NEW YORK — Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in “9 to 5” and the nasty TV director in “Tootsie,” has died. He was 92.

Coleman died Thursday, his daughter, Quincy Coleman, told The Hollywood Reporter. No other details were immediately available.

“The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really — in a uniquely singular way — an archetype as a character actor. He was so good at what he did it’s hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him,” Ben Stiller wrote on X.

For two decades Coleman labored in movies and TV shows as a talented but largely unnoticed performer. That changed abruptly in 1976 when he was cast as the incorrigibly corrupt mayor of the hamlet of Fernwood in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” a satirical soap opera that was so over the top no network would touch it.

Producer Norman Lear finally managed to syndicate the show, which starred Louise Lasser in the title role. It quickly became a cult favorite. Coleman’s character, Mayor Merle Jeeter, was especially popular and his masterful, comic deadpan delivery did not go overlooked by film and network executives.

A six-footer with an ample black mustache, Coleman went on to make his mark in numerous popular films, including as a stressed out computer scientist in “War Games,” Tom Hanks’ father in “You’ve Got Mail” and a fire fighting official in “The Towering Inferno.”

He won a Golden Globe for “The Slap Maxwell Story” and an Emmy Award for best supporting actor in Peter Levin’s 1987 small screen legal drama “Sworn to Silence.” Some of his recent credits include “Ray Donovan” and a recurring role on “Boardwalk Empire,” for which he won two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In the groundbreaking 1980 hit “9 to 5,” he was the “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” boss who tormented his unappreciated female underlings — Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton — until they turned the tables on him.

In 1981, he was Fonda’s caring, well-mannered boyfriend, who asks her father (played by her real-life father, Henry Fonda) if he can sleep with her during a visit to her parents’ vacation home in “On Golden Pond.”

Opposite Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie,” he was the obnoxious director of a daytime soap opera that Hoffman’s character joins by pretending to be a woman. Among Coleman’s other films were “North Dallas Forty,” “Cloak and Dagger,” “Dragnet,” “Meet the Applegates,” “Inspector Gadget” and “Stuart Little.” He reunited with Hoffman as a land developer in Brad Silberling’s “Moonlight Mile” with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Coleman’s obnoxious characters didn’t translate quite as well on television, where he starred in a handful of network comedies. Although some became cult favorites, only one lasted longer than two seasons, and some critics questioned whether a series starring a lead character with absolutely no redeeming qualities could attract a mass audience.

“Buffalo Bill” (1983-84) was a good example. It starred Coleman as “Buffalo Bill” Bittinger, the smarmy, arrogant, dimwitted daytime talk show host who, unhappy at being relegated to the small-time market of Buffalo, New York, takes it out on everyone around him. Although smartly written and featuring a fine ensemble cast, it lasted only two seasons.

Another was 1987’s “The Slap Maxwell Story,” in which Coleman was a failed small-town sportswriter trying to save a faltering marriage while wooing a beautiful young reporter on the side.

Other failed attempts to find a mass TV audience included “Apple Pie,” “Drexell’s Class” (in which he played an inside trader) and “Madman of the People,” another newspaper show in which he clashed this time with his younger boss, who was also his daughter.

He fared better in a co-starring role in “The Guardian” (2001-2004), which had him playing the father of a crooked lawyer. And he enjoyed the voice role as Principal Prickly on the Disney animated series “Recess” from 1997-2003.

Underneath all that bravura was a reserved man. Coleman insisted he was really quite shy. “I’ve been shy all my life. Maybe it stems from being the last of four children, all of them very handsome, including a brother who was Tyrone Power-handsome. Maybe it’s because my father died when I was 4,” he told The Associated Press in 1984. “I was extremely small, just a little guy who was there, the kid who created no trouble. I was attracted to fantasy, and I created games for myself.”

Dabney Coleman — his real name — was born in 1932 in Austin, Texas. After two years at the Virginia Military Academy, two at the University of Texas and two in the Army, he was a 26-year-old law student when he met another Austin native, Zachry Scott, who starred in “Mildred Pierce” and other films.

“He was the most dynamic person I’ve ever met. He convinced me I should become an actor, and I literally left the next day to study in New York. He didn’t think that was too wise, but I made my decision,” Coleman told The AP in 1984.

Early credits included such TV shows as “Ben Casey,” “Dr Kildare,” “The Outer Limits,” “Bonanza,” “The Mod Squad” and the film “The Towering Inferno.” He appeared on Broadway in 1961 in “A Call on Kuprin.” He played Kevin Costner’s father on “Yellowstone.”

Twice divorced, Coleman is survived by four children, Meghan, Kelly, Randy and Quincy.

The Peabody Awards — which honor “the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2023” — will be presented this year in Los Angeles for the first time. The ceremony will be held June 9 at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, hosted by Kumail Nanjiani.

“Whether courageously documenting wars across the globe or cleverly bringing much needed smiles to our faces, the winners of the 84th Peabody Awards each crafted compelling and imaginative stories,” Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody, said in a statement. “Spanning a wide range of mediums and genres, they delivered enthralling projects that are worthy of our highest recognition.”

HBO/Max earned a leading seven awards, while PBS earned five, Amazon MGM Studios three and The Washington Post and FX each earned two.

Among the winners for HBO/Max was “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” marking the program’s third Peabody Award. The win for “Reservoir Dogs” was the series’ second.

“Star Trek” will receive the Institutional Award, with the Peabody organization recognizing the longevity and impact of a franchise that began in the 1960s with just a three-season run for the original series, but sparking films, spinoffs and reboots that have endured for decades.

“From a groundbreaking television series to an expansive collection of films, novels, comic books and so much more, ‘Star Trek’ has been delivering joy, wonder, and thought-provoking stories since the 1960s,” Jones said. “With powerful anti-war and anti-discrimination messages, it has blazed trails for all science fiction franchises while winning over passionate fans across the globe. We’re proud to honor ‘Star Trek’ with Peabody’s Institutional Award.”

Previous winners of the award include “The Simpsons,” “60 Minutes,” “Sesame Street,” “TODAY” and “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”

Peabody officials also announced that WITNESS, the international rights group co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel that helps people worldwide use video and digital technologies to protect and defend human rights, will receive the organization’s Global Impact Award.

“Founded in 1993, WITNESS’ efforts have evolved with changing technologies, and have had a lasting impact on movements to secure freedom and democracy worldwide,” Jones said. “WITNESS’ work has been instrumental in protecting human rights around the world, and we are proud to honor them for their work harnessing video to do so.”

Also set to be feted during the June 9 ceremony will be previously announced honorees Mel Brooks, who will receive the Peabody Career Achievement Award, and “Abbott Elementary” creator/actress Quinta Brunson, who will receive the Peabody Trailblazer Award.

The Peabody Awards were founded in 1940 at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, where they are still housed.

