Entertainment

In 'The Penguin' finale, Cristin Milioti finds a glimmer of hope for Sofia

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2024

In 'The Penguin' finale, Cristin Milioti finds a glimmer of hope for Sofia

This article contains spoilers for the finale of HBO’s “The Penguin.”

Cristin Milioti gets self-conscious about sounding too “actor-y” in interviews, and explains that she usually cringes when she hears a performer referring to a character in the third person. But she can’t resist doing the same when talking about Sofia Gigante, née Falcone, her crime-boss villain in HBO’s “The Penguin.”

Milioti, speaking on Zoom from her home in New York, explains that she loves Sofia. “She’s my favorite character I’ve ever played.”

As such when Milioti found out how the limited series was going to end for Sofia, she was “genuinely devastated.”

In Sunday’s finale of “The Penguin,” Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, the gangster who gets called the title moniker, finally wins his power play over Sofia. He takes control of Gotham’s crime world and drives his former boss’ daughter to a remote area. For a beat, it seems like he’s going to whack her and leave her for dead. But instead, he orchestrates another punishment, delivering her to the cops and sending her back to Arkham, where she suffered for years after being accused of a series of murders she didn’t commit.

“What’s horrible is he discovers a fate worse than death for her,” Milioti explains.

In the finale, it appears as if Oz (Colin Farrell) is going to leave Sofia (Cristin Milioti) for dead. “What’s horrible is he discovers a fate worse than death for her,” Milioti says.

(Macall Polay / HBO)

Still, Milioti finds a glimmer of hope in Sofia’s ending: In prison, she gets a note from Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. Matt Reeves’ 2022 movie “The Batman” establishes that Selina’s father is Carmine Falcone, making her Sofia’s half-sister. “There is this little spark of light at the end of the tunnel,” Milioti muses. “She could have family.” And Milioti has her own optimism driving her: She wants to play Sofia again at some point.

“It would be my wildest dream,” she says.

Playing Sofia was already something of a dream for Milioti, who became an ardent fan of the Batman universe after her dad took her to see “Batman Returns” when she was 7. “I remember being utterly terrified and couldn’t look away,” she says.

She immediately ordered a Catwoman costume, but the obsession didn’t stop there. She went to Blockbuster and rented Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman,” which she watched over and over. When “Batman Forever” hit theaters in 1995, she made her dad take her six times. She even had pictures of Jim Carrey’s Riddler on her walls. For Milioti, the love of Batman comes from her sympathy for the characters.

“Batman, all his villains, they come from such a place of real pain,” she says. “They don’t have powers, they make all their own costumes, and it’s fabulous and can be campy and can be humorous but then is also gut-wrenching.”

Growing up in New Jersey, Milioti was always drawn to complicated female characters with violent tendencies. In addition to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman in “Batman Returns,” she was obsessed with Uma Thurman’s Bride in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” her favorite film.

“When I saw ‘Wonder Woman’ in theaters and all these little girls watching, it was very emotional, and I remember in that movie thinking, ‘Oh, ‘Kill Bill’ was my ‘Wonder Woman,’” she says.

A woman in a blue long-sleeve dress poses against a wall with her hands crossed above her head.

After dropping out of NYU, Milioti found that while she thrived in the New York theater scene, she wasn’t able to transform the way she wanted to in the television and film roles she was auditioning for: jobs like “girl found dead in a trunk” or “party guest at Blair Waldorf’s.” She never did book a job on “Gossip Girl.”

But fans of Milioti have long known her range. She’s had roles including the Czech songwriter in the Broadway musical “Once,” the titular “mother” on “How I Met Your Mother,” the writer with a “sexy baby” voice on an infamous episode of “30 Rock” and the wedding guest stuck in a time loop in the rom-com “Palm Springs.” In recent years, Milioti has been “incredibly grateful” that she’s gotten to work on projects she believes in — even if they haven’t found their audiences, like the short-lived Peacock series “The Resort” or Max’s surrealist dark comedy “Made for Love,” which has since been removed from the streaming platform. (She’s very frustrated about that development.)

Still, she knew she was waiting for something like “The Penguin.”

“A couple of months before this project came to me, I think this is just a part of getting older, I started to think about time more, how I want to spend my time,” she says. “I was always keeping an eye out and looking for a role like this. They’re just really hard to find.”

Usually, she adds, such roles also result in a metaphorical bloodbath involving dozens of actors. But “The Penguin” showrunner Lauren LeFranc and executive producers Craig Zobel and Reeves wanted to Zoom with her.

