordings, and extensive archival footage are used to paint a wholesome picture of a beloved cultural icon. Lee takes you from his impoverished childhood through the decades of building Marvel Comics to a household brand. It's a Wikipedia approach that doesn't delve too deep but gives an adequate and enjoyable summary of greatness.

Stan Lee appears with his mustache, dark glasses, and warm, fatherly smile. He recounts staring at a fly crawling on the wall as a boy. He imagined a hero with incredible powers but not unlike the average person. They would need a job, pay bills, and deal with everyday stress. Lee wanted stories for the real world.

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film reviews for the new biography documentaries “Stan Lee,” an overview of the Marvel Universe creator (on Disney+ since June 16th) and baseballer “Yogi Berra It Ain’t Over” (currently in select theaters and available for digital download).

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Stan Lee was born Stanley Lieber in New York City way back in 1922, and as a teenager accidentally became a writer at Timely Comics, a small rival to Superman’s National Comics in the late 1930s. Because World War 2 was on … which Stan would eventually serve in for one of the great stories in the doc … the boy wonder rose to editor at the tender age of 17. Post the war he would cement his legacy, convince the publishers to change the company to Marvel in the early 1960s, and began a revolution – with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko – that would become the Marvel Universe.

Last week, I was rewatching Spider-man: Into The Spiderverse (2018) before going for the sequel. When the mandatory Stan Lee cameo scene appeared, my immediate thought was how I was going to miss seeing the man doing his thing for one minute while watching Across The Spiderverse. For a lot of people around the world, Stan Lee used to be the goofy old guy who cameoed in every single Marvel movie until his death back in December 2018. He made one posthumous appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019), but even after that, the MCU managed to find creative ways to pay tribute to Lee in many of their projects.

Lee’s legacy goes far beyond the MCU, of course. It’s safe to say that the man will forever be remembered as the person who made Marvel Comics what it is. A documentary on the man’s life was long-time due, and we finally have it,...

Stan Lee’s legendary career as a Marvel Comics writer is the subject of a glowing new documentary produced by the company that now owns his most iconic characters. “Stan Lee” began streaming on Disney+ on Friday following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and diehard Marvel fans have praised David Gelb’s film for paying tribute to a man who is synonymous with comic books. But others have criticized the film for oversimplifying a nuanced story.

Neal Kirby, the son of Lee’s longtime partner Jack Kirby, took to his daughter’s Twitter account on Saturday to release a statement condemning what he sees as the film’s omission of his father’s contributions. While Lee and Kirby are credited as co-creating most of their iconic characters, comic industry observers have long wondered if Lee’s media persona led to him getting a larger share of the credit than he deserved.

The new Disney+ documentary, “Stan Lee,” was brought to task Saturday by Neal Kirby, son of revered comics creator Jack Kirby, who slammed the bio-doc as the latest in Lee’s “over 35 years of uncontested publicity.”

Raising questions about creator credit for much of his father’s work at Marvel — credit that for years has fallen to Lee, particularly in the public eye — Kirby shared a series of messages via his daughter Jillian’s Twitter account to express his continued frustration with Lee’s ubiquity as the mind behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Also Read:

‘Stan Lee’ Review: Marvel Pays Tribute to Its Comic Book Legend

“If you were to look at a list and timeline of Marvel’s characters from 1960 through 1966, the period in which the vast majority of Marvel’s major characters were created during Lee’s tenure, you will see Lee’s name as a cocreator on every character,...

Following the release of the all-new documentary Stan Lee on Disney+, a statement has been released from the family of late Marvel artist Jack Kirby condemning the film for pushing a false narrative. Directed by David Gelb, the documentary utilizes Lee's voice to tell the Marvel personality's story through his own words. As Lee has been credited with co-creating many of Marvel's most popular and enduring superheroes, it's obviously quite the story, but according to Kirby's son, Neal Kirby, it's far from the truth.

On Twitter, Jack Kirby's granddaughter Jillian shared a statement that was written by Neal. The lengthy statement accuses Lee of having an "ego" who would routinely take the credit for the work of others, perhaps most notably with Kirby. There seems to be some clear frustration that even in death, Lee continues to take the majority of the credit for creating characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.