Here is a complete list of Peabody winners:

ARTS

— “Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters” (World Channel and APT)

— “Judy Blume Forever” (Prime Video)

CHILDREN’S/YOUTH

— “Bluey” (Disney+)

DOCUMENTARY

— “20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS)

— “All That Breathes” (HBO/Max)

— “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (HBO/Max)

— “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” (National Geographic)

— “POV: While We Watched” (PBS)

— “The Stroll” (HBO/Max)

ENTERTAINMENT

— “The Bear” (FX)

— “Dead Ringers” (Prime Video)

— “Fellow Travelers” (Showtime)

— “Jury Duty” (Amazon Freevee)

— “The Last of Us” (HBO/Max)

— “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War” (HBO/Max)

— “Reality” (HBO/Max)

— “Reservation Dogs” (FX)

— “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO/Max)

INTERACTIVE & IMMERSIVE

— “The Hidden History of Racism in New York City” (Instagram)

— “Pentiment” (Xbox, Playstation 4/5, Nintendo Switch)

— “We Are OFK” (Playstation, Nintendo Switch, Steam)

— “You Destroy. We Create. The war on Ukraine’s culture” (Meta Quest)

NEWS

— “Against All Enemies” (NBC 5 / KXAS-TV Dallas-Fort Worth)

— “Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court” (PBS)

— “Hate Comes to Main Street” (WTVF-TV, ɫ����̳Channel 5)

— “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive” (Al Jazeera Media Network)

— “War in the Holy Land” (PBS ɫ����̳Hour)

PUBLIC SERVICE

— “America and the Taliban” (PBS)

— “The Post Roe Baby Boom: Inside Mississippi’s Maternal Health Crisis” (USA TODAY streaming channels)

RADIO/PODCAST

— “The Big Dig” (GBH-ɫ����̳)

— “The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” (The Washington Post)

— “Post Reports: Surviving to graduation” (The Washington Post)

— “The Retrievals” (Serial Productions and The New York Times)

— “You Didn’t See Nothin” (Invisible Institute and USG Audio)

Saturday, May 4 is the commemorative Intergalactic Star Wars Day so we look at the franchise’s fictional timeline and what’s new.

Go behind the scenes

The Academy Museum in Los Angeles will be featuring an installation from May 4-July 8 called the Star Wars Dykstraflex. It is the computerizeFind out what new shows and films are coming and where do they fit in the Star Wars universe timeline.d motion control system that was an instrumental and groundbreaking technology behind the original Star Wars trilogy. The innovative system revolutionized special effects . The Dykstraflex’s precise control over miniature models shaped the movies’ iconic space battles and changed the landscape of filmmaking.

The installation is organized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in collaboration with the Science and Technology Council, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Museum hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Tuesdays.

to the Academy Museum are available only through advance online reservations via the Academy Museum’s website and mobile app.

The feature films 1-3 take place in the era called the Fall of the Jedi.

The next era is called the Reign of the Empire. Several one-off films and live-action series have been made in the time frame before the fourth film “Star Wars” (released in 1977) takes place in the fictional timeline.

The next era is known as The New Republic and picks up 30 years after episode VI. This era follows the adventures of Rey fighting against Kylo Ren. During this time frame many live-action series were made by Disney for its streaming service.

What’s coming

Title, type of entertainment, estimated release, era

“Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” animated TV series (Today) Fall of the Jedi

“Star Wars: The Acolyte TV Series” (June 4, 2024), before episode 1

“Star Wars Skeleton Crew TV Series” (2024), Mandalorian era

“Star Wars: Andor Season 2” (2025)

“Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2” (2025)

“The Mandalorian & Grogu” (May 2026) film

Top-grossing

“Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope” is the second-highest lifetime adjusted for inflation gross after “Gone with the Wind.”

“Gone with the Wind,” 1939, $1.85 billion

“Star Wars,” 1977, $1.65 billion

“The Sound of Music,” 1965, $1.3 billion

Of the top 20 highest-grossing (adjusted for inflation) films, the Star Wars franchise has five spots, episodes VII, V, VI and I.

In 2012, The Walt Disney Co. paid $4.05 billion for Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise. A 2024 article in the Hollywood Reporter noted that Disney said it has made 3.3 times its investment since the purchase.

“Revenge of the Sith” was the last film in the franchise that creator George Lucas wrote a script for.

Asked about the film he said, “The Jedi are trained to let go. They’re trained from birth. They’re not supposed to form attachments. They can love people — in fact, they should love everybody.”

Best and worst characters

Ranker.com had more than 42,000 voters on a poll of the characters in Star Wars. Here’s some of the list:

1. Darth Vader: Could be the most iconic villain in cinematic history, Darth Vader’s menacing appearance and deep, resonant voice are instantly recognizable.
2. Obi-Wan Kenobi: A wise and skilled Jedi Master.
3. Yoda: With his diminutive stature, green skin, and peculiar speech pattern, Yoda is one-of-a-kind within the galaxy. Voiced by puppeteer Frank Oz.
4. Luke Skywalker: The central character of the original trilogy.
5. Han Solo: Initially motivated by money but eventually becomes a key figure in defeating the Empire alongside his friends.
6. R2-D2: Has appeared in 10 of 11 theatrical Star Wars films to date.
7. Chewbacca: Best known as Han Solo’s trusted co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon.
8. The Mandalorian: A bounty hunter who unexpectedly becomes a surrogate father to Grogu in the Disney+ series.
9. Leia Organa: Twin sister of Luke Skywalker, a leader of the Rebel Alliance and later General in the Resistance.
10. Ahsoka Tano: Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan during the Clone Wars.

You can see the full list of hundreds of characters

Most successful film franchises

According to Box Office Mojo, Star Wars is the second-most successful film franchise in the U.S. and Canada:

1. Marvel Universe 37 releases $11 billion
2. Star Wars 23 releases $5 billion
3. Disney Live Action 17 releases $3.4 billion

Sources: Hollywood Reporter, Academymuseum.org, Box Office Mojo, StarWars.com, Industrial Light and Magic, Ranker.com, Lucasfilm, The Walt Disney Co.

Movie posters from 20th Century Fox and Disney+

Are you ready for some ? There’s action-adventure, romance, horror, franchises and anniversary re-releases of some of your favorites populating theaters and streaming services from May through Labor Day. You just have to know where to look.

Things kick off in theaters in May with Universal’s Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action romantic comedy “The Fall Guy” (May 3), a new installment in the Apes series, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (May 10), followed by Jane Shoenbrun’s buzzy thriller “I Saw the TV Glow” (May 17) and closing out with the Mad Max prequel “Furiosa.” June brings “Hit Man” to Netflix and “Bad Boys 4” to theaters, as well as “Inside Out 2,” “The Bikeriders” and the first part of Kevin Costner’s Civil War-era Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga.”

And while July might not have another “ , but there’s plenty to be excited for including the space race rom-com “Fly Me To the Moon,” “T�ɾ����ٱ����” and, of course, “Deadpool & Wolverine.” August has some gems too, including chapter two of “Horizon,” a and some thrillers like “C�ܳ���Ǵ�” and “Trap.”

Here’s your guide to what’s coming to theaters and streaming services this summer.

MAY MOVIE RELEASES

May 2

(MAX, streaming): Based on John Green’s popular novel, Isabela Merced plays 17-year-old Aza in this coming-of-age story.

May 3

(Universal, theaters): A (and a funny, slick send-up of the movie industry), Ryan Gosling plays a veteran stunt guy who’s enlisted to find a missing movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) so that his crush (Emily Blunt) can finish her directorial debut.

(Amazon, streaming): Anne Hathaway plays a single mother in Los Angeles who begins a relationship with a younger pop star, played by Nicholas Galitzine, in this smart and charming romantic comedy.

(Netflix, streaming): Jerry Seinfeld makes his directorial debut with this film about the race between cereal rivals Kellogg’s and Post to create a new pastry. Seinfeld stars alongside Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, Max Greenfield and many more.

(A24, theaters, wide on May 17): In Jane Schoenbrun’s second feature, a Sundance breakout, realities blur for two teenagers (Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine) watching a mysterious late-night television show.

(Oscilloscope, theaters): Ethan Hawke directs his daughter Maya Hawke in this unconventional, artful portrait of American author Flannery O’Connor.