Even from the first script, Milioti could sense that there was a lot to mine from Sofia, despite not knowing her full backstory.

“There are incredible scenes where it’s like an iceberg, you’re just seeing the top, but there’s a lot roiling below,” she says.

Indeed, Sofia morphs multiple times over the course of the series. In a flashback episode, we see her as an innocent who learns about the murders of women committed by her father, Carmine (Mark Strong). She’s then framed for those killings. Later, she takes revenge on her entire clan — whom she considers complicit in keeping her committed at Arkham — by gassing them, strutting around her family’s mansion in a yellow gown and a gas mask. It’s a sequence that’s echoed in the finale when she burns the place down in a fabulous red coat, which was made for her by costume designer Helen Huang.

A woman in a red coat smoking a cigarette pours a bottle of liquor on the floor.

Milioti uses the word “collaborative” repeatedly to describe the process of working with LeFranc. She suspects the amount of input she had is unusual given how high-profile the series is.

“I don’t have any other franchise to compare it to because I haven’t been in anything like that, but I have to imagine that’s not the case,” she says. “I know what a blessing that was.”

With LeFranc and other department heads like hairstylist Brian Badie, Milioti figured out how Sofia would “bloom” throughout the episodes. As she asserts herself — and becomes more of a mob boss — Sofia gains confidence. Milioti pushed, for instance, for her hair to evolve from prim and pulled back into the sexy shag she has by the end. “It’s like a further sort of blossoming into an animal,” she explains.

I confess to Milioti that I was rooting for Sofia to beat Oz at his own game. It looks like she might when she bombs his warehouse. Alas, he gains the upper hand. As an actor, it’s her job to advocate for her characters, even the ones who do terrible things, but she admits she was cheering for Sofia too. Others on set were as well. “I even remember members of the crew feeling that way too,” she says. “‘But we wanted her to win.’”

A woman in a black cocktail dress and red scarf sits and leans on a set of black stairs.

Her final scene with Farrell was one of the last ones she shot, and it was an emotional day. “I could not have asked for a better partner to go to the depths of darkness with,” she says. “I think he also understood how devastating that was as well.”

There have already been rumors that Sofia might return for the sequel to “The Batman,” but Milioti says she hasn’t had any discussions with Reeves or LeFranc. “Everyone’s keeping it real locked down,” she says.

The character, however, means so much to Milioti that she was deeply stressed when she was initially on set. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is a needle in a haystack,’” she remembers. “And it certainly contributed to my absolutely crippling nerves for the first couple of months that we shot. I just was so aware that opportunities like this don’t come around a lot.”

When did the nerves dissipate for her?

“By the time I realized that there was so much of me in the can that if they were going to fire me, it was going to be a huge pain in the ass for them.”

Movie Reviews

Movie Review: Here comes “THE BRIDE!”, audacious and wild – Rue Morgue

Published

5 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Movie Review: Here comes “THE BRIDE!”, audacious and wild – Rue Morgue

That’s both a promise and a challenge she delivers, since what follows may rub some viewers the wrong way. Yet Gyllenhaal’s full-throttle commitment to her vision is compelling in and of itself, and she has marshalled an absolutely smashing-looking and -sounding production. The story proper begins in 1936 Chicago, which, like everything and everyplace else in the movie, has been luminously shot by cinematographer Lawrence Sher and sumptuously conjured by production designer Karen Murphy. Her involvement is appropriate given that her previous credits include Bradley Cooper’s A STAR IS BORN and Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS, since among other things, THE BRIDE! is a nostalgic musical. Its Frankenstein (Christian Bale), who has taken the name of his maker, is obsessed with big-screen tuners, and imagines himself in elaborate song-and-dance numbers. (Considering the reception to JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX, one must applaud the daring of Warner Bros. for greenlighting another expensive film in which a tormented protagonist has that kind of fantasy life.)

THE BRIDE! may be revisionist on many levels, but its characterization of its “monster” holds true to past screen incarnations from Karloff’s to Elordi’s: His scarred appearance masks a lonely soul who desires companionship. Frankenstein has arrived in Chicago to seek out Dr. Cornelia Euphronious (Annette Bening), correctly believing she has the scientific know-how to create an appropriate mate for him. Rather than piece one together, Dr. Euphronious resurrects the corpse of Ida (Jessie Buckley), whose consorting with underworld types led to her brutal death. Previously chafing against the man’s world she inhabited in life, she becomes even more defiant and unruly as a revenant, apparently possessed by the spirit of Shelley herself, declaiming in free-associative sentences and quoting rebellious literature.

