Entertainment
Hiro Murai drops the cocky confidence and cool gadgets to take on the spy genre
“Do you want to kiss me? Not as dogs this time, just actually…” That’s Maya Erskine as Jane, who’s ready to renege on the “no romance” agreement made earlier with her faux-husband, John (Donald Glover), in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” But that was before the semi-amateur spies accidentally killed John Turturro’s billionaire character after he subjected them to his dog fornication fetish. Now, Jane and John forget their platonic vow and go for it, silhouetted against a candy-colored TV cartoon blaring zanily in the background.
It’s an inventive piece of staging from Hiro Murai, Emmy nominated for directing the pilot of Prime Video’s “Mr & Mrs. Smith.” (Murai also earned nominations as an executive producer of both “Smith” and “The Bear.”)
Speaking from his Silver Lake home, the USC-educated filmmaker, whose previous Glover collaborations include “Atlanta” and the Childish Gambino music video “This Is America,” talks about mastering the sad comedy/funny drama TV space to build a millennial-friendly take on what it means to be a spy in 2024. (He also explains what happens when a spy cat goes rogue.)
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” officially a drama, has a lot of comedy. Do you like to mix and match when it comes to tone?
What I think is most interesting in a TV show is the in-between-ness of genres, so I’m very mindful of subverting expectations in anything we make. For “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” the expectation going in is probably the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie high-octane popcorn movie. We tried to figure out, “How do we take what is inherently unrelatable about the spy genre and make it, you know, something you can hold?” Me, Fran [co-creator Francesca Sloane], Donald, Maya — we’re all kind of the same age, so we have a similar point of view on millennial adulthood and what being coupled up feels like at our age. In that way, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” became a study of modern intimacy.
Seeing the classic spy genre as unrelatable because …
Because I think the spy genre is a sort of wish fulfillment about highly capable people who are equipped with gadgets and conduct themselves effortlessly. My experience of adulthood is not that. It’s a very effortful affair. [Laughing.] The core crux of our show became, “OK, you’re cosplaying as capable adults, but really you’re insecure and pretending to be something you’re not.”
“The core crux of our show became, ‘OK, you’re cosplaying as capable adults, but really you’re insecure and pretending to be something you’re not,’” says Hiro Murai.
(David Lee/Prime Video)
How did you configure the visual language for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”?
It’s a story about two lonely strangers forced into a marriage and occupying this big brownstone mansion, so the image that immediately came to us was two cats trying to sniff each other out in the same house. I naturally gravitated to [framing] John and Jane as small figures inside this opulent, cold space where the only place they can find human connection is with each other. Especially in the pilot, it’s a subtle game of push and pull where our characters are trying to get closer while not revealing themselves too much.
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” includes a mission for each episode, but there are no real villains, no visible boss, no higher cause. Why was that kind of plot left out?
Much of the fun, for me, was to show how little John and Jane know about their job. Who’s ordering them around? Why? Fran and I talked early on about this Japanese show we like called “Terrace House,” about people moving into an empty house. We realized the whole conceit for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” almost feels like a reality show. John and Jane have been randomly selected; they have no idea why they’re doing what they’re being asked to do, they’re probably being observed — there’s something scary and absurd about their living situation, so it just felt right to lean into the paranoia and limit our characters’ understanding of what’s happening to them.
And then there’s the cat, “Max,” who shows up in the first episode and almost makes it to the end. Were you working with a well-trained cat-actor?
[laughing]. It’s never easy because animals don’t know they’re in a TV show. One time the cat escaped and ran underneath our set, so we were basically shut down for an hour while the animal wrangler crawled around trying to find him. [Guest stars] Paul Dano and John Turturro were both there that day, so we all just sat in the living room set listening to scratching [sounds] underneath.
How did it feel when you wrapped production on Season 1?
It was gratifying because, initially, we didn’t really know what the outcome was going to look like. We knew the people involved were interesting and we knew the spy genre wants to be snappy, where they say all the right things at the right time. Part of the prompt for us was to find two bumbling “normies” in this world and show a clumsy reality to the way John and Jane interact, which seems more meander-y and less presentational. To see this elaborate experiment play out with collaborators you trust — I feel very fortunate.
Entertainment
Stagecoach 2026: How to watch Friday’s livestream with Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman
Choosin’ to stay home instead of trekking out to Indio for this weekend’s Stagecoach festival? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to listen to all the country music your heart desires. You can get your country heartbreak on with Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman and Cody Johnson, and then rock out with Counting Crows. If you prefer EDM, you can catch Diplo and Dillstradamus (Dillon Francis and Flosstradamus) as Friday’s closing acts.
The festival will be livestreamed on Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch beginning at 3 p.m. On Sirius XM’s The Highway (channel 56), you can listen to exclusive interviews and live performances along with a special edition of the Music Row Happy Hour. The station Y’Allternative will also be covering the festival on Friday evening.