(Sideshow and Janus Films, theaters): is an unnerving slow burn about a father and daughter and their quiet town in the woods outside of Tokyo, whose tranquil way of life threatened when a company decides to build a glamping retreat nearby.

(Vertical, theaters on May 2): Maïwenn co-wrote, directs and stars in this period drama about a working class woman who .

(Sony, theaters): A horror about what happens when a group of friends use someone else’s deck (apparently a sacred rule of Tarot).

(GKIDS, theaters): A future-set animated noir about a private detective and her android partner on the hunt for a hacker, from filmmaker Jérémie Perin. It will be presented in both its original French and an English dub.

(Magnolia, theaters and video on demand (VOD)): A documentary that goes beyond the headlines about the actress and muse forever associated with the Rolling Stones.

“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” re-release (Disney, theaters).

May 5

“Steel Magnolias” 35th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

May 9

(Netflix, streaming): plays mother to Miranda Cosgrove in this romantic comedy about her daughter’s engagement to the son of the man who broke her heart.

May 10

(20th Century Studios, theaters): Generations after Caesar, apes have become the dominant species in this new installment directed by “Maze Runner” alum Wes Ball. Owen Teague stars as the young ape Noa whose world us upended when an intelligent human (“The Witcher’s Freya Allan) arrives.

(MUBI, theaters): Filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross direct this largely improvised road trip film about teenagers in Oregon searching for The Party At The End Of The World.

(Vertical, theaters and VOD): Ashley Judd stars in this thriller about a woman who adopts her nieces and raises them isolated in the woods.

(Vertical, theaters): Chris Pine’s directorial debut, in which he plays a normal Los Angeles guy who’s asked to do some sleuthing around a shady business deal, got some scathing reviews out of the Toronto International Film Festival but now’s your chance to judge for yourself. Annette Bening, Danny DeVito and Jennifer Jason Leigh also star.

(IFC Films, theaters and VOD): Eric Bana is a federal agent investigating a missing corporate whistleblower.

(Republic Pictures, theaters and VOD): Based on a bestselling thriller about identical twins pulled apart by a new love, with Sasha Pieterse and Mira Sorvino.

“Power” (Netflix, theaters; Streaming May 17): (“Strong Island”) studies the evolution of policing in America in this riveting documentary.

May 17

“ ” (Paramount, theaters): This family film about a girl (Cailey Fleming) and her upstairs neighbor (Ryan Reynolds) who can see all the imaginary friends (aka IFs) who have been left behind was written and directed by John Krasinski. IF voices include Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Maya Rudolph, Matt Damon and the late Louis Gossett Jr.

“ ” (Netflix, streaming): This animated film about a pony whose dreams of becoming a pop star come true was written by “Napoleon Dynamite” duo Jared and Jerusha Hess.

“ ” (Amazon/MGM, limited theatrical): If you’re looking for some “Top Gun” spectacle at the movies this summer, there’s a new documentary shot with IMAX cameras about the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron that was filmed over a year. It’s getting a week-long IMAX run before hitting Prime Video on May 23. It was directed by Paul Crowder and produced by J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell.

“ ” (Focus Features, theaters): Marisa Abela plays Amy Winehouse in this biographical drama about the “Rehab” singer who died at 27 in 2011. Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”) directs.

“ ” (Neon, theaters): “Broad City’s” Ilana Glazer co-wrote and stars in this raucous comedy about an accidental pregnancy (and friendship and growing up and body stuff) that got rave reviews out of SXSW.

“ ” (Lionsgate, theaters): Masked strangers terrorize a young couple, Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez, who have to spend a night in a remote cabin after their car breaks down in this horror.

May 19-22

“North By Northwest” 65th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

“Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” 40th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

“Castle in the Sky” re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

“Darkness of Man” (Saban Films, VOD): Jean Claude Van Damme plays a former Interpol operative.

May 24

“ ” (Warner Bros., theaters): Buckle up, George Miller is back with another high-octane Mad Max tale focusing this time on a young Furiosa, played by , and a warlord named Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).

“ ” (Sony, theaters): Chris Pratt voices another classic character in this animated film about the feline lasagna enthusiast.

“ ” (Netflix, streaming): Jennifer Lopez is a skeptical data analyst who must learn to trust artificial intelligence to save humanity in this Brad Peyton-directed flick.

“ ” (Angel Studios, theaters): From the studio behind “Sound of Freedom,” the inspirational drama “Sight” is about an eye surgeon who wants to restore a blind child’s vision. It stars Terry Chen and Greg Kinnear.

“The Keeper” (Lama Entertainment, theaters): Based on the true story of Army vet George Eshleman, who endeavors to raise awareness about military suicides by hiking the Appalachian trail.

May 29

“The Commandant’s Shadow” (Warner Bros./Fathom, theaters): The son of Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss (also the subject of the Oscar-winning ) reckons with his family’s past in this documentary.

May 31

“ ” (Neon, NY theaters; LA on June 7): This Oscar-nominated animated charmer, about a dog who builds himself a robot companion, is finally getting a proper theatrical release in the U.S.

“ ” (Disney, theaters): Daisy Ridley plays the first woman to swim across the English Channel, Trudy Ederle, who won gold at the Olympics in 1924 and who finished the 21-mile trek in 1926. The inspirational drama arrives just in time for the Summer Olympics.

“Jim Henson: Idea Man” (Disney+, streaming): Ron Howard takes us inside the mind of the man behind “The Muppet Show,” and countless other entertainments, in a new documentary.

“ ” (Bleecker Street, theaters): A story about a down-on-his-luck father (Bobby Cannavale) fighting to protect his young autistic son (William A. Fitzgerald). Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg co-star in this drama from Tony Goldwyn.

“The Dead Don’t Hurt” (Shout! Studios, theaters): Vicky Krieps and Viggo Mortensen play star-crossed lovers in the 1860s American West, divided and fractured when he enlists to fight for the Union and she is left behind to defend herself in a corrupt frontier town.

“Summer Camp” (Roadside Attractions, theaters): Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard are childhood friends who meet again at a camp reunion.

“HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle” (Sony Pictures/Crunchyroll, theaters): Already a hit in Japan, this installment in the anime volleyball series finds old nemesis teaming up to defeat a rival high school team.

“Backspot” (XYZ Films, theaters): Devery Jacobs is an ambitious cheerleader and Evan Rachel Woods is her demanding head coach.

“PROTOCOL 7” (Abramorama, theaters): A corporate thriller based on real events about a group who goes up against a pharmaceutical company.

“In a Violent Nature” (IFC, theaters): An undead golem pursues teens on vacation in this horror.

“Flipside” (Oscilloscope, theaters): A documentary about a filmmaker’s attempt to revive the New Jersey record store he worked in as a teen.

“Invisible Nation” (Abramorama, theaters): A documentary about Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan.

JUNE MOVIE RELEASES

June 2

“The Muppet Movie” 45th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters)

June 7

“ ” (Netflix, streaming): Armed with glowing reviews from the fall festivals, Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” starring Glen Powell is finally coming to Netflix.

“ ” (Sony, theaters): Will Smith, in the first major movie he’s made since slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars (“Emancipation had already been filmed by then), reunites with Martin Lawrence for the fourth installment in the “Bad Boys” franchise, which started in 1995.

“ ” (Warner Bros., theaters): Dakota Fanning plays an artist who gets stranded in a forest in western Ireland where mysterious creatures lurk in the night in this film from Ishana Night Shyamalan.