Food documentaries have the benefit of universality; even when they're about a cuisine that is incredibly niche, they are accessible to almost everyone. Everybody understands and has a relationship with food, whether or good or bad or a mixture of both. In the artful and delicate Jiro Dreams of Sushi from 2011, directed by David Gelb, food is the lens through which the film explores obsession, family dynamics, the ceaseless desire for perfection, craftsmanship, and the importance of embracing one's culture. The film's subject is one of the world's greatest sushi chefs, Jiro Ono, an eighty-five-year-old artisan who believes in achieving culinary perfection. Jiro's identity is deeply informed by his work. He is a man who has devoted himself greater than himself at the expense of everything and everyone around him.

Face front, true believers! Here’s an interesting lil’ tidbit about the current cinema landscape. Just who has been the major part of several huge box office hits over the last fifteen years? Well, we’re not talking about an actor, or a filmmaker, or a studio exec. Oh, and he left the planet almost five years ago. Okay, you got it, I’m talking about the comic book writing superstar who co-created almost the entire staple of Marvel superheroes. And he became a fun bit of business in the screen adaptations of those characters by popping up in brief cameo roles (I made it a game with my nephews to nudge me when he flashed that big grin). He’s been profiled by several TV newsmagazine shows and mini-bios, but now he’s getting the full feature-length documentary treatment with the simply titled Stan Lee. Excelsior!

After a brief...

“Stan Lee” — a documentary on the man who, along with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, created Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and many other iconic Marvel characters —

selectively focuses on the comic book legend’s career and, to a much lesser extent, his personal life, pruning considerable information about his other ventures and legal disputes as seen on Wikipedia. It’s co-produced by Marvel Studios, so the film, which receives its world premiere at Tribeca Festival and streams on Disney Plus on June 16, expectedly sings his praises.

Lee himself posthumously supplies the first-person voiceover narration, albeit indirectly through various archival interviews and speeches given over the years, which filmmaker David Gelb (“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”) has carefully spliced together based on the chronology of seminal events in his lifetime. To illustrate the narration, Gelb has employed conventional archival footage and photos as well as not-so-conventional comic strips and clay figures.

There’s a moment in “Stan Lee,” David Gelb’s lively and illuminating documentary about the visionary of Marvel Comics, that’s momentous enough to give you a tingle. The year is 1961, and Lee, approaching 40, is burnt out on comics. It’s a form he has never taken all that seriously, even though he’s been working at it since 1939, when he started, at 17, as a gofer for Timely Comics. The comics he creates get so little respect that he tries to hide his profession when asked about it at cocktail parties.

In 1961, though, Lee receives a directive from Martin Goodman, the publisher of the company that’s about to be renamed Marvel. He is ordered to devise a team of superheroes that can compete with DC’s Justice League (who have become the fulcrum of the so-called Silver Age of Comics). Lee, weary of superheroes, is ready to quit the business.

A man who lives alone in spartan accommodation, sticking to the same daily routine, devoting himself to his job and barely speaking to anyone? Cinema has taught us that he is bound to be an assassin, a spy, a fugitive or a potential mass murderer. But in Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” which premiered in the Main Competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, he is a modest toilet cleaner – and this gentle, philosophical character study is all the more mesmeric for it.

The 77-year-old director’s fictional work has been overshadowed by his documentaries lately, but his new film, a fictional work which sometimes resembles a documentary, is a significant return to form for the director who won the Palme d’Or in 1984 for “Paris, Texas.” It begins by introducing us to the middle-aged Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) as he wakes up alone in his small flat. Once he’s cleaned his teeth,...

The man, the characters, the cameos… the catchphrase. Yes, Stan "Excelsior!" Lee is the subject of another documentary, this time a big-scale Disney+ effort. And the doc is headed to the streaming service this summer.

Directed by David Gelb, the documentary chronicles Lee's fascinating life and his time with Marvel including as co-creator of such legendary characters as Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Thor, Silver Surfer, Ant-Man, Nick Fury and hundreds more. A new poster for the documentary is below.

Following a premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, the documentary will be available on Disney+ from 16 June.

New documentaries about Biz Markie and Milli Vanilli are among the films set to screen at 2023 Tribeca Festival, which takes place June 7 through 18 in New York City.

The Sacha Jenkins-directed All Up in the Biz, a documentary on the late New York hip-hop legend Biz Markie — featuring celebrity interviews, rare film, reenactments, and animation — will get its world premiere at Tribeca. Milli Vanilli also makes its world premiere. Directed by Luke Korem, the film traces the origins and downfall of singers Rob & Fab.