Buckley, currently an Oscar favorite for her very different literary-inspired role in HAMNET, tears into the role of the Bride (who now goes by the name Penny) with invigorating abandon that bursts off the screen. Unsure of her identity yet overflowing with self-confident bravado, she’s the opposite of the sensitive “Frank,” but they’re united by the world that stands against them. That becomes literal when a violent incident sends them on the lam, road-tripping to New York City and beyond, on a trail inspired by the films of Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal), Frank’s favorite song-and-dance-man star.

With THE BRIDE!, Gyllenhaal has made a film that’s at once her very own and a feverish homage to all sorts of cinema past and present. It’s a horror story, a lovers-on-the-run movie, a crime thriller, a musical and more, and historical fealty be damned if it makes for a good scene (as when Penny and Frank sneak into a 3D movie over a decade before such features became popular). In-references are everywhere: It might just be a coincidence that the couple’s travels take them past Fredonia, NY (cf. “Freedonia” in the Marx Brothers’ DUCK SOUP), but it’s certainly no accident that the former Ida is targeted by a crime boss named Lupino, referencing the actress and pioneering filmmaker whose works included noirs and women’s-issues stories. Penny’s exploits lead legions of admiring women to adopt her look and anarchic attitude, echoing the first JOKER (while a headline calls them “Twisted Sisters”), and the use of one Irving Berlin song in a Frankensteinian context immediately recalls a classic comedic take on the property.

Whether the audience should be put in mind of a spoof at a key point in a film with different goals is another matter. At times like these, Gyllenhaal’s pastiche ambitions overtake emotional investment in the story. As strong as the two lead performances are (Bale is quite moving, conveying a great deal of soul from behind his extensive prosthetics), it’s easier to feel for them in individual scenes than during the entire course of the just-over-two-hour running time. The diversions can be entertaining, to be sure, but they also result in an uncertainty of tone. The dissonance continues straight through to the end, where the filmmaker’s choice of closing-credits song once again suggests we’re not supposed to take all this too seriously.

There’s nonetheless much to admire and enjoy about THE BRIDE!, and this kind of risk-taking by a major studio is always to be encouraged (especially considering that we’ll see how long that lasts at Warner Bros. once Paramount takes it over). Beyond the terrific work by the aforementioned actors, there’s fine support from Peter Sarsgaard and Penelope Cruz as detectives on Penny and Frank’s heels, with Sandy Powell’s lavish costumes and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s rich, varied score vital to fashioning this fully imagined world. Kudos also to makeup and prosthetics designer Nadia Stacey and to Chris Gallaher and Scott Stoddard, who did those honors on Frank, for their visceral, evocative work. Uneven as it may be, THE BRIDE! is also as alive! as any film you’ll likely see this year.

Entertainment

These 3 Disney movie songs, animated with sign language, are headed to Disney+

Published

7 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

These 3 Disney movie songs, animated with sign language, are headed to Disney+

New animated sequences of songs from “Encanto,” “Frozen 2” and “Moana 2” are headed to Disney+.

Disney Animation announced Wednesday that “Songs in Sign Language,” comprised of three musical numbers from recent Disney movies newly reimagined in American Sign Language, will debut April 27 in honor of National Deaf History Month.

Directed by veteran Disney animator Hyrum Osmond, “Songs in Sign Language” will feature fresh animation for “Encanto’s” chart-topper “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” “Frozen 2’s” poignant ballad “The Next Right Thing” and “Moana 2’s” anthem “Beyond.” Produced by Heather Blodget and Christina Chen, the new versions of these songs were created in collaboration with L.A.-based theater company Deaf West Theatre.

“In the majority of cases, we created entirely new animation,” Osmond said in a press statement. “There were a lot of adjustments that we had to do within the animation to be true to the original intention.”

Deaf West Theatre artistic director DJ Kurs, sign language reference choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and a group of eight performers from Deaf West worked together to craft and choreograph the ASL version of the musical numbers for “Songs in Sign Language.” The creatives focused on being true to the concepts and emotion of the songs rather than direct translations of the lyrics.

Kurs said his team jumped at the chance to collaborate and integrate ASL into “the fabric of Disney storytelling.”