“I Used to be Funny” (Utopia, theaters and VOD): “Bottoms” star Rachel Sennott plays an aspiring stand-up comic in Ally Pankiw’s debut.

June 9-12

“The Secret World of Arrietty” re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

“When Marnie Was There” 10th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

June 14

“ (Disney, theaters): Riley is a teenager now and some new emotions are coming onto the scene to join Joy (Amy Poehler) and the gang, including Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser).

“Treasure” (Bleecker Street, theaters): Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry play father and daughter in this 1990s road-trip movie about a Holocaust survivor on a journey back to his homeland, Poland.

“Ultraman: Rising” (Netflix, streaming): Animator Shannon Tindle (“Kubo and the Two Strings”) directs this animated action film about a baseball star/superhero who has to raise the offspring of a foe.

“Tuesday” (A24, theaters): Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a mother to a teenage daughter who meets death in the form of a talking bird in this fairy tale-esque debut from Daina O. Pusić.

“The Grab” (Magnolia, theaters): A documentary investigation into the run on natural resources by governments, financial investors and private security forces.

“Summer Solstice” (Cartilage Films, theaters): Friends go away for a weekend for the first time after one has transitioned.

June 21

“ ” (Focus Features, theaters): Jeff Nichols captures the spirit of a Midwestern motorcycle club in the 1960s in this exciting drama starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and . It’s inspired by Danny Lyon’s 1967 photo book about the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

“Thelma” (Magnolia, theaters): goes on a “Mission: Impossible” style adventure across Los Angeles with Richard Roundtree to try to reclaim her money from a phone scammer in this delightful comedy.

“Janet Planet” (A24, theaters, wide on June 28): Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker makes her film debut with this dreamy tale of an 11-year-old girl and her mother in western Massachusetts one summer.

“Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight Pictures, theaters): is barely in the rearview mirror and she’s already back with another Yorgos Lanthimos film, described as a triptych fable. Also starring Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie and Hunter Schafer.

“Green Border” (Kino Lorber, theaters): Filmmaker Agnieszka Holland takes audiences to the area between Belarus and Poland where refugees from Africa and the Middle East are trying to reach the European Union.

“Fancy Dance” (Apple, theaters, streaming on June 28): stars in this gem about a woman caring for her niece on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma, the search for her missing sister and the plight of Indigenous women.

“What Remains” (VMI, theaters and VOD): Andrea Riseborough and Stellan Skarsgård star in this movie about an alleged serial killer, his therapist and a detective attempting to solve a cold case.

“She Rises Up” (Abramorama, theaters): This documentary about economic opportunities for women follows subjects in Sri Lanka, Peru and Senegal.

“Bread & Roses” (Apple TV+, streaming): This Jennifer Lawrence-produced documentary sheds light on Afghan women since Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021.

June 23

“South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut” 25th Anniversary sing-a-long (Fathom Events, theaters).

June 25

“Diane von Furstenberg: Woman In Charge” (Hulu, streaming): The story of the mogul behind the iconic wrap dress, including interviews with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Marc Jacobs and Hillary Clinton.

“I Am: Celine Dion” (Amazon/MGM, streaming): A behind-the-scenes look at Celine Dion life now, living with the rare neurological disorder stiff person syndrome.

June 28

(Paramount, theaters): “Pig” helmer Michael Sarnoski takes over directing duties for Krasinski in this prequel about the invasion, set in New York City. It stars Lupita Nyong’o and “Stranger Things’” Joseph Quinn.

(Warner Bros., theaters): Kevin Costner’s two-part Western epic focuses on the westward expansion during the American Civil War. He co-wrote, directed and stars alongside the likes of Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington and Jena Malone.

“A Family Affair” (Netflix, streaming): Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Zac Efron star in this film about a mother and daughter, a movie star boss and an unexpected romance with comic consequences.

“Last Summer” (Sideshow and Janus Films, theaters): Anne and Pierre’s life is lovely in Paris with their daughters, 6 and 8, until her stepson Theo moves in and begins an affair with her in this Catherine Breillat film.

“BLUE LOCK THE MOVIE-EPISIDE NAGI” (Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures): Based on an anime that has sold more than 30 million copies, this feature is set around soccer.

(Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn star in this two-hander about a woman and her taxi driver one night in New York.

JULY MOVIE RELEASES

July 3-5

(Universal, theaters): Gru and the minions are back, with a new baby in the mix.

(Netflix, streaming): Forty years after Axel Foley crossed jurisdictions to investigate a crime, Eddie Murphy is back for a fourth film, alongside Judge Reinhold and Paul Reiser.

(A24, theaters): After “X” and “Pearl,” Ti West concludes his unlikely trilogy by bringing Mia Goth’s aspiring star Maxine to Los Angeles in 1985 in this highly stylized slasher.

“Touch” (Focus, theaters): Baltasar Kormákur directs a thrilling romance about a widower’s search for his first love 50 years after she disappeared.

“ ” (Roadside Attractions, theaters): Set on the Rajdhani Express to New Delhi, this bloody action thriller stars Lakshya as an army commando who takes on a gang of violent thieves terrorizing passengers while on his way to derail his true love’s (Tanya Maniktala) arranged marriage.

(Angel Studios, theaters): Based on a true story about 22 families in a small East Texas town who adopt 77 difficult to place children out of the foster system.

“Space Cadet” (Prime Video, streaming): Emma Roberts plays a woman who embellishes an application and lands in NASA’s astronaut training program.

July 11

“Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black” (Prime Video, streaming): Meagan Good stars in this new Tyler Perry joint about a woman realizing the ugly truth about her husband.

July 12

(Sony/Apple TV+, theaters): Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star in this romantic comedy from Greg Berlanti about a marketing executive hired by NASA to fake the moon landing…just in case.

(A24, theaters): stars in this movie about a few incarcerated men who begin acting in a theater group. This fall festival breakout is based on “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” by Brent Buell and co-stars Paul Raci as well as several former prisoners.

“Longlegs” (Neon, theaters): Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe lead this thriller about an FBI agent assigned to an unsolved case involving a serial killer.

“National Anthem” (Variance Films and LD Entertainment, theaters): Photographer Luke Gilford’s directorial debut, about queer rodeo subculture, starring Charlie Plummer.

July 13

“Princes Mononoke” re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

July 19

(Universal, theaters): Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos lead a new band of storm chasers in this directed by Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari,” “The Mandalorian”) and produced by Steven Spielberg.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story” (Netflix, streaming): An adventurous couple dream of climbing the world’s “last super skyscraper” and performing an acrobatic stunt on top.

July 21

“The NeverEnding Story” 40th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

July 23 and 25

“The Good Half” (Utopia/Fathom, theaters): Nick Jonas stars in this tragicomedy about a writer going home after the death of his mother in this film from Robert Schwartzman.

July 26

(Disney, theaters): The Merc with a Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) and the previously dead X-Man (Hugh Jackman) , and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in this Shawn Levy-directed film. There are more rumors than confirmations about what it’s even about, and who will be making a cameo, but two things are certain: It’s rated R and it’s going to be one of the summer’s biggest hits.

“Dìdi” (Focus, theaters): This coming-of-age pic from Sean Wang about a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American kid (Izaac Wang) in the Bay Area on his last summer before high school in 2008 won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival.

“The Fabulous Four” (Bleecker Street, theaters): Lifelong friends (Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph) go to Key West for a wedding (college pal, played by Bette Midler).

AUGUST MOVIE RELEASES

August 2

“The Instigators” (Apple TV+, theaters; Streaming on Aug. 9): Doug Liman directs this comedic heist movie starring Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and Hong Chau.