Other music-oriented documentaries include the Jake Sumner-directed Ron Delsener Presents,...

The 2023 Tribeca Festival feature film lineup has been unveiled.

This year’s festival takes place June 7 — 18 and includes a range of feature narrative, documentary, and animated films. The 2023 Tribeca Festival launches 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries, with 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere, and six New York premieres.

There are 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. A total of 41 percent of all feature films are directed by women and, for the first time, more than half of competition feature films are directed by women at 68 percent. Additionally, 36 percent of feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers, including two Indigenous filmmakers.

This season, it’s all about the actor-director, with films from a slew of A-list stars behind the camera. Highlights include the world premieres of Chelsea Peretti’s meta-comedy “First Time Female Director” and John Slattery’s...

Tribeca Festival has announced the lineup of its 2023 festival, which includes new films from actors Chelsea Peretti and David Duchovny and documentaries about Rock Hudson and news anchor Dan Rather.

This year’s event, which takes place from June 7-18, will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres.

Among the lineup, there are offerings from 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. For the first time, more than half of feature films in competition (68%) are directed by women, while 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women. Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.

This year’s festival also spotlights a number of films directed by actors, such as “First Time Female Director” by Peretti; “Maggie Moore(s)” by...

The 22nd edition of the Tribeca Festival unveiled a 2023 lineup with a record number of female helmers and heavy on films directed by actors like Chelsea Peretti’s First Time Female Director, John Slattery thriller Maggie Moore(s) with Tina Fey and Jon Hamm, David Duchovny’s Bucky F*cking Dent and Steve Buscemi’s The Listener.

Marvel also screens its first original documentary, Stan Lee by David Gelb, as the fest unspools June 7-18 in New York City. Also making an appearance: Downtown Owl by Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater, and Eric Larue by Michael Shannon.

In all, 109 feature, narrative, documentary and animated films from 127 directors across 36 countries will showcase emerging and household names.

Tribeca is expanding its Midnight offering this year, and will also present its second annual Human/Nature award for environmental storytelling to world-premiering Common Ground by Rebecca and Josh Tickell.

Related music and live events...

Exclusive: Hiro Murai and his producing partner Nate Matteson, who have exec produced series including HBO Max’s Station Eleven and FX’s The Bear, are parting ways.

Deadline understands that the parting of ways is amicable but the pair decided to strike out on their own. It comes four years after the launch of Super Frog Films.

We hear that former 42 exec Claudia Shin, who joined Super Frog in 2021 as VP of Film and Television, will continue to work with Murai to develop and produce projects. Murai and Matteson also have a development slate that they’ll both continue to support. Murai struck a first-look deal with FX in 2020.

The pair also produced The Choe Show for FX.

Filmmaker Murai is best known for his work on Donald Glover’s Atlanta, where he has directed over 25 episodes of the FX comedy. He also directed episodes of Station Eleven as well as episodes of Snowfall,...

Warning: This article contains significant spoilers for “The Menu”

Like the final dish in a multi-course meal, the end of a movie can either leave a bad taste in your mouth or send you home feeling nice and full.

“The Menu,” which stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult as a couple that dines at the mercy of a world-renowned chef (Ralph Fiennes), combines both structures: the film unfolds over the length of a single day, each painstakingly-prepared course signaling a new chapter in the story.

Though the guest list is exactly what you’d expect of a private island restaurant that charges more than a thousand bucks per head, the same cannot be said of the meal. With each dish, Chef Slowik lifts a cloche on a new condemnation of the privileged sycophants who have come to feast on his food. What begins as a mockery quickly devolves into a series of violent spectacles,...

The sixth season of Paramount+ original series “Seal Team” has a new official trailer ahead of its September 18 premiere. Produced by CBS Studios, the series will debut episodes of its ten-episode season weekly on Sundays on Paramount+.

The show stars David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Neil Brown, Jr., A.J. Buckley, Toni Trucks and Raffi Barsoumian. The military drama follows the professional and personal lives of an elite unit of Navy SEALs, who are often deployed on missions worldwide at a moment’s notice.

“Seal Team” is produced by CBS Studios and executive produced by Spencer Hudnut, Christopher Chulack, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Mark Owen and David Boreanaz. The series is distributed worldwide by Paramount Global Content Distribution. Watch the full trailer below.