Here are updated set times for the Stagecoach livestream Friday performances (times presented are PDT):
Channel 1
3:05 p.m. Noah Rinker; 3:25 p.m.; Adrien Nunez; 4 p.m. Ole 60; 4:25 p.m. Avery Anna; 5 p.m. Chase Rice; 5:55 p.m. Nate Smith; 6:50 p.m. Ella Langeley; 7:50 p.m. Bailey Zimmerman; 8:55 p.m. the Red Clay Strays; 10 p.m. Cody Johnson; 11:30 p.m. Diplo
Channel 2
3:05 p.m. Neon Union; 3:25 p.m. Larkin Poe; 4 p.m. Marcus King Band; 4:50 p.m. Lyle Lovett; 5:35 p.m. BigXthaPlug; 6:30 p.m. Noah Cyrus; 7 p.m. Wynonna Judd; 8 p.m. Counting Crows; 8:50 p.m. Sam Barber; 10 p.m. Dan + Shay; 10:45 p.m. Diplo featuring Juicy J; 11:05 p.m. Rebecca Black; 11:45 p.m. Dillstradamus
Sirius XM Music Row Happy Hour
1 p.m. Avery Anna; 2 p.m. Nate Smith; 2:30 p.m. Josh Ross; 3 p.m. Cody Johnson; 3:30 p.m. Gabriella Rose; 5:15 p.m. Nate Smith; 7:50 p.m. Bailey Zimmerman; 9:30 p.m. Cody Johnson; 11 p.m. Diplo
Sirius XM Y’Allternative
5 p.m. Ole 60; 6 p.m. Larkin Poe; 7 p.m. Marcus King Band; 8 p.m. Sam Barber
Movie Reviews
Movie Review: The Mortuary Assistant – HorrorFuel.com: Reviews, Ratings and Where to Watch the Best Horror Movies & TV Shows
Forget the “video game movie” curse; The Mortuary Assistant is a bone-chilling triumph that stands entirely on its own two feet. Starring Willa Holland (Arrow) as Rebecca Owens, the film follows a newly certified mortician whose “overtime shift” quickly devolves into a grueling battle for her soul.
What Makes It Work
The film expertly balances the stomach-churning procedural work of embalming with a spiraling demonic nightmare. Alongside a mysterious mentor played by Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire), Rebecca is forced to confront both ancient evils and her own buried traumas. And boy, does she have a lot of them.
Thanks to a full-scale, practical River Fields Mortuary set, the film drips with realism, like you can almost smell the rot and bloat of the bodies through the screen.
The skin effects are hauntingly accurate. The way the flesh moves during surgical scenes is so visceral. I’ve seen a lot of flesh wounds in horror films and in real life, and the bodies, skin, and organs. The Mortuary Assistant (especially in the opening scene) looks so real that I skipped supper after watching it. And that’s saying something. Your girl likes to eat.
Co-written by the game’s creator, Brian Clarke, the movie dives deeper into the demonic mythology. Whether you’ve seen every ending or don’t know a scalpel from a trocar, the story is perfectly self-contained. If you’ve never played the game, or played it a hundred times, the film works equally well, which is hard to do when it comes to game adaptations.
Nailed It
This film does a lot of things right, but the isolation of the night shift is suffocating. Between the darkness of the hallways and the “residents” that refuse to stay still, the film delivers a relentlessly immersive experience. And thankfully, although this movie is filled with dark rooms and shadows, it’s easy to see every little thing. Don’t you hate it when a movie is so dark that you can’t see what’s happening? It’s one of my pet peeves.
The oh-so-awesome Jeremiah Kipp directs the film and has made something absolutely nightmare-inducing. Kipp recently joined us for an interview, took us inside the film, discussed its details and the game’s lore, and so much more. I urge you to check out our interview. He’s awesome!
The Verdict
This isn’t just a cash-grab; it’s a high-effort adaptation that respects the source material while elevating the horror genre. With incredible special effects and a powerhouse cast, it’s the kind of movie that will make you rethink working late ever again. Dropping on Friday the 13th, this is a must-watch for horror fans. It’s grisly, intelligent, and genuinely terrifying.
Entertainment
Former Live Nation executive says he was fired after raising ‘financial misconduct’ concerns
A former executive at Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment company, is suing the company, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated after he raised concerns about alleged financial misconduct and improper accounting practices.
Nicholas Rumanes alleges he was “fraudulently induced” in 2022 to leave a lucrative position as head of strategic development at a real estate investment trust to create a new role as executive vice president of development and business practice at Beverly Hills-based Live Nation.
In his new position, Rumanes said, he raised “serious and legitimate alarm” over the the company’s business practices.
As a result, he says, he was “unlawfully terminated,” according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“Rumanes was, simply put, promised one job and forced to accept another. And then he was cut loose for insisting on doing that lesser job with integrity and honesty,” according to the lawsuit.
He is seeking $35 million in damages.
Representatives for Live Nation were not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit comes a week after a federal jury in Manhattan found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had operated a monopoly over major concert venues, controlling 86% of the concert market.
Rumanes’ lawsuit describes a “culture of deception” at Live Nation, saying its “basic business model was to misstate and exaggerate financial figures in efforts to solicit and secure business.”
Such practices “spanned a wide spectrum of projects in what appeared to be a company-wide pattern of financial misrepresentation and misleading disclosures,” the lawsuit states.
Rumanes says he received materials and documents that showed that the company inflated projected revenues across multiple venue development projects.
Additionally, Rumanes contends that the company violated a federal law that requires independent financial auditing and transparency and instead ran Live Nation “through a centralized, opaque structure” that enables it to “bypass oversight and internal checks and balances.”
In 2010, as a condition of the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, the newly formed company agreed to a consent decree with the government that prohibited the firm from threatening venues to use Ticketmaster. In 2019 the Justice Department found that the company had repeatedly breached the agreement, and it extended the decree.
Rumanes contends that he brought his concerns to the attention of the company’s management, but his warnings were “repeatedly ignored.”
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