(Sony, theaters): Many years after Spike Jonze was supposed to adapt the classic 1955 children’s book, and several delays with this iteration, the family fantasy film is finally making it to theaters. Starring Zachary Levi as Harold and Lil Rel Howery, it blends animation and live action.

“Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Naoise Ó Cairealláin aka “Móglaí Bap”, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh aka “Mo Chara”, JJ Ó Dochartaigh aka “DJ Provaí”, all playing themselves in this film about the titular rap trio from Belfast.

(Neon, theaters): Hunter Schaefer stars in this unnerving, blood-soaked thriller set in the German Alps. Dan Stevens plays her father’s creepy boss.

August 3

“Ponyo” re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

August 9

(Warner Bros., theaters): Josh Hartnett stars in an original thriller from M. Night Shyamalan about a murderer at large inside a massive arena concert.

“It Ends With Us” (Sony, theaters): Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni star in this adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel about romantic love and childhood trauma.

“The Fire Inside” (Amazon/MGM, theaters): Ryan Destiny plays professional boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields in this biographical sports drama from Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison, in her feature debut.

(Lionsgate, theaters): After a few years of delays, Eli Roth’s colorful action-adventure “Borderlands,” based on the video game, is barreling to theaters starring Cate Blanchett, Ariana Greenblatt and Kevin Hart.

“My Penguin Friend” (Roadside Attractions, theaters): Based on a true story, a fisherman (Jean Reno) finds hope in a penguin rescued from an oil spill.

“Good One” (Metrograph Pictures, theaters): A 17-year-old (Lily Collias) goes on a backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad (James Le Gros) and his oldest friend in this poignant coming-of-age drama. India Donaldson’s debut was a Sundance breakout.

August 16

“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2” (Warner Bros., theaters): Costner continues the story of the American West with this second chapter, exclusively in movie theaters.

“ ” (20th Century Studios, theaters): The director of “Don’t Breathe” helms this terrifying new installment in the Alien series, starring Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced and David Jonsson.

“The Union” (Netflix, streaming): Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg are former high school sweethearts turned spies in this action-comedy-romance.

“Close to You” (Greenwich Entertainment, theaters): Elliot Page plays Sam, who goes to his hometown for the first time since his transition for his father’s birthday.

August 23

“ ” (Amazon/MGM, theaters): Zoë Kravitz makes her directorial debut, with Channing Tatum starring as a tech billionaire who invites a waitress (Naomi Ackie) to his private island where odd things start happening.

“ ” (Lionsgate, theaters): Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs and Danny Huston star in director Rupert Sanders’ reboot of the comic-based series about a dead musician resurrected to avenge his and his fiance’s deaths.

“ ” (Sony Pictures Classics, theaters): Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane develop an unlikely friendship while she studies to get a late-in-life bat mitzvah.

“Slingshot” (Bleecker Street, theaters): Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne star in this sci-fi thriller about an astronaut whose grasp on reality starts to dwindle on a dangerous mission.

“Place of Bones” (The Avenue, theaters and VOD): Heather Graham plays a mother who gets an unexpected visitor at her isolated ranch in a bloodied bank robber.

August 25-28

“Rear Window” 70th Anniversary re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

“Whisper of the Heart” re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

“The Cat Returns” re-release (Fathom Events, theaters).

August 30

“They Listen” (Sony, theaters): A mysterious Blumhouse horror from writer-director Chris Weitz, starring John Cho and Katherine Waterston.

“Reagan” (ShowBiz Direct, theaters): Dennis Quaid plays Ronald Reagan in this childhood to White House biopic, the first full-length film about the 40th U.S. President.

But Hawke has always been after something more. He frequently chooses demanding roles in challenging films – the title role in a modern telling of “Hamlet” or “First Reformed” – but it goes beyond that. He has co-founded a theater company, earned a Tony nomination as an actor and a Drama Desk nomination as a director, moving comfortably from Shakespeare and Chekhov to Tom Stoppard and Sam Shepard. He has written three novels and a graphic novel, not to mention co-writing Oscar-nominated screenplays for “Before Sunset” and In recent years, and

Hawke’s latest adventure – – is directing his daughter, in a film he co-wrote. “W�����峦����” is an innovative film about Flannery O’Connor that’s in theaters on May 3; rather than take a biopic route, the film veers from the writer’s daily existence to scenes from her iconic short stories that parallel emotional connections to her life.

Hawke recently spoke by video from his Brooklyn home while noshing on rice balls from a local Japanese restaurant amidst his swirl of press day interviews. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Q. O’Connor’s mix of certainty and searching feels linked to “The Good Lord Bird” and “First Reformed.” Did those help you find the mindset to make this film or are you in that mindset and that’s why you choose these projects? 

It’s a combination. The thing about living a little while is you start to get revealed to yourself. None of this was my plan, but you look back and think, “Oh, that makes sense.” I was drawn to this because a lot of previous work brought me to a place where I’d find O’Connor interesting. 

Q. As someone always looking for a challenge, was part of the appeal that O’Connor doesn’t lend herself to a traditional biopic? 

Absolutely. There was this level of difficulty – there’s hardly any drama in her life, she sat in her room and suffered and fed chickens. Where’s the movie? But there was something captivating and so incongruous about the way she looked and lived versus what was happening in her head. So the idea of using her imagination to explore her inner life seemed fitting. 

Our imaginations are real. They affect the way we think and behave and interact with other people. Hers was so vibrant and so wicked and wild while her daily life so ordinary that I knew I could do something interesting, but it definitely felt like a jump off the high dive. 

Q. You’ve noted that there’s been a longstanding debate, which has flared up in recent years, about the racism O’Connor displayed in her private writing. How did that inform your film?

If you want to explore any American in our past, you’re going to deal with America’s wounds and America’s crimes and America’s sins. 

Flannery writes so beautifully about the hypocrisy inside the Southern White Christian and its relationship to race, so I always viewed her as an elevated thinker for the period. But she’s not clean herself. She’s a complicated woman. 

She was born and bred and sustained on the earth soil and water of the Jim Crow South. One scholar said she was a recovering racist. She saw how ugly it was. She wrote about the people doing the oppressing and they all get strangled or gored by a bull or shot in the head. And if she’s good at anything, it’s knowing that her heart is not without barbs and shards of glass – and that none of ours are free of that.

Q. While you take on new challenges, you don’t avoid being the movie star in commercial hits. Is that a conscious choice to toggle back and forth?

It’s just about balance. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, “I want to see a movie about Flannery O’Connor.” I like making people happy and doing something that everybody wants to see. But if that’s all you do, it starts to feel like you’re just repeating yourself or having a lowest common denominator conversation. If I keep shaking up my own life, then I stay curious and if I spend a couple of years writing a book, or if I direct a play, then sometimes I just want to act in something and wear a crazy mask and be scary. 

Q. Do you worry about being called a dilettante when you try something new, or can you just block it out? 

I really do like trying new things, but a dilettante implies that you didn’t put maximum effort into it. I took making that Newman-Woodward documentary seriously. And a lot of professional documentary makers would never make that documentary because I didn’t know better. So I was doing a lot of things wrong but they worked. It’s kind of like – I’m not comparing myself to them, but there was a lot they didn’t know about chord progressions and things like that so they did things they weren’t “allowed” to do because they didn’t know any better. Sometimes you’ve got to protect that kind of innocent part of you. 