“Disney stories are the universal language of childhood,” Kurs said in a statement. “The chance to bring our language into that world was a historic opportunity to reach a global audience. Working on this project was very emotional. For so long, we have known and loved the artistic medium of Disney Animation. Here, the art form was adapting to us. I hope this unlocks possibilities in the minds and hearts of Deaf children, and that this all leads to more down the road.”

Osmond, who led a team of more than 20 animators on this project, said animation was the perfect medium to showcase sign language, which he described as “one of the most beautiful ways of communication on Earth.” The director, whose father is deaf, also saw this project as an opportunity to connect with the Deaf community.

“Growing up, I never learned sign language, and that barrier prevented me from really connecting with my dad,” Osmond said. “This reimagining of Disney Animation musical numbers helps bring down barriers and allows us to connect in a special way with our audiences in the Deaf community. I’m grateful that the Studio got behind making something so impactful.”

Movie Reviews

Maxime Giroux – ‘In Cold Light’ movie review

Published

17 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Maxime Giroux – ‘In Cold Light’ movie review

(Credits: Far Out / Elevation Pictures)

Wed 4 March 2026 9:30, UK

Maxime Giroux – ‘In Cold Light’

The action is relentless in the complex thriller In Cold Light, a tense combination of crime and fugitive tale and family drama. It is the third feature and first English language film by Maxime Giroux, best known for a very different kind of film, the critically acclaimed 2014 drama Felix & Meira.

The tension and high energy of In Cold Light almost overwhelm the film, but are relieved, barely, by moments of character development and introspection that keep the audience pulling for the restrained and outwardly cold main character.

Speaking at the film’s Canadian premiere, director Giroux admitted he found creating an action film a challenge. Part of his approach was using very minimal dialogue, especially for the central character, letting the action speak for itself, and allowing silence to intensify suspense. Giroux has said he likes the lack of dialogue and speaks highly of the importance of silence in cinema; he prefers using “physical aspects of communication” in his films.

Young Ava Bly (Maika Monroe) is a competent and businesslike drug dealer, working in partnership with her brother Tom (Jesse Irving) and a small team. As the film begins, Ava has just been released from a brief prison sentence. She is hoping to return to her former position, but her brother’s associates consider her a risk due to her recent incarceration. While she works to re-establish herself, a shocking encounter with a corrupt police officer sends Ava’s life into chaos and forces her to go on the run.

Ava’s fugitive experience introduces a new character, to whom Ava turns for help: her father, Will Bly, played by Troy Kotsur, known for his excellent performance in CODA. Their first interaction is handled in a fascinating way, as Will is deaf and the two communicate through sign language. This, of course, provides another form of the silent interaction the director prefers; he explained that much of the father-daughter interaction was rewritten with the actor in mind. Their conflict is nicely expressed through a scene in which their initial conversation is intermittently cut off by a faulty light which goes out periodically, making communication through sign momentarily impossible, nicely expressing the rift between father and daughter.

As Ava continues to evade danger, her escape becomes complicated by new information, placing her in a painful dilemma. We gradually learn more about Ava, her background, and her character through occasional flashbacks and glimpses of her dreams. The plot becomes more complex and more poignant, and gains features of a mystery as well as an action tale, as she is pressed to choose from among equally unacceptable alternatives.

The climax of her efforts to protect both herself and those close to her comes to a head as she meets with the director of a rival drug gang. Veteran actress Helen Hunt is perfect in the minor but significant role of Claire, the rival drug lord, who plays odd mind games with Ava in an intriguing psychological fencing match. It’s an unusual scene, in which Ava’s personality is made clearer, and Claire’s understated dominance and casual speech do not quite conceal the threat she represents.

The frantic pace and emotional turmoil are enhanced by the camera work, which tends to focus tightly on Ava, and by a harsh, minimal musical score that sets the tone without distracting from the action. Giroux chose to shoot the film in Super 60; he describes digital as “too perfect” for the look he was going for, and since “Ava is rough,” the film portrays her better. The director describes the entire movie as “rough,” in fact, and deliberately chose a dark, washed-out look for much of the footage, occasionally using light and colour, in the form of fireworks, lightning, or a colourful carnival, to both relieve and emphasise the darkness.

The dynamic, intense story holds the attention in spite of the lengthy, sometimes repetitive chase scenes and subdued dialogue. Ava’s predicament, and the difficult decisions she is forced to make, are made surprisingly relatable, from the initial disaster that starts the action to the surprising flash-forward that concludes the film, on as high a note as the situation could allow. Fans of action movies will definitely enjoy this one.