Also in today’s TV news:

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The CNN Originals hub on Discovery+ debuted today in the United States giving subscribers access to a library of CNN content from...

On a recent Sunday morning, lines to get into Spago Beverly Hills ran around the block, from Canon Drive onto Clifton Way. Crowds at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant aren’t unusual – in fact, they’re commonplace – but this was an unusual occasion: an opportunity to hear from the chef about the Emmy-contending documentary Wolfgang, directed by David Gelb, and the tantalizing prospect of sampling Spago cuisine.

Before almond-encrusted salmon, wienerschnitzel, succotash, creamy mashed potatoes and other savory dishes were served, Puck spoke of his decision to open up for the Disney+ documentary. He said he was inspired to say yes after watching Gelb’s 2011 film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, about the famed Japanese chef and restaurateur Jiro Ono. Jiro has become a classic of the culinary documentary genre.

“I thought it was really amazing,” Puck told the audience, noting “how wonderful [David] told the story. And making a movie is always about telling a great story.

Exclusive: 1091 Pictures has scooped digital rights to actor Dante Basco’s (Hook) directorial debut, The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, with plans for a release across platforms on February 8, 2022.

Pic follows four brothers as their Fil-Am family prepares for the ultimate Filipino event: a wedding. It’s comprised of four vignettes, ranging in location from Northern California to The Philippiness, which feature everything from cockfights and adultery to romance, food and family.

Dante Basco and his brother Darion co-wrote the film, which made its world premiere at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Together, they star alongside their entire family, including brothers Derek and Dionysio, and sister Arianna, with Solenn Heussaff, Tirso Cruz III, Liza Lapira, Joe Jitsukawa and Joey Guilla rounding out the cast.

The film was produced in collaboration with LA-based management and production company, TheMachine. In celebration of its release, Dante Basco and his co-stars will soon be going on tour,...

Cinema Napa Valley announced the lineup of filmmaker tributes taking place virtually at this year’s Napa Valley Film Festival from Nov. 10-14. Video tributes will play following screenings of the honorees’ work and include conversations with them.

This year, in addition to the annual Napa Valley Filmmaker Awards, the festival will debut a new series of Culinary Cinema Awards honoring achievements in storytelling devoted to food, wine, and spirits. Across both categories, the 2021 honorees include Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Harvey Keitel, Marlee Matlin, Odessa Young, David Gelb, Phil Rosenthal and Jon Taffer. Each honoree will be presented with a special bottle of wine from a festival sponsor.

“Our tributes highlight those that share an unabashed passion for cinema in many forms throughout their careers,” said Cinema Napa Valley chairman Rick Garber. “We recognize and acknowledge not only their personal accomplishments and critical thinking, but also their career achievements. We embrace their artistic vision,...

On Wednesday, Disney+ announced three new film projects from Pixar Animation Studios’ SparkShorts Program, which will debut on the streamer in September.

Two of the films are shorts: Director Aphton Corbin’s Twenty Something, and director Louis Gonzales’ Nona. The third, A Spark Story, is a feature-length documentary from directors Jason Sterman and Leanne Dare.

Created using hand-drawn animation, Twenty Something examines the challenges and insecurities of ‘adulting.’ Some days you’re nailing it, while other days, you’re just a stack of kids hiding in a trench coat, hoping no one notices. The film’s protagonist is Gia, who finds herself in this exact scenario the night of her 21st birthday. Twenty Something is produced by Erik Langley and will debut on Disney+ on September 10.

Nona centers on a grandmother who plans to spend her day off by shutting out the world to watch her favorite TV show, E.

Photo: ‘Wolfgang'/Disney+ Anyone who has ever been to any of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants knows how special of a dining experience the celebrity chef has curated with his talent and years of experience. Now, a new documentary on Disney +, ‘Wolfgang’ explores the man behind the chic restaurants, casual but elegant cafes, TV appearances, and frozen pizza and food brands. It’s an eye-opener for sure, before watching I had no idea the monumental impact Puck has had on America’s conception of the “celebrity chef.” Related article: ‘In the Heights’ – Behind the Scenes and Full Commentary/Reactions from Cast & Crew Related article: A Tribute to Cannes Film Festival: A Celebration of Cinema, Glamour, and Humanity | Statement From The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase 'Wolfgang' Painting him as the founder and the innovator of such a concept and persona, director David Gelb’s film is also a bit unintentionally perhaps,...