Angelina Jolie warned Entertainment Weekly at Cannes this year that her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey was "a heavy film." When your subject is the 1992 Bosnian War, this is perhaps inevitable. What she didn't say is that it's also, if the the first trailer is any indication, a well-made heavy film. Lots of actors say they want to direct, but few are likely write their own uncommercial scripts, cast unknown actors and film on location in Hungary and Bosnia. Fewer still are likely to come back with footage good enough to be edited together into a two-minute trailer that feels mysterious, romantic and doomed. [The Projector]

Watching the trailer for Starz's upcoming 1959-set, Miami gangster series Magic City, it's hard to think of Mad Men. This is ridiculous, because everyone's shooting at each other and nobody's in grey suits. It may be that Matthew Weiner has turned 20 years of American culture (anything from 1950 to 1970, give it take) and made it a proprietary brand. Which is a shame, because Magic City looks good. But it also has men in narrow ties, which is now TV code for cashing in. [Vanity Fair]

When it comes to designing the cover for a 1,600 page Haruki Murakami book, it's important the art reflect the novel's preoccupations. But the preoccupations of 1Q84 include exploding dogs and floating toasters. Which explains why Knopf associate art director Chip Kidd incorporated other elements into the book's design. Specifically, a subplot where "all of a sudden two moons in the sky" helped inspire the inside flap. He also says there's "a whole little surprise with the page numbers in the book," but doesn't elaborate. (Because it's a surprise.) [Knopf Doubleday via The Millions]

The BBCs webcam footage from inside a badger den is best streaming live video of its kind since the New York Times 'Hawk Cam'. As of 6 p.m. EDT, they were snoring away. This is compelling and adorable, but you should know the backstory to the project, which began streaming Monday. Also, you will learn that two of the badgers are named 'Boris' and 'Fancyclaws'. [BBC Nature]

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at rgustini at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Ray Gustini