I have to be in charge of putting myself in situations that are going to make me learn. People may be irritated by that but I’ll still have done it. If I keep showing up, eventually they’ll understand where I’m coming from. And if you worry too much about what other people are thinking, you won’t do anything because somebody’s always going to have a problem with what you’re doing.

Q. Is it easier to have that outlook at 53 than when you were younger? 

Hell, yeah. All that stuff hurts when you’re young. But I learned that if criticism is going to get you out of the kitchen, then you shouldn’t be in the kitchen. The great learning lesson was the theater – sometimes you’ll do a play and people don’t like it but you still have to do it every night. If you’re doing it because you love the form and you think the attempt has value, then you’ll find your mojo every night. And that builds character. 

But even if the story, directing and acting are all aces, to achieve greatness the movie still needs to provide genuine excitement and realistic drama on the court.

To provide an air of credibility, the film hired former pro and veteran analyst Brad Gilbert to consult on the film and to train Zendaya for three months; Guadagnino says she got so good he barely had to use her tennis stunt double in the film.

It should be an improvement over “Wimbledon,” with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, and not just because of “Wimbledon’s” flimsy dialogue. When Bettany reaches the Wimbledon finals, director Richard Loncraine relies on quick cuts, distracting camera movement, and close-ups of footwork and foreshortened shots from the players’ backs – they feel like shortcuts and drain away any sense that real tennis was played.

By contrast, and the fight for women’s equality, gives its tennis showdown between King and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) its proper due. Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton often shot from above and behind like a typical tennis match on television. This provides a familiar vantage point and allowed them to use tennis doubles, future pro Kaitlyn Christian and former pro Vince Spadea to have real rallies. (Rigg’s former coach and King herself consulted on the grips the players used and other details.) They also trusted the viewer and let points develop, including the moment of triumph where with a slice down the line. 

Good tennis cannot save a bad movie like “16-Love,” an insipid 2012 teen romance featuring Lindsey Shaw and Chandler Massey. Massey was cast partly because of his tennis skills and Shaw’s rival was played by Susie Abromeit, who had been a top-ranked junior but a weak script and poor directing renders all that irrelevant. 

On the other hand, good tennis can enhance a stronger movie, like the acclaimed 2020 French drama “Final Set.” Director Quentin Reynaud had played competitively as a youth and the star, Alex Lutz, trained enough to look believable during practice. For Lutz’s opponent in the big match, Reynaud cast French pro Jurgen Briand, who gives the points a thrilling realism, which makes Reynaud’s arty shots – swinging shadows and fancy footwork in the red clay as well as balletic slo-mo close-ups – feel earned, adding to the drama instead of distracting from it. 

There are plenty of movies and TV series that give tennis a cameo, typically for main characters who are amateurs. They frequently play the scenes for laughs – it’s often clichéd as in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” which wastes Andy Roddick as a coach in a scene that falls flat. But when done well, or with charming stars, it can still be effective: a brief scene in “Annie Hall” with Diane Keaton’s title character playing with a carefree glee perfectly introduces her “la-di-da” character; on “Seinfeld,” Jerry’s one good forehand launches a ball machine attack that nails Kramer in the head; and “Bachelor Party” is silly and forgettable but watching Tom Hanks childishly launch home runs while playing his future in-laws is still a delight. 

Then there’s the tennis as combat, whether played broadly in to the soundtrack of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” or with more nuance as dramatic marital warfare between Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney in Noah Baumbach’s “The Squid and The Whale.” (The cheesiest version of this is “Hart to Hart,” the 1980s crime show that once featured Martina Navratilova as herself playing in a mixed doubles match; the overuse of closeups wasted Navratalova’s talent before the contrived plot devolved into an on-court shooting.) 

The exception is “Red Oaks,” a coming-of-age series that featured tennis prominently, with Craig Roberts as a tennis pro at the club and Paul Reiser, as a wealthy but aging weekend warrior. Set in the 1980s, it was able to capture the game as played at that level in that time. (Reiser’s opponent in the big season finale club match is none other than Brad Gilbert.)

Most movies with tennis as a notable part of the plot focus on elite athletes. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 classic, “Strangers on a Train,” depicts a tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) caught up in the murder scheme of a psychopath, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). Taut and tense, but with little tennis, Hitchcock starts off the climactic match with long shots that capture the sport’s dramatic potential. But as the tension builds, Hitchcock, intercutting between Guy’s match and Bruno’s escapades, dilutes the tennis with close-ups, odd angles that don’t suit the sport and intrusive music. 

More impressive, tennis-wise, was “Pat and Mike,” the 1952 romcom with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. While the movie pales compared to their other films like “Adam’s Rib,” it was written to display Hepburn’s tennis and golf skills. Hepburn had no stunt double and in one big match played Gussie Moran, a recent Wimbledon finalist. The rallies are realistic and well shot and there’s also an entertaining section when Hepburn’s character’s controlling fiance shows up and she becomes so distracted that her game falls apart as she hallucinates her fiance in the umpire chair and her racket shrinking while Moran’s grows.

Wimbledon, unsurprisingly, frequently commands center stage… or Centre Court. Beyond “Wimbledon,” there’s about the epic 1980 Wimbledon final. John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf miraculously pulls out a 20-minute fourth set tiebreaker, 18-16, before Bjorn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) coolly prevails 8-6 in the final set. 

While the film devotes 20 minutes to the match, it fails to do the tiebreaker justice. It does show dynamite points like McEnroe nailing a leaping backhand volley off a Borg lob, or Borg whipping a passing shot down the line. While the scenes can appear like actors doing impressions of the players in between their tennis doubles hitting the real shots, the rallies have an air of authenticity. But as tension mounts, director Janus Metz Pedersen loses interest in the tennis itself, shifting to close-ups to show emotional and physical strain along with montages that feel cliche. 

In “7 Days in Hell,” the tennis, such as it is, exists outside of criticism. This riotous parodies the longest match in tennis history, a three-day Wimbledon battle between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut that finished with the score of 70-68 in the final set. Samberg’s Aaron Williams ups his game by snorting cocaine he had hidden in his water bottle and the court’s lines. In this never-ending match, Williams and Kit Harrington’s Charles Poole have a lengthy rally at the net while both are prone after diving for shots. It’s as far from realistic as possible but it works perfectly on its own terms.

Ultimately, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. In telling the story of Venus and Serena Williams and their father, Green featured more drilling and match play than any other film. He also frequently shot the tennis shots with a low camera angle from behind the players, allowing the viewer to see the action in a way that, say, “Wimbledon” did not, while still creating a sense of immediacy and urgency.

And in the final match at the end between 14-year-old Venus and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, he repeatedly mixed in mid-range shots with long shots while giving the points time to build dramatically as they would in a real tennis match. While the teen loses that match, it is fitting that when it comes to tennis movies, the undeniable champ features the unsurpassable Williams sisters. 

The Inland Film Festival is organized by the Garcia Center for the Arts with several collaborators, including Future/First, an Inland production company with the goal to serve filmmakers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The festival will start at 11 a.m. and wrap up with an awards ceremony on the lawn in front of the venue around 8 p.m.

There will be 26 screenings and panels throughout the day divided by genre. They include dramas, comedy, documentary, sci-fi, horror, family-friendly and music video.

In total, the festival will present more than 100 films.

Each program contains two to seven films and runs an hour to 90 minutes. All-day badges cost $20 per person and allow entry to any of the screenings.

“That’s the amazing part, how much content we have committed, and all local to the IE,” said Eric Servin, program director for the Garcia Center.

