In 1988, the news cycle didn't work with the same rapidity that it does today, when a story can go from the center of global attention to virtually nonexistent in a matter of days or even hours.  Almost 25 years ago, big stories became big stories without so many competing 24-hour news networks, all manner of social media, immediate meme-dom, and the eventual backlash. 

It was a year that included an American presidential election and the release of Die Hard, but one particular story that captured the imagination and attention not just of America but of the world at large was that of three California gray whales surrounded by encroaching ice in the Arctic Circle.  Multiple nations and even conflicting interests united to find a way to get the whales, known affectionately as Fred, Wilma, and Bam Bam, through miles of ice to the safety of the open ocean.

Operation Breakthrough, as it was known, was chronicled by Tom Rose in the 1989 book Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event.  That book inspired the new film Big Miracle, which dramatizes the events and stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, who respectively play a Greenpeace activist and the journalist who first discovered the whale family.  With the new family-friendly drama arriving this Friday, both stars were recently on hand for a Los Angeles press conference, along with fellow actors Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Vinessa Shaw, and director Ken Kwapis.  IAR's own Jami Philbrick was present to get these creative figures' thoughts on telling the story of Fred, Wilma, Bam Bam, and all those who aided in their journey.

This summer, Chris Evans got to prove his superheroic bona-fides yet again, this time as the title character in Captain America: The First Avenger, and while he very capably brought the skinny Steve Rogers and the unstoppable super-soldier to life, he was bound by the inhibitions of a morally unambiguous character.  In the independent film Puncture, by contrast, Evans sinks his teeth into the contradictory role of Mike Weiss, a real-life functioning drug addict whose small law firm went up against pharmaceutical giants in an effort to implement needles that would effectively save many health care professionals from the risk of contamination.

Based on a true story, Puncture is the work of sibling directorial duo Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen, both making their feature debut as both directors and producers.  Producing the film along with them is Paul Danziger, Weiss's legal partner and the cautious, responsible yin to Weiss's irrepressible, dangerous yang.  Mark Kassen actually plays Danziger in the film. IAR recently had a chance to screen the film and was very impressed with both the Kassen's filmmaking and Evans' brave performance. With Puncture opening in limited release on September 23rd, both Kassen brothers took the time for an exclusive interview with IAR's own Jami Philbrick, in which they discuss their shared process, the hazards of adapting a true story, working with Evans, and their casting methods.

Ted Danson and Vinessa Shaw (Eyes Wide Shut) have joined the cast of Everybody Loves Whales, the 80s-set drama that also stars John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell and Tim Blake Nelson. Ken Kwapis (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) is directing.