Twin Directors Make Big-Screen Debut With 'Kin,' Starring James Franco
*By Amanda Weston*
The twins Josh and Jonathan Baker's evident passion helped them land established stars and newcomers with big potential for their first major film project.
The film ["Kin"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac5wrM2uYbk) is marketed as "a pulse-pounding crime thriller with a sci-fi twist," that tells the story of two brothers on the run from criminals and "otherworldly soldiers" armed with a mysterious weapon. The cast includes Hollywood veterans Dennis Quaid, James Franco, and Zoë Kravitz, and the young actor Myles Truitt in his first feature film role.
"If you've got something cool, people want to work on something cool," Josh said an interview Friday on Cheddar. "So I think we had something that felt a little fresh and a little different, and it was amazing that you put it in front of these people and they are interested."
The co-directors said the film was a collaborative process ー with each other and the actors. Though they didn't have as much feature-film experience as their cast, the brothers had no problem giving direction.
"I'd also say the more professional the actor is, the more they're kind of like 'look, just tell me what you guys want and we'll figure it out together,'" said Josh. "So someone like Dennis? Easy to work with."
Finding new faces was a process. For one of the main characters of the film, Eli, producers considered about 200 young actors before casting Truitt. He had an emotional maturity that is hard to find in child actors, Josh said, adding they were "lucky" to find him.
"He had a real subtlety about him, and a lot of it is observed through his eyes without dialogue, which he was great at," said Jonathan.
As streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix become more popular destinations for features than movie screens, Jonathan said he was honored their film would play in a cinema. "Kin" will be in theaters Aug. 31, including some IMAX theaters.
Josh said he felt lucky "Kin" would get a theatrical release because so many small and medium films are being phased out of theaters for big-budget blockbuster fare.
"This is built for people that love sophisticated, character-driven storytelling," said Jonathan. "This is a sci-fi, but it's also a lot of other things. There's a real intimacy to that. It's not a giant blockbuster. I think people that are dying for something a little more unique, a little different, will love this."
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjIyNjM=).
Home essentials maker Outlines announced its launch at the beginning of 2022, along with $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Social Impact Capital. Outlines says it is re-imagining how we keep our homes clean while also reducing plastic waste. The company's debut product, the Shower Liner System, is made of long-lasting materials, including easy-to-recycle plastic. Outlines co-founder and CEO Luke Young and co-founder and COO Megan Ceryanec joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Simeon Siegel, managing director and senior analyst at BMO Capital Markets joins Cheddar News to discuss CNBC's report that Peloton plans to halt production, despite the company's CEO denying those claims.
Mona Zhang, states cannabis policy reporter at POLITICO Pro joins Cheddar News to discuss major factors that caused Canada's retail marijuana sales to drop last year.
Jackie Rotman, founder and CEO of the Center for Intimacy Justice joins Cheddar News to talk about why Facebook is banning ads by companies targeting women's sexual health but not ads catered to men.
The NCAA has updated its policy on transgender athletes, allowing each sport’s national governing body to make its own decisions for transgender participation. The new rule is in line with recent changes from the U.S. and International Olympic and Paralympic Committees. Joanna Hoffman, communications director of Athlete Ally, joined Cheddar News to discuss the potential impact of the new rule on the transgender community.
"Saturday Night Live" alum Will Forte is hosting the late-night comedy show this weekend alongside musical guest, Måneskin. Forte, who spent a decade working on the iconic NBC show, is currently starring in "MacGruber," the SNL-sketch-turned-movie that is now streaming on Peacock as a tv series.
TikTok recently announced that it is testing a paid subscription model. The news comes days after Instagram publicized a similar service. TikTok has made $2.3 billion from in-app purchases, but mostly through tips, in 2021, showing that its users may be open to spending money on the platform.
The NCAA voted to streamline their constitution at their annual convention on Thursday. Each of the three college divisions can decide how student-athletes can make money from outside sources but still restricts schools from directly paying its players.
If you are looking for a new job, you might want to start looking in a different city. A new report from indeed reveals how certain metro areas are seeing faster growth in job openings than others. Economist at Indeed Hiring Lab AnnElizabeth Konkel, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Netflix beat its earnings projections for Q4 — but the stock still plummeted as the streaming pioneer cut back on its forecast for future subscribers. Michael Robinson, the chief technology strategist at Money Map Press, joined Cheddar to discuss the report and what's driving the downward pressure on its shares. "It's the growth is really what's worrying people," he said. "'A' we have slowing economic growth, and 'B' we've got slowing growth for this company, as 'C' we have an increase in competition."