One program, “Community Documentaries,” will focus on the Inland Empire. It includes “Mission Tiki on Film,” by Diego Olivarez of Jurupa Valley, and documents the final swap meet at the .

In an , Olivarez describes the Inland Film Festival as a big deal.

“There’s so many talented filmmakers who want to show their work.”

During the festival there will be an art walk near the venue featuring vendors and local galleries that will give filmgoers a chance to stretch their legs, Servin said.

The theater is at 450 N E St., San Bernardino.

Tickets, information:

What: 49th edition

When: Friday-Sunday

Where: Streets of Long Beach

Reigning champion: Kyle Kirkwood

Most wins: Al Unser Jr. 6, Mario Andretti 4, Paul Tracy 4, Sebastien Bourdais 3.

Current IndyCar Series points standings:

1. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 54
2. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 40
3. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 35
4. Will Power, Team Penske, 32
5. Colton Herta, Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian, 31
6. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 28

Team Penske drivers have three of the top-four spots. The top four teams drive Chevrolet-powered entries.

Tickets: gplb.com or 888-867-7333.

Friday, April 19

7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. – Spectator Gates Open

7:45-8:15 a.m. – GT America Practice #1

9-10 a.m. – IMSA Practice #1

10:15-10:35 a.m. – Historic Indy Car Practice #1

11:30 a.m.-noon – GT America Practice #2

12:15-12:35 p.m. – Stadium Super Trucks Practice #1

12:50-2:20 p.m. – IMSA Practice #2

2:50-4:05 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1

4:25-4:40 p.m. – GT America Qualifying

5-5:50 p.m. – IMSA Qualifying

5-6 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES All-Driver Autograph Session (INDYCAR Paddock – open to all spectators)

6:30-8:30 p.m. – Super Drift Challenge #1

6:30-8 p.m. – Fiesta Friday Presented by Acura Starring Ape Drums

Saturday, April 20

7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. –  Spectator Gates Open

7:40-8 a.m. – Historic Indy Car Practice #2

8:25 – 9:25 a.m. – NTT IndyCar Series Practice #2:

10:30-11 a.m. – IMSA WeatherTech Autograph Session (IMSA Paddock)

10:40-11 a.m. – Historic Indy Car Challenge Race #1

11:25-12:55 p.m. – NTT IndyCar Series Qualifying & Firestone Fast 6

1-1:30 p.m. – IMSA Pre-Race

1:30-3:30 p.m. – IMSA SportsCar Grand Prix (100 min.)

4-4:30 p.m. – Stadium SUPER Trucks Race #1

4:45-5:25 p.m. – GT America Race #1

6:30-8:30 p.m. – Super Drift Challenge #2

6:30-8 p.m. – All Star Jam Concert w/Gretchen Wilson, Eddie Montgomery, David Lee Murphy and SIXWIRE

Sunday, April 21

7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. – Spectator Gates Open

9-9:30 a.m. – NTT IndyCar Series Warm-Up

10:45-11:05 a.m. – Historic Indy Car Challenge Race #2

11:10-11:20 a.m. – Acura Type S/NSX Hot Laps

11:25-11:40 a.m. – Mothers Exotic Car Parade

11:45 a.m.-12:35 p.m. – NTT IndyCar Series Pre-Race

12:35 p.m. – “Drivers, Start Your Engines!”

12:45-3 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Round #2 of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series – 85 Laps):

3:30-4 p.m. – Stadium SUPER Trucks Race #2

4:20-5 p.m. – GT America Race #2

What he found changed his life.

“It was kind of like a musical bomb,” says from his home in New Mexico, describing the night he stumbled onto Sill performing to a dozen or so people at Artie Fatbuckle’s Cellar in Hollywood in 1971. “I expected her to be good because David Geffen said she was great, and he has great taste.

“I did not expect her to be an absolute original,” he continues. “Because she was really unlike anything any of us had ever seen at that moment when we were all just starting out and just being signed to (Geffen’s) Asylum Records.”

For , while the setting was different, the epiphany was much the same.

“I was 17 and I was scooping ice cream in Baskin-Robbins in Carbondale, Illinois,” Colvin says from her home in Austin, Texas. “We were listening to our college radio station, WTAO, and this woman comes on and it was … I was kind of like pushed back and nailed to the wall. I was like, ‘Who’s that?!’

“It was ‘There’s a Rugged Road,’ which is the first song on ‘Heart Food,’” she says of the 1973 album that had just come out when Colvin heard Sill for the first time. “The guitar playing was superb. Nobody before or since, to me, has ever sounded like Judee Sill as a singer and as a writer. So it was totally unique, but in a genre that was close to my heart.

“And that was it. I just went to the record store and got ‘Heart Food.’ The record probably cost $3.99. And fell in love with it.”

Souther and Colvin are not alone in their love of the singer-songwriter whose hard life has often overshaded the genius of the two albums she made for Asylum in the early ’70s, where she was the first artist signed after Geffen launched the label.

They, along with artists including , , , Big Thief, Weyes Blood and Fleet Foxes, all appear in “Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill,” a new documentary that opens Friday, April 12 in theaters and on streaming services.

Through the testimony of musicians, friends, writers and more, the film seeks to restore Sill to her rightful place in music history, say co-directors Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom, who worked more than a decade to bring the project to the screen. (Full disclosure: Lindstrom and I were college classmates.)

“We were very lucky to have such enthusiasm,” Lindstrom says of the response from those they approached to participate in “Lost Angel.” “The feeling was like, ‘Wow, this is about time. People need to know about her. How can we help?’”

A life revealed

Sill never shied from sharing the basic facts about her life before she made her first record.

As a teenager, she was arrested for a string of robberies in the San Fernando Valley and sent to reform school where she developed her musical skills by playing gospel songs on the organ for chapel services. After her release, she fell into drug addiction, sometimes working as a prostitute for money to buy heroin.

But that’s not the story Lindstrom and Brown wanted to tell, and to those who knew her, it never defined or confined her as an artist.

“What was striking about the interviews was, each of the people we talked to just said how much fun Judee was,” Lindstrom says. “How lovely she was. What a light she was. It completely blew away that kind of Wikipedia doom and gloom, the female Nick Drake depiction of her.

“One thing that’s really notable is the circle of love that she built in her life as an adult,” he says.

“She was, as far as her friend group, their dearest friend,” Brown adds. “The funniest person they ever knew. The one who would organize all the holiday gatherings and gave presents on their birthdays.”

Sill released her self-titled debut in 1971 and the sophomore release, “Heart Food,” in 1973. The first sold about 40,000 but failed to break through commercially. The second sold less and Sill was dropped by the label, a huge blow to a singer-songwriter who wanted not only to be famous, but also to heal the world with her music, as she says through interviews and journal entries in “Lost Angel.”

The filmmakers were limited to the decades-old footage of Sill in performance, but even in a video recorded by a friend at a performance at the University of Southern California, her talent shines through in the grainy images.

Other sources provided more context. An audiotape of an extensive interview she gave a journalist for the L.A. Free Press covered much of the same ground as the cover story that Rolling Stone published. Her niece had kept many of Sill’s journals, which through the narration of a voice actor and animation of Sill’s drawings, provided more of her voice for the film. The multitrack tapes of “Heart Food” allowed Sill’s music to serve as the film score.

“Our goal was to have Judee tell the story, but we didn’t have the archive to do that,” Brown says. “That’s partly why it took 10 years to make the film, because we were accumulating these things as we went along.”

J.D. and Judee

After that first night in the folk club on Melrose, Souther was completely taken by Sill.

