Chelsea Taylor and Jake Gyllenhaal spent an hour observing two dead bodies. Taylor, a 2013 UCLA alumna, plays the friend of Gyllenhaal’s fictional deceased daughter in the film “Nocturnal Animals.” In the film, his character’s fictional wife and daughter are brutally murdered by bandits; Taylor’s principal moment comes with observing the actor as he grieves the death of his family members. Read more...

Photo: Alumna Chelsea Taylor was cast as Young Girl in “Nocturnal Animals” because the production team wanted redheaded actresses for the film’s Western-noir aura. (Courtesy of Matthew Mitchell)

Sut Jhally said propagandistic media has contributed to the public’s understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The University of Massachusetts Amherst professor hopes to occupy UCLA students’ minds with a different story from the media’s. Read more...

Photo: University of Massachusetts professor Sut Jhally screened his film “The Occupation of the American Mind” at UCLA on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Sut Jhally)

Alumna Donna Deitch said it takes a powerful, creative force to stand up to injustice. Deitch attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the 1970s and identifies as lesbian. Read more...

Photo: School of Theater, Film and Television executive board member Donna Deitch directed the 1985 film “Desert Hearts,” which will be screened in New York for its 30th anniversary. (Courtesy of Terri Jentz)

“Allied” is Brad Pitt’s worst movie since “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” The suspenseful war romance brings the tension and the drama with its climactic action scenes, but doesn’t do justice to the love story. Read more...

Photo: (Courtesy of Daniel Smith/Paramount Pictures)