He was already deeply enmeshed in the growing country rock scene in Los Angeles, writing and performing with friends such as Glenn Frey and Don Henley, soon to become the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and Warren Zevon.

Yet in Sill, Souther says he saw things that none of them were doing yet.

“None of us – even Jackson, who was at that point far better than Glenn or Don or Zevon or I – had the kind of detail and the sort of admixture of the numinous and the absolute earthiness,” he says. “It was just great. She was great.

“She was by far the best writer of any of us,” Souther says. “If you asked her what musicians she liked, she would say Ray Charles and Bach. And she kind of liked the Sons of the Pioneers, which you can hear in some of her stuff that’s kind of cowboy country. Her craftsmanship was just elegant, well-formed, and deep. It had a point of view without judgment, but it also had great detail, great specificity.”

Souther and Sill became an on-and-off couple. It ended for good when Souther left to tour with Ronstadt and came home in a relationship with her.

The breakup inspired one of Sill’s greatest songs, “Jesus Was a Cross-Maker,” which mixes holy metaphors with earthly sorrows as it takes Souther down a peg or two for how he broke her heart. Famously, she showed up at his house before breakfast one day to let him hear it straight from her.

“Oh yeah, she threw it right in my face,” Souther says, laughing. ” “Here’s how I feel about you, you unrepentant bastard.’

“I think I said, ‘Wow. Well, let’s go to Lucy’s and get some huevos rancheros,’” he says. “So we went to El Adobe and had some some huevos rancheros. She had spoken her piece, you know. And then we got close again after that. Even when Linda and I were together, and we were in the studio singing, Judee was there a couple of times.”

One of the greats

After Sill lost her record deal, she struggled. Her new boyfriend at the time wasn’t good for her, Souther and other friends say in the film.  A car crash in Souther’s borrowed VW Beetle left her with long-term back pain, which soon led her back into a drug habit.

When she died in 1979 of a drug overdose, she left behind two albums, both of them filled with beautiful music, but outside of her friends few noticed her passing. Her dream to succeed ended unrealized by commercial measures, but that’s not the only way to judge an artist’s life.

“My first instinct is to just prompt us all to kind of re-evaluate what it means to make it,” Lindstrom says. “Can anyone listen to ‘The Kiss’ and think that Judee, in any way, did not make it?

“I think she kind of helps us understand her story with her last words in ‘Lopin’ Along Through the Cosmos,’” he says. “‘However we are is OK.’ I think that can sometimes be used as a kind of meaningless phrase, but in Judee’s case, it’s quite the opposite. I think of it as a kind of hard-won depth and acceptance and grit and perseverance to it.”

Unlike Souther, Colvin never knew Sill through anything but her records. She recorded that first song she heard on the radio at the Baskin-Robbins on her 1994 album “Cover Girl,” and has performed other Sill songs including “The Phoenix,” which appears in “Lost Angel,” over the years. But the most common response to her mention of Sill’s name has been the blank expressions of those for whom it isn’t known.

“That’s why this movie is so important,” Colvin says. “I liken her to Van Gogh or something. It’s like you’re gonna know about her long after she’s gone, and hopefully this is the start of that, because she really should be.

“I just think it’s one of those cases where I have to believe that she just wasn’t meant to blow up while she was alive,” she says. “And who knows how long it’s going to take. But she belongs among the greats. Because she is one of the greats.”

This poignant and emotionally astute film begins with Ella (Anna Paquin) having cratered. She’s newly sober, but also bitter and bereft, spending her days bickering with her concerned but helpless dad (Ray Winstone) and sitting and stewing at the playground where she used to take her daughters.

Ella’s mother died of cancer and her father drank. And Ella grew up angry, drank too much would lose control, taking it out on her young daughters – until she handed custody over to her ex-husband. 

It’s at the playground that she meets Neil (Luca Hogan, in a memorable debut), a quirky and precocious adolescent boy, who restores Ella’s hope. 

“A Bit of Light” is adapted from a play by Rebecca Callard. The director, Stephen Moyer, first met Paquin when they starred on the Showtime vampire hit “True Blood.” Their characters fell in love, and so did they, marrying in 2010. Moyer did his first directing work on that show and has since directed a feature, the well-received ensemble film, “The Parting Glass,” which also featured Paquin. 

Paquin and Moyer spoke to us about the new film, which arrives in theaters and on streaming April 5, and the conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. What appealed to you about the play and the role? 

Moyer: I like that we are coming in after the fireworks have happened. We meet Ella at that moment where it’s the mundane: “Every day, I’ve got to go to fucking meetings that I loathe and I don’t want to be in this room. I don’t want to be with my dad. I don’t want to be any of this.”

I’m sober. I haven’t had a drink in like 23 years. And there are times early on when one is doing that where you think, “Oh my God, it’s only 11:00 a.m. and I’m still sober and that is so boring.”

Paquin: I love how raw and unapologetic and completely broken she is and it’s not dressing up this ugly and sad moment in her life. We allow her to be all the things she is trying to not be but that she is perpetuating because she’s just so full of self-loathing. 

Moyer: This idea of Ella going to the playground where she used to take her children to torture herself, by watching other children play was just such a rock-bottom moment. And it was such a beautiful idea, the story of a person at their lowest ebb, who’s invisible and broken, but who gets seen by this boy who decides to try and put her back together again. I loved this idea that even at your lowest ebb, there is somebody there to help you if you allow them in. Ella tries very hard to try him and make him go away, but he’s relentless.

The irony is that when I read the play Rebecca had sold the rights, but a couple of years later when we actually got the rights Anna – who Rebecca had thought of as too young for the role – had reached 39. And Ray Winstone has a daughter called Ellie, who he calls Els and he has another daughter who is the same age as Anna. It was weird how it all came together at the right time. 

Q. Anna, did you like being told you finally look old enough for this part? 

Paquin: I am so bored of playing significantly younger people than my numerical age. I know you are not ever supposed to complain about looking young in my line of work, but I have absolutely no desire to redo my younger years. It doesn’t necessarily fascinate you when you get older and your priorities and life change. I’ve always been waiting to age into the roles that I want. 

Q. Meanwhile, the youngest character, Neil, is probably the most mature despite his own difficulties in life. 

Moyer: I loved the fact that he speaks plainly and speaks like an adult but he says the things that nobody else will say – he’s the voice of conscience, if you like, of the whole piece, so he’s not a normal 13-year-old boy. 

Q. Like Ella, and also Alan, he’s invisible in his own world. 

Moyer: Exactly. I love the idea of Broken Dad also being put back together. The “bit of light” in the title could be the fact that there is just this tiny, tiny piece of hope that Ella has. But it also could be that wherever Neil, this odd spectral character, travels, he’s the bit of light. Whatever other people he runs into, he helps them cope with the moment that they’re in. He made it his quest to put Ella back together, but in doing so, he affects everybody else around her as well. 

Q. Ella is in constant emotional turmoil. Was that draining and hard to shake off at the end of the day?

Paquin: I don’t know how to do that. I just give it my absolute all and leave absolutely all of it on the floor and walk away. I like that drained feeling. That makes me feel like I’ve done my job well. But to go to emotionally scary or intense places and really open up, you need to feel safe in your surroundings. And I feel really safe with my husband as the director. I know that he’s got my back. We met doing a chemistry read and we were very comfortable with each other from the get-go. 

Q. Is your dynamic the same at home as it is on the set? 

Moyer: On the set I’m lovely, but I’m a monster at home.

Paquin: No, he’s